yellowish grey. I observed in various parts, the indurated feruginous waving veins or partitions before observed, p. 289. Also loose pieces of jasper iron ore, and quartz with a large proportion of iron. The top of the hill was composed of sandstone in which pieces of lithomarge were prevalent, and the rock itself appeared to be cemented by that mineral. Mr. Ralph told me that the rocks all the way from Paloonchah to Mungpett were of sandstone, and that greenstone was found in the bed of the river. He gave me a piece of brown iron ore, jaspery iron ore, and an agate found on the road. He was travelling towards Sinsillah, a place noted for its iron mines and manufacture of steel: of which Conah Rao showed me a specimen in a very handsome dagger. November 7th, 1819.-The whole of yesterday's journey was through trap and granite. The former of the usual appearance; the latter very indistinctly seen above the surface until we arrived at the bed of a bamboo river, where it was seen in considerable blocks. Here I was told that plates of mica were procured. I accordingly observed that some of the granite was very micaceous and very white; we arrived at dusk near the river. December 19th, 1819.-Left Secunderabad on the 18th. On crossing the Mussy I observed nearly the same appearances which I have before noticed on a former journey : I arrived at Ombrepett in the evening. This day I observed abundance of the red granite, and the vein of trap which I have before mentioned entirely disappeared. In the evening I rode to our former place of encampment with Ralph; I observed large masses of granite lying on the surface of the main rock the result of the decomposition of the last rains. December 20th, 1819.-I gathered on my way to this place, Gorampullee, some red granite with hornblende, and some specimens with limestone intermixed with it; I began also to see the calc tuff at Uddajuth. The descent this day was considerable, although the distance travelled was not more than 12 miles. December 21st, 1819.-In crossing this day our old station of Uddajuth and the Thieves' hill, granite as usual and veins of trap. December 22nd, 1819.-Great quantity of granite with pieces of the micaceous granite enclosed, also pieces of the greenstone in veins and lumps. Nakurkull. * So in MSS. December 23rd, 1819.-Granite as usual, and camp at Sooriapet, beyond the Mussy, the bed of which is here very broad; I observed no rocks. Mungal, 24th December, 1819. Granite as usual. Shermahommedpet, 25th December, 1819.-I gathered some granite on the road to this place, here I first saw the black soil. Nundigaon, 26th December, 1819.-On my road from the last village to Nundigaon, I ascended a hill, at the foot of which the road ran. It was composed of granite, which here and there contained lumps of the micaceous granite. Its upper third was composed of granular quartz rock, or it may be called a highly crystallized sandstone. I also observed near Nundigaon a vein of basalt passing through the granite, which was of the usual kind, but contained more hornblende than usual. Chinchirlak, 27th December, 1819.-A coss distant from Purteal, we quitted Chinchirlak at day-light to go to the diamond mines at Purteal, which lies nearly south of the former, about a coss. We passed through the black soil covered with fine crops of jouwarrie; about three miles to our left was a range of mountains which bounded the plain to the eastward running due north and south. On the other side were the indistinct ranges of Polychinta on the banks of the Kistnah and before us those of Condapilly. On our approach to Purteal we began to perceive many rolled pieces of quartz, greenstone, jasper, sandstone and granite; evidently not the debris of the neighbouring mountains. The mining process had been sometime abandoned, and the workmen were employed at the site of the old excavations in resifting the old rubbish ; the produce of their labour scarcely repaid them with the means of subsistence. The old excavations were very numerous, and about 20 yards square, and filled all over with water and rolled stones, I found a breccia limestone containing quartz, garnets and jasper. They were of an irregular form and did not appear to have been subjected to the action of running water; I enquired if diamonds were ever found in them, and was answered in the negative. The process of searching for diamonds performed before me was as follows. The large stones were first thrown on one side and the remainder of the heap carried into a raised platform of mud where from a sieve, the large ones were dropt on the ground by means of a lateral motion of the hand and the dust remaining deposited in another mass which was spread abroad, wetted In the course of his search and gone carefully over by another person. he laid by the agates, cornelians, jaspers, sapphires, garnets, &c. which are said to abound. I purchased the whole stock of diamonds of the village, amounting to 3 oz., for 4 rupees, and some cat's-eye, garnet, sapphire, jasper and calcedony for 2 rupees. The village was in ruins and the people did not appear so well fed or clothed as those of the village we came from. On returning to the tents I visited a rock nearly in the centre of the plain, consisting of three peaks, which suggested the idea of the pinnacle of some deep-seated granite mountain. The granite was very red and containing hornblende in crystals. After breakfast, I went due east from the camp, three miles, to visit the range of rocks I have before mentioned. I found them to consist of granite, composed of felspar, hornblende, quartz and some mica, which however was not always to be distinguished. Two things are well worthy of consideration respecting the situation of the diamond mines: they are surrounded on all sides by the alluvial black soil, which has originated in the inundations of the Kistnah. They are not elevated above this soil, and I should imagine were once covered by it, although they at present appear elevated from the quantity of earth thrown out from the different excavations, of which I count ed at least twelve. 