appendix. 151 



Translation of Extracts. 1 



Leschenault arrived at Pondicherry 3 towards the end of 

 September, 1816 (IX, 245) and visited Karikal, a French settlement, 

 30 lieues* (75 miles) south of Pondicherry, on one of the branches 

 of the " Kolram" (Coleroon) river 4 (VI, 329, 331 ; IX, 246). 



After returning to Pondicherry, he set out at the beginning of 

 1818 for Salem, a town 50 lieues (120 miles) west of Pondicherry 



(VI, 333 ; IX, 248). 



The first rocks met with on the way to Salem, at about one 

 lieue (2 1 miles) west of Tirnavalour (? Tiruvananallur), 6 are of the 

 nature of jade} of which there are a few outcrops only standing up 

 through the soil. The formation, however, appeared to stretch in 

 a N. — S. direction with, judging from what one sees at the surface, 

 a thickness of about 200 paces in an E.— W. direction. This beauti- 

 ful rock is very hard and compact ; its colour is a pretty apple- 

 green, mottled by numerous red and grey spots, which appeared 

 to be small- fragments of quartz intimately united with the jade. 



1 All the geological observations have been translated in full ; but the 

 itinerary, given in the third person, is merely an abstract of the essential details. 



2 After being taken by the Dutch once and the English three times, Pondi- 

 cherry was finally restored to the French in 1816, the year in which Leschenault 

 dela Tour was sent out. 



3 The old French league {lieue) is equivalent to about 4 kilometres, or 2*49 

 English miles. 



4 The Coleroon (or Kolidam) is the largest and most northerly branch of the 

 Cauvery river, from which it separates below Seringham near Trichinopoly, and 

 after a course of about 80 miles debouches into the sea at a point 3 or 4 miles 

 south of Porto Novo between the South Arcot and Tanjore districts. 



5 Tiruvananallur is on the south bank of a branch of the Panar liver at 

 about 2 miles from the boundary marked on the Geological Map (sheet 79, 

 N.-E.) between the crystalline rocks and the alluvium. As this is on the Pondi- 

 cherry-Ahtur road, it is presumably the place referred to by Leschenault as 

 Tirnavalour. 



6 In the later paper (IX, 248) this is referred to as jasper {jas[> e). We have, 

 however, no record of a rock of the kind described. 



( 49 ) 



