PART I.] Physical and Microscopic Characters of the Soil at Meerut. 55 



feet from the surface, the extreme variation in which is, according to Dr. Berkeley, 

 about five feet. Eain rapidly affects the level of the water in the wells, the amount 

 of rise of the latter being almost equal to the fall of the former. This is the 

 reverse of what occurs at Allahabad, where a great portion of the rainfall either drains 

 to the river or is evaporated before reaching the permanent water-level. This intimate 

 connection between the wells and the surface at Meerut is of great sanitary importance. 

 Seeing the ease with which any sewage may get into the wells, and as the condition 

 of the ground does not permit of free natural drainage, it is self-evident that the 

 greatest attention should be paid to remedying this defect by artificial means. 



In the more minute examination of this soil, subsequently undertaken, no evidence 

 existed of the ground in the vicinity of the barracks being in a polluted condition, 

 and on the whole was rather less porous than the soils already alluded to, with the 

 exception of the black soil at Morar. 



Soil at a depth of 4 feet from 



Between Nos. 44 and 46 (105th Regiment) 

 „ „ 34 and 39 „ „ 

 „ 43 and 48 „ „ 

 <, „ 1 and 2 (4th Hussars) ... 

 „ „ 13 and 14 

 i^l Married Quarters, No. 15, R. A 



Amount of 

 air contained 

 in 100 parts 

 by measure 



45- 



50- 



50- 



55- 



46-3 



50' 



Permanganate solu- 

 tion required to 

 ffive a permanent 

 tint to a solution 

 of 1 oz. soil, lOozs. 

 water requiring 4 

 decerns of same 

 solution. 



5 decerns 



6 



5 



5 



5 



6 



This soil was examined microscopically in the same manner as the others were, with 

 somewhat similar results. During the first few days its solution contained no infusoria, 

 at least not in motion, but subsequently they made their appearance in great numbers, 

 These in one sample, namely, in the soil from between Nos. 1 and 2 blocks, occupied by 

 the 4th Hussars, consisted almost entirely of various phases in the existence of monas lens 

 (Figs, xcv and xcvi). These alter their form very rapidly, frequently protruding an 

 amceba-like vesicle, as seen at Nos. 1 to 5, Fig. xcv, which represents one animalcule 

 assuming different forms. There are also great numbers of very minute amoebse (6) which 

 seem to be an earlier stage of this animalcule, and when it gets older it becomes elongated 

 (7, 8), sometimes acquiring two filaments. They are frequently seen to multiply by 

 division, as seen in Fig. xcvi, where No. 3 runs through the stages delineated at 4 to 

 7 in the course of five minutes, the two at 7 becoming as perfect in all points as the 

 original one. The green bodies in the figures, which rolled about the field, are alffc. 



