49. The Kosi River, and some lessons to be learnt from it. 
By Captain F. C. Hirst, 
Speaking of the work of man, in contrast with that of 
nature, in the basin of the Mississipi River, eeu and 
Salisbury, = a egy ican scientis cad say 
“ are, to-day, not wholly i in Samra with the pie trans ort- 
ation of the same area a century ago... . It is doubtful whether 
Ww 
"regarded not only as a potent geological agent, but dangerously 
‘so to himself. The hope is t that the intelligence that has 
wrought a change in surface conditions, serviceable for the 
‘present, but dangerously so to the future, will be so enlarged as 
“to inspire a more intelligent control of surface conditions which 
‘Shall compass the future welfare as well as transient benefit. 
<The: Mississipi and Ganges (with such parts of the feeders 
of the fatter as occupy a portion of the region known as the 
Songétia plain) have much in common, and the advice tendered 
.by the two authorities quoted aber applies with greater force to 
India than to America, because the conclusions _arrived at by 
ample Egponinntion to guide them in esting practically with river 
estions, we, in India, are compe elled to resort to 2a eens 
based on the nemdbay of the rivers of sikes countries which, from 
time to time, have received careful attention. She = hone 

rivers flowing through p ‘similar to the Gangeti 
behave in much the sam’ ee it de nok le to form 
very fair idea of how far it is, or is not, at present, advisable to 
tamper with — a stream 2 the Kosi. sation its reaches in the 
lains 
whi Esha h they may have afforded temporary relief in 
ih “places pain oe nsidered to have justified the 


1 Chamberlin and Salisbury, ‘Geology and its processes,” p. 620. 
