4 
F. A. Shill ingford —On the Knsi. River. 
[No. 1, 
at the present time the watershed between the Ganges and the Brahma¬ 
putra, and Mr. Mallet in his Memoir, “ On the Geology of the Darjee¬ 
ling District,” 1 2 * remarks, “ the Mahanuddy and the Teesta flow into the 
plains in the debateable ground where, under sub-deltaic conditions, a 
constant struggle is going on between the Ganges and the Brahmaputra 
as they approach each other from the West and from the East, across 
the great plain to the south of the mountains, early in the century the 
Teesta was a tributary of the Ganges.” 8 
Before proceeding further it is necessary to preface future remarks 
by rather long extracts from the writings of previous observers, so far as 
they can be ascertained, on the changes in the course of the Kusl. 
Dr. Buchanan Hamilton, who visited Purneah (1807-J1) says, 5 “I 
Dr. B. Hamilton’s have already mentioned a tradition which states 
views. that the Kusi, on reaching the plains instead 
of running almost directly south to join the Ganges, as it does at 
present, formerly proceeded from Catra to the eastward, and joined the 
Ganges far below, and many old channels are still shewn by the popu¬ 
lace as having been formerly occupied by its immense stream, and are 
still called Burht , the old, or Mara , the dead Kosl. The change 
seems to have been very gradual and to be in a measure still going 
on.” Further on he says, that “ the Pandits inhabiting its banks 
allege that in times of remote antiquity the Kusi passed south¬ 
ward by where Tajpur is now situated, and from thence towards the 
east until it joined the Brahmaputra, having no communication with the 
Ganges;” and lower down he states, “ the opinion seems highly probable, 
I think it not unlikely, that the great lakes North and East from Maldah 
are remains of the Kusi united to the Mabananda, and that on the junc¬ 
tion of the former river with the Ganges the united mass of water opened 
up the passage now called the Padma, and the old channel of the Bha- 
girathi from Songti to Nadiya was then left comparatively dry.” 
Mr. James Fergusson, F. R. S. 4 says, “ The first river to feel the 
Mr. Fergusson’s effect of the tilting backward of the plane of 
views. the Ganges by the elevation of the land at 
Rajmehal was the Coosy, as the nearest to the delta, the consequence 
is that when Rennell surveyed Purneah, he saw and recorded in his 
1 Memoir Geo. Survey India, Yol. XI, Part 1. 1874. 
2 This is a mistake, the Tista deserted the Ganges and joined the Brahmaputra, 
as is well known, in August 1787. 
8 Eastern India (from MSS. of Dr. Buchanan Hamilton) : by R. Montgomery 
Martin, Yol. Ill, page 15. 
4 On recent changes in the Delta of the Ganges. Quar. Jour. Geo. Soc., London, 
Yol. XIX, 1863. 
