May 1861.] 



Public Works in Travancore. 



135 



half, the sea was nothing but liquid mud, the fish died, and as 

 these cones reared their heads above the surrounding mud they 



would occasionally turn over a 

 * Porpoises are yery numerous in dead Porpoise * and nume rous 

 the backwater. 



F N M other fish ; the boatmen had con- 

 siderable difficulty in urging 

 their canoes through this to get outside of it, the beach and roads 

 presented then a singular appearance, nothing to be seen but those 

 miniature volcanoes, some silent, others active, perfect stillness of 

 all around the ships in the roads as if in some dock, with a heavy 

 sea breaking in 7 fathoms outside. 



There are numerous deep holes, some of them I measured in 

 1852, one in particular just at the end of this canal had as much 

 as 60 feet in depth, these holes may, or may not communicate 

 directly with the roads, but I think it will be found that the prin- 

 cipal source of active communication, is more inland, and the 

 backwater perhaps only an auxiliary. About 3 miles above Chen- 

 ganoor in the river of that name, there is one or two deep " Linus,'* 

 which I only had an opportunity of visiting twice ; the first time, 

 I had not the means of ascertaining the depth, the next I lost 

 both lead and line. 



The depth of this passage is not so great as you approach the 

 beach as noticed above, for while extending the Canal from the 

 Timber Depot in March last, about 200 yards from the beach at 

 12 feet, we suddenly and unexpectedly broke through the sub 

 stratum when a column, fresh water, mud and vegetable debris, 

 and about 9 inches in diameter, spouted up, which when left alone, 

 gradually subsided as the upper stratum of sand filled in round 

 the column of the spring. 



I submit the above information as I feel that it will be interest- 

 ing both to yourself and Government, to pursue the investigation 

 of this subject more efficiently. I have omitted to state one im- 

 portant particular, that is, should no rain fall, as has been the 

 case this year, the sea in the roads and at the beach is not nearly 

 so smooth ; up to this time we have had none of the mud cones 

 bursting at the beach, neither in the roads, as the waves tumble 

 in perfectly clear ; there was a heavy surf from the 26th ultimo to 



