﻿THROUGH BENGAL. £5 



JJfamutty^ which I have furveyed : it may, however, 

 be applied, in fome meafurc, to all luch as flow 

 through the plains of Bengal. 



It has already been fliewn, that the encroachments 

 on the banks of the Ganges, which produce inflections 

 in the courfe of that river, are ultimately flopped by 

 the growth of iflands; which connecting themfelves 

 with the main land, have a tendency to reflore a de- 

 gree of flraightnefs to the channel. The fmall rivers 

 are liable to the fame encroachments on their banks; 

 but as there is not fufficient fpace between them for 

 iflands of any bulk to grow up, the efFe6l is ufually 

 very different; for the flream continuing its depreda- 

 tions on the fleep fide, and depofiting earth and fand 

 on the oppofite (here, produces in the end fuch a de- 

 gree of winding, as, in fome inftances, would appear 

 almoft incredible. I will particularize only a few of 

 the mod extraordinary cafes I have met with. 



The diflance from Bulliah to Serampoiir^ two villages 

 on the weftern bank of the IJfamutty, is fomewhat 

 lefs than a mile and a half; in the year 1795, the dif- 

 tance by water was 9 miles, fo that, at the ordinary 

 rate of tracking, which feldom exceeds 2 miles in the 

 hour, a boat would be 4^- hours in going from one 

 place to the other. The river in that fpace had feven 

 diftinct reaches, two of which were of confiderable 

 length : and between three others, which nearly- 

 formed a triangle, the neck of land which feparated 

 the two neareft was only 14 yards* acrofs; while the 

 diflance round exceeded three miles. See Plate II. 

 fig. 1. 



Higher up this river, the village of Sivmautpour is 

 fituated clofe to a narrow ifthmus, acrofs which the 



diftance 



* In January 1797 I found iliis narrow iflhnr.us broke through by tlie 

 river, and on founding in the very Ipot where it had exifted, and where the 

 bank had been upwaids of 20 feet high, I found 18 feet water. This al- 

 teration in the courfe of the Ijfamutty faves the traveller upwards of 3 

 niile^. 



