﻿12 ON TH5 COURS£ OF TH£ GANGES 



veral years to be the principal, and indeed the only 

 navigable channel of the river in the dry feafon. Here 

 boats were frequently in imminent danger of ftriking 

 againft the rocks, as during the period of the river's 

 encroachment, and particularly in the rains, it was 

 difficult to avoid them when coming down with the 

 flreara. While the river continued thus to expand it- 

 fclf, an ifland was growing up in the middle of its bed, 

 which, when I lalt faw it, (in January, 1797,) ex- 

 tended from near Pattergotta^ 5 miies below Colgong^ 

 to a confidcrahle diftance above the latter place, being 

 altogether^-6 miles in length, and 2 in breadth; and fil- 

 ling nearly the whole fpace which had been occupied 

 hy the principal ftrcam in the year 1779. The quan- 

 tity of fand, and foil, which the river muft have de- 

 pofited to effect this, will appear prodigious, if it' be 

 confidercd, that the depth of water in the navigable 

 part of the Ganges is frequently upwards of 70 feet ; 

 and the new ifland.s bad rifen to more than 20 feet above 

 the level of the ftrcam. Again, the quantity of earth 

 y.hich it had excavated in forming a new channel for 

 itfelf, will appear no lefs aftonifhing : fome idea of 

 this may, however, be conceived, from the foundings 

 which I caufed to be taken near the rocks, which va- 

 ried from 70 to 90 feet. If we add 24 feet for the 

 height of the foil that had formerly adhered to thefe 

 rocks, as indicated by the marks it had left, it will ap- 

 pear that a column of 114 feet of earth had here been 

 removed by the flream.* The encroachm.ent of the 

 river had, however, been ultimately flopped by the re- 

 finance it met with from a hard conker bank to the 

 fouth-eaflward of thefe rocks, and bv the encreafing 

 growth of the ifland, which had flraitened the upper 

 part of the channel, and caufed it to be choaked with 

 land, Accordinglv, in January, 1797, this channel 

 refembled more a ilagnated creek than the branch of a 

 great river; and, notwithftanding the great depth of 

 water v,'hich remained in forae parts, it was at its up- 



per 



• See Plate I, and the ScQior in Pl;.te II. 



\ . 



