adjacent lands, and affording an easy means of transport for the productions of its borders. In a military view, it opens a communication between the different posts, and serves in the capacity of a military way through the country; renders unnecefsary the forming of magazines; and infinitely surpasses the celebrated inland navigation of North America, where the carrying places not only obstruct the progress of an army, but enable the adversary to determine his place and mode of attack with certainty.

In its course through the plains, it receives eleven rivers, some of which are equal to the Rhine, and none smaller than the Thames, besides as many others of lefser note. It is owing to this vast influx of streams, that the Ganges exceeds the Nile so greatly in point of magnitude, while the latter exceeds it in length of course by one-third. Indeed, the Ganges is inferior in this last respect, to many of the northern rivers of Asia; though I am inclined to think that it discharges as much or more water than any of them, because those rivers do not lie within the limits of the periodical rains.*

The proportional lengths of course of some of the most noted rivers in the world are shewn nearly by the following numbers;

The bed of the Ganges is, as may be supposed, very unequal in point of width. From its first arrival in the plains at Hurdwar, to the conflux of the Jumnah (the first river of note that joins it), its bed is generally from a mile to a mile and a quarter wide; and, compared with the latter part of its course, tolerably straight. From hence, downward, its course becomes more winding, and its bed consequently wider,* till, having succefsively received the waters of the Gogra, Soane, and Gunduck, besides many smaller streams, its hed has attained its full width; although, during the remaining 600 miles of its course, it receives many other principal streams. Within this space it is, in the narrowest parts of its bed, half a mile wide, and in the widest, three miles; and that, in places where no islands intervene. The stream within this bed is always either increasing or decreasing, according to the season. When at its lowest (which happens in April), the principal channel varies from 400 yards to a mile and a quarter; but is commonly about three quarters of a mile, in width.

The Ganges is fordable in some places above the conflux of the Jumnah, but the navigation is never interrupted. Below that, the channel is of considerable depth, for the additional streams bring a greater accession of depth than width. At 500 miles from the sea, the channel is thirty feet deep when the river is at its lowest; and it continues at least this depth to the sea, where the sudden expansion of the stream deprives it of the force necessary to sweep away the bars of sand and mud thrown across it by the strong southerly winds; so that the principal branch of the Ganges cannot be entered by large vessels.

About 220 miles from the sea (but 300 reckoning the windings of the river), commences the head of the delta of the Ganges; which is considerably more than twice the area of that of the Nile..

*This will be explained when the windings of the river are treated of.

The two westernmost branches, named the Cofsimbuzar and Jellinghy rivers, unite, and form what is afterwards named the Hoogly river; which is the port of Calcutta, and the only branch of the Ganges that is commonly navigated by ships.* ships.* The Cossimbuzar river is almost dry, from October to May: and the Jellinghy river (although a stream runs in it the whole year) is in some years unnavigable during two or three of the driest months; so that the only subordinate branch of the Ganges, that is at all times navigable, is the Chundnah river, which separates at Moddapour, and terminates in the Hooringotta.

That part of the delta bordering on the sea, is composed of a labyrinth of rivers and creeks, all of which are salt, except those that immediately communicate with the principal arm of the Ganges. This tract, known by the name of the Woods, or Sunderbunds, is in extent equal to the principality of Wales; and is so completely enveloped in woods, and infested with tygers, that if any attempts have ever been made to clear it (as is reported), they have hitherto miscarried. Its numerous canals are so disposed, as to form a complete inland navigation, throughout and across the lower part of the delta; without either the delay of going round the head of it, or the hazard of putting to sea. Here salt, in quantities equal to the whole consumption of Bengal and its dependencies, is made and transported with equal facility: and here also is found an inexhaustible store of timber for boat-building. The breadth of the lower part of this delta is upwards of 180 miles; to which, if we add that of the two branches of the river

The Hoogly river, or westernmost branch of the Ganges, has a much deeper outlet to the sea, than the principal branch. Probably this may be owing to its precipitating a lefs quantity of mud than the other; the quantity of the Ganges water discharged here being lefs than in the other, in the proportion of one to six. From the difficulties that occur in navigating the entrance of the Hoogly river, many are led to suppose, that the channels are shallow. The difficulties, however, arise from bringing the ships across some of the sandbanks, which project so far into the sea, that the channels between them cannot easily be traced from without.

that bound it, we shall have about 200 miles for the distance to which the Ganges expands its branches, at its junction with the

sea.

