1851.] Notes upon a Tour through the Rajmahal Hills. 575 



twenty-four miles north and south, with an average width of five 

 miles, and is surrounded on every side by hills, through which there 

 are several narrow passes leading into the plains ; one pass is to the 

 south-west, the Chuperbhita pass ; the second is the Mujhwa or Mur- 

 cha Ghat to the north-west, or that leading to Bhaugalpur ; and one 

 the Ghatiari pass, to the immediate east of Burhyte, leading to 

 Rajmahal and Junipur through Kankjole ; and a fourth pass to the 

 south-east or the Murgo Ghat, leading through Umbar to Junipur ; 

 and a fifth, to the north-east, leading over the hills to Rajmahal ; 

 besides these five regular passes through all of which Mr. Pontet has 

 cut good carriage roads there are numerous footpaths leading over and 

 along the hills. 



From Burhyte, large quantities of rice, bora beans (Dolichos cat- 

 jang), Indian corn, mustard and several oil seeds are conveyed away 

 in carts by Bengalis to Jangipur, on the Bhagiratti ; and in return 

 for these grains, the Sonthals are paid in money, salt, tobacco, beads, 

 or cloth. The soil around Burhyte is the deep black cotton soil, pro- 

 ducing luxuriant crops of rice, Indian corn, junera, beans, koorthee, 

 tobacco, gram and mustard. 



The united waters of the Giimani flowing from the south, the 

 Morel or Morang flowing from the northern portion of the valley, as 

 far as to the very neighbourhood of the Motijharna hill, overhanging 

 the Ganses at Sikrigalli ; meet at Burhyte and with a sudden turn 

 to the east leave the hills by the Ghatiari pass, under the name of 

 the Giimani Nallah : which flowing through Kankjole falls into the 

 Ganges near Farm ka thanah. 



The beds of the streams flowing through the valley are of great 

 depth, perhaps thirty feet, but are nevertheless liable to be filled to 

 overflowing, as was the case in 1845 ; when the Morel overflowed its 

 banks, swamped the whole of the northern portion of the valley, 

 drowning about five hundred head of cattle and forty Sonthals. 

 These floods only occur when very heavy rain falls in the northern 

 hills, and are periodical, happening about once in five years. 



This valley viewed from any of the surrounding hills, affords an 

 admirable example of what can be done with natives, when their na- 

 tural industry and perseverance are guarded and encouraged by kind- 

 ness. When Mr. Pontet took charge of the hills in 1835, this valley 



