Remarkable 
GAN 
.Gunges.  veys/! “The Bore commences at Hoogly Point: So quick 
~«~-—« +s its motion, that it hardly takes four hours to run a 
distance of 70 miles. It does not flow on the Calcutta 
side, but along the opposite bank ; from whence, cross- 
“ing at Chitpoor, about four miles above Fort-William, 
it-proceeds with great violence past Barnag-ore and 
‘Duckinsore. On its approach, boats must immediately 
quit the shore, and go for safety into the middle of the 
river. At Calcutta it sometimes occasions an instanta- 
neous rise of five feet. 
The part of the Delta bordering on the sea is com- 
posed of a labyrinth of rivers and creeks, named the 
Sunderbunds, which, including the rivers that bound 
it, give an expansion of 200 miles to the branches of 
the Ganges at its junction with the sea. A complete 
inland navigation is formed from the disposition of these 
‘natural canals. In tracing the sea-coast of this Delta, 
there are eight openings found, each of which appears 
to be the principal mouth of the Ganges. The course 
of the river fluctuates from one side of the Delta to the 
other ; nothing appearing in its numerous creeks and 
rivers but regular strata of sand.and black mould: The 
élay is-found deposited below. 
The navigation through the Sunderbunds is chief- 
tricate nae ly by means of the tides, there being two distinct pas- 
sages; the one the Southern or Sunderbund passage, 
the other the Balliaghaut. The first is the longest, 
leading through the widest and deepest rivers, and 
opening into the Hoogly or Calcutta river, about 65 
miles below the town. ‘The Balliaghaut passage opens 
into a lake on the east side of Calcutta. The naviga- 
tion of these passages extends above 200 miles through 
a .thick forest, broken into numberless islands by a 
variety of channels, differing so much in width, that a 
vessel is at one time pre among the trees, and at 
another sails on a broad expanse of water, beautifully 
skirted with wood. The water is every where salt; and 
the forest is abandoned to wild beasts, with the ex 
tion here and there of the solitary habitation of a fa- 
keer.. During the dry season, the salt-makers who vi- 
-sit these rivers exercise their trade at the imminent ha- 
zard of their lives ; enormous tigers, not only. making 
their appearance on their borders, but swimming off to 
the boats that aes anchor. In addition to these, the 
rivers swarm with alligators. These passages are open 
throughout the year, pee during the eee when the 
stream of the Ganges is low, all the trade of Bengal 
{the western districts excepted) passes either by Chan- 
nel Creek or by Balliaghaut, but chiefly by the former. 
It is neither practicable nor desirable to reclaim these 
salt marshy lands, generally overflowed by the tide. 
This forest has always been considered. of. importance 
ina political view, presenting a strong Berens 3 barrier 
along the southern frontier of Bengal. Excellent salt 
in abundance is here manufactured ; the woods also 
furnish an inexhaustible supply of timber for fuel, boat~ 
sbuilding,.and other purposes. 
The.British nation, with their allies and tributaries, 
eccupy the whole navigable course.of the Ganges, from 
its entry on the plains to the sea; which, by its winds 
“mepootras ings, is about 1500 British miles. The following cir- 
cumstance attending the Ganges and Brahmapootra 
rivers is remarkable, Though the sources of the latter 
have .never been explored, they are in all probability 
only separated from those of the former by a narrow 
range of snow-clad mountains, about the 32° of North 
Latitude, and the 82° of East Longitude. From thence 
dixecting their courses to. opposite quarters, they are 
108 
GAN 
more than 1200 railes apart; but afterwards meet, and 
roll their mighty streams in conjunction to the sea. 
There is a species of dolphin iar to the Gan 
which is particularly descri by Dr Roxburgh ‘in 
the seventh volume of the nad Reieliched: We shall 
ive merely a general outline of this animal. The body 
Se Totig and slender, thickest ‘about the forepart, and 
from ere tapering to the TF The = is soft, 
smooth, and of a’ shining pearl-grey, or lead colour 
when dry ; diversified with fighter fPrtier spots, or 
clouds, particularly when old ; ‘but when thé animal is 
alive, and as it ai in the water when rising to 
breathe, it looks much darker. \ The length of the one 
described (a young half grown male) was 64 feet, and 
3 feet in circumference where thickest, rather behind 
the pectoral fins. It weighed 120 ds. The head 
is remarkable, being about one-sixth part of the length 
of the whole animal, and the jaws are furnished with 
no less than 120 teeth. When in pursuit of fish, it 
moves with great velocity. Between the skin and flesh 
is a coat of yellowish-coloured fat, more or less thick 
according to the state of the animal. This'the Hindoos 
set a high value on, as an reer for removin 
pains of various kinds. The flesh is like the lean’ 
beef in colour, of no disagreeable smell, yet, so far as 
was learnt, not eaten by the natives. See Colebrooke, 
Asiatic Researches ; Rennel’s Phil. Memoir ; 'Webbe's 
Survey, Asiatic Researches ; and Hamilton’s East India 
Gazetteer. (Ww. T.) Téa 
. GANGLION. See Sureery. © hpi 
GANGRENE. » See Surcery. J 
GANJAM is a town of Hindostan, in the circar of 
Cicacole, near the Bay of Bengal. It is situated on a 
small eminence along the river, at the distance of about 
a quarter of a league from its embouchure. The prin- 
cipal public buildings are a larg Pagads, and the house 
the governor, built of brick, All the other houses 
are built of’ a greasy earth, and covered within’ and with- 
out with lime. They are roofed with straw or bul- 
rushes, which are renewed every two years. The town 
is of a moderate size; the streets are narrow, and ill 
arranged ; but the inhabitants are numerous. In 1711, 
when the town was rich and populous, it was situa- 
ted very near the shore, but a violent storm of wind, 
which rose in the evening, drove out the sea, and in- 
undated the town, so that only a few of the inhabitants 
escaped. The harbour of Ganjam is commodious ; it 
has five or six feet of water at neap tides, and nine or 
ten in spring tides. Vessels are. built here at a 
rate, andin great numbers. The finest muslins that are 
made on the coast are manufactured at Ganjam. | Pros 
visions are cheap, and there is plenty of corn and rice. 
The town is much frequented by the merchants of 
Bengal, and by the Armenians. f 
Ganjam is at present one of the five districts into 
which the northern Cirears are divided, and is the re« 
sidence .of a collector and judge. The fort, which 
stands on the southern side of the river, is a small pen- 
tagon, on plain ground, and is capable of making a 
considerable resistance when well garrisoned. S$ 
and jagary are cultivated in the neighbourhood ; but 
the country north of the town is very low, and is in- 
undated in the rainy season. 
Between the Ist of ge! 1811, and the 30th of April 
1812, the total value of imports at Ganjam, chiefly 
from Calcutta, was 106,250 rupees, of which only 6414 
rupees was from places beyond the territories of the 
Madras government, ‘The total value-of exports with= 
# 
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