144 FOOTE: SOUTH MAHRATTA COUNTRY. 



small pits, but I could not learn after much enquiry that diiamonds had 

 ever been sought for or found in this region."^ 



The sandstones forming the hill, at the east end of which stands 

 the village of Hala(?) Bhairapur (old Bhyrapoor), 

 are drab in color, the basement bed being a pebbly 

 conglomerate. 



South of this hill at Manzilpur, and away to the south-west of 

 that village, the pebbly character of the basement bed is very strongly 

 developed. The enclosed red felspar crystals are here so little rounded 

 that the beds assume more of the character of a breccia than a conglo- 

 merate. 



South of Tirth the pebbly character is again well seen; further 

 westward towards Kodekal and Bodihal the rock is generally a gritty 

 reddish-brown sandstone, but it again assumes the pebbly character 

 near the Don river. 



West of that river, along the south side of the long spit of sand- 

 Basement beds west of stones which extends eastward of the road running 

 ^ ^^' from Nalutwar to Talikot, the pebbly basement 



bed is everywhere distinctly traceable, and is overlaid by beds of gritty 



and fine sandstones of a brown or reddish color. 



Near the village of Kuriakanuhal, the conglomerate is purple in 

 color, with very numerous included broken crystals of red felspar, the 

 whole forming a remarkably handsome stone. 



A similar purple pudding-stone occurs again at Hokarani 

 (Hokaranee), two miles southward of Jambaldinni. This purple color 

 recurs in the gritty sandstone at Kaurimatti already referred to. The 

 pebbly character of the basement beds now becomes less marked, and 



* The old French traveller Tavernier mentions the occurrence of diamond mines near 

 Bijapur, but I have been unable to see a copy of his travels in order to ascertain any 

 particulars regarding the mines mentioned. 



( 144 ) 



