61
was temporary only, for in 1865 the district of Nursingpore suffered severely,
and again, in the present year, it has prevailed in as great a degree in Nursing-
pore as in any of the neighbouring districts, and reached its maximum of preva-
lence even more rapidly.
213. The Nursingpore district forms the upper portion of the Nerbudda
valley proper ; the soil consists of rich blacksoil, several feet deep, overlying clay;
the Nerbudda forms the main drainage channel, but its affluents that cross this
•portion of the valley, are very numerous, and the map of the district exhibits a
close network of rivers and streams. Mr. Grant, in his Revenue report, in
speaking of the drainage system of the district remarks :—"The actual fall of this
section of the Nerbudda is comparatively inconsiderable, but the nearness of the
hill ranges gives the affluents of the main rivers an impetus which, augmented
even by the gentle slope of the valley towards the sea, tells very markedly on the
deep alluvial soil. Indeed, it has been remarked, and with justice, that never was
a water system attended with deeper or more widely ramifying ravines than
that of the Nerbudda valley." It follows then, from such a drainage system, that
the sub-soil water is quickly drained away, and that the supply of water in the
wells becomes scanty in the hot weather ; in many parts the wells are very deep;
and almost everywhere the mass of the people depend upon the numerous
streams for water. These streams, however, are apt to run very low in the hot
weather, and, in order to counteract this rapid drainage, the practice of construct-
ing dams across the streams, as the hot weather approaches, is almost everywhere
adopted. With a water-supply of this character, the comparative immunity
from cholera experienced by the district in one year, and its excessive prevalence
in another can, I think, be accounted for.
214. A reference to the Table will show that in 1867 the rain-fall at
Nursingpore was 27 inches above the average, and not only this, but in the early
months of 1868 the rain-fall had been also above the average for those months.
We may presume, therefore, that the streams remained fuller, and that the water-
supply generally was more abundant than usual in the hot weather of 1868. In
that year cholera prevailed but slightly. In 1868, however, the monsoon failed,
and the rain-fall for the year amounted only to 1 7 inches, or 34 inches short of the
average, which is 51; and not a shower fell between September 1868 and the
middle of June 1869. Cholera broke out in April, reached its maximum of
diffusion by the end of May, and before it ceased in the end of July, it had visited
394 villages, and carried off 4,294 persons.
215. To the west and north-west the epidemic did not spread beyond
the boundary of the Jubbulpore district; the district of Dumoh escaped entirely.
At the town of Saugor, however, on the other side of Dumoh, and 80 miles from
the Jubbulpore boundary, cholera broke out on the 13th July, and continued
to prevail till the middle of October. In this interval 203 persons died out of a
population of 24,000. The disease first appeared in the village of Buheyria, five
miles north-west of the town, where a family of goatherds were attacked, of
whom 6 died. It did not spread further in the village.
216. The town of Saugor is built on a ridge of hard sandstone rock, in a
crescent form, embracing the lower end of a large lake. The natural drainage-
is good on all sides; the surface water from a portion of the city finds its way
into the upper end of the lake, but the greater portion is carried elsewhere.
The main streets are provided with side drains, but they are too large and are ill-
constructed. The Deputy Commissioner has paid particular attention to the
conservancy of the town, and in none of the streets or lanes were any accumula-
tions of filth or any foul smell observable. The lake is the chief source of water-
supply ; it occupies a surface area of 325 acres, and is four miles in circumference;
the catchment area is very extensive, and is for the most part unoccupied. The