106 Report on the Progress of the Magnetic Survey. [No. 2. 



Hislop, who was kind enough to give me every assistance and 

 information during my stay at Nagpore. 



I met fossil wood and some fragments of fossil bones in several 

 places along the Godavery. Near the junction of the latter river 

 with the Pranheeta, at Kota, near Shironcha, are found very curious 

 remains of fossil fishes and reptiles connected with a thin bed of 

 coal. These fossils were first discovered by the late Drs. Bell and 

 Walker, and I trust that the collection which I was enabled to 

 make in this locality may not prove without some interest even 

 after the very fine specimens sent to England by the two above- 

 mentioned gentlemen. 



Yegetable remains can be traced in many places in the sand- 

 stones and marls, though the appearance is often very much 

 changed. Leaves, together with fossil wood, were met with in 

 the Eastern Ghauts on the Godavery and at Trivacery, 18 miles 

 west of Pondicherry. 



It seems that the formation has been deposited throughout in 

 fresh-water lakes, but it would be premature to express at present 

 positive opinion on the geological age of the formation. It appears 

 from some fossil remains that it may be oolitic ; but only a close 

 enumeration and comparison of all the fossils hitherto collected and 

 brought to Europe will be able to decide this question. 



With reference to the difficult question of the age of the sand- 

 stone formation, it is worth mentioning that I have seen the sand- 

 stone, with fossil trees, clearly overlaid by the cretaceous strata 

 in the Pondicherry district, so that it cannot be younger than 

 Jurassic. 



The existence of coal in this formation is connected with the 

 vegetable remains, which as I have mentioned can be traced in 

 many places. The coal-seams are generally not of great thickness, 

 and the coal is in most places impure, but larger seams have been 

 found in some localities, in Burdwan, the Palamow Hills, the 

 Nerbudda Valley, &c, some of which are worked pretty extensively. 



3. The great trap formation of the Deccan has been visited 

 during this season on its Eastern borders. I have been able to 

 examine the fresh-water strata interposed between the trap layers 

 in many localities, and I have traced the continuation of this thin 



