| Description | William has spent the morning on the beach near a brig digging for crabs, a type which he thinks the Asiatic Society of Bengal knows nothing about. There is no fresh water within three miles after the cyclone; the Post Master's precedecessor and family were all drowned in the flood. They now play croquet on the sand in front of the sea dyke, which William describes, giving an account of the damage done to it by the storm. The last great storm was in 1833, completely demolishing the dykes, which were smaller; another storm in 1850 resulted in the building of a higher dyke, the current one standing from 1864. It is now proposed to abandon all efforts to keep the sea out in cyclones; William thinks it difficult to leave storms unopposed every five or six years in a heavily populated area. The want of fresh water is a great fear and it is proposed to build tanks with twenty feet high banks at intervals. The banks would be refuges for people, cattle and rice. William describes the crabs with a small sketch. He has left Emma at Midnapore; she has decided upon, and taken, a house. [From 19 February] William describes Emma as slightly feverish, but better. He refers to various bills paid and pictures to be sent out. |