10 H. James Rainey — Barisdl Guns. [Jan. 



Note hy Dr. W. King. «i 



The eanse of the Barisal Guns still remains a mystery, and a not 

 unnatural tendency in the enquiry has been to fall back on the line of 

 active and partially quiescent volcanic vents occurring along the eastern 

 coast of the Bay of Bengal, as possibly exhibiting phenomena which 

 might account for these sounds. Any way, Mr. Rainey made no mis- 

 take in referring to " an active volcanic train" along the Arracan Coast ; 

 because the mud exhibitions in the form of cones raised partly by 

 ejections of mud and other materials, with accompanying discharges 

 of steam and luminous gas, must be classed in the categoi'y of volcanoes : 

 while the evidence seems clear that they have extended as far northwards 

 as Chittagong. 



Whether, however, the sounds accompanying certain features of 

 this line of volcanic action have anything to do with the Barisal Gun 

 sounds or echoes is so far extremely questionable : still a possible 

 connection should not be let fall out of the discussion, and Mr. Rainey 's 

 suggestion as to enquiry regarding sound accompaniment of volcanic 

 phenomena in otter regions might be kept in view. 



The sounds reported so far as accompanying the paroxysmal dis- 

 charges of the Arracan foci are not, however, so much explosive as 

 rumbling or thunder-like ; which may be attributable to the escape 

 of the conjested material or gases through vents already existing. It 

 is, however, a question with me whether explosive sounds might not arise 

 from the bursting forth of confined gases through sudden openings in a 

 less active, though not necessarily less cumulative, region of this line 

 of vulcanicity ; which region might lie to northward, or even north- 

 westwards of Chittagong. At the same time, the Barisal Guns are 

 perhaps too numerous and apparently rather too much confined to the 

 south central part of the Delta, to fall in with this last suggestion. 



Mr. W. A. Lee suggested that Seismograph obsei-vations should be 

 taken to decide whether the Barisal guns accompany earth tremors, or 

 not. 



