1838.] Calcutta on the Sth April. 423 



We proceeded to Codalea and on our arrival met one of the sufferers 

 a brahmin, who had lost his family consisting of five persons, and had his 

 leg broken. The outskirts of this village have a beautiful appearance and 

 seem to have escaped the storm. The storm seems to have done little 

 damage to the west* and south of Codalea, but from north to east it has 

 made dreadful havoc, sweeping every thing before it. Indeed, with the 

 exception of the government salt chokee and a few habitations adjoining 

 it, all Codalea has suffered more or less ; some houses constructed of 

 brick and clay have followed the general wreck : the walls have almost 

 all crumbled into dust : large trees have been torn up by the roots ; 

 some have been broken at the stumps, while the small and elastic ones 

 have escaped with only the loss of leaves and branches. 



A peepul tree around which a bur had entwined itself attracted my 

 particular attention. A brahmin whose appearance denoted him to be 

 about the age of 80 years, informed me that the tree in question was a 

 favourite resort for the village nymphs and swains and for themselves 

 on particular occasions ; and that it afforded shelter to the weary tra- 

 veller ; that it had been standing time out of mind and to the knowledge 

 of the oldest inhabitants had never lost a bough. It was the first tree 

 that encountered the storm and the first that fell. The circle from 

 whence the roots sprung was 35 feet in diameter, and these being of 

 extraordinary length caused the earth to come away with the tree and 

 to leave a chasm of about 38 feet in width by 14 in depth : most of its 

 stouter branches were wrenched off and thrown into an adjoining tank, 

 at such a distance as to prove the extraordinary violence with which 

 the tree was assailed. 



The paths were obstructed by fallen trees, &c. and the tanks choked 

 with branches, in consequence of which they have become either impas- 

 sable or stagnant. 55 persons have sustained bodily injury, but reports 

 vary as to deaths ; I am certain many must have lost their lives on the 

 occasion, but there is no arriving at the actual number of those ; 17 have 

 had their limbs very severely injured and I fear cannot survive. As 

 many of the wounded as we possibly could find were collected together, 

 and were attended to by the native doctor who accompanied us. The 

 females of the " Koolin families were looked after in their temporary 

 abodes, and the severest cases we advised to be removed to the hospital 

 at Allipore, but without effect ; the " Gunga" they said was close at 

 hand, whither their friends would take them were they to die. To pre- 

 vent our enforcing our wishes they appealed in the most pathetic terms 

 to their relatives and friends, and intimated to us that they preferred 

 * Where a few houses have been left entire. 



