The excessive labor and inconvenience of this practice, led to the formation of vast tanks for the collection of water, from which it might be conducted in open channels to the points proposed. In comparison with some of these tanks, our largest " In the Carnatic, reservoirs sink into insignificance. it is recorded, that there are tanks eight miles in length and three in breadth. In Bengal, they frequently cover one hundred acres, and are lined with stone." Knox, in his Historical Relations of Ceylon, says the natives formed tanks two or three fathoms deep, some of which were in length above a mile.

The next step in the use of water, was to raise it above its level, and the machines for this purpose are of very ancient date. The Jantu, which has for centuries

been, and still is, used in Hindoostan to raise water for the irrigation of land, is thus described by Mr. Ward in his History of the Hindoos. " It consists of a hollow trough of wood about fifteen feet long, six inches wide and ten inches deep, and is placed on a horizontal beam supported on bamboos. One end of the trough rests upon the bank, whether of a pond, river or tank, where a gutter prepared to carry off the water, and is

the other is dipped into the reservoir or river, by a man on a stage plunging it in with his feet. A long bamboo with a large weight of earth at the extremity, is fastened to the end of the Jantu next the river, and passing over the gallows before mentioned, poises up the Jantu full of water, and causes it to empty itself into the gutter. This machine raises the water three feet, but by placing a series of these one above another, it may be raised to any height, the water being plunged into small reservoirs sufficiently deep to admit the Jantu above to be plunged low enough to fill it.