256 On the Normal Rainfall of Bengal. [No. 3, 



fall was exceptionally heavy, as compared with that of Bengal ge- 

 nerally, over an area which included Buxa. Julpigooree, the nearest 

 station, 20 miles from the foot of the hills, and about equidistant 

 from Darjiling and Buxa, had in 18C9 a fall of 164 inches, or equal to 

 that of Eungbee, and Eungpore, 70 miles south of Buxa, had nearly 

 100 inches or 15 inches above the annual mean, while at Darjiling 

 the fall in 1869 was 29 inches below the average. It is clear, 

 therefore, that any conclusions drawn from the registers of a 

 single season may be extremely fallacious even for neighbouring 

 stations. 



I have not any returns for stations near the foot of the Hima- 

 laya, extending over a sufficient period to yield an approximate 

 average, but the following shew a certain decrease of precipitation 

 with increasing distance. 



Distance. Annual fall. 



Rungpore, 70 feet. 85-22 inches. 



Dinagepore, 80 „ 85'84 ,, 



Malda, 130 „ 51-81 „ 



Eampore Beauliah, 160 ,, 63-32 



This table exhibits irregularities, such as do not appear in that 

 of the stations lying between Dacca and the Khasi Hills, but 

 the circumstances are not so uniform, and the stations do not range 

 so nearly in the line of the prevailing moist wind. 



The stations of the group that I have termed Western Bengal, 

 do not present any regular increase of elevation with uniform 

 exposure. I have already adverted to the increase of rainfall on 

 the SE face of the Kurruckpore hills, over that of Bhagulpore on 

 the plains near their foot. The elevation at which the mean rain- 

 fall is estimated to be 72 inches, is stated to be between 300 and 

 1200 feet above the river valley, the mean elevation of which is 

 not stated. The data, therefore, are too indefinite to admit of other 

 than a general conclusion as to the effects of elevation. The 

 data for Hazareebaugh at 2010 feet are more exact, but there 

 is no station with which it can be directly compared. 



As a general conclusion, it may be stated that so far as our data 

 go, stations at 4000 to 5000 feet present a higher rainfall than 



