554 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [November, 1910. 



Manpura (Monnerpour). South of Char Manpura the old eastern 

 branch can be traced in a series of char mouzahs but is com- 

 pletely dried up ; the west channel via Gournadi still exists in 

 a somewhat abated form slightly west of its original course, 

 but it now carries the waters of the Kumar (Coomar) and Ariel 

 Khan rivers. The network of rivers shown by Rennell between 

 the E. and W. channels have now completely changed, and 

 are filled with the waters of the Meghna which has broken 

 through the isthmus of Srirampur in the shape of the Nayabhan- 

 gani River and of the Ariel Khan, a young and problematical 

 river flowing from above Panchar and meeting the old course 

 of the Pad ma near Takya. 



As regards the Nayabhangani it is unnecessary to add to 

 what has already been said. This extraordinary new river has 

 kept alive the lower courses of the old Padma but at present 

 it is showing a strong tendency to silt up. This tendency 

 appears to be due to the success of the Meghna in damming 

 back the Padma some 25 miles to the north at Rajabari and 

 compelling it to deposit its silt along the west bank of the 

 Meghna. So extensive are the chars thus formed that they have 

 thrust the mouth of the Nayabhangani so far south as to make 

 it appear to be a feeder of, rather than a dependent on, the 

 Meghna. 



To enter into a detailed description of the changes that 

 have occurred between Rennell' s Panchar, Ha.bibganj and 

 Tockya would be an Augean task. Even within the last few 

 years the usurping river, the Ariel Khan, which now holds the 

 field, has changed its course completely over a long reach, mov- 

 ing 5 miles to the east ; of the 250 square miles in this area, not 

 twenty can claim continuous existence since RenneH's day, the 

 changes in the area are as rapid as they are extraordinary. 

 Madaripur which 50 years a*o lay on Rennell' s Comar River is 

 now washed, and is in imminent danger of being washed away 

 by the Ariel Khan. It would require a Delphic oracle to pro- 

 phesy the future. 



Of the more southerly reaches of the river, the branch to 

 Sewtalury (Jhalakati) has practically maintained its old course ; 

 it is however interesting to note that the opening up of the 

 Kirtinassa in 1818 resulted in the stretch of river below 

 Gournadi almost drying up, until opened out again by the 

 Ariel Khan. Further south the volume of water which flows 

 into the Meghna, approximately through the mouths surveyed 

 by Rennell as the mouths of the Ganges, is still immense ; but 

 the water is that of the Nayabanzhani and the new and vigor- 

 ous stream of the Ariel Khan — a stream the effect of which in 

 the near future it is difficult to estimate. 



Rennell's Journal does not deal with the area lying further 

 south, and it would be out of place to attempt to describe the 

 extraordinary changes which have taken place in the series of 



