1845.] across the Peninsula from Mangalore. 655 



by a light- green translucent potstone, approaching nephrite in mineral 

 character. This mineral also occurs in the hornblende rock in frag- 

 ments, about a quarter or half an inch long, which frequently assume 

 the rhomboidal form of felspar crystals, and give the rock the appear- 

 ance of an elegant porphyry. At the exposed surfaces the softer pot- 

 stone resists the action of the weather, more successfully than the 

 harder imbedding horblendic paste, from which it stands out in relief. 

 Blocks of it occur near the well in the tope close to the Bungalow, 

 where it may be seen outcropping a prismatic or jointed lamellar struc- 

 ture. It is evidently a variety of protogine, and rare in Southern India. 

 I recollect no published description of it. 



The sections of the soil afforded by the wells here, show, 



1st. Three feet of a layer of reddish brown sandy loam, 



2nd. One to two feet, gravel, angular and from the ridge. 



3rd. One to two feet weathered rocky detritus, and kunker occa- 

 sionally. 



Caverypauk. From Lalpett the road lies by the populous town of 

 Wallajah-nugger, on the North bank of the Palaur to the Caverypauk. 

 The ghaut elevations, and their subordinates, have now been left be- 

 hind, and the plains of the Carnatic are in front varied only by a few 

 low hills near Wallajah-nugger. Near Caverypauk the fine white 

 kaolinic earth, decayed pegmatite, of which many of the Arcot goglets are 

 made, is dug. 



Sri Permatoor. After a day's examination of the temples and sculp- 

 tures at Conjeveram, I reached this birth-place of the celebrated Brah- 

 man Guru, and founder of the Sri Vaishnavam sect, — Rama Anuja 

 Achari, — who is supposed to have nourished in the eleventh century of 

 the Christian era, and converted many of the Buddhists and Jains, who 

 then constituted the mass of the population, to the Brahmanical faith. 



At Conjeveram, I was waited on by a number of Brahmans of the 

 Smartal sect, whose Guru is Sencra Achari, priests of the great temple 

 to Siva there. They complained much of the higher amount allowed 

 to the great temple of the Sri Vaishnavam, at Little Conjeveram, viz. 

 12,000 rupees per annum, while that to their own chief is only 2,000. 

 This difference they say originated in the partiality shown for the 

 Sri Vaishnavam sect by the Hindu minister of the then Nuwab of the 



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