1870.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 223 



There was no noticeable rise or fall in the water of the river Brah- 

 mapootra, 20 yards from my office. Men bathing in it, did not notice 

 the shock, though all on land did. 



Animals did not seem to notice it. Office clock placed nearly east 

 and west, did not stop.' 



In reference to Mr. Steel's letter, the President remarked that 

 the writer seemed to speak very positively with regard to the 

 direction of the vibration. It would be well to know in what mode 

 Mr. Steele ascertained this, for it was certainly matter most diffi- 

 cult of direct observation. Probably a pool of water by the wave 

 oscillation of its surface afforded the most obvious and distinct in- 

 dication of the direction of the disturbance ; but he (the President) 

 could say, from his own experience, that even when the waves were 

 large and well marked, it was not easy to form a very definite con- 

 clusion on the point by the aid of this phenomenon. He would be 

 disposed to imagine that observations of rock masses, however exten- 

 sive, would fail to give any certain result. Perhaps a view from a 

 height upon a generally level mass of forest foliage would be more 

 successful. 



Mr. Westland mentioned that in one instance he had been easily 

 able to detect the direction of the earthquake wave by the violent 

 oscillations of a single tree ; but the President pointed out that pro- 

 bably it was only one component of the tree's motion which would 

 be thus observed, namely that at right angles to the line joining 

 the spectator and the tree. 



•The following papers were read — 



I. — On the Normal Rainfall of Bengal. — By H. P. Blanfokd, 

 Esq., P. GL S. 



Mr. Blanford read his paper, which will shortly appear in No. 

 III., of Part II, of the Journal. 



After a few words on the interesting nature of Mr. Blanford' s 

 inquiries, the President said it seemed to him that the paper just 

 read, condensed itself into the statement of a law something as 

 follows, namely, that in monsoon rains with continuity of the same 

 conditions of earth surface, the rainfall diminished gradually from 

 windward to leeward ; for instance in the delta of Bengal, the rain- 



