oct.— ujlR. 1859-60.] Parvatipon and Jeypore. 265 



would be more properly called, through it is in some places level 

 and good, and would be easily and cheaply made into a good road, 

 but in very many places it is very stony and rugged and through 

 dense jungles. The track up the Ghaut is exceedingly rocky, 

 steep and bad, and here the road would be very expensive. The 

 river which runs close to Chicacole and falls into the sea at Calin- 

 gapatam, takes its rise at the head of the Bijiya Ghaut, and is cross- 

 ed very frequently by the present track. During freshes the depth 

 of the river where it is broad, and its slope moderate, is frequent- 

 ly from 5 to 7 feet, but the river falls rapidly, and consequently 

 causes no great detention to travellers, hence the absolute necessi- 

 ty of bridges is not so obvious as in the upper part of its course, 

 where the bed is considerably narrowed, and very rocky, and 

 where the slopes on either side are so steep as to give the river the 

 appearance of a wide and very deep nullah. Were, however, 

 a good road made, I have not the least doubt, that a vast im- 

 provement would be made in the state of the country, for as 

 almost the whole of the traffic, which is at present conveyed by 

 different routes to Chopatombo near Jeypore en route to Nagpore, 

 would be attracted to this line, which is considerably shorter 

 than any other, the natural consequence would be that the vil- 

 lages would become larger, the country more thickly populat- 

 ed, and the jungle more cleared, the latter tending much to de- 

 stroy the unhealthiness of the climate. I should mention that 

 the surface soil is generally extremely hard, and well suited for 

 road making, various kinds of rock are found on the Ghaut, the 

 majority being soft sand stones, more or less intermixed with other 

 substances. Iron is also found on the Ghaut, in some degree of 

 richness at the top, the quantity and richness both diminishing as 

 we descend, and disappearing almost altogether soon after reach- 

 ing the foot of the Ghaut, on the Parvatipore side. The stone 

 called soap-stone or powder-stone, a stone of extreme softness and 

 friability, is also found in considerable quantity. I did not see 

 much granite on the Ghaut, but from the peculiar shape of the 

 peaks of some of the mountains which form the gorge, I conclude 

 that they are to a considerable extent composed of that species of 

 rock. 



