286 Description •/ the country between [No. 10, new series. 



have thought that disinclined as is the Government of India, dur- 

 ing the continuance of the present financial embarrassment, to re- 

 commend the commencement of the scheme as a whole, they may 

 be disposed next year to countenance the undertaking of the por- 

 tion of the scheme mentioned above, which under any circum- 

 stances must be the portion of the line first commenced and com- 

 pleted. 



The present amount of traffic by the Parvatipore route many 

 times exceeds that by the others — this owing to the former being 

 much easier than the latter, and every one with whom I have con- 

 versed on the subject, is of opinion that were a road made by Par- 

 vatipore, all other routes would be almost entirely abandoned. The 

 country through which it passes too is in almost every respect su- 

 perior to that by the Madugole route, whether in size of villages, 

 extent of population, capabilities of improvement, or resources. 

 As I have just mentioned, the Parvatipore line is very much more 

 used than the other, and this alone, in the absence of other cir- 

 cumstances, would lead us to conclude it to be a much easier and 

 more improbable route. 



Objection raised 6. The only objection I have ever heard 

 to the Parvatipore iged ^ Parvatipore route, by those ac- 

 route. r * 



quainted with both, is the number of times must be crossed the 

 river, which, rising in the Bijya Ghaut, enters the sea at Chicacole, 

 and even this they hold to be small and more than counterbalan- 

 ced by the numerous other advantages offere d. To this objection 

 however, even taken by itself I attach little weight, for in the first 

 place the crossing, where objectionable, might without doubt often 

 be avoided by making the road a little longer, and even where this 

 cannot be done, a bridge (if necessary) can easily be erected, tim- 

 ber being every where plentiful, and foundation soil excellent. It 

 is only however, after a heavy fall of rain, of one or more days 

 duration, that the river would not be easily passable, as between 

 Parvatipore and the foot of the Ghaut, in which distance it is 

 crossed 24 times, the river is generally wide, and with low banks, 

 nor either from reports, nor from appearances, do I gather that the 

 volume of water is ever for more than a very short time, and that 

 occurring but seldom during the year, sufficient to cause stoppage 



