

APPENDIX. 149 



In this appendix I have given an account of Leschenault's observa- 

 tions in South India, together with explanatory notes which will 

 probably help towards identifying the localities of the 'specimens 

 already described by Lacroix, as well as of those which may be 

 described in future. Many of the field observations are, however, 

 interesting in themselves ; such as, for instance, the description of 

 the corundum in its matrix at Sithampundi near Sholasigamani 

 (Sholasiramani) in the south-west part of Salem district. It was 

 from rocks identical with these, and almost certainly from the same 

 locality (which was worked for corundum before Leschenault's time), 

 that Count de Bournon obtained the material for his famous memoir 

 on corundum, and its associate, anorthire (indianite). Many of the 

 original labels are marked l( Coromandel," which has since been 

 changed to " C6te de Coromandel," and in this form the localities for 

 these rocks have got into more recent literature. Because of the 

 trade with the old East India Company's ports on the east coast 

 the expression Coromandel [Choramandala ) or realm of Chora, an 

 ancient Tamil dynasty) has become restricted by Europeans to the 

 eastern coast. 



It is rather remarkable that Leschenault nowhere mentions the 

 corundum and elaeolite-syenite of Karutapalaiyam in the Coimbatore 

 district. The road along which he must have travelled to visit the 

 aqua-marine mine (see Note 24) crosses the ridge of these rocks at 

 a point 34 miles from Kangayam, between the conspicuous Sivamalai 

 and Karutapalaiyam, Jwhere the villagers raise considerable quanti- 

 ties of corundum by grubbing near the junction of the elaeolite- 

 syenite and felspar rocks. These interesting rocks are described 

 in a separate memoir (vol. XXX, part 3). 



The five papers by Leschenault de la Tour, 1 from which I have 



1 " Relation d'un voyage a Karikal et a Salem." — Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Mat., Vol. VI 

 (1820), pp. 329—348. Paper signed, 30th May, 1818. 



" Rapport sur les rgsultats d'un voyage fait a Salem, ville de I'interieur de la Peninsula 

 del'lnde, situee a cinqu Antes lieues dans I'ouest de Pondicherry." — Jbid. t Vol. VI, pp. 349— 

 359 



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