560 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
CHENNUR, OR CHINON. 
This is a village near Kadapah town, where there are deserted 
pits, which were sunk in gravels, derived from the disintegration 
of the Banaganpilly quartzites, and lie below the black cotton 
soil (or regur). These have recently been reopened by a Mtr. 
Richardson, of Madras, who applied to the Collector of Kadapah 
for permission to work the mines in 1869, at the favourable rent 
of 100 rupees perannum. ‘The result isnot known, but there are 
accounts of two diamonds having formerly come out of this field 
which were eventually sola for 5,000 and 3,000 rupees each.* 7 
CUNNAPURTEE, OR CONDAPETTA. 
This locality appears to be identical with the Condapetta of 
Captain Newbold, whose detailed account is, perhaps, of sufficient 
interest to be quoted in extenso. He says:—t 
«« At Condapetta the mines are generally of a square form, and from 
four to twelve feet deep. The stratum cut through is of cotton soil, 
mixed with small grains of quartz, generally from three to ten feet 
thick, which rests immediately on a bed of rolled stones of various sizes, 
from that of a paving stone toa nut,in which the diamonds are found, 
generally loose, but sometimes adherent. The stones are mingled with 
mud and gravel. The pebbles most commonly met with are ferruginous, 
gritty, and schistose sandstones, sandstone conglomerates, embedding 
rolled’ pebbles of quartz, chert and jasper ; claystone porphyry, with 
crystals of felspar ; blue jasper, veined with oxide of iron ; coarse, red 
jasper, and quartz crystals. Some of these pebbles have evidently 
been transported from the adjacent hills, but the porphyritic and 
felspathic pebbles must have travelled a much greater distance. Near 
the base of the hills the cotton soil is covered with the red gritty earth, 
arising from the disintegration of the sandstone rock. 
“The process of mining consists merely in digging out the rolled 
pebbles and gravel, and carrying them to small square reservoirs raised 
on mounds, having their bottom paved with stones, and washing them 
carefully. At the foot of the mound isa clear space surrounded by 
heaps of refuse, where the washed gravel is again carefully spread out 
and examined in presence of the diamond contractors ; the diamonds are 
easily recognised in the moist state by their peculiar lustre. These 
mines are let out by the Government to native contractors, who gave me 
the following information on the spot. In 1834, the mines proved 
profitable, but in the following year the miners lost a considerable sum, 
* King, Records Geological Survey, Vol. ii., p. 9; and Memoirs Geological Survey. 
Vol. viii., p. 106. 
t J.R.A.S., Vol. vii., p. 226. 
