Manufactures.
Wún.

Communications.

Wu'n.

This district is very poor in manufactures; skilled artizans cannot be found. It is supposed that in the anarchy that preceded British rule they emigrated to places where there was employment for them. At Wún there are stone-masons, carpenters, and weavers, who can turn out some neat work. In the rest of the district there are the usual "khádi" (or coarse cloth) makers, generally Dhers. At Mangrúl glass bangles are made in a very ingenious manner. Potters are found all over the district. The Dhangars weave a coarse blanket of wool, and the Banjáras are famed for making gunny and sacking.

CHAPTER XIII.

COMMUNICATIONS.

does much to In the last few lines, but the In the valley

The want of easy and perennial communication counterbalance the other physical advantages of Berár. years the English have made two or three metalled rest of the province is traversed only by cart-tracks. of Berár these run mostly over the black soil, and most of them may be said to exist only for eight months in the year. During those five months they are very passable by country carts; where the track runs wide and level it could not easily be improved, but it is apt to be cut across by abrupt watercourses, and narrowed into a hollow ditch by the encroachments of the field-owners on each side. In the rains very many tracks disappear altogether-the peasants plough them clear up; but en revanche the first cart that reopens communication after the wet season may select its own line across the field. During the four rainy months all travel or traffic by wheels is stopped-the fertile soil has turned into a black bog.

Above the Ghats the ground is harder, but often covered with loose round stones, and it is hard to decide whether sticking in the mud or stumbling over the stones is the more disheartening to adventurers in Berár between June and October.

The remedy for this state of things is not easy. Metalling is terribly expensive; the material (broken basalt) is bad and does not bind; constant repairs are essential, for a neglected metalled road is far worse in the open season than one quite unmetalled, and after all your costly macadamized road is only worth its price from June to October. But this is the dull season, when there is no crop to cart to market, and when all the people are ploughing and sowing.

Then as to unmetalled roads. It might be thought obviously advantageous to demarcate at least the main routes, and to garnish with signposts and milestones. But if we marked out one strip of black soil as the road the public must stick to their bargain, and could not change when the road had got cut to wrinkles; whereas

(

now the custom of the country allows great latitude to travellers in the matter of short cuts and détours. Therefore we want either firstclass roads or none, and, as Mr. Rivett-Carnac observes, the first-class metalled road is little less costly than a railway. Possibly it may be true that here, as in Russia, iron is destined to do the work of stone for the great permanent roads.

That portion of the Great Indian Peninsula railway known as the Nágpúr branch traverses the province from west to east for a distance of about 150 miles and connects it with Nágpúr.

There are 14 stations on this line of railroad, viz

Communica

tions.

7

There are travellers' bungalows at Akola and Badnera, and caravansarais for native travellers at Malkapúr, Nándúra, Shegaon, Akola, Murtizápúr, Badnera, and Chándúr. Accommodation for Europeans is also provided in these sarais.

The branch line of railway to Khamgaon was opened in March 1870. The Amráoti branch has been surveyed, and will be ready for next season's work.

The following first-class roads have been constructed from the general revenues of the province :

1. Road from Amráoti to Elichpúr, distance 31 miles.

2. Do. from Badnera to Morsí, distance 384 miles.

In addition to these operations, conducted by the Public Works Department, considerable sums have been spent from Local Funds, and much improvement effected on the village fair-weather roads.

If the length of the detached roads constructed be totalled up, it will not fall short of two hundred miles.

Amraoti line branches from.

Communications. Melghát.

Elichpur.

DISTRICT SELECTIONS

Melgha't.

The pass into Baitúl from Elichpúr via Bairám and Saolmenda is a made road, and kept in repair at the public expense. The ascent from Bairám is not difficult for carts lightly laden, and the line is that which is most frequented by travellers from the North-Western Provinces. The Bingára, Mokot Kasode, Gáwilgarh, and Malara passes from Berár into the Melghát can only be used for bullocks and asses; but the practice prevails of drawing heavy logs along the lines, which renders them more difficult than they otherwise would be. The Bingára pass leads from Jalgaon, in Berár, to Zeinabád and Burhánpúr, on the Tapti. All the rest are mere openings into the interior of the hill-country.

