Floods in India in 1849. 53 



vailing day about. For eleven days on end not a di'op seems to have 

 fallen at Calcutta, and from the 9th to the 25th only two days of 

 rain occurred, when 1-80 inches fell. 



The rains at Calcutta had, notwithstanding, up to this time, fully 

 reached their average, and there had been no month since the com- 

 mencement of the year without showers. The quantity that had 

 fallen during rhe three monsoon months was in all 34*28 inches; 

 viz., for May 7*44; June 14-40 ; July 12-24. The total fall for 

 the year had been 40-67 ; that of 1848, up to 1st August, 38-96. 

 The total fall at Calcutta last year was 5869. 



During the first fortnight of the month we had at Bombay seven 

 days wholly fair ; on the other seven the rains were very light. On 

 the 16th and 17th we had heavy falls, which now continued with 

 little intermission. While a plentiful supply of rain was thus being 

 provided for the Malabar coast as far north as Goozerat, all along 

 the Ghauts, around Sholapore, and over a great part of Candeish, 

 only a few showers had occurred over the Deccan. At Ahmedabad, 

 so late as the 27th July, a famine was apprehended : kurbee, which 

 sold last season at 60 bundles, was selling this at 16 to the rupee. 

 The Saufjor and Nurbudda territories were suffer! nor still most 

 severely. Around Deesa and along by Mount Aboo by Sehore, 

 Ajmere, and Nusseerabad, and all over Rajpootana, — at Delhi, 

 Meerut, Agra, and all along the north-west provinces, — such was 

 the deficiency that a terrible scarcity and famine was apprehended. 

 The barometer stood high, and the heat was excessive ; and though 

 there seemed frequent promises, there was no actual fall of rain 

 worth notice anywhere. On the 22d, the first threatenings made 

 their appearance. A hurricane swept the JuUundhur Doab, carry- 

 ing everything before it. A similar gale levelled the barracks of 

 Her Majesty ""s 3 2d with the ground : a kindred one destroyed the 

 barracks at Ghazeepore. Heavy rain fell at Meerut, but did not 

 reach Delhi, though it raged all around. A severe thunderstorm 

 with rain occurred at Poona, and heavy showers fell at Ahmedabad : 

 it poured in torrents at Bolarum. On the 25th, a tremendous burst 

 occurred all over India. At Bombay, where it had been raining 

 heavily before, the unprecedented fall of nearly a foot occurred, and 

 16 inches fell in three days. An Arab ship was dismasted half way 

 across from Muscat. A heavy fall occurred at Poona and all over 

 the Deccan, at Sholapore, Ahmednuggur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Agra, 

 Meerut, and Delhi, reviving the hopes of the husbandman, and sub- 

 stituting the prospect of plenty for the apprehension of want. On 

 the 25th and 26th it rained and blew violently at Phoonda Ghaut, 

 the barometer falling to 27-924 — the lowest it had been during the 

 season. In the course of four days 26 inches of rain fell at the 

 Ghaut ; in the same time above forty fell at Mahabuleshwar. Vio- 

 lent rains occurred over the southern part of the Chinese empire in 

 May and June ; up to the middle of July the fall was heavy and 



