G KING : NELLORE PORTION OF THE CARNATIC. 



The previous literature touching on any geological points of interest 



in this part of the Carnatic is very slight, and 

 Previous literature, .,,,,.. i ■, , • i , i ^jx-l 



indeed this is only what might be expected, there 



being little to attract the attention of the mere amateur or official 

 traveller whose bent may be scientific. That once indefatigable explorer, 

 Captain Newbold, has, however, left the traces of his footsteps here as 

 elsewhere over Southern India in notes of a traverse across the Veligondas, 

 and of an examination of the site of the old copper mines of the Nellore 

 district ; but these are very short, and do not enter into much detail. 

 Dr. Benjamin Heyne (1800) also refers to the copper mines in his Tracts 

 on India, but not at any length, at least as regards the old mines of this 

 area. In 1836, Mr. James Prinsep, the then Assay Master of the 

 Calcutta Mint, examined specimens of the Neliore copper ores, and a 

 report of his results is given in the Madras Journal of Literature and 

 Science. 1 In that year also, Colonel Mentieth, of the Madras Engineers, 

 published an account of his trip to the Kambak Droog, 2 but there is 

 nothing strictly geological in this paper. A further visit (1839) was 

 made by Captain J. A. Smith to the same range, but more for the 

 purpose of ascertaining its height, there being at that time an enquiry 

 as to the availability of this little hill-range as a sanitarium for Madras. 3 

 In 1857 the question of the existence of coal, which used to trouble 

 Madras for many years, was revived by Mr. G. Powell, Assistant Engi- 

 neer, who reported on the appearance of coal at Nellore. 4 The mineral 

 so brought to notice was scliorl ; and since then up to within the last 

 few years, schorl has done duty for coal several times, not only here, but 

 also in the Kistna and Godavari districts. Mr. J. A. C. BoswelPs ex- 

 haustive Manual of the Nellore district appeared in 1873, and it com- 

 pletes the history of the literature so far. The geological chapter in it 

 was supplied in part by Charles M. Oldham, and in the mineralogical 

 chapter there is a full history of the copper workings, as well as much 

 information on the little iron ore obtained in the district. 



1 Vol. Ill, Old Series, p. 154. 



2 Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., Vol. IV, 0. S., p. 134. 



3 Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., Vol. IX, O. S., p. 311. 



« Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., Vol. XVIII, O. S., p. 291. 

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