Roads.-There are no made roads in Gángra, nor are there any that are kept in repair at the public expense except the one that connects Elichpúr with the Sanitarium at Chikalda. The principal routes are the following, which only require to be cleared of stunted jungle and thorny bushes to meet the requirements of the people until the population reaches that of the Berár valley :

Cart-track from Burhánpúr viá Kalamkár and Chapoli to Baisdai, in the Baitúl district. This line is very much frequented by the people of the adjoining districts, and presents less engineering difficulties than any other. It was upon a portion of this line that Tátya Topi retreated in 1858.

Cart and bridle tracks from Kalamkár, Melghát, and Bairágarh, across the several passes into the Gángra valley.

Cart and bridle tracks from Kalamkár to the residences of the Rájas of Mákla and Dulghát.

Bullock-track from Baisdai, in Baitúl, over the upper plateaus to Gáwilgarh. Loaded camels and elephants have been taken over this line, but the descent under the Karkur plateau rendered it necessary to unload the former for a portion of the distance.

In addition to the above, there are cart-tracks to most of the villages situated upon the low ground, and several towards the northern face of the range, but these are used chiefly, if not entirely, for removing timber from the forest.

Elichpu'r.

The only lines of metalled road are those from Amráoti to Elichpúr, and from Amráoti to Morsí. There are, besides these, some short roads not worth mentioning. The principal country roads are those to Chándúr, to Bairamghát, to Chikalda from Elichpúr, and fairweather roads all over the districts passable for eight months in the year, and connecting every village one with the other.

The expense and difficulty in metalling roads is enormous, owing to the depth of black soil, and the want of proper material; and even

when made the benefit to the people is not great-they have little occasion to move about in the rains, and for eight months certainly they can take their carts in any direction with the greatest ease. A fairweather road is only a line of country marked out and slightly

levelled.

Carts are universally used in this district for travelling and trade.

The following kinds of cart are most common :

The burki, with two wheels and no axle, is covered and has curtains.
The rath has four wheels, and is intended to hold four persons.

The miana has two wheels, and is intended for six persons.

The rein is drawn by one bullock.

The kháchar, with two wheels-a large cart to hold several persons

The machi, a small cart for two persons,

The rekla, a small cart for one person.

The bandi and gúra are large carts used for bringing in the crops from the
fields.

Amra'oti.

Statement showing Main Roads, Sarais, and Dák Bungalows,

Amráoti District, June 1870.

Communica

tions.

Elichpúr.

Amráoti.

Amráoti to Elichpúr-Length 30 miles. This is a continuation
of the road from Badnera to Amráoti.

Bridged.

2. Metalled and partially The whole of the road is bridged and drained with two exceptions. The rivers unbridged are the Pidi at Balgaon, and the Púrna at Asegaon. Both are considerable streams in the rains-the Púrna a river; but they generally drain rapidly, and become fordable in six or seven hours after floods. These are not likely to be bridged for some time to come. At Asegaon, on the banks of the Púrna, an inspector's bungalow has been built. A sarai is also sanctioned, and will be built this year.

Roads.

Murtizápúr to Kárinja.

Murtizapúr to Karinja.-This road is passable in the rains, except when there are exceptional floods.

Bridged and drained, with the exception of the Hadgaon and Umri nullas. These streams will most probably be bridged within the next two years. Heavy for carts during the rains, and may be classed as impassable then.

Amráoti to Morsí.

Amráoti to Morsi.-From junction with road to Badnera-Length 33 miles. The road has been bridged and drained, and surfaced with moorum and gravel, for a distance of 16 miles. In the remaining 17 miles a few culverts and drains have been built, but these are disconnected and of not much use. The road for 16 miles is a finished one, and for 17 miles no better than a country track.

Nagpur old Post Line.-From near Kárinja to the Wardha river -Length 60 miles. The road on the Kárinja to the Wardha. opening of the railway was allowed to go to decay, but last year some repairs were made to it, to make it fairly passable, but still the road is very much in want of repairs; metalled, drained, and partially bridged. This was a bridged road, but from neglect several of the culverts and drains have fallen in, and the road must be classed as impassable in the rains.

Amráoti to Chándúr Bazár.-Fair weather Amráoti to Chándúr Bazár. road-Length 28 miles. Impassable during the rains.