1833.] Note on Saline Deposits in Hydrabad. 77 
V.—Note on Saline Deposits in Hydrabad, By Assistant Surgeon 
J. Malcolmson, Madras European Regiment. 
From the interest which these possess, and the discussions they 
have excited, without any precise information as to their geological 
position, I believe the following notice will be interesting. 
The summits of most of the detached hills and minor ranges north 
of Cuddapah are composed of a sand-stone, stratified in a perfectly hori- 
zontal manner, It is often white, and the grains are large; but towards 
Tripetty, where it meets the granite, it is very compact and white, and it 
is agood deal inclined to the east. The red soil of the district is loaded 
with salt, which is manufactured by the natives, principally for their 
cattle; but as it is prohibited by the Government on account of the reve- 
nue from the salt monopoly, it is seldom extensively worked in the 
districts I visited. The range of hills through which the Benar river 
passes at the ancient fortress of Gundicottah is formed of this sandstone ; 
but inclined towards the east at a slight angle, and by no means regu- 
larly. This is separated by a narrow valley from hills exhibiting the 
horizontal strata on their caps, and the remains of these could be clearly 
traced on insulated conical hillocks, and had all belonged to one vast 
sheet. Below the sandstone caps, a clay slate, easily broken down, is 
found, and the lower strata over the country is a-stratified blue limestone. 
In the slope of the hill of Gundicottah are springs of very pure water | 
very profuse, and forming small rivulets, tumbling over the rocks in 
fine cascades, but evidently deriving their source from no great distance, 
as in a day or two after the rain we had, the streams were much dimi- 
nished where they emerged from between the strata. The Benar and 
these streams have formed cliffs round the fortress of 200 or 300 feet, 
all of sandstone, but at the very bottom, a deep ravine. I found one 
or two clay slate strata of about an inch thick interposed; and a 
few miles below, the blue limestone appeared in the bed of the river. 
At a place eight or ten miles lower, the same rock abounds over 
the plains, and in the town is a salt well celebrated from its use in 
washing cloths of fine colors manufactured there, and to the fixing of 
which it is essential. I descended the well, and with some difficulty 
broke off specimens of the rock, which was deep blue slate-like stone, 
as if the clay were passing into the limestone, and between the thin 
slabs were layers of salt. The specimens were lost, but I hope to pro- 
cure others. The salt was in great part composed of muriates of soda 
and carbonate of soda, but they were not examined. Carbonate of soda 
effloresces on the surface not far off, and this on being melted with 
