30 H. F. Blanford — On protracted Relative [No. 1, 



monsoon, while in Lower Bengal the pressure was for the most part above 

 the average. This is shewn in the tables for the year \see Appendix] ; the 

 first of which gives the mean total barometric anomaly for each month of 

 Calcutta, Saugor Island, False Point, Cuttack, Chittagong, and Akyab, and 

 the second the relative anomalies for certain pairs of stations selected so as 

 best to illustrate the phenomenon in question. 



In this case, which indeed was the first that attracted my attention, 

 the relative depression was remarkably intense, and bounded (on the land 

 side at least) by a high gradient. The pressure in Bengal was unusually 

 high and that at False Point abnormally low at the beginning of the year ; 

 and this barometric difference was intensified in May, when, however, there 

 Avas a prevalent high pressure much exceeding the average. In June, again, 

 when the general pressure was below the average, the difference was less, 

 and as between the neighbouring stations of Cuttack (50 miles from False 

 Point) and Calcutta, almost disappeared ; reappearing, however, in July 

 with a general excess of pressure, and becoming further intensified in 

 August with a general and abnormal fall. In this last month the greatest 

 difference was between Saugor Island and Calcutta (68 miles apart) ; amount- 

 ing absolutely to not less than "103 inches on the mean pressures of the 

 month. There was no cyclone, notwithstanding that so great a barometric 

 gradient rarely occurs, even temporarily in India, except during the passage 

 of a cyclone. The rainfall at Calcutta during the month was however very 

 heavy, one half greater than at Saugor Island, and at Hooghly 30 miles 

 further north it was nearly twice as great as at Calcutta. I shall recur to 

 this subject in the sequel. In the north-west of the Bay, the anomalous 

 depression lasted until the end of the year ; but it was most intense during 

 the south-west monsoon. The excessive rainfall was quite local, and occur- 

 red, as we have seen, some distance to the north of the depression. In the 

 N. W. Provinces the fall of the season was somewhat deficient. 



In 1869 the pressure was abnormally high at False Point and Cuttack 

 (especially the former), relatively to the more southern part of the coast 

 (Madras) on the one hand, and to Bengal, especially as represented by Ber- 

 hampore on the other. It was abnormally low at Berhampore and also at 

 Chittagong ; while at Akyab, relatively both to this place and Port Blah', 

 and during the greater part of the monsoon, even to False Point, it was 

 unusually high ; August being a temporary exception. In other words, 

 there seems to have been an abnormal ridge of high pressure, extending 

 across the Bay from Akyab to False Point and Cuttack. In the Meteoro- 

 logical Report for that year it is stated that " the rainfall was less than the 

 average in Orissa, the Gangetic delta, and Aracan. Also in Eastern Bengal 

 (except Sylhet and Cherrapunji), in Lower Assam, Sikkhn, and parts of 

 Behar. It was above the average at Soory and Berhampore, and over a 



