3.04 Mr. rennell’s Account of the 
quantity of rain falls in the flat countries ; and when the rain 
becomes general, the increafe on a medium is five inches per 
day. By the latter end of July all the lower parts of Bengal, 
contiguous to the Ganges and Burrampooter, are overflowed, 
and form an inundation of more than a hundred miles in width ; 
nothing appearing but villages and trees, excepting very rarely 
the top of an elevated fpot (the artificial mound of fome de- 
ferted village) appearing like an ifland. 
The inundations in Bengal differ from thofe in Egypt in this 
particular, that the Nile owes its floods entirely to the rain- 
water that falls in the mountains near its fource ; but the inun- 
dations in Bengal are as much occafioned by the rain that falls 
there, as by the waters of the Ganges ; and as a proof of it, the 
lands in general are overflowed to a confiderable height long 
before the bed of the river is filled. It muft be remarked, that 
the ground adjacent to the river bank, to the extent of fome 
miles, is confiderably higher than the reft of the country*, 
and ferves to feparate the waters of the inundation from thofe 
of the river until it overflows. This high ground is in fome 
feafons covered a foot or more ; but the height of the inunda- 
tion within, varies, of courfe, according to the irregularities of 
the ground, and is in fome places twelve feet. 
Even when the inundation becomes general, the river ftill 
ftiews itfelf, as Well by the grafs and reeds on its banks, as by 
its rapid and muddy ftream ; for the water of the inundation 
acquires a blackiih hue, by having been fo long ftagnant 
* This property of the bank is well accounted for by Count buffon, who 
imputes it to the precipitation of mud made by the waters of the river, when it 
overflows. The inundation, fays he, purifies itfelf as it flows over the plain ; fo 
►that the precipitation muft be greatcft on the parts neareft to the margin of the 
driver. 
i amongft 
