PART I.] Physical Characters of Morar and of the Rock at Gwalior. 53 



minute inquiries as to the extent of moisture supplied to the neighbouring subsoil 

 by this artificial lake. 



The wells are from twenty to forty feet deep; the variation is said to be 

 about five. The water is considered to be good. Dr. Whitwell has examined it 

 very lately, and has kindly favoured me with the particulars of the analysis of an 

 average sample ; in this there is not a large amount of organic matter, and no 

 excess of deleterious salts. There are two kinds of soil at Morar, the red and hlach 

 soil ; both contain persalts of iron, with lime and magnesia, but no nitrates nor 

 nitrites, as one would have expected to find, had the ground been tainted to any 

 great extent by the ordure of other days ; nor was the amount of oxidisable matter, 

 as ascertained by the permanganate of potash solution, by any means excessive, 

 indicating that the barracks and their surroundings had not recently been subjected 

 to contamination. 



The " black soil "' was not universally distributed over the surface. Many yards 

 of excavations were examined in which not a trace of this kind of soil existed ; 

 in others, again, a stratum of it was seen extending for long distances ; at one 

 end the layer might be ten feet, or more, in thickness, gradually diminishing 

 until it was finally lost in the red ; below these, a gritty, sandy layer exists, in 

 which water is found. The foundation of several blocks of buildings, which were 

 about being erected, were seen to present this uneven distribution of black and red 

 soil, consequently the floorings of such buildings will vary in the extent to which 

 they are permeable to gases, etc., from below ; because the porosity of the red 

 earth is considerably greater than that of the black. If Pettenkofer's theory be 

 true, a building placed on this black clayey soil ought to be in a better sanitary 

 condition than those built on the red — other things being equal. The relative 

 porosity and amount of organic matter may be ascertained by reference to the 

 table at the end of this paragraph. The samples enumerated are only a few 

 of the ones examined, Greneral Vaughan having most kindly procured specimens from 

 every portion of the cantonment. 



The cholera-camp was four or five miles out of the station, near the summit 

 of two or three little rocky hills, the hospital apparently having a little hill for 

 itself. 



The Fortress of Givalior is about six miles to the west of the cantonment 

 of Morar. It stands on a rock whose summit is about 1| mile in length and about 

 ^ mile across in its widest part, and from 300 to 400 feet high, the ascent to 

 which is very steep. Immense fissures may be observed in the rock whilst ascend- 

 ing the steep towards the gate at the entrance of the fort, these being for the 

 most part filled with earth. On entering the fortress, nothing is seen but huge 

 blocks of buildings standing on a barren rock strewn with a few half-withered trees, 

 or rather shrubs. The surface of the rock is naturally very uneven, stone forming 

 the foundation of one end of a building, whilst frequently " made " soil, to the 



