398 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [November, 1909. 
remain stationary, and, as in the case of the Damodar, 
so here, the flood level may in time rise. In either case, how- 
ever, the outlet to the sea is near, and as the mean sea level 
In Orissa there is no difficulty in the way of drainingt he 
I think that these instances are sufficient to show that the 
dangers of flood banks are understo by those who have 
been made for the wholesale removal of offending banks, but the 
vested interests in the protected lands are great, and the present 
certain loss is more apparent than the prospective future gain. 
Any action in this direction must necessarily be very gradual. 
“* unavenged.’ 
It is, no doubt, the case that we can do nothing to control 
or alter the action of the great natural forces. We cannot 
cause the rain to fall, or the sun to shine, or the wind to blow. 
We can, however, and we do every day, interfere with and 
modify the operations of Nature. Every field that is ploughed 
and sown with corn is such an interference. We have, by selec- 
tion and crossbreeding, modified very many plants and animals. 
Oo =. 
=] 
es 
ust confine 
efforts, and success depends on a due apprehension of these 
step. In the plains of Bengal, the rivers are, as a rule, of a 
deltaic character and we find the highest ground along their 
