'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎169] (302/458)

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GEOLOGY OF BOMBAY, jgg
an d widening and deepening as they approach the sea. The Tanna and
pan well rivers discharge vast torrents into these, deepenning and scour
ing them during the rainy season. Throughout the fair seasons, scarcely
an y ^yater reaches them from the interior, and, unless where a strong
tidal current prevails, most of them are in process of silting up. The
back water occasioned by the railway embankment; and Malum cause
way, will, in all likelihood, speedily unite the islands of Bombay and
Salsette into one. There are extensive spaces round the greater part
of the margins of all these islands below high-water mark, and which
are flooded during spring tides in all of them save Bombay, where the
water has been shut out by embankment, and there are spaces still
more extensive from three to twelve feet above the level of the sea,
which must at no distant date have been submerged. The islands for
the most part rise into round, or nearly flat-topped hills, varying from
100 to 300 feet in height—in one instance attaining the elevation of
1000 —generally presenting a steep, sometimes a mural precipice on one
side, with fine belts of cocoanut trees around the shore, affording an
infinite diversity of woodland, mountain, lake, and river scenery every
where; the creeks, assuming the aspect of lakes, rivers, or bays, accord
ing as they are viewed. The Bombay islands are, I should think,
scarcely surpassed in picturesqueness and beauty any where in the
world.
6.—The Island of Bombay, viewing it without relation to the two
Colabahs, with which it is artificially connected, is in the form of an ir
regular oval, throwing out a long projection Any method by which the earth’s curved surface may be transposed (or projected) on to a flat surface. from one extremity, form
ing Malabar Hill and Point. The two islands of Large and Little Co-
labafi, (Old Woman’s island) now united to each other, and to Bombay
itself, stretch out nearly parallel to Malabar hill, but extend much more
to seaward, the two promontories terminating at Malabar point on the
north west, and at the light house on the south including Back Bay be
tween them. From the Light—house to Sion, on the Eastern, or Harbour
side, the distance is about fifteen miles, and about twelve from Malabar
Point to Malum, on the Western side of the Island, which is about five
lilies across from Mazagon to Mahaluximee, where it is widest,.
It contains in all an area of about twenty-one square miles, on?
which there is a population of close on half a million*