PART I.] Physical and Microscopical Characters of the Soil of Fyzabad. 5 1 



structure existed. Their movements were very slow, slower than ordinary amoebae, 

 and being translucent, it was only by careful illumination that they could be watched. 

 Two of them are sketched at Fig. xciii, in the act of protruding long processes of 

 their substance among some animalculae which have become encysted on the walls 

 of the tube. This moving substance presents precisely the same microscopical 

 appearances as the hyaline, glary matter surrounding the encysted bodies. The little 

 colony depicted of the latter was watched for several weeks, but no changes took 

 place, consequently the nature of the encysted bodies could not be made out. It 

 is very remarkable that such bodies retain their vitality so long, as they must have 

 been imbedded in this dry soil for several years. 



FYZABAD. 



There were a few cases of cholera in this station also, but fortunately only 

 two deaths occurred among the European soldiers. The cantonment is situated on 

 slightly elevated ground on the banks of the Grogra, but no part of it is swamped 

 by this river, nor is it believed that the rise and fall of the river affects the 

 condition of the wells. 



The soil is sandy everywhere, except near the bed of the river, where there are 

 more traces of clay. Here and there a layer of kunkur is interposed between the 

 upper more clayey layer and the lower one. 



A few samples of the soil were preserved for subsequent examination, the result 

 of which may be seen in the table below. 



On being microscopically examined, nothing which could possibly be construed 

 as having the most remote connection with cholera could be seen. No spores of 

 fungi could be identified, and the infusoria which became revived in the course of a 

 few days were of the ordinary kind (Fig. xciv). 



