282 Description of the eountry between [No. 10, new series. 



dulating plain, bare, and bounded by low hills, and over which 

 villages, generally occupying the summits of eminences, are spare- 

 ly scattered. Four miles farther on, crossing several nullahs, 

 which supply water to considerable breadths of wet cultivation, we 

 reached the village of Aurada, occupying the summit of an emi- 

 nence. 



Aurada to Soogoor, 6. From Aurada the road lay for two miles 

 10 miles. through a narrow valley bounded by low hills 



covered with thin jungle and towards the end of which, I ob- 

 served iron stone in considerable abundance, and tolerable rich- 

 ness — this being the only place between Tahtaparty and Jeypore 

 where it is found of sufficient importance to admit of record. In 

 the above distance we crossed several small Nullahs, and, at about 

 the centre of it, a tolerably sized river, 20 yards wide, with very 

 high steep banks, and a good stream of water, running to the West. 

 The road, now stony and rugged, passes through a narrow defile, 

 half a mile in length, between two hills covered with jungle, and 

 then enters a perfectly open, and very undulating country, with 

 not a single tree, although covered with low date bushes. The 

 soil is red, and the Nullahs or concavities of valleys of which we 

 crossed many, are well cultivated with paddy — 10 miles from 

 Aurada, we reached the village of Soogoor, containing about 60 

 houses, and occupying the summit of an eminence, while situate a 

 few hundred yards to the South West and occupying another, is 

 another village, which in fact belongs to the former. The view 

 from the village is very fine, a fine undulating plain, quite bare, 

 bounded by low hills stretching almost as far as the eye can reach, 

 split up into a multitude of subordinate longitudinal and trans- 

 versal valleys well cultivated with paddy, while to the North East 

 and far in the distance appeared a lofty range of hills, possibly 

 that branch of the main chain which running off N. N. W. is 

 crossed by the Bijya Ghaut. The soil is now, and indeed from 

 Wandragedda as far as what is called the Pedda Ghaut, red and 

 gravelly, admirably adapted for road making, and generally requir- 

 ing nothing more than trenching. 



Soogoor to Dadee, 7. The road between these places passes 

 13 miles. oyer a country muc h as l as t described, the 



soil being red and gravelly, and bearing abundance of low date 



