﻿56 
  ' 
  F00TE 
  : 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  MADRAS. 
  

  

  have 
  yet 
  been 
  discovered, 
  and 
  there 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  no 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  

   climate 
  then 
  prevailing 
  nor 
  any 
  means 
  of 
  further 
  correlating 
  

   the 
  relative 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  lateritic 
  formations 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  other 
  

   formations. 
  

  

  While 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  implements 
  found 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   laterite 
  show 
  strong- 
  marks 
  of 
  attrition 
  from 
  having 
  been 
  water 
  borne, 
  — 
  

   others, 
  as 
  before 
  mentioned, 
  are 
  so 
  perfectly 
  fresh 
  in 
  their 
  chipped 
  

   surfaces, 
  and 
  have 
  their 
  sharp 
  thin 
  edges 
  so 
  unbroken, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  

   they 
  cannot 
  have 
  been 
  drifted 
  any 
  considerable 
  distance, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   recourse 
  must 
  be 
  had 
  to 
  some 
  other 
  agency 
  — 
  that 
  of 
  strong 
  currents 
  — 
  to 
  

   explain 
  their 
  presence 
  at 
  great 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  terra 
  firma 
  of 
  

   the 
  period. 
  

  

  The 
  carrying 
  power 
  of 
  ice 
  being 
  inadmissible 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  so 
  near 
  

   the 
  equator, 
  the 
  only 
  hypothesis 
  which 
  remains 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  direct 
  human 
  

   agency, 
  but 
  how 
  such 
  human 
  agency 
  may 
  have 
  worked 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  

   guessed 
  at. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  pure 
  speculation 
  whether 
  the 
  implement-makers 
  

   went 
  to 
  sea 
  in 
  canoes 
  or 
  in 
  catamarans 
  or 
  log-rafts 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  in 
  daily 
  

   use 
  on 
  the 
  Coromandel 
  Coast, 
  and 
  from 
  off 
  which 
  the 
  implements 
  were 
  

   accidentally 
  lost 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  or 
  whether 
  they 
  only 
  ranged' 
  over 
  the 
  

   laterite 
  when 
  in 
  condition 
  of 
  flats 
  exposed 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  and 
  then 
  

   occasionally 
  from 
  some 
  cause 
  or 
  other 
  left 
  implements 
  behind. 
  There 
  

   can 
  be 
  no 
  . 
  doubt, 
  however, 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  land 
  rose 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  the 
  

   implement-makers 
  would 
  spread 
  themselves 
  over 
  the 
  newly-formed 
  

   surface 
  and 
  follow 
  the 
  retiring 
  waters, 
  and 
  possibly 
  navigate 
  them 
  

   after 
  their 
  rude 
  fashion. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  implements 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   lateritic 
  formations, 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  deposited 
  there 
  

   towards 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  laterite 
  period, 
  when 
  the 
  sea 
  had 
  already 
  become 
  

   very 
  shallow. 
  As 
  with 
  the 
  ascent 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  the 
  implement-men 
  

   could 
  advance 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  eastward, 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  unreasonably 
  

   be 
  inferred 
  that 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  unrolled 
  implements 
  will 
  to 
  

   ( 
  5G 
  ) 
  

  

  