82 
On Irrigation in Tasmania . 
of schemes of this nature, is the want of persons who 
have had experience in this way, and are acquainted 
with what lias been accomplished in other countries. 
The writer of this, having been nearly 20 years in 
the Engineer department in India, during which time 
he has been almost solely employed upon irrigation- 
works, is anxious to communicate the results of his 
experience ; the system in use there being, in its main 
principles, precisely applicable to Tasmania. In order 
to point out what may be done in this respect, it may be 
well to mention, first, some of the works in the southern 
part of the peninsula of India. 
In the province of Coimbatore, the river Bhowany 
has three ancient stone dams across it, each 50 or 60 
yards long and 10 or 12 feet high ; and from them are 
led oil* one or two channels, from 40 to 60 miles in 
length, from 10 to 15 yards broad, and 6 or 8 feet deep 
in w'ater, watering from 7000 to 10,000 acres. These 
are entirely of native construction. 
In the Tanjore district, about 100 miles from the sea 
at the commencement of the delta of the Colleroon, 
where that river is 1100 yards broad, a dam has been 
built of masonry within the last few years directly across 
it, by which the whole of the water is in moderate 
freshes turned into the Cauvery, which is there 500 
yards broad ; and when this river is nearly full, no part 
of the water is permitted to reach the sea, being led off 
by innumerable channels, and regulated by many thou¬ 
sand works of masonry, consisting of sluices, aqueducts, 
dams, &:c., by means of which the w^ater is dispersed 
over about 700,000 acres, which are kept flooded to the 
depth of 4 or 5 inches during the whole time of the 
grow th of the crop, which is rice. 
Lower down the Colleroon, and about 40 miles from 
the sea, where it is about 700 yards broad, another dam 
