GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 151 



times navigable, is the Cbundnah river, which feparates at Mah- 

 mudpour, and falls into the Hooringotta. 



At the great trait which faces the bay is a colledlion of flat 

 iflands divided by a labyrinth of canals, and covered with trees, 

 forming altogether a foreft as large as the whole principality of 

 Wales. I cannot particularize the trees ; but the aquatic Rbizo- 

 phora Mangle^ or Mangrove of the IVeJl Indies and Guinea^ is 

 very frequent along the fliores. This tradt is called the TFoods or The Sunder- 



BUND. 



Sunderbund. The numerous canals form a complete inland na- 

 vigation along the lower part of the Delta for thofe who do not 

 chufe to go up the Hoogly river by fea. There are two of 

 thefe paflages, one named the Sunderbund, the other the Ba- 

 liagot\ the firil opens into Calcutta river, about fixty-five miles 

 below the town ; the other opens into a lake on the eaft fide of 

 Calcutta, from which a fmall canal has lately been cut to unite 

 the lake with the river: this paffage is in ufe to go up the 

 Ganges towards Patna, and when the JelUngby is too low for 

 navigation, that is generally from December to May. Thefe 

 paflages afford a moft grand and curious fpe6tacle, a navigation 

 of above two hundred miles through a foreft divided by num- 

 berlefs ifles, by a continual labyrinth of channels, fo various in 

 point of width, that a veflel has at one time her mafts almoft 

 entangled in trees, at another, fails iminterruptedly on a capa- 

 cious river beautifully flcirted with woods. How particularly 

 rapturous muft this be to the naturalift, prefented by each of 

 the elements with the moft Angular or beautiful produdtions of 

 nature ! 



But this rich fcenery is unfortunately infefted more than Tigers, 



any 



