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On the Alpine Glacier, Iceberg, Diluvial and Wave Translation Theo- 

 ries ; with reference to the deposits of Southern India, its furrowed 

 and striated Rocks, and Rock basins. By Captain Newbold, 

 M. N. I., F.R.S. Assist. Commissioner Kurnool, Madras Territory. 

 With a plate. 



The geological reader in looking over the published remarks of ob- 

 servers on the geology of Southern India, can hardly fail being struck 

 with the almost utter absence of any notice of a boulder or drift 

 formation, analogous to that which prevails to a great extent over the 

 surface of the northern parts of Europe, and in the higher latitudes 

 of the opposite hemisphere. Nor has any undoubted testimony been 

 hitherto laid before the geological world as to the existence in Southern 

 India of the polished surfaces of rocks, grooves, parallel strise, perched 

 blocks, truncated conical mounds, tumuli, and long ridges of gravel, 

 which have been so conspicuously pointed to in Europe by Agassiz 

 and others, as unquestionable evidences of the overland march of gla- 

 ciers conveying boulders, gravel, sand, and loam to great distances. 



Charpentier and Venetz were the first, I believe, to promulgate the 

 theory — that ancient Alpine glaciers extended far beyond the pre- 

 sent limits of glaciers from the Alps to the Jura, and were the means of 

 conveying the gigantic angular granite and crystalline blocks of the 

 former chain, to the strange position they now occupy on the lime- 

 stone slopes of the latter ridge, over the intervening valley, which is 

 one of the deepest in the world and upwards of 50 miles in width. 

 To account for the extension of glaciers across this valley to the Jura, 

 now entirely destitute of glaciers, M. Charpentier supposes the eleva- 

 tion of the Alps to have been much greater than now: and it ap- 

 pears certain that moraines, striae, and furrows, considered to be 

 indubitable marks of glacial action, can be traced in the Alps to 

 great heights above the present glaciers, and to great horizontal dis- 

 tances beyond their lower limits. The Jura, which is only about 

 one-third of the average height of the Alps, presents similar marks of 

 glacial action to the Alps, although now entirely destitute of glaciers. 



It was subsequently objected, that the phenomena of erratic boul- 

 ders extend over the northern and more temperate zones of Europe, 

 Asia and America, in flat tracts, and consequently could not be ac- 



