﻿THROUGH BENGAL. 9 



The channel being, at length, completely choaked 

 up, will, in the hot feafon, be left dry ; when the 

 whole ftream being diverted into the oppofite chan- 

 nel, and glancing along the fide of the new formed 

 ifthmus, will foon, provided the river continues to 

 fall, form a fteep ridge. This, however, will be over- 

 flowed again, and may, for a time, afford a paffage in 

 the rainy feafon ; but it will ultimately rife up into a 

 formidable bank, and effectually clofe the paffage. 

 The lower part of the channel, however, forms a 

 creek, in which a confiderable depth of water will re- 

 main for fome time; but which receiving a frefli fup- 

 ply of matter on every enfuing flood, will be gradu- 

 ally filled up. 



The furvey of part of the Ganges, on which I was 

 deputed in 1796, gave me an opportunity of afcer- 

 taining the moit remarkable changes which had oc- 

 curred fince the former charts were conftructed ; the 

 following detail of which, aided by an infpection of 

 the accompanying map, will, it is hoped, be fufficient 

 to illuftrate and confirm the truth of the foregoing re- 

 marks. 



Near Sooiy, the great river had encroached to with- 

 in a mile of that place ; the diftance, according to the 

 old maps, having formerly been five miles ; and by 

 the reports of the oldeft inhabitants of the neighbour- 

 ing villages, it was in their remembrance, about for- 

 ty years ago, reckoned four co/s. The narrow ifthmus 

 between it and the Coffimbazar river, was gradually 

 becoming lefs, and, notwithftanding the old paffage 

 by Saddygnnge, had, in a moft extraordinary manner, 

 been clofed up by a mound of fand, yet there was fome > 

 appearance that a new channel of communication 

 would be formed, by the river breaking through the 

 neck of land ; the encroachment flill continuing, they 

 faid, at the rate of an hundred yards every year. It 

 is poffible, ho\\e\ er, that the encroachment may be 



ftoppe4 



