188S.] Report on Barisal Guns. 199 



Report on 'Barisdl Gtons' made at a meeting of the Sub- Committee held 



on the 17th July 1889, to consider the observations recorded during the 



year 1888. 



Present : 

 Colonel Waterhouse. 

 Rev. Father Lajjont. 

 A. Pedler, Esq. 

 Babu Gaurdas Bysack. 

 C. Little, Esq. 



The reports sent by correspondents have been partly by means of 

 the forms sent out by the Sub- Committee, partly by letters. Fifteen 

 forms were filled up and returned, and the information contained is 

 given in the accompanying table, in which the more important facts are 

 entered. The dates on the forms are from April 28th to August 14th, 

 1888 and March 11th, 1889. A large proportion come from Khulna and 

 Barisal, the other places being Moyapore (1), Narainganj (1), Noakhalli 

 (2), Harispur (1), and Daulat, six miles north of Khulna (1). Dr. 

 Crawford sent 5 from Barisal, Mr. Rainey 2 from Khulna, and the 

 facts supplied by Mr. Waller were observed at Khulna by himself or in 

 neighbouring districts by his subordinates. None of these forms or 

 letters refer to the same day, except two cases on the 16th of July and the 

 14th of August, but the sounds were not heard at the same hours and 

 frequently there are considerable gaps between consecutive dates : this 

 fact, however, may go to shew that these sounds are heard at isolated 

 places and not over a tract of country. This is suggested by the sounds 

 being heard frequently by Mr. Waller in June, and not by Mr. Rainey 

 till the 2nd or 3rd of July, though they were both in Khulna and lived 

 not very far apart. 



In all of these forms cloudy or rainy weather is reported, both at 

 the time the sounds were heard and duriug the previous 24 hours. On 

 this point there is almost complete unanimity. 



The only information to be drawn from the reported directions of 

 the sounds is that they always come from a southerly direction, the only 

 exception to this being Kutubdia Light House, and then the sound 

 came from the north-west, while the wind direction was almost due 

 opposite. From Dr. Crawford's and Mr. Rainey's reports it seems that 

 the sounds generally come from the same direction to any given place, 

 and this direction does not alter with a change of wind. During the first 

 two days on which Dr. Crawford reports, the wind was blowing lightly 

 from the S. E. and the sounds came from S. S. E., the second da}' a little 

 more southerly : during the last three days a strong wind was blowing 

 from the S. W., but the directions of the sounds remained unchanged. 



