K. Lear, iv. 7.
1878.—"Much misconception exists on the subject of rogue or solitary elephants. The usually accepted belief that these elephants are turned out of the herds by their companions or rivals is not correct. Most of the so-called solitary elephants are the lords of some herds near. They leave their companions at times to roam by themselves, usually to visit cultivation or open country ... sometimes again they make the expedition merely for the sake of solitude. They, however, keep more or less to the jungle where their herd is, and follow its movements."—Sanderson, p. 52.
ROGUE'S RIVER, n.p. The name given by Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries to one of the Sunderbund channels joining the Lower Hoogly R. from the eastward. It was so called from being frequented by the Arakan Rovers, sometimes Portuguese vagabonds, sometimes native [Muggs], whose vessels lay in this creek watching their opportunity to plunder craft going up and down the Hoogly.
Mr. R. Barlow, who has partially annotated Hedges' Diary for the Hakluyt Society, identifies Rogue's River with Channel Creek, which is the channel between Saugor Island and the Delta. Mr. Barlow was, I believe, a member of the Bengal Pilot service, and this, therefore, must have been the application of the name in recent tradition. But I cannot reconcile this with the sailing directions in the English Pilot (1711), or the indications in Hamilton, quoted below.
The English Pilot has a sketch chart of the river, which shows, just opposite Buffalo Point, "R. Theeves," then, as we descend, the R. Rangafula, and, close below that, "Rogues" (without the word River), and still further below, Chanell Creek or R. Jessore. Rangafula R. and Channel Creek we still have in the charts.
After a careful comparison of all the notices, and of the old and modern charts, I come to the conclusion that the R. of Rogues must have been either what is now called Chingrī Khāl, entering immediately below [Diamond Harbour], or Kalpī Creek, about 6 m. further down, but the preponderance of argument is in favour of Chingrī Khāl. The position of this quite corresponds with the R. Theeves of the old English chart; it corresponds in distance from Saugor (the Gunga Saugor of those days, which forms the extreme S. of what is styled Saugor Island now) with that stated by Hamilton, and also in being close to the "first safe anchoring place in the River," viz. Diamond Harbour. The Rogue's River was apparently a little 'above the head of the Grand Middle Ground' or great shoals of the Hoogly, whose upper termination is now some 7½ m. below Chingrī Khāl. One of the extracts from the English Pilot speaks of the "R. of Rogues, commonly called by the Country People, Adegom." Now there is a town on the Chingrī Khāl, a few miles from its entrance into the Hoogly, which is called in Rennell's Map Ottogunge, and in the Atlas of India Sheet Huttoogum. Further, in the tracing of an old Dutch chart of the 17th century, in the India Office, I find in a position corresponding with Chingrī Khāl, D'Roevers Spruit, which I take to be 'Robber's (or Rogue's) River.'
1683.—"And so we parted for this night, before which time it was resolved by ye Councill that if I should not prevail to go this way to Decca, I should attempt to do it with ye Sloopes by way of the River of Rogues, which goes through to the great River of Decca."—Hedges, Diary, Hak. Soc. i. 36.
1711.—"Directions to go up along the Western Shore.... The nearer the Shore the better the Ground until past the River of Tygers.[[231]] You may begin to edge over towards the River of Rogues about the head of the Grand Middle Ground; and when the Buffalow Point bears from you ½ N. ¾ of a Mile, steer directly over for the East Shore E.N.E."—The English Pilot, Pt. iii. p. 54.
" "Mr. Herring, the Pilot's Directions for bringing of Ships down the River of Hughley.... From the lower point of the Narrows on the Starboard side ... the Eastern Shore is to be kept close aboard, until past the said Creek, afterwards allowing only a small Birth for the Point off the River of Rogues, commonly called by the Country People, Adegom.... From the River Rogues, the Starboard (qu. larboard?) shore with a great ship ought to be kept close aboard all along down to Channel Trees, for in the offing lies the Grand Middle Ground."—Ibid. p. 57.
1727.—"The first safe anchoring Place in the River, is off the Mouth of a River about 12 Leagues above Sagor,[[232]] commonly known by the Name of Rogues River, which had that Appellation from some Banditti Portuguese, who were followers of Shah Sujah ... for those Portuguese ... after their Master's Flight to the Kingdom of Arackan, betook themselves to Piracy among the Islands at the Mouth of the Ganges, and this River having communication with all the Channels from Xatigam (see [CHITTAGONG]) to the Westward, from this River they used to sally out."—A. Hamilton, ii. 3 [ed. 1744].