t 471 ] 



On the Geology, fyc. fyc. of Hunumkoondah (H. H. the Nizam's 

 Territory) by Dr. Walker, Madras Army, continued. 



The route from Hunumkoondah to Pakhall, lies almost due east. The 

 intervening country is on the whole less hilly than that left behind as 

 far as this place, when a chain of low flattened hills, covered with trees, 

 and shrubs, is observed to extend in a direction from N to S, and is lost 

 in the horizon at both points. The black soil becomes more abundant, 

 no longer occupying mere patches, but forming tracts of considerable 

 extent, and here it may be noted that to an eye 'at all accustomed to 

 observe this country with reference to its vegetation, an open treeless 

 plain suggests at once the prevalence of the regur soil ; for with the 

 exception of the Butea Frondosa (Palas), which here, and there appears, 

 there is scarce a tree that affects it, while on the red soils care and 

 industry can atone prevent high jungle from springing up. The granite 

 continues the only surface rock until Sarapore, near which there is an 

 out cropping of sandstone, granite however, re-appears, and may be 

 observed near the road leading from that village to the lake at the 

 crossing of the first stream, but in this neighbourhood it is soon lost in 

 sandstone, which as far as I have remarked forms the masses composing 

 the hills abovementioned. This rock is of various degrees of hardness ; 

 it is sometimes of such a dense crystalline structure, as to possess the 

 qualities and appearance of quartz rock ; at others the arenaceous form 

 is distinctly visible ; the stratification also is of great variety ; at certain 

 points the layers are so thick, massive, and irregular, as to resemble un- 

 stratified rock ; at others the strata are not thicker than a quarter of an 

 inch, and are disposed in parallel layers. This last appearance is par- 

 ticularly well marked at the Chubootra of Shetab Khan, where the rock 

 looks more like a schist than a sandstone. No specimen I have yet met 

 with of the rock effervesces with acids, and the only earthy minerals 

 that it appears to contain are fragments of red jasper, and chalcedony 

 approaching to flint. I have not seen these in situs, but think it 

 probable that they form with the rock a conglomerate. Dr. Voysey 

 speaking of the sandstone rock of the Nizam's territory states ' in no 

 instance have I seen the sandstone stratified, ' by which it is clear he 

 could not have been at this place; it is likely that beds of oxydulous 

 iron are to be met with here ; 1 draw this conclusion from the fact of the 

 sandstone being in some cases distinctly encrusted with thin layers of 

 this mineral, and also from the point of junction of two rocks being the 

 locality where metallic minerals are most frequently met with. This 



