﻿THE 
  LANDSLIPS. 
  115 
  

  

  time 
  after 
  the 
  great 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  effects 
  noticed 
  

   was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  rains 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  months 
  following 
  

   the 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  aftershocks 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  earthquake. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  themselves 
  violent 
  enough 
  to 
  cause 
  landslips, 
  

   the 
  more 
  so 
  as 
  many 
  hillsides, 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  come 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  

   great 
  shock, 
  had 
  been 
  badly 
  shattered 
  and 
  weakened, 
  and 
  were 
  

   more 
  easily 
  broken 
  down 
  than 
  would 
  otherwise 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  heavy 
  rains 
  which 
  followed 
  the 
  earthquake 
  had 
  probably 
  

   even 
  a 
  greater 
  effect 
  than 
  the 
  aftershocks 
  in 
  bringing 
  down 
  hill- 
  

   sides, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  fissured 
  and 
  weakened 
  by 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  

   the 
  total 
  results 
  observed 
  and 
  recorded 
  after 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  rainy 
  

   season 
  included 
  those 
  of 
  both 
  these 
  causes, 
  nor 
  was 
  it 
  found 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  direct 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  from 
  its 
  indirect 
  

   effects, 
  or 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  aftershocks. 
  It 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  safely 
  said 
  

   that 
  had 
  the 
  earthquake 
  occurred 
  three 
  months 
  later, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  

   instead 
  of 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  rainy 
  season, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  all 
  

   the 
  hills 
  were 
  waterlogged, 
  the 
  landslips 
  then 
  developed 
  would 
  

   certainly 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  less 
  extensive 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  actually 
  

   observed 
  during 
  the 
  cold 
  weather 
  of 
  1897-98. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  certain 
  too, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  gather 
  from 
  careful 
  enquiry, 
  

   that 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  landslips 
  which 
  actually 
  

   occurred 
  were 
  the 
  direct 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   subsequent 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  number 
  were 
  only 
  a 
  fraction 
  of 
  

   what 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  shock, 
  

  

  Landslips 
  were 
  developed 
  more 
  conspicuously 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  Garo 
  and 
  Khasi 
  Hills, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   hood 
  of 
  the 
  Paniathit 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  hills 
  immediately 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   of 
  it. 
  Viewed 
  from 
  the 
  deck 
  of 
  a 
  steamer 
  sailing 
  up 
  to 
  Sylhet, 
  

   the 
  southern 
  face 
  of 
  these 
  hills 
  presented 
  a 
  striking 
  scene. 
  The 
  

   high 
  sandstone 
  hills 
  facing 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  western 
  Sylhet, 
  usually 
  

   forest-clad 
  from 
  crest 
  to 
  foot, 
  were 
  stripped 
  bare, 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  sand 
  

  

  1 
  On 
  the 
  23rd 
  of 
  August, 
  the 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  the 
  Garo 
  Hills 
  records 
  in 
  his 
  tour 
  

   diary 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  severe 
  shocks 
  of 
  earthquake, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  sent 
  rocks 
  rolling 
  

   down 
  the 
  hillside. 
  

  

  1 
  2 
  ( 
  >i5 
  ) 
  

  

  