470 



DELTA OF GANGES AND BKAHMAPOOTKA. [Ch. XIX. 



an intervening island. It was a grand sight, each downfall 

 created a clcrad of spray ; the concussion in one place causin 

 other masses to give way a long distance from it, and thiL 

 the crashes continued, swaying to and fro with little prospect 

 of a termination. When we glided out of sight two hours 

 after sunrise the destruction was still going on/ * 



memoirs on this region. 



DELTA OF THE GANGES AND BRAHMAPOOTRA. 



As an example of a large delta advancing upon the sea 

 in spite of the action of a very powerful tide, I shall next 

 describe that of the Ganges and Brahmapootra (or Burram- 

 pooter). These, the two principal rivers of India, descend 

 from the highest mountains in the world, and partially mingle 

 their waters in the low plains of Hindoostan, before reaching 

 the head of the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmapootra, some- 

 what the larger of the two, formerly passed to the east of 

 Dacca, even so lately as the beginning of the present century, 

 pouring most of its waters into one of the numerous channels 

 in the delta called ' the Megna.' By that name the main 

 stream was always spoken of by Eennell and others in their 



But the main trunk now unites with 

 an arm of the Ganges considerably higher up, at a point 

 about 100 miles distant from the sea ; and it is constantly, 

 according to Dr. Hooker, working its way westward, having 

 formerly, as may be seen by ancient maps, moved eastward 

 for a long period. 



The area of the delta of the combined rivers, for it is im- 

 possible now to distinguish what belongs to each, is consider- 

 ably more than double that of the Nile, even if we exclude 

 from the delta a large extent of low, flat, alluvial plain, doubt- 

 less of fluviatile origin, which stretches more than 100 miles 

 to the hills west of Calcutta (see map, fig. 37), and much 

 farther in a northerly direction beyond the head of the great 

 delta. The head of a delta, as before stated, is that point 

 where the first arm is given off. Above that point a river re- 

 ceives the waters of tributaries flowing: from higher levels ; 

 below it, on the contrary, it gives out portions of its waters 

 to lower levels through channels which flow into adjoining 



* Bates, Naturalist, on the Amazons, toI. ii. p. 172. 1863. 





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