326 On the Structure of the Delta of the Ganges. 



efficiency of common and known means to overcome the 

 difficulties encountered during the operations, threw the 

 Committee on their own resources, and the result was, that 

 new means were adopted, and new instruments designed to 

 meet the peculiar exigencies of the case, so that though the 

 main object of their labour has been left unaccomplished, 

 they have still the satisfaction of knowing that the resources 

 of the art of boring have been increased, and much interest- 

 ing collateral information been developed, by their long con- 

 tinued efforts. 



In proceeding now to detail the geological information 

 elicited by the Fort William boring operations, it may be 

 premised, that as the strata of the Gangetic Delta have been 

 found on every occasion in which a section of them has 

 been exposed to be almost identical in position and consti- 

 tution, I do not deem it necessary to allude to previous 

 boring experiments, farther than to record such individual 

 circumstances connected with them, as may appear to throw 

 any interesting light on the general question of the structure 

 of the Delta. 



The excavation of the bore was commenced on the 2nd 

 of April 1836,* and after penetrating to a depth of 10 feet, 

 through the artificial surface soil, a bed of blue clay, close 

 and adhesive in its texture, was entered. As the bore de- 

 scended this was found to become gradually darker in co- 

 lour from the admixture of decayed vegetable matter, till 

 from 30 to 50 feet, large portions of peat were brought up 

 with the clay. Both on this and former occasions branches 

 and fragments of the trunks of trees in a state of decay 

 were found, and Dr. Wallichf has identified such of these as 

 were red coloured with the common Soondri of the Sunder- 

 buns, while he considered the yellow coloured varieties to 



* Committee's Report. 



t Asiatic Society's Journal. 



