96 
Journal of an Expedition [no. 3, new series, 
of all but a trifling portion of the AnnamuUay teak ; and a loss 
of what in a few years money will not purchase. 
A road from the southern Talooks of Coimbatore to Cochin 
v/ould be of the greatest importance to that district, and do more 
for the port than any other improvement that could be suggested. 
It appears very probable also that on enquiiy it will be found, that 
by opening a pass into the teak forests from the low country of 
Coimbatore, the same communication continued to the westward 
will serve both to lead the produce of Poolachy and Odamulla- 
cottah by a direct line to water carriage, and take this vast amount 
of timber to Cochin. 
A road for timber, on which it would be necessary to move very 
great weights, should, I imagine, differ in one respect from the line 
which would be opened for general traffic. The slightest ascents 
should be avoided at some sacrifice of distance, but from the 
nature of the country I explored, and the gradual fall in the rivers 
I crossed, I am inclined to think that the road opened for the 
heavier timber carriages would answer well enough for other trafiic, 
bringing the produce of the southern Talooks of Coimbatore with- 
in 70 miles of water carriage and little more than 100 of the port 
of Cochin. 
From the teak forest I descended into the plain of Coimbatore 
by a pass opened for the transport of timber, and after riding 15 
miles arrived at Annamullay soon after dark. 
The distance we passed over, since leaving Malliatoor, calculated 
by time with a careful memorandum of the rate at which we 
moved is 57 miles ; of which 53 are through an unbroken jungle. 
This would in most parts of my division be 53 miles of danger 
from fever, but here I really think the danger is very trifling. At 
Malliatoor (which at a distance has the character of being feverish) 
I found very little fear of deadly fever in the neighbouring forest. 
The smugglers declared to me that they did not suff'er from it, 
although the greater part of them are coolies hired for the occasion 
and not at all acclimatized. The first I heard of fever, was on the 
side of Coimbatore where the people cutting timber had in the 
last few days begun to suffer from it. 
