246 



Literary and Scientific Intelligence ? 



[July 



Literary and Scientific Intelligence. 



A correspondent at Ganjam has favoured us with the following 

 notice : — 



Ganjam, 30th June, 1837. 

 A smart shock of an earthquake was felt here last night about ten 

 o'clock. The ground was violently agitated, and the houses in the 

 town shook so much that the inhabitants ran out into the streets in 

 fright. I have not heard that any buildings actually fell. I send 

 you this notice merely that you may compare notes with other 

 accounts you will doubtless receive from other parts of the country, 

 as so severe a shaking must have been felt a considerable distance. 



With reference to the account, of the operations at Pamban (see 

 p. Ill), we copy the subjoined extract of a letter from Lieut. Lake, of 

 the Engineers, from the Madras Herald: — 



" An English schooner yesterday (18th July) laden with iron and 

 going to Negapatam, passed through the channel with a tolerable fresh 

 breeze, and the main sail and jib set, in lieu of anchoring to the south 

 and warping through as is customary. She did it at our suggestion as 

 I was anxious to prove to them how easily they might do it — the Pilots 

 were much against it. She did not take out a single pound of her 

 cargo, and she drew close upon seven feet of water, and passed through 

 an hour and a half before the tide had ceased flowing. A dhoney, 

 drawing six feet, immediately followed her example, both with perfect 

 safety, and never touched. This is I understand the first instance of 

 an English rigged vessel passing through the channel with her sails 

 set—certainly none have done so since I have been here — the depth is 

 therefore considerably above the seven feet. Up to this date from the 

 1st, 500 tons of stone have been removed from the main channel." 



An obliging correspondent at Malacca has forwarded to us a drawing 

 of the Tapir (sent to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, by Lieut. Macken- 

 zie, of the 48th Regt. M. N. I.) which gives a very correct delineation 

 of that rare and singular animal. It is a female, of enormous bulk, 

 upwards of four feet high. Several friends who saw the animal at 

 Malacca say, that this drawing gives its contour and general charac- 

 teristics most faithfully. This being the case, it follows that all the 

 published engravings which we have seen require correction. The 

 figure in the English edition of Cuvier, represents a comparatively 

 light and agile animal, quite devoid of the heavy look, cumbrous figure 

 and rugous skin, delineated in our drawing, and which all our inform- 



