BEN 



Bot alNvays k«ep pace with -.hat of the river, on account of 

 the height oi the banks ; but after the beginiung ot October, 

 wlien the rain has nearly ccafed, the remaining mundaUon goes 

 off quickly by evaporation; and the lands are lett highly 

 manured, and in a Rate fit for receiving the feed, after the 

 fimple operation of ploir^'hing. For an account ot tUe 

 " bore," to which the rivers of Bengal arc fubject ; lee the 



article Bonr. • ,-,ri u 



From the time of the change of the monfoon in Ottober, 

 to the middle of March, the rivers are in a tranquil Hate ; 

 and then the " north-weacrs" begin in the eallcrn parts of 

 Benjal, and later as we advance welUrards; and they may be 

 cxpetted once in three or four days, until the commencement 

 of the rainv feafon. Thefe " not th-wefter?," fo called from 

 the quarter in which they ufually originate, are the molt 

 formidable enemies to the inland navigation of Bengal. They 

 are fudden and violent fqualls of wind, and, though they are 

 of no long duration, thev arc often attended with fatal effeas, 

 and have'caufed whole lleets of trading boats to fink almoft 

 juftantaneoufly. They are more frequent ii. the eallern than 

 in the wellern part of Bengal ; and happen oftener towards 

 the ciofe of the day than at any other time. For fomc hours 

 before they arrive, they arc indicated by the riling and fingu- 

 lar appearance of the clouds ; and thus the traveller is warned 

 to feek (helter. But in the great rivers they are truly for- 

 midable ; more efpecially about the latter end of May, and 

 beginning of June, when the rivers are much increafed in 

 width. After the commencement of the rainy feafon, which 



BEN 



funiinies the inhabitants of the mountains of Caflimere, and 

 of the elevated plains of ITiibet, with both rice and wheat, ir» 

 return for their (hawls, gold, and muflc. Upon the failure 

 of their crop of rice, a grievous famine enfues. Of this many- 

 melancholy inftances have occurred, both in Bengal and in 

 other parts of India. One of the moft deplorable of this 

 kind occurred in the year 1770. On this occafion, the nabob, 

 atid great men of the country, dillributed rice gratis to the 

 poor ; but when their own (locks began to fail, they with- 

 drew their donations, and Calcutta was crowded with mul- 

 titudes of perfons who came thither to folicit relief. But 

 the whole (lock being expended, the famine prevailed, and 

 many thoufands fell down as vitlims to hunger in the ftreets 

 and fields ; fo that their bodies, mangled by dogs and vul- 

 tures, corrupted the air, and feemed to threaten a plague. 

 Many perfons were employed daily, on the company's ac- 

 count, in throwing dead carcafes into the river, fo that the 

 waters were contaminated, and the fifh could not be eaten 

 without danger. Hogs, ducks, andgeefe, fed chiefly on the 

 dead bodies ; and the only meat v,hich could be procured 

 was mutton, which, on account of the dryntfs of the feafon, 

 was fo fmall, that a quarter of it would fcarcely weigh a pound 

 and a half. This dreadful famine was occaliontd by a pre- 

 ternatural drought, which caufed both the great harvell of 

 1769, and the little one of 1770 to fail. As a prefervative 

 from the miferies attending a dry feafon, and as a fource of 

 fnpply of water for domellic purpofes, the inhabited part of 

 the country is furnilhed with numerous reiervoirs of an ob- 



fiUing of the creeks and inlets, as the river increafes, and, on 

 the other hand, the bad weather is of longer continuance, 

 than during the feafon of the " north-wefters." The inland 

 navigation of Bengal is performed with fafety, with refpect 

 to tlie weather, during the long interval between the end of 

 the rainy feafon, and the beginning of the " north-wefters." 

 At this latter feafon pecuUar attention and care are neceffary. 

 For an account of the boats that are ufed in this inland navi- 

 gation ; fee BuDGE-ROW. 



