18-15."] across the Peninsula of Southern India. 521 



Rock basins. The rocks in the bed of the river, both from Bijanug- 

 ger and still farther east to Humpsagur, afford many instructive exam- 

 ples of the formation of rock basins by the action of water in motion, 

 particularly below the anicut of Wallavapur, where the gneiss is full of 

 them.* The anicut itself is a stone dam, about twenty yards broad, 

 thrown across the river so as to dam up its course, and to throw part 

 of its water into the fields on either bank. On stone slabs in both 

 wings of this anicut are inscriptions in the Hala Canada character, giv- 

 ing the date of its construction, viz. 1443 Anno Salivahana, (about 1521 

 A. D.), name of Cyclar year, Vicrama ; in the month Aswin. Although 

 the floods of this large river have washed over these inscriptions for 

 upwards of three centuries, the characters of the inscription are perfectly 

 distinct and legible. 



From Humpsagur to the Western Ghauts. From Humpsagur the river 

 crossed into the Darwar, or South Mahratta country, the geology of 

 which by Gudduk and Dammul to the Western Ghauts, has already been 

 described as consisting of granite and the hypogene schists, intersected 

 by greenstone dykes. 



From Cuddapah to Darwar the Regur prevails, interrupted only when 

 the rising of these rocks from the surface has covered their bases with 

 a more recent alluvium resulting from their own disintegration. 



Ghauts West of Darwar. The formation of the Ghauts W. of Dar- 

 war is the same as at Gairsuppa, and their western base to the sea at 

 Goa is partially covered, as at Honawer, by a bed of laterite. Most of 

 the surface buildings and fortifications of Goa are constructed of this 

 rock, and it formed the thick walls of the once tremendous dungeons of 

 the Inquisition, now lying prostrate. The startled snake and glittering 

 lizard glide noiselessly away, scared by the sound of man's footstep 

 among the rank vegetation which in many places chokes up the ruins. 



* For a description of the Rock basins of the Tumbuddra, vide Proceedings Geol. 

 Soc. for 1841-42. 



