1106 Report on a Passage made on the Nurbudda River. [Nov. 



smooth and level that in most places a cart could even now be driven 

 over it ; below the fall, however, the rock ends in abrupt and irregular 

 steps of from 10 to 50 feet, and during the three days I spent at Daw- 

 ree, I looked in vain for a place where a road could be made without 

 considerable expense, to slope down to the water's edge. 



6th. Within half a mile of the village there is a perpendicular rock 

 51 feet high, under which boats could come at all seasons, and if a 

 crane were placed on the top of it, goods of every description and even 

 light boats, could, without the least difficulty, be drawn up and let 

 down. From thence to the navigable part of the river above the falls 

 is only a distance of 1490 yards, which could be made fit for carts at 

 the cost of 4 or 500 Rs. 



7th. Timber, both large and of a good description (ungun) grows 

 on the spot, so that no difficulty exists to large and powerful (though 

 doubtless rough) cranes and windlasses being constructed on the rock 

 where they are to be used. 



8th. Many of those who now go up the Nerbudda for the purpose 

 of buying or cutting wood, leave their boats at Dawree, whilst others 

 with great labour drag them (if light enough) over the rocks, but for 

 this many men are required ; all these are of the poorest of these poor 

 provinces, and unaided will never be able to afford the expense of in 

 any way surmounting the difficulties of the river at Dawree ; but I feel 

 convinced that were such a measure undertaken, we should see a trade 

 spring up between this and the Hoosungabad Provinces. 



9th. Several natives with whom I conversed had been up the river 

 as far as Chund-ghur, the site of the great Iron mines, 12 coss above 

 Dawree, and report the stream quite as clear as below. 



10th. On the 3rd of August, at 12 o'clock, I left Dawree in a 

 boat with six boatmen, about the same number of attendants, and a 

 good load of baggage, and arrived at Oonkur, a distance of 20 miles, 

 at 5 P. M., without meeting any obstacles or delay. 



1 1th. On the 4th of August, I left Oonkur at 5 A. M. and arrived 

 at Mundlaisur (20 miles) at 6 P. M., having stopped an hour on the 

 way ; our progress this day was much impeded by a smart westerly 

 wind, but the river presented no sort of difficulty. 



12th. During the rains of 1845 I went by the river from Mund- 

 laisur to Oonkur and back, and in March, 1816, I proceeded from 



