1846.] from Seringapatam, to Cannanore. 317 



At Periapatam itself, basaltic greenstone is seen in the bed of a 

 nullah crossing the gneiss and hornblende rock, and veined with 

 kunker. Large blocks of fine red granite are seen in the ruined fort 

 walls, brought evidently from no great distance. 



The ghaut line west of Periapatam presents a succession of round- 

 backed hills and smooth knobs, which continue to Verajunderpetta in 

 Coorg. Their surface is covered with dark vegetable mould, and 

 shaded by a fine forest, the roots of which. strike into the red loam or 

 clay on which the vegetable mould rests. It produces excellent san- 

 dal wood for which Periapatam is a depot. It was formerly the capital 

 of Coorg, but fell under the Mysore Rajas in 1744, A. D. A little to 

 the west, General Stewart in 1799, with two regiments of Europeans 

 and three of Native Infantry, repulsed the Mysorean army under the 

 personal command of Tippoo The fort was blown up during the 

 preceding campaign in 1790 by Tippoo, in anticipation of General 

 Abercrombie's advance from Cannanore. 



Verajunderpetta. — About eight miles from Periapatam the Mysore 

 frontier is crossed into Coorg. The soil is so thick as to cover the 

 rocks of the ghauts from observation in most part, and the dense forest 

 adds to the difficulty of getting a good expose of the strata. In one 

 place I saw gneiss veined with a fine crystalline reddish granite. Both 

 rocks rapidly weather from the moisture and heat of the climate. 



A well, dug on the side of the road, exhibited a stratum of red 

 clayey loam, about five feet thick, underneath which lay a bed of gra- 

 velly local detritus ; about three feet below which, was gneiss with 

 much silvery mica. The gneiss was penetrated by a large granite 

 vein which appeared on the summit of the hill in blocks. This gra- 

 nite passed into pigmatite. Scattered blocks of hornblende rock, and 

 basaltic greenstone also occur, the outgoings of dykes or beds. 



Laterite. — About seven miles east of Verajunderpetta, I first observ- 

 ed laterite capping, and partially covering, a small round-topped hill. 

 Its surface was bare, and cleared by the rains of the ochreous and 

 lithomargic earths, which usually fill the cavities, and keep soft and 

 sectile the weather-protected under-layers of this rock. It had almost 

 the dark scabrous aspect of an iron slug in some parts, but in others, 

 might be seen distinctly passing into the sectile lithomargic laterite, 

 so much used in building. Like sandstones and other rocks, it varies 

 in mineral composition even in the same mass^-being, in one place, 



