﻿242 
  rev. 
  j. 
  f. 
  blake 
  on 
  some 
  [May 
  1897, 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  form 
  the 
  mud, 
  but 
  the 
  ground 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  will 
  be 
  

   fairly 
  firm. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  deposit 
  from 
  rivers 
  must 
  be 
  comparatively, 
  if 
  not 
  

   very, 
  small. 
  What 
  they 
  bring 
  down 
  must 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  be 
  left 
  

   behind 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  sinks 
  in, 
  and 
  then 
  be 
  distributed 
  by 
  the 
  

   wind. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  rainfall 
  is 
  very 
  heavy, 
  2 
  or 
  more 
  inches 
  

   in 
  24 
  hours, 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  escape 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  impervious 
  Ran, 
  and 
  

   in 
  this 
  case 
  it 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  

   fallen 
  there 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  clouds, 
  for 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  there 
  is 
  so 
  

   immediately 
  sensitive 
  to 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  rain 
  that 
  it 
  cannot 
  depend 
  for 
  

   its 
  principal 
  supply 
  on 
  remote 
  sources. 
  The 
  only 
  material 
  that 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  succeed 
  in 
  bringing 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  Ran 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  

   finest 
  mud, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  uniformly 
  spread. 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  causes 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  Ran 
  

   has 
  become 
  shalloAver, 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  Sindree 
  basin 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  has 
  

   become 
  more 
  contracted, 
  and 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  all 
  the 
  surface 
  

   will 
  become 
  ' 
  alluvial 
  ' 
  soil. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  means 
  of 
  

   ascertaining 
  whether 
  such 
  a 
  diminution 
  of 
  the 
  Ran 
  is 
  now 
  actually 
  

   in 
  progress, 
  the 
  older 
  maps 
  being 
  only 
  approximate. 
  Nevertheless 
  

   all 
  comparisons 
  tend 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  Thus 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bani 
  is 
  marked 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  maps 
  as 
  surrounded 
  by 
  Ran, 
  but 
  as 
  joining 
  

   the 
  mainland 
  by 
  a 
  wide 
  area 
  now 
  under 
  cultivation 
  in 
  the 
  new. 
  The 
  

   northern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Bani 
  is 
  also 
  separated 
  by 
  Ran 
  from 
  Patcham 
  

   in 
  the 
  old 
  maps, 
  but 
  I 
  found 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  mud 
  there 
  after 
  4 
  inches 
  of 
  

   rain, 
  while 
  the 
  Ran 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  was 
  under 
  water. 
  Mr. 
  Wynne 
  

   mentions 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  Ran 
  is 
  very 
  soft, 
  as 
  between 
  Patcham 
  

   and 
  Kharir; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  as 
  perfectly 
  passable 
  now. 
  Mr. 
  Wynne 
  

   also 
  goes 
  out 
  of 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  correct 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  Bela 
  is 
  joined 
  

   by 
  alluvium 
  to 
  Wagir 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  no 
  doubt 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  when 
  

   both 
  are 
  barren, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  distinguish 
  alluvium 
  from 
  

   Ran, 
  I 
  can 
  scarcely 
  think 
  he 
  could 
  have 
  done 
  this, 
  if 
  so 
  many 
  

   trees 
  had 
  then 
  found 
  root 
  in 
  it 
  as 
  are 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  

   area. 
  But 
  on 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  there 
  is 
  certainly 
  no 
  change 
  — 
  the 
  

   cliffs 
  of 
  Kharir 
  are 
  to-day 
  exactly 
  as 
  he 
  drew 
  them. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  that 
  the 
  main 
  geological 
  agent 
  in 
  

   Cutch 
  is 
  now, 
  and 
  for 
  long 
  ages 
  past 
  has 
  been, 
  the 
  wind. 
  The 
  heat 
  

   of 
  the 
  sun 
  expands 
  the 
  surface-rocks, 
  the 
  rain 
  disintegrates 
  them 
  ; 
  

   but 
  the 
  wind 
  denudes, 
  cleaning 
  them 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  and 
  covering 
  

   them 
  in 
  another. 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  so, 
  we 
  can 
  scarcely 
  admit 
  with 
  

   Mr. 
  Wynne 
  that 
  ' 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  how 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plains 
  of 
  India 
  

   were 
  formed 
  is 
  not 
  cleared 
  up 
  by 
  anything 
  observed 
  in 
  Cutch 
  ' 
  ; 
  but 
  

   we 
  may 
  adopt, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  modification, 
  another 
  statement 
  of 
  his, 
  

   that 
  to 
  whatever 
  causes 
  the 
  great 
  plains 
  of 
  Sind 
  and 
  the 
  Ran 
  are 
  

   due 
  the 
  coast- 
  plains 
  of 
  Western 
  India 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  ascribed. 
  These, 
  

   indeed, 
  with 
  their 
  wide 
  distribution 
  of 
  thick 
  unstratified 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   fine 
  soil 
  over 
  areas 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  rivers, 
  and 
  their 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   kunkur 
  gathered 
  from 
  disseminated 
  calcareous 
  particles, 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   bespeak 
  an 
  aeolian 
  origin, 
  even 
  before 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Cutch 
  rendered 
  the 
  

   activity 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  in 
  this 
  quarter 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  an 
  observable 
  fact. 
  

   Doubtless 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  is 
  brought 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instance 
  

  

  