6 WYNNE : GEOLOGY OF KUTCH. [PAUT I. 



Harsh east and north winds prevail in the cold weather followed by 

 strong south-westerly gales and steady winds, the air being frequently 

 loaded with dust. Dust-stonns are common at certain seasons, and 

 rain when it does come generally reaches Kutch from directions 

 opposite to that of the prevailing winds, in the form of squalls from the 

 north-north-west round by north and east, to south : to which fact atten- 

 tion was first called by Colonel A. Y. Shortt, Political Agent in Kutch, 

 who afforded much valuable aid during the examination of the country. 



Although heavy monsoon rains visit the western shores and side 

 of India far to the north of Ahmadabad in Gujrat, they seem to 

 pass over the southern parts of Sind and Kattiwar j the variable, partial, 

 and scanty supplies received by the woodless lands of Kutch being 

 represented by an annual fall of 14'30 inches, as the average of the 

 21 years preceding 1869, at Bhooj, the maximum registered being 

 34-88 inches in 1862, and the minimum I'lO in 1848.* 



Previous Notices, 



It is usual to refer to previous publications regarding the geology 

 of the districts being reported upon .f 



Besides the comprehensive paper by Colonel (then Captain) Grant 

 on fhe Geology of Kutch, assisted, as to fossils, by Morris and Sowerby, 

 read at the Geological Society of London, much earlier papers, describe 

 ing the great earthquake of 1819, and its results, by Captain 

 MacMurdof and Sir Alexander Burnes, have appeared elsewhere. Other 

 earthquakes in 1844 and 1845 were subsequently described by General 

 Sir G. LeGrand Jacob, and in a letter to Captain Nelson, R. E., communi- 

 cated by the President to the above Society. 



* From the register at the Residency kindly furnished hy Colonel Shortt, Political 

 Ao'ent. An even lower minimum has been recorded. 



-|- To avoid repetition the references to all papers and other publications known relating 

 to the Geology of Kutch have been collected to form an appendix to this report. Some of 

 these, however, have not been available for reference. 



J Whose tomb is situated at the eastern margin of Wagir. 

 ( 6 ) 