It has been observed before, that the course of this river, from Hurdwar to the sea, is through an uniform plain; or, at least, what appears such to the eye: for the declivity is much too small to be perceptible. A section of the ground, parallel to one of its branches, in length 60 miles, was taken by order of Mr.HASTINGS; and it was found to have about nine inches descent in each mile, reckoning in a straight line, and allowance being made for the curvature of the earth. But the windings of the river were so great, as to reduce the declivity on which the water ran, to less than four inches per mile: and by a comparison of the velocity of the stream at the place of experiment, with that in other places, I have no reason to suppose, that its general descent exceeds it.

The mean rate of motion of the Ganges, is lefs than three miles an hour, in the dry months. In the wet season, and whilst the waters are draining off, from the inundated lands, the current runs from five to six miles an hour: and there are instances of its running seven, and even eight miles, in particular situations, and under certain circumstances. I have an experiment of my own on record, in which a boat was carried 56 miles in eight hours; and that against so strong a wind, that the boat had evidently no progrefsive motion through the water.

*

When we consider that the velocity of the stream is three miles in one season, and five or more in the other, on the same descent of four inches per mile; and, that the motion of the inundation is only half a mile per hour, on a much greater descent; no farther

* M. DE CONDAMINE found the descent of the river Amazons, in a straight course of about 1860 miles, to be about 1020 English feet, or 6 inches in a mile. If we allow for the windings (which in the Ganges are about one mile and in three, taking its whole course through the plains), it probably would not exceed 4 inches in a mile.

proof is required, how small the proportion of velocity is, that the It is then, to the impetus originating at

It is then, to the impetus

descent communicates. the spring head, or at the place where adventitious waters are poured in, and succefsively communicated to every part of the stream, that we are principally to attribute the velocity; which is greater or lefser according to the quantity of water poured in.

In common, there is found on one side of the river an almost perpendicular bank, more or lefs elevated above the stream, according to the season, and with deep water near it: and on the opposite side, a bank, shelving away so gradually, as to occasion shallow water, at some distance from the margin. This is more particularly the case, in the most winding parts of the river, because the very operation of winding, produces the steep and shelving banks: * for the current is always strongest on the external side of the curve, formed by the serpentine course of the river; and its continual action on the banks, either undermines them, or washes them down. In places where the current is remarkably rapid, or the soil uncommonly loose, such tracts of land are swept away in the course of one season, as would astonish those who have not been eye-witnefses to the magnitude and force of the mighty streams, occasioned by the periodical rains of the tropical regions. This necessarily produces a gradual change in the course of the river; the quantity lost on the one side, being added to the other, by the mere operation of the stream: for the fallen pieces of the bank, difsolve quickly into muddy sand; which is hurried away by the current, along the border of the channel, to the point, from whence the river turns off, to form the next reach; where the stream growing weak, it finds

⚫ Hence it is, that the section of a river, that winds through a loose soil, approaches nearly to an obtuse angled-triangle, one of whose sides is exceedingly short and disproportioned to the other two But when a river perseveres in a straight course, the section becomes

nearly the half of an ellipsis divided longitudinally C. See Plate I. page 364.

+ In the dry season some of these banks are more than 30 feet high, and often fall down in pieces of many tons weight, and occasion so sudden and violent an agitation of the water, as sometimes to sink large boats that happen to be near the shore.