262 



TIDES IN THE 



The Damoda and western small rivers, or mountain streams, contri- 

 bute very materially to the svrellingof the Hoogly, and it is, probably, the 

 influence of the Damoda, the Rupnarain, the Tongoracolly, the Hid- 

 gelee, and even the Balasore river, (the latter situated beyond the mouth 

 of the Hoogly,) that occasions the height of the low water, by their acting 

 as a dam, and preventing the ebbing of the waters from the Ganges, and 

 higher streams, quickly into the sea. 



There is another local affection of the tides, the cause of which I can- 

 not satisfactorily explain. In the north-east monsoon, the night tides 

 are the highest, whilst in the south-west monsoon, the day tides are the 

 highest. 



A conjecture may be hazarded that as, in both monsoons, the wind 

 is generally higher during the day than in the night, that the wind in the 

 south-west monsoon raises the day tide ; whilst in the north-east mon- 

 soon the wind, during the day, withholds and depresses the day tide ; but 

 this is not entirely satisfactory, in as much as the wind cannot possibly 

 be uniform, whereas the fact of the higher tides during the day in one 

 monsoon, and during the night in the other, is beyond doubt ; besides, the 

 latter is very much more than the former, being as much as two feet, 

 whereas the former is seldom more than one foot. The night tides in the 

 north-east monsoon are also more uniform in this respect, than the day 

 tides, in the south-west monsoon. 



Should it appear from future observation that the wind be the cause, 

 it will prove that the depressing effect of the northerly wind, has much 

 more influence upon the tides, than the increase by the southerly ones ; or 

 it may be, that the absence of the wind leaves the tide more freedom to 

 act. 



I come 



