430 BUILDING STONES AND 



The Fort; the greater part of the Mausoleum of Akber at Secandra; the 

 Jama Mesjid ; the gateway, wall, casement and Mesjids of the Taj ; are 

 built of the sandstone. The Tajmahal or tomb of the favorite wife of Shah 

 Jehan; the Moti Mesjid and some buildings in the interior of the fort are 

 built of marble. 



The sandstone is of a disagreeable colour, and from its strong resem- 

 blance at a distance to brick, forms a mean and ugly contrast to the brillian- 

 cy of the polished marble structures, which are reared on it. It is not a good 

 building stone, decomposing very readily, particularly the slaty kind, which 

 contains a considerable quantity of mica and iron. It is remarkable for its 

 veiney appearance and for the grey circular spots, of various size diffused 

 over its surface. Some of them exhibit the singular appearance of a small 

 protuberance or tail like that left on a bullet, when cast in a mould. A ho- 

 rizontal and vertical section of one of them, shew that they are sphericaL 



This stone is quarried about twenty-two miles west of Agra; at Fattehpur 

 Sikri, in the hill, on which the Mausoleum of the famous Selimshah Chisti 

 is built. This low range runs in a nearly N. E and S. W. direction and 

 the dip of the strata which are very distinct varies from an angle of 25° to 

 50°: nearly at right angles to the direction of the hill, in a S. S. Westerly 

 direction. It is remarkable that a range of hills South of Fattehpur, of the 

 same rock, dips in a contrary direction; the precipitous face being to the 

 Southward and the dip to the Northward- 



Jt belongs to the old red sandstone formation of Werner, and is the first 

 of his floetz rocks. Mc'Culloch and Jameson, however although not agree- 

 ing in the mode or relative period of its formation have placed it among 

 the primary rocks. I have little doubt that this rock will be found incum- 

 bent on granite, as I have invariably found it in the peninsula of India 

 and in other parts of Hindoosthan. At a place lying between Warangal, 

 the ancient capital of Telingana and the Godaveri, I have seen a rock 



