PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, FOR APRIL, 1867. A meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was held on Wednesday the 3rd April, at 9 P. M. Dr. J. Fayrer, President, in the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Presentations were announced: 1. From A. Grote, Esq. a specimen of Tragulus Javanicus. 2. From Dr. J. E. T. Aitchison, a specimen of Larus Ichthyaetus, a Sea Gull, shot at Umritsar in the Punjab in May last. 3. From Lieutenant J. Waterhouse, a box of specimens of plumbago from the Sonah mines near Delhi. 4. From Baboo Gour Doss Bysack, a few bricks and a carved Koran stand from the Sat-Gombouj of Bagharhaut. 5. From the Rev. C. H. Dall, 3 photographs of the hairy family at Ava. 6. From Captain J. Anderson, a fragment of stone from the old tomb of Mrs. Mary Hastings at Berhampore with a copy of the epitaph. 7. Mr. Blanford exhibited, on part of Mr. Grote, a few specimens of a curious sponge ("Ragaderos") from the Philippine islands. 8 The Council reported that they have elected H. Blochmann, Esq. a member of the Library Committee. 9. The following gentlemen, proposed at the last meeting, were balloted for and elected as ordinary members :- Major G. Mainwaring; Lieutenant-Colonel B. Ford; the Hon'ble Nawab Sir Sherif ul Omrah Bahadur, K. C. S. I.; Dr. Mohindra Lala Sirkar. 10. The following gentlemen are candidates for ballot as ordinary members at the next meeting : -. Lieutenant E. J. Steel, R. A. of the Revenue Survey, Debroogur, Assam, proposed by Captain H. H. G. Austen, and seconded by Mr. H. F. Blanford. The Hon'ble F. Glover, proposed by Mr. E. C. Bayley, and seconded by Mr. H. F. Blanford. Dr. B. N. Hyatt, Civil Surgeon, Ranchee, proposed by LieutenantColonel E. T. Dalton, and seconded by Dr. J. Anderson. Dr. E. Bonavia, Assistant Surgeon, Lucknow, proposed by Dr. J. Anderson, and seconded by Mr. H. F. Blanford. Dr. S. C. Mackenzie, proposed by Dr. Ewart, seconded by Dr. Colles. J. A. B. Nelson, Esq. proposed by Mr. A. Grote, and seconded by Mr. H. F. Blanford. 11. Letters were read from E. W. Clementson, Esq. and Captain W. G. Murray, intimating their desire to withdraw from the Society. 12. The receipt of the following communications was announced :1. From Babu Gopee Nath Sen, Abstract of Hourly Meteorological observations made at the Surveyor General's Office in December last. 2. From Captain H. H. Godwin Austen, F. R. G. S. Notes on the geological features of the country over the foot of the hills in the Western Bhotan Dooars. 3. From Dr. E. Bonavia, Affinity between the adjutant and the domestic turkey. 4. From Babu Gour Doss Bysack, "Antiquities of Bagharhaut." 13. At the request of the President, Mr. D. Waldie read the following abstract of his experimental investigations connected with the water supply to Calcutta, Part III. "The object of this communication is to correct a few errors and deficiencies in the former papers, and supply additional information, so as to render the inquiry more complete. It will also direct attention to some points of importance calling for special consideration. "The general constitution of the Hooghly water, as regards its mineral constituents, is exhibited by two tables, one giving the proportions of these in a way favourable for comparing its variations at different seasons, and another shewing its hardness. Though the water is rather hard during the dry season, the hardness is reduced to a very small amount by boiling. It is superior in this respect to what can usually be obtained for the supply of towns. The influence of the tides during the hot season was considered in the first communication: the tidal water increases the amount of common salt, but does not very greatly increase the hardness. As regards organic matter, numerous observations have been made since the last communication was laid before the Society, partly to • meet objections raised against the former results, which objections however may now be considered as withdrawn. "Further examination of the various waters by oxidation by permanganate of potash has not increased the author's opinion of its value, and two tables are given which it is believed will justify this unfavourable opinion. The first exhibited the very rapid change which takes place in the deoxidating power of many waters both river and tank, this power diminishing within two days to one half, one third, or even less, of its original amount. This is not noticed in the London Reports, probably because the samples having been taken from the street mains, the water is at least two or three days old, after which it changes much more slowly. The oxidation test appears to indicate only certain kinds of impurities,-probably products of fermentation or putrefaction, or even of living vegetable organisms, and it is doubtful if it gives much important information of the quality of these, as the second table shews that General's Tank water (considered the best for drinking in Calcutta) equals in deoxidating power the the water of the salt marsh to the east of the town; and that the water of the Circular canal, which receives the greater part of the sewerage of Calcutta, requires no more oxygen than that of