484 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. eee 1908; 
1 nt 
anticipate that at some period, assuming that climatic roan fi 
remain unchanged, the Himalayas will be an undulating country 
more suited as a retiring ground for Anglo-Indians than any 
place we can imagine. This acme of perfection is, however, far 
ahead of us, but until it is somewhat close at hand, we cannot 
expect vers to be naturally navigable; at present Nature, with 
the forethonght which all = us unhesitatingly allow to be her 
permanent bed mich by Sogress ti ccialesiiia to csaigatl 
river navigation a permanent bed is not an essential, and we shall 
not thwart Nature in cig way by keeping open ‘by dredyi ing, 
or other measures, the changeable channels of the Ganges and 
Brahmapu 
“The Ganges and the Brahmaputra are both, within limits, at 
the present moment, navigable up to certain points. With regard 
to the former, since ‘she is practically hedged in by railways on 
either side for the greater part of her length, it may be a gued 
that the keeping open of steamer ways is of no great import- 
ance; at the same time, the paralysing effects of ay recent 
strike on the East Indian Railway, which for a considerable 
distance follows the Ganges, suggests the grave necessity of due 
attention being paid to that river as a transport medium; if 
steamer lines had existed on the Ganges to the extent to which 
they migit have existed, there is little doubt but that the effects 
of the ee would have been less paralysing. 
s been here assumed that railway transport, if available, 
is hae etaaie to river transport; the assumption is a wrong 
one and it should be remembered that for many articles water is 
so 
seriously is the necessity for efficient mance age ale recognised, 
death-knell of canals, has, in civilized counties long since been 
gnised to have preached unsound dep octrine. We may there- 
fore take it that, if at reasonable expense we can, without 
the balance of Nature’s arrangements, keep the Ganges 
open for. low-draught steamer vessels throughout the year, itis 
EN iN oe 
