1895.] 
F. A. Shillingford— On the KasT River. 
19 
The Padma 
Fergusson 1 alluding to this says “ Poddah or Padma (Lotus) 
is the stream running nearly east and west by which the Bhagirathi, 
or true Ganges, above Bauleah at some recent 
time connected itself with the Brahmaputra 
somewhere above Jafirganj. The tradition of this junction taking place 
is quite distinct in the minds of the natives inhabiting its banks, who 
do not consequently look on the Poddah as a sacred stream.” 
Now if we examine the Sea-board of the Gangetic Delta at the 
head of the Bay of Bengal, we find three indentations or arms of the 
Three large Estuar- sea lar S er > and running deeper into the sea- 
ies in the Seaboard of ward face of the Sunderbans than the rest of the 
the Gangetic Delta. creeks. These are, beginning from the west: 
(1) The mouth of the Hugli, or Ganges proper; (2) The Horinaghatta 
Estuary; and (3) The Megna Channel, at present the outlet of the 
Ganges, Kusl, and Brahmaputra combined. 
At about the time the main Ganges flowed into the sea by the 
Kusi probably flow- first f^ ese channels, and the Brahmaputra, 
ing through the Hari- flowing past Maimansingh, joined the Megna, 
naghatta Estuaiy. ( as we p k nown that the Brahmaputra came 
into the portion of its present channel lying between Diwanganj and 
Jafirganj, about the beginning of the present century), and found an exit 
into the sea through the third channel, we have the Kusi probably 
flowing eastwards towards Pabna, and it seems not unlikely that 
the Harinaghatta is the channel by which the Kusi waters, swelled 
by many of the tributaries at present flowing into the Brahmaputra, 
found their way into the ocean. This would account for the great 
depth and size of the Madhumati river, and the extent of the Harina¬ 
ghatta Estuary. 
Describing the seaboard, Fergusson says, 3 “ From the Hugly to the 
Harinaghata, the seaward face of the Sunder- 
Delta ^ ea ^ 0arc ^ 0 ^^ e buns is tolerably level and fixed, at all events 
it has undergone no sensible change within 
any period to which our knowledge extends, and so far as can be 
ascertained, it shows no tendency to go forward. In that portion of 
the Delta, however, allotted to the Brahmaputra a great deal of work 
has yet to be done, everything there is so new and in such a constant 
state of change.” At the present time all the three great rivers have 
combined their labours, and are using their united efforts in building 
up the backward—hence comparatively lower—portions of the Delta in 
the eastern part of the Bay, by depositing the greater portion of their 
1 Quar. Jour. Geo Poc., London, Yol. XIX., 1863. 
2 Quar. Jour. Geo. Soc., page 334. 