the best tanks. "The determination of organic matter by weight is the most trustworthy. Care has been taken in all the recent analyses to proceed to the evaporation without delay, but continued observation has also shewn that the results formerly given cannot have been far wrong. The quantity of organic matter in the river water for the months of January and November has in no case exceeded 15 grains per 100,000 grains, or 1.05 grains per gallon. A table is given of the results at all seasons, which distinctly shews the influence of the tides, the quantity of organic matter during flood tide being from one and half to two and half times greater than during ebb tide. Yet the highest obtained was 2.7 grains per 100,000 grains, or rather less than 2 grains per gallon. "Another table exhibits the amount of organic matter in the water of the Salt Water Lake and Circular canal. On the 18th February the water of the marsh contained only 6.5 grains per 100,000 grains or 4.55 grains per gallon. A calculation made on data supplied by Mr. Leonard (reduced to one half on account of uncertainty) or 5000 ft. per second of water flowing in the river at the minimum, shew that though Mr. Clark's supply of 6,000,000 gallons of water per day flowed into the river in as concentrated a state of impurity as the filthiest ditches of Calcutta during the hot season, it would add of organic matter to the river water only to the extent of 5 or 6 hundredths of a grain per gallon. The allowance is extravagant, yet the addition is but small. "Trials for Ammonia, exhibited in tables, shew that the water during the cold season is at its purest, and other observations on the organic matter are confirmatory of those previously made. "Further observations on the tank waters confirm the conclusions formerly drawn. Additional samples have been examined in the northern part of the town, with reference to a tank proposed to be excavated there by the Municipality. All the tank waters examined, except those of the Maidan tanks and Dalhousie Square Tank, contained much more saline matter and were much harder both before and after boiling than the river water at its worst (except as regards salt during flood tide in May and June,) and contained much more organic matter, two, three, or four times as much. The water of the street aqueduct (from the river) was greatly superior in every respect. Water obtained from temporary wells dug for the purpose was carefully analysed and found to be simply sewage water, deprived of the greater part of its bad smell by passing through the earth; indicating that the soil is more or less penetrated by sewage water all over the town. "Further consideration had been given to the nature of the organic matter, confirmatory of former observations. The organic matter in the river water during the rainy season was analagous to that of tank water, and contained a larger proportion of vegetable matter than that of the dry season. But it by no means followed that it was less objectionable. When partially separated from saline matter, its general properties more resembled those of animal excrementitious matter, while those of the dry season water more resembled urinous secretions. The rainy season water also seemed to contain much more living germs. "As to the question of taking water from Cossipore, it may be said that it would scarcely be advisable to do so, as there can be no doubt of the influence of the tide rendering the water impure: whether a point nearer than Pultah would be suitable, could only be determined by observations during the hot season. But there is a point of greater importance to consider, namely the state of the river water during the rains, especially during the early part of the season. The water then contained the sewerage of thousands of square miles of country, and was much more putrid and offensive than even the flood tide water of the hot season; and besides contained a large quantity of mud in a very fine state of division, very difficult to get rid of either by subsidence or filtration; and this water cannot be avoided by taking it from Pultah. The greater impurity of river waters during floods is a fact well recognized in England, and here we have all the floods of the year concentrated into one great flood. The Engineer to the Municipality had taken into account the unusual quantity of mud in the water at this season, and had made arrangements intended to obviate the difficulty: but there is great reason to fear that these measures will be very inadequate for the purpose, and that the large covered reservoirs will, during the early months of the rains, supply water of a very offensive character, and perhaps taint it for a considerable time afterwards. There is no evidence in the Engineer's Report that the extent of the difficulty has been appreciated or even properly understood, or that the efficiency of the means to remedy it has been satisfactorily ascertained." LIBRARY. The following additions were made to the Library since the meeting held in March : The names of Donors in Capitals. Jahrbuch der Kaiserlich Königlichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt. -Vol. XV, XVI.—THE K. K. GEOL. REICHSANSTALT. |