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Sketches of the Meteorology ^ Geology, Jgriculture, Botany 

 and Zoology, of the Southern Mahratta Country, With a 

 Map. By Alexander Turnbull Christie, M . D. Com- 

 municated by the Author. 



General Description. 



L HE district of Darwar, in the southern Mahratta country, is 

 of an irregular triangular shape ; the apex of the triangle being 

 towards the south, in north latitude 14° 20', and its base to- 

 wards the north, on an average, in 16° 23^ Its most westerly 

 point, towards the Goa territory, and which forms one of the 

 angles at the base, is about 74° 5' east longitude ; and its most 

 easterly point, which is the remaining angle, is in east longitude 

 76° 22'. It is bounded on the north by the Kolapore country, 

 and the river Kistnah ; on the east by the Hydrabad country, 

 and the Honourable Company''s district of Bellary ; on the 

 south by Mysore ; and on the west by Soonda, (a district of 

 Canara), and by the Western Gauts, which divide it from the 

 Goa territories. Within these boundaries, besides the British 

 possessions, are many separate tracts^ belonging to independent 

 'Jagheerdars, and tributary chieftains of different denominations ; 

 but so subdivided and varied in their outline, that it would be 

 nearly impossible, and of little use, to give a description of 

 them. 



The following observations are not exclusively confined to the 

 Darwar district ; but sometimes extend to that of Canara, and 

 to the Portuguese territory of Goa, and thus occasionally em- 

 brace the whole tract of country from the Tumbood a to the 

 coast. 



The Darwar district is very generally known in India by the 

 name of the Southern Mahratta Dooab ; which name it has re- 

 ceived, from the circumstance of its extending between the rivers 

 Kistnah and Tumboodra. But this term properly includes the 

 whole tract of country eastward, to the junction of these two 

 rivers, and thus embraces a considerable portion of the Nizam's 

 dominions. When this term occurs, therefore, in the course of 



* The observations on the Southern Mahratta country were made during 

 my residence in that part of India. 



