OP THE BIJNOUR FOREST. 417 
mention that I have it on reliable authority that between Allahabad 
and Cawnpore, at the time of the commencement of railway operations, 
the price of fire-wood was about 9/ a hundred maunds, i, e. a very little 
over what the price of the same commodity now is at Nujeebabad a few 
miles outside our forest belt. Now (1863), the contract price of railway 
fuel between Allahabad and Cawnpore is 19/ a hundred maunds, i. e. 
the railway has more than doubled the rate. From a sufficiently near 
approach of the railway, a similar result may be expected here, if means 
are not taken to modify the effects of the increased demand. 
More knowledge of details than I at present possess, and very pro- 
bably a year or two's experience of the effects of such approach, would 
be necessary in order to determine the best possible steps by which to 
meet the increased demand for fire-wood. It appears to me however, 
that in order not only to meet this demand effectually but to lessen the 
railway expenditure as well as that of the people generally under this 
head, one feasible method would be to divide off the forest into manageable 
segments, in only a certain proportion of which alternately would any 
wood-cutting or any jungle fires be permitted each year. By some such 
plan the evils of indiscriminate cutting and trimming, under the 
impending contingency, might be guarded against. 
Under the present system of working, the main part of the funds is 
expended on roads, of which 225 miles are in the Collector's Report, 
stated to be maintained in and near the forest. Within the limits of 
the forest there is not much thorough traffic, the only roads crossing it 
on which any great amount of such traffic exists being that from Kaloo 
Shuheed (at the mouth of the pass into the Patlee Doon) to Burrapoora, 
that from Koldwara to Nujeebabad, — and that from (the western) 
Laldhang to Amsote. On these roads besides the ordinary timber traffic 
a very considerable amount of merchandize comes from Gurhwal by 
Koldwara for several months of the cold weather when a depot of Bunyas 
is in full play there. I have in 2£ hours on a November morning, 
counted 200 men and boys with head-burdens of grain, red pepper, &c, 
&c, come into Koldwara. A good deal oipahari traffic is also done on 
the Laldhang and Amsote road. 
Besides these three roads, the others within the forest are merely for 
timber-carriage, and do not require much to keep them in fair working 
order. The extension of the Sub-Siwalik road from Kaleedoongee by 
the eastern Laldhang towards Hurdwar, which it is expected will be 
completed this year by an additional 19 miles in this distict, is hardly an 
exception to this, for the amount of through traffic on it seems, at 
present at least to be very small. A much more important road, and 
one the state of which may bear very materially on the forest revenues, 
is the main longitudinal line, running parallel to, and at last on the 
outer edge of the forest from Nujeena to Nujeebabad, Amsote, and 
Kunkhul, on parts of which the amount of general and timber traffic is 