Bengal is a low flat country, fertilized by numerous rivers 

 and ftrcams, and intcrfperfcd with a few ranges of hills. The 

 triangle formed by the Coffimbazar and Hoogly rivers to the 

 weft, by the Ganges to the eaft, and by the fea-coaft to the 

 foiith, as well as a large trad on each hand to the north of 

 this Delta (fee DeltaI, is as level as the lower Egypt. 

 Such parts of this extcnilve plain as are not watered by the 

 Ganges or its branches, are fertilized by many other ftreams 

 from the mountains; and for the fpacc of three months, 

 when the fun is moftly vertical, heavy rains fall every day. 

 The periodical rains and intcnfe heats produce a luxuriance 

 of vegetation, almoft unknown to any other countiy in the 

 globe; and therefore Auruugzebe emphatically denominated 

 'De:^:'al " the paradifc of nations;" and it has been pecu- 

 liarly ilyled " the paradife of India." The foil is a ftratum 

 of black vegetable mould, rich and loamy, extending to the 

 depth of fix feet, and in fome places fourteen, and even twenty 

 feet, lying on a deep fand, and interfperled with (liells and 

 rotten wood, which indicate the land to have be n overflowed, 

 and to have been formed by materials depoiitec jy the rivers. 

 It is eafily cultivated without manure, and bad harvcfts fel- 

 dom occur. In this country they have two harvefts ; one in 

 April, called the " little harveft," which confifts of the 

 fmaller grain ; and the fecond, called the " grand harveft," 

 is only of rii:c. The cluef grain is rice, on which the natives 

 chiefl) fubful, and whic'i is exported from hence into other 

 countries. Bengal produces alio very good wheat ; and it 



inhabitants, during the dry months, a fupply of water of 3 

 better quality and appearance than that of the Ganges, 

 which is always thick and muddy. In thefe tanks is bred 

 a fort of fifti, in talle refembling our carp. Among the other 

 vegetable produftions of Bengal, the moft important of 

 which are tobacco, fugar, indigo, cotton, mulberry, and 

 poppy, we may enumerate the banian tree, the cocoa-nut 

 palm, which fupplies a manufacture of cordage, called 

 "coir" (fee Coir), guavas, plantains, pomelos, potatoes, 

 lime trees, and orange trees. They have alfo the pifang, 

 or banana ; the furi tree, which affords, by incifion of 

 the ftem, a clear and fweet juice, of an intoxicating quality, 

 and when turned four is ufed as vinegai ; and the mango 

 tree, the fruit of which is preferred to all others in the 

 country, except very fine pine-apples, and which is much 

 ufed in the hot months. Mr. Ive- (Voyage from India to 

 England, &c. 410. 1773) mentions a beautiful tree, called 

 " chulta," which has a flower that is at firft a hard green 

 ball, on footftalks about four inches long. When this 

 opens, the calyx appears to be compofed of five round, thick, 

 and iuccnltnt leaves, and the corolla of the fame number of 

 fine beautiful white petals. After one day the corolla fallj^ 

 off, and the ball clofes again ; of thefe there is a fucceflion 

 for leveral months. In the walks of Bengal they have a tall 

 tree, called the " tatoon ;" and near Calcutta a fpreading 

 tree, called the " rufla," making a fine appearance when in 

 full bloom. In their gardens they cultivate moft of the 

 vegetables that are natives of other climates, and fit for 

 culinary purpofes. Among the animals of Bengal, we might 

 mention the elephant, tiger, wild buffaloes, jackals, dogs, 

 fnakes, fcorpions, occ. : and a kind of birds, named " ar- 

 gill," or " hurgill," a Ipecies of Ardea, which are very 

 large and ravenous, and held in great veneration by the 

 Brahmins. Game, poultry, filh, and water-fowl of all kinds, 

 are very plentiful in Bengal. The horfes ufed by the Euro- 

 peans in this province arc either of Peifian or Arabian ex- 



tradioDi 



