of Edinburgh , Session 1872 - 73 . 77 
greasy mud, moving about on a straight coast, and away from any 
river mouth. 
In some of the records of the late Captain Biden, the then master- 
attendant of Madras, is to be found the following remark about 
Narrakal (date 1841): — “ This bank is situated at Pooryapooly about 
nine miles to the north of Cochin within the Cochin Circar’s terri- 
tories ; the extent of it is about six miles, and the soundings from 
one to seven fathoms.” 
But there is a much earlier reference to Narrakal, in the transla- 
tion of an old work by a Dutch navigator, called “ Yoyage to the 
Cape of Good Hope, Batavia, Samarang, Surat, East Indies, Ac., 
in the year 1774 to 1778,” book iii., cap. 12. 
In describing Cochin, he says— “ The coast is safe and clear 
everywhere along the Company’s Establishment, except at the 
mouth of the river of Cranganore [about twelve miles to the north 
of Cochin]. South of the above-mentioned mouth of the river of 
Cranganore there is a bay formed of mud banks, the banks form- 
ing which extend to fully a league out to sea, and into which 
vessels may run with safety during the bad monsoon, and may lie 
in twenty and less feet of water, almost without anchors or cables, 
in perfect security against the heavy seas which then roll in upon 
this lee shore, as they break their force upon the soft mud banks, 
and within them nothing but a slight motion is perceived.” 
A better description of Narrakal could not be given than is given 
by this writer of a century ago, except that the action of the mud 
extends out to the six fathom line, and that the bank has shifted 
south to within five miles of Cochin. 
I heard nothing about mud cones in connection with Narrakal ; — - 
either there were none, or there was no one to observe them. 
I visited Narrakal in the pearl fishery steamer, the “Margaret 
Northcote,” which had been lent to me for the cruise round Cape 
Comorin, and which drew only five feet of water, so that we were 
able to go through the Paumben Passage, and thus save the voyage 
round Ceylon. I may mention that this last autumn I visited 
Paumben again, to report on the proposed ship canal which will 
shorten the voyage from Europe and Bombay to the Bay of Bengal, 
by three and a half days on the double voyage. The day we visited 
Narrakal there was a considerable swell on, and its effects were 