2. The neighbouring rock is of that kind to which it is difficult to assign a name, although its constituents are very distinctly marked, namely, felspar and hornblende, yet from the equal mixture of those two minerals I should prefer the name of syenitic greenstone. It is worthy of remark that the mountains six miles distant are of vertical gneiss. Ibrahimpett, December 29th, 1819.—We arrived at this place crossing the end of a range of irregular hills which appeared to run nearly due N. and South. I conceive that Dr. McCulloch would call the rock syenitic greenstone; or perhaps would call it merely a modification of the granite of which the whole of the basis of the country is formed. Unlike, however to the out line of the hills of granite to the N. E. North and N. W. they exhibited no loggan-stones and no bare summits but were covered to their tops. After breakfast we went to Condapilly and there saw Mr. Spry who inhabits the old fort, at the foot of the range which in Heyne's Map commences at that place running due N. E. and which he has named gneiss. Ibrahimpett is on the left bank of the Kistnah, which is about twenty feet in height, composed of the black soil; the bed is however very sandy and very broad, perhaps two miles. Bezwara, December 30th, 1819.—Our road lay in the bank of the Kistnah, which river suddenly contracts to run through the pass of Bezwara formed by two hills of gneiss that appear to have been separated by force; according to Dr. Heyne the range is continued to the N. E. I ascended and found his description correct, except that I did not observe the ochre which he spoke of as mixed with the other ingredients composing the rock. In some places the stratification was not all distinct but appeared massive like common granite. Veins of felspar traversed the rock, and in many places I observed black spots on the rock, arising as I suppose from oxydation of the Iron. December 31st 1819.-I crossed the river early to visit the caves near the village of Ungley. They consist of three excavations one over the other; the roof is supported by pillars of the usual form in Hindoo temples. Around the walls were different relievos very much mouldered. The upper story contained a colossal figure of 25 feet in length, lying on stones in a recumbent posture; around him on the wall in relief, figures of deities; and two colossal figures which appeared to protect his slumbers. The whole was excavated out of the gneiss rock, which is very fast decomposing, the decomposition taking place principally in the centre of the pillars. The lower excavation leads, it is said, to Mungulghery about three coss distant. In returning down the causeway cut in the face of the rock I observed what appeared to be limestone mixed with the granite, also something bearing the appearance of manganese. The rock consisted of quartz, felspar, mica and jasper in great abundance; the stratification in the Bezwara hill was very evident from this side, the dip of the strata was to the eastward and the angle about 70 or 80o. The range suddenly takes a turn to the N. E. to the northward of Bezwara forming a portion of segment of a circle. I a second time ascended and reached the summit of this hill. The prospect was commanding and embraced a field of 30 miles each way; perhaps much more, as I was told, Onnda was visible on a clear day, distant 40 miles. The range of Chintapilly or Pooly Mintan was very distinct as well as the Guntoor districts near Ardingby. It may be remarked here that the decomposition of the gneiss although rapid does not supply a rich soil. The figures in the pyramid appeared to have had their damage sustained from this cause repaired with plaster, which was fresh enough to lead one to the supposition of its being modern. January 1st, 1820.-I went to Munglegherry at eleven o'clock; two miles of our road lay over the black soil, and was succeeded by that arising from the decomposed gneiss in the passes through which our road lay. The difference of level was very perceptible, the latter being the highest ground, and if the alluvial black soil has been deposited as I suppose by the floods of the Kistnah, the phenomenon admits of an easy solution. Munglegherry stands at the southern termination of the remarkable range of gneiss rocks, which is continued with several interruptions to the bed of the Kistnah and re-appears on the opposite bank at Bezwara, the passage of the Kistnah between the precipitous sides of each mountain forming the celebrated pass of that name. The tower in front of the pagoda of Munglegherry is about 100 feet in height, it is composed of 12 stories of the usual form. It is built of a red sandstone containing large and small grains of quartz. The variation of the compass, supposing the pyramid to be N. and South, is about half a point. The stone had been recently brought from a considerable distance according to the Brahmin. The sculpture and relievos were much inferior to the specimens of those from Amrawutty. Masulptaur, January 4th, 1820.-Yesterday morning at 11, I arrived, after passing for the greater part of the journey over black cotton soil, which was succeeded by sand about 3 coss from Masulipatam. Immediately also commenced the groves of Borassus flabelliformis, and Euphorbia Tirucalli, both of which grew very sparingly on the former soil. I was particularly struck on arriving at the sandy soil with the mirage or appearance of water, with trees, and houses reflected on it. On passing through the Bazar I observed many stones resembling those of Amrawutty, and which, as I was informed by Mr. White, had been brought from thence. The sand in some parts was covered with the magnetic iron ore, mentioned by Dr. Heyne in his tract on the Circars. February 5th, 1820.-Analysis of limestone from the Kistnah : Silica Alumine Iron 84 16 100 |