82 



INDIA. 



SW<* two branches ; which, about 13 miles to the eastward 

 ^Y^^ of the point of separation, again approach; tlie northern 

 branch, however, being at this place 20 feet lower than 

 the southern ; and that an immense mound is formed, 

 to prevent the waters of the one branch from descend- 

 ing into those of the other. The higher, or southern, 

 branch retains the name of the Cavery. From it canals 

 are conducted in all directions ; " which, by means of 

 embankments and reservoirs, are directed into every 

 field, and fertilize a tract of country, from Doxatt* to 

 Point Calymere, (a distance of nearly 70 miles,) which 

 would otherwise remain a barren sand." In most parts 

 of the Carnatic, the water necessary for the purposes of 

 wet cultivation is supplied from tanks. In the Vallore 

 district of this province, however, the system of canals 

 is followed. These are dug, during the diy season, 

 across the channel of the rivers, below which, even at 

 this period, moisture is always met with ; or they are 

 drawn from subterranean streams, 'many of which exist 

 in this tract, and contribute not a little to the greater 

 degree of verdure which prevails here than is usually 

 seen in the Carnatic. 



bj tanks, 3. Tanks, or reservoirs of water, are of two kinds in 

 Hindostan. They are constructed either by digging, 

 or by shutting up, by an artificial bank, an opening be- 

 ween two natural sides of hills. The former mode is 

 practised in Bengal, and in other parts where the sur- 

 face is level, and the soil loose, and free of rocks ; the 

 latter, in the more hilly districts of the Decan and the 

 south of India, where natural situations, proper for this 

 kind, are met with in abundance, and where the former 

 kind could not be constructed without almost infinite 

 labour and expense. Considerable insecurity, as well 

 as great labour, are requisite in the formation of the 

 tanks in the hilly districts; in the selection and damming 

 up of the outlets of the narrow vallies ; and in making 

 the surrounding rocks answer effectually the purposes 

 of walls. In Bengal, and the other flat districts, the 

 tanks are generally lined with stone, and their bottoms 

 rendered hard, and impervious to the water, by a mix- 

 ture of chunum and clay. In these parts of Hindostan 

 they frequently cover 100 acres of land. Tanks are 

 constructed either by government, or by rich indivi- 

 duals. In the former case, a tax is levied on the land 

 for their repairs ; in the latter, they are kept in repair 

 by the person who constructs them, but, as a compen- 

 sation, one-fourth part of the lands which receive water 

 from the tanks is given up to him in i'ull proprietary 

 right. 



Tanks are very numerous, and some of them very ex- 

 tensive in the Carnatic ; where, indeed, from the ex- 

 treme aridness of the soil, and the want of water from 

 other sources, they are indispensably necessary to culti- 

 vation. Some of them occupy an area of eight miles in 

 length, and three in breadth, and contain water enough 

 to supply the lands of 32 villages for 18 months. In 

 the villages watered by one tank, there are SOOO persons 

 employed in agriculture ; and at another place, there is 

 a tank which waters 2500 acres. These tanks are made 

 either in the manner already described, or by inclosing 

 deep and low situations with a strong mound of earth. 

 Tanks upon a less extensive scale, for the use of gar- 

 dens, &c. are lined with stone, and of a quadrangular 

 form. In Malabar, Congo, Wynaad, and in the vicini- 

 Surat and Bassein, irrigation by means of tanks is 

 carried to great perfection. In the vicinity of Surat, 

 some of the lands watered by tanks are worth about 

 seven or ten times as much in gross produce as the best 

 of those that are only watered by the monsoon. 



Wells are also constructed in many parts of Hindos- Sis;" 

 tan, at great labour and expense, not only for domestic x * 

 purposes, but also for irrigating the land. In" the ele- 

 vated and sandy districts of A jmeer, the Veils are from 

 100 to 200 feet deep, made of brick. In Guzerat, there 

 are a greater number of wells. One is said to have cost 

 nine lacks of rupees ; and another is remarkable for its 

 antiquity ; appearing, from the inscription, to have been 

 erected in the year 1482. In the sandy soil of this pro- 

 vince, which lies to the north of the river Mahy, the. 

 wells are from 80 to 100 feet deep ; but in the adjoin- 

 ing province of Malwah they are still deeper; the in- 

 habitants being frequently under the necessity of dig- 

 ging to the depth of 300 feet before they obtain a suffi- 

 cient supply of water. 



The machine used to draw water from the wells to Machiin u. 

 irrigate the fields, is called a picotah, and is thus de- water tlie 

 scribed by Sonnerat ; " it is a swipe erected on the side ldluis ' 

 of a well, or reservoir for the rain water, to draw up 

 the water, and afterwards to conduct it at pleasure. 

 This machine, equally simple and convenient, is con- 

 structed in the following manner : near the well a 

 piece of wood is fixed, forked at the top ; in this fork 

 another piece of wood is fixed to form a swipe, which 

 is formed by a peg ; and steps cut at the bottom, that 

 the person who works the machine may easily get up 

 and down. Commonly the lower part of the swipe is 

 the trunk of a large tree. To the upper part is fixed a 

 pole, at the end ot' which hangs a leather bucket. A 

 man gets up the steps to the top of the swipe, in sup- 

 porting himself by a bamboo screen, erected by the 

 side of the machine ; he plunges the bucket into the 

 well, after which he descends, and by his weight draws 

 up the bucket. Another man attends to pour into the 

 basin, from whence the water flows into the furrow, and 

 is distributed over the whole field. The person who 

 empties the bucket sings, to encourage himself, one, 

 two, three, according to the number he has emptied. 

 When the water in the tank is on a level with the sur- 

 face of the earth, they use a basket for watering, which 

 is made impenetrable by cow-dung and clay ; and is 

 suspended by four cords. Two men hold a cord in 

 each hand, draw up the water, and empty it in balan- 

 cing the basket." (ii. 132.) 



Land under water-courses is more productive than 

 land under tanks or wells, in the proportion, in land of 

 the first quality, of 146 to 97 ; in land of the second 

 quality, of 1 1 9 to 86 ; and in land of the third quality, 

 of 97 to 75. 



The dreadful consequences which follow a deficiency Famine & 

 of moisture, have often been experienced in Hindostan; consequence 

 and the apprehension of these consequences induces the of want of 

 inhabitants to be so extremely anxious respecting the raia ' 

 overflowing of the rivers, and the erection of tanks and 

 wells. In Surat, and the neighbouring counties, there 

 was a dreadful famine in the year 1630. In the.year 

 1661, the famine was almost general throughout, the 

 Mogul empire ; but the most destructive was that 

 which occured in Bengal in the year 1770. The crops 

 of December 1768, and August 1769, were both scan- 

 ty, and hardly a drop of rain fell in October 1769, 

 which caused an almost total failure of the third crop 

 of rice. The refreshing showers which usually fall be- 

 tween January and May, and in which the interme- 

 diate crops of inferior grain depend, also failed : the 

 heat was insufferable. Upper India suffered nearly in 

 an equal degree with Bengal, and consequently could 

 not send any supply of rice. Famine began to ap- 

 pear in November 1769, and before the end of April 



