Ob the formation of Sulphur in India. 103 



under cnltivation. The country for a great ^^^}'^\f 

 miles in all directions is quite plain-, nay, I may add tnat 

 not a hillock is to be seen within fitly miles. 



Stones of all kinds are nearly as scarce, except some in- 

 durated marl which I found in the stratum below the su- 

 perficial one. . . , ,-1, 

 The soil all oVer this part of the country is either a ricH 

 red earth mixed with vegetable mould, which renders it 

 very productive ; or it is the black vegetable cotton soi , 

 which is always accompanied with a stratum oi marl. 

 This is also the soil which I observed on the spot where 



the lake is. , , j i ;„ 



Earthquakes are entirely unknown here, and volcanic 



substances are not to be found. r i , 



It mioht be supposed that the brimstone found here was 

 deposited by the water of the Godavery, as the l^ke is la 

 conjunction with one of its smaller branches ; or that U had 

 been thrown up from the sea, with which it is also con- 

 nected. Against the former suppositioii may be adduced, 

 that It is found in none of the manifold beds ot that river, 

 or in its vicinity ; and asainst the second, that it is not ob- 

 served in any other creek or inlet, and here only where it 

 is remotest from the sea. . . , , , 



Acain'^t the existence of extinguished volcanoes, or 

 earthquakes, may I think most strongly be urg.d the 

 confined compass of the spot where this .^bstance is 

 found: besides what has been obserN-ed betore of the 

 appearance of the country in general, and its minerals. 

 The only wav to account for its existence in ihe humid 

 way therefore is, in my opinion, the supposition <.t its 

 having been formed here. The substances we have then 

 to consider arc sea water, lime, and vegetable mould. 



I filled some bottles with the water of this lake, and 

 having carried them along with me for further exan.mat.on 

 1 found that neither the nitric nor sulphuric acids had 

 any visible effect on it. , -r , . • j- » 



Soda precipitated immediately a plentiful white sediment. 

 Oxalic acid produced a copious sediment. Muriate ot 

 barvtes caused also a plentiful precip.tate. 



All I wished to ascertain was, whetner this water con- 

 tained alkaline or calcareous sulphurets, or the sulphuric 

 acid in a free state. 



From the few experiments above noted, it appears how- 

 ever that it is not iminegnatcd with sulphurets of any de- 

 scription, as these would have been p.ecipitated both by 

 the 'sulphuric and nitric acids j but that, like most sea waters, 

 ' G4 ^^ 



