INTRODUCTION. 7 



country ; but the bareness of the older laterite plateaux to some 

 extent compensates for this. 



Previous Observations. 



The gold and iron ores of Malabar have at various times attracted 

 considerable attention ; but the general geology of the district has 

 hitherto not received more than a passing notice. 



Towards the end of the year 1800 Dr. Buchanan passed through 



the southern part of Malabar, and he has left 

 Buchanan. 



several notes on the geology of the district. 1 



He describes the occurrence of granite and of " indurated clay " 

 overlying the granite. To the indurated clay he gives the name 

 of laterite, apparently because " in several of the native dialects, it 

 is called the brick-stone (Itica cullu)."" It is in his journal for Decem- 

 ber 20th and 21st, when he was staying at Angadipuram, that he first 

 uses the word. He does not appear to distinguish between the 

 two varieties of laterite. 



He mentions the occurrence of iron ore at Colangode (which is 

 outside of our area) and in Vellater ; and of gold at Nilambur. 



In 1840 2 Captain Newbold described a carboniferous stratum near 



Beypore. He seems inclined to refer it to the 

 Newbold. 



coal-measures and the laterite to the new red 



sandstone. 8 A note by General Cullen is added to his paper. 



In 1 845* Captain Newbold gave an account of a journey from 

 Pondicherry to Beypore through the Pdlghdt gap. He mentions 

 the occurrence of gneiss and laterite at various places, and of 

 lignite and mineral copal at Beypore and TritaMa. 



In the District Manual of Malabar, there are a few notes of well 

 sections and borings at various places in the district. 



1 Journey through Mysore, Canara, and Malabar. Madras reprint. Vol. II, pp. 49 

 et seq. 



2 Madras Journal of Lit. and Sci., XI, 239—243 (1840). 



3 In his later papers Captain Newbold appears to have recognised the recent origin 

 of these deposits. 



* Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, XIV, 759"~ 7&2 (1845). 



( 207 ) 



