1889.] Report on Barisdl Guns. 205 



Stommary of Mr. Waller's observations. 

 The general result of observations I made during some 6 weeks 

 of June and July gave the following results 



(a) the sounds seemed always to come from the south or south-east. 



(b) they were sometimes single and sometimes double, i. e., like 2 

 cannons fired immediately after each other; 



(c) they came sometimes singly at short intervals and sometimes 

 as many as 5 or 6 in quick succession with only a second or two between, 

 while at other times a single sound was heard not followed by another 

 at all that day, or not till after a long time ; 



(ct) the sounds were heard indistinctly except in somewhat still 

 weather, hence they were heard more clearly and distinctly at night as 

 a rule than by day ; 



(e) the sounds when loud and distinct could not be mistaken for 

 any other sound, but when indistinct might not be distinguishable from 

 the sounds of bombs ; 



(/) the distinctive characteristic of the sounds was the resounding 

 hollowness of them, resembling the sound of a large heavy substance 

 falling on to a wooden floor in a very large vaulted building heard at a 

 considerable distance ; 



(g) the wind was invariably from the south, or south-east by south, 

 at this time of the year ; 



(h) there was an unusual number of frequent discharges day and 

 night just before the monsoon broke here on June 27th; 



(i) I noticed 2 or 3 times that when there were a considerable 

 number of the sounds heard, a bank of rain cloud from the south had 

 come up discharging rain within the previous 24 hours ; 



(7v) the sky was more or less overcast to the south always ; 



(I) no electrical disturbances or thunder were observed, either 

 locally or at a distance, before or after or at the time of the sounds ; 



(m) the sounds were heard at all states of the ebb and flood tides 

 equally. 



The way in which the sounds may be heard by one person and 

 not by another in the same or almost the same place was exemplified by 

 my bearer hearing 3 sounds on my house steps as I rode slowly up to 

 them in the evening, while I, who was not 50 yards off, heard nothing. 

 Mr. Rainey also told me he had heard them while in a house with 

 others, who being in another part of it heard nothing. 



From Chanduria, Debhatta and Morrellgunj it is reported that, 

 though heard in former years at those places, none were heard during 

 1888, and though I heard many at my house at Khulna, Mr. Rainey, 

 whose house is about a quarter of a mile east of Rupsha river, close to which 



