1850.] in Southern and Central India. 209 



the junction of the strata ; we again began to ascend by a very long 

 road, until the junction between the trap and granite was very distinct, 

 and on looking around us each of the numerous elevations in sight 

 appeared covered with the same kind of trap resting on granite. It 

 is worthy of remark that many trees on the hill are destitute of leaves, 

 whereas in the vallies and ravines they appear to preserve them late in 

 the season. "We now began to ascend the hill on which the fort of 

 Kowlass stands, in which there is nothing externally different from 

 that of Medenkah Golcondah ; the fort and basis of the hill are of gra- 

 nite both red large-grained, and grey small-grained ; on its northern side 

 and near the summit a very considerable vein of greenstone crosses 

 the path running E. S. E. and W. N. W., its northern or upper edge is 

 well denned and consists of greenstone porphyry, containing both crys- 

 tals of felspar and smoky quartz in the upper part of the vein, but 

 lower down the hill, the stone is a coarse greenstone very subject to 

 decomposition which takes place in a concentric manner and very 

 similar to that of the hill of Boorgapilly, which is more secondary and 

 contains zeolites ; its lower edge is less well defined and instead of 

 being bounded by the granite as on the other side, it is spread for 

 several yards over the granite, lying directly upon it : the breadth of the 

 whole is from about 40 to 50 feet ; its length we had it not in our 

 power to ascertain. After my return I visited the village of Boorga- 

 pilly, the environs of which consist of a very rich soil formed by the 

 decomposition of the trap ; in which soil, where it has not been disturb- 

 ed, the zeolite has been re-crystallized in silvery plates. 



Wednesday, \0th February, 1819. — We crossed a nullah after 

 descending the hill of Kowlass, running east to Manjira. We passed 

 through a large plain of the black cotton soil and arrived at Beechi- 

 condah, through a pass of granitic rocks, in which were many loggan 

 stones, and angles were taken. I reduced the temperature of Fahrenheit 

 from 88 to 59, at | past three o'clock, p. m. The hill or hills are com- 

 posed of red syenitic granite very similar to that at Bachapilly, though 

 of a smaller grain. I had an opportunity of observing the communi- 

 cation between this plain and the one which it follows. The whole is 

 flooded during the rainy season, and affords an easy explanation of the 

 universal appearance of the black cotton soil except in the neighbour- 

 hood of those hills which are covered by granite alone. 



