OF K AM AON. I95 



further in the interior, the prices gradually rise ; and at the foot of the 

 Himalaya^ may be stated at from fifty to seventy-five per cent, above the 

 cost in the plains. With the formation of public roads, practicable for beasts 

 of burthen, these obstacles will gradually cease. 



It now only remains to mention the marts of principal resort for the hill 

 trade. To the east, the Mandi of Belhan is frequented by the merchants of 

 Champdwat, and the traders of the eastern district ; whilst the commerce 

 of Almora and of the remainder of Kamaon (proper) is carried on with 

 Kasipur and the Chilkia Mandi j to these also now flows that of the eastern 

 purgunnas of Gerhwal. Jfzelgerli ia the market for the midland and Najibabad 

 for the western parts of Gerkwal and for Srinagar. Since the establish- 

 ment of the British government, the petty traders by no means confine their 

 transactions to these marts, but visit also most of the principal towns of 

 Rohilkhand for the purposes of traffic. The merchants of Almora and 

 Srinagar have no established correspondents at any town in the plains, 

 with the exception of the marts above enumerated. There are no village 

 marts for the disposal of agricultural and other produce, but the periodical 

 melaSy or fairs, at religious places of pilgrimage, to which the traders resort, 

 are frequent in all parts of the country. 



The foregoing view comprises only the commerce of the hills ; a further 

 branch in this province is that of the timbers, bamboos, terra japonica, &c., 

 the produce of the forests in the Bhdwar. This trade is engrossed by the 

 inhabitants of the towns and villages of Rohillchand, bordering on the Tai^ai, 

 from whence, as the hill Zemindars have no transport, they are obliged to sell 

 the articles on the spot at a low price, very inadequate to the labor expended 

 in cutting and preparing them. The carriage in use, consists of hackeries 

 and large buffaloes : tatoos are also used for the conveyance of light articles. 

 The foregoing remark applies equally to the traffic in Kuth, or terra 



