MAY 1764. 
13 
all the Boats that he could find, & amongst them a large Budgarow ; but whether 
that Budgarow was for me, I could never yet could get rightly informed. Certain it 
was, the Budgarow I came in was very unfit for me to do my Business in during 
y e approaching wet Season, both on account of its smallness, & leakyness. 
Finding however that I had no time to lose, as y e River was daily rising, I set 
about getting some better Willocks for the Surveying People, but had little success, 
for during the three days I staid there, I could procure only 2 ; those were of 200 9 
maunds each ; besides these I kept 3 of the Calcutta Willocks, & sent the other two 
to Calcutta. 
The 20th. we had fair Weather all day ; the zrst. the forenoon the same, but in 
y e Afternoon a fresh Gale from y e SE, with frequent heavy Squalls, but no Rain. 
This Day wrote to the Governor, informing him of my Proceedings to this time, & 
enclosing a Copy of the Sections of the Jelenghee river. 
The 22nd. all the Forenoon very fresh Gales from y e SE, which prevented our 
proceeding on y e Survey (as I intended) till y e Afternoon, when we began surveying 
from the head of the Jelenghee River, eastwards, having surveyed the head of that 
River, & y e Bank of y e Ganges a mile above it, yesterday. 
This Afternoon we had a Specimen of the Weather that we might expect in y e 
great River at this Season ; for in y e Evening in crossing y e River near Quemairree, 
a violent Squall from the SE drove all the boats ashoar on y e Jelenghee Sand, where 
they continued beating all Night ; 2 men were blown overboard during y e Squall but 10 
fortunately swam ashoar. 1 
The 23rd. a fine Morning. Employed in surveying the Southern Bank of the 
River, for the Particulars of which see the Map No. 1. This Day examined the 
Nullah of Mayescunda* which lies about 5 miles SE of Jelenghee & is the first Nullah 
(or Creek) that we have discovered. We found it only 2 Cubits deep at y e inlet, & 
almost dry a quarter of a mile up. There is much Padda 3 & Cotton sown in this 
Neighbourhood. From this Place to near 8 miles to the Eastward the course of the 
River is nearly East, and full of dangerous Sands, the River also is excessive rapid. 
(Ibid., p. 176). In 1763 they were sent up to Murshidabad during the course of the operations against Mir Kasim 
Ali in charge of a fleet of store boats, and perhaps it was while on this duty that they ‘pressed’ Rennell’s boats 
(Blechynden, Calcutta Past and Present, pp. 202 — 205) 
1 In his “ Memoir of Hindoostan ” Rennell gives a description of these squalls. He says : “ The rivers are in a 
tranquil state, from the time of the change in the monsoon in October, to the middle of March ; when the north-westers 
begin in the eastern parts of Bengal (though later as we advance westwards), and may be expected once in three or 
four days, until the commencement of the rainy season. These novth-westevs , which have their denomination from the 
quarter they usually originate in, are the most formidable enemies that are met with, in this inlaud navigation ; they 
being sudden and violent squalls of wind and rain ; and though of no long duration, are often attended with fatal 
effects, if not carefully guarded against ; whole fleets of trading boats having been sunk by them almost instantaneously. 
They are more frequent in the eastern than in the western part of Bengal ; and happen ofteuer towards the close of 
the day than at any other time. As they are indicated some hours before they arrive, by the rising and verj’ singular 
appearance of the clouds, the traveller has commonly time enough to seek a place of shelter. It is in the great rivers 
alone that they are so truly formidable ; and that about the latter end of May, and beginning of June, when the rivers 
are much increased in width ” (p. 3 59). 
9 Maheshkunda. This creek is the head of the Matabhauga, also known for the first 40 miles of its course as the 
Kumar (Comer or Comare of Reunelll. 
8 Padda — Paddy ; rice in the husk, or growing rice. 
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