68 
JANUARY, FEBRUARY 1766. 
It is a fine Countrey, & well cultivated, the Produce, Wheat, Sugar Canes & Tobacco. 
We proceeded about 3! miles along the West Bank of the Teesta & then struck off to 
the NW, & within a mile of the Teesta crossed the Curume or Ponjah River which 
is deep & rapid. Four miles NWBN from hence we crossed the Guramarra another 
deep & rapid River which joins the Corto 1 & Curume some Miles to the Southward 
& all fall into the Teesta. Nabobgunge lies on the West side of the Guramarra & is 
the limit of the Bateese-Hazary Province 2 to the Southward. We found Saringas 3 
or Canous in both these Rivers. 
Pfive miles N \ E from Nabobgunge is Taledaar Haat situated on a small Lake 
37 named the Jabbonau. This Village is just within the Limits of Bateese-Hazary; the 
Teesta River is about 3 miles to the Eastward. 
From Taledar we struck to the NNE out of the Sanashygotta Road in order to 
have a view of the Limits of the Countries, & of the Course of the Teesta. After 
crossing the Jabbonau & Ponga two shallow Rivers we came to Farsydunga, a Bazar 
Village lying on the Teesta & about 6 miles NNE from Taledaar. The Countrey 
here is open & well cultivated on the West side of the River, but the East side 
(which is part of Boutan) is Jungly & desart. We perceived pieces of different kinds 
oi Trees lying on the Sands in the River: these the Countrey People informed me are 
brought down from the Boutan Mountains by the Freshes: amongst many other 
kinds of fine Timber I perceived the stump of a Firr Tree of which I brought away 
several pieces. 
38 From Farsydunga we proceeded to the NNW along the Western Bank of the 
Teesta, & noted the Limits of the Rungpour district about 3 miles above Farsydunga. 
Here the Bateese-Hazary Province begins, & to the Northward of that Boutan, so 
that this is the utmost Limits of the Bengali Territories to the Northward. 
xlfter going about 9 miles along the R. side above Farsydunga we struck away 
to the Westward across the Bateese-Hazary Province for Sanashygotta. About 8 
miles from the Teesta we came to another old Intrenchment but much larger than 
1 The Corto and Curume are old chanuels of the Teesta. Corto is a corruption of the name Karatoya. For a 
legend regarding the origin of the Ghoramara see Martin, History, Vol. Ill, p. 361. 
2 Now known as Baikunthpur, an estate included in the Jalpaiguri district. See note 7, p 69. 
s This word is not given in Hobson Jobson. My friend M r . B. E. Chauahuri, Asst. Supd 1 . ot the Indian 
Museum, a native of N. Bengal, informs me that it is a common local name in Northern and Eastern Bengal for a 
long boat used in daily work and generally managed by two men. It is not a dug-out, which is called a ‘ ICunda ’ in 
East Bengal. 
I have received an interesting letter on this subject from the Dep v . Collector ] of Rangpur. He writes: — The 
name of the kind of boat is not ‘ Shariugha, ’ but the correct name is ‘Shad’anga,’ pronounced as ‘ Sharanga. ’ * * 
In some of the police reports the term is spelt as Sharanga. * * The Kaligunge Outpost man has spelt it as 
Sadanga. ’ From these mistakes in spelling some have thought the term is derived from ‘Sarang' — a musical 
instrument, to which it may be said to bear some resemblance. * * * The Shadanga (Saranga) boats very largely 
in use in the District consist of a large straight tree hollowed out. On the top of the upper side of this hollow tree, 
ihere are in every case six crosspieces of timber scantling fixed to give rigidity to the sides and to provide seats. 
These six pieces of cross timber forming the seats of the passengers give these dug-outs their name, shat=six and anga= 
limbs (Sansc). * * * This to my thinking is the correct derivation of the term Shadanga (Sharanga) * * * ” 
Buchanan Hamilton says that 1 50 or 160 canoes were made annually by the people of Battris-Hazari worth from 
Rs. 12 to Rs. 1 8 each. They were used for floating down logs of sal timber. 
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