THE SAGAR DISTRICT. 79 



concave, and underneath their black looking soil lies wacken or basalt, 

 in form and size, about a cubic foot, disfigured, and often arranged in an 

 uniform manner. The globular wacken and basalt partially supersede 

 this arrangement in the low grounds, but neither basalt, nor wacken, with 

 step-like uniformity, will ever be found forming a hill. Some one or other 

 of the amygdaloids, particularly the toad-stone, succeed the soil, and com- 

 pact trap rock in the vallies, and they are often observed occurring at the 

 feet of the hills ; but these latter, it should be remarked, are often merely 

 this globular trap, distinctly thrown up on a sand-stone basement, or flat. 

 Narsinhgerh remarkably shews the trap every where surrounded by 

 sand-stone, and the lake of Sdgar, on a larger scale, is a distinct basin of 

 sand-stone with an inner coating of trap. Altogether it may familiarly be 

 depicted as a dark superficies speckled with spots of red ; the bird's-eye 

 view also presents the thing as a net work scene, the interstices being 

 formed by the numerous hills, and low chains of hills, winding about. No 

 sudden brush of the ocean could have left such remains as are here seen, 

 and, unless the occurrence of stilbite* be decisive, there are no facts to 

 plead for the aqueous origin of the trap, except the all-pervading character 

 of its occurrence, and its possessing an axis or general line of bearing ; but 

 neither of these, indeed, plead exclusively for it; whilst, on the other hand, 

 common observation here forcibly incline the mind to recognize an oppo- 

 site theory, and imagine the action of a globe of compression, or rather of 

 a common mine : — The effort is made, and the entonnoir formed by the 

 more verticle rays sending upwards the stuff", and strewing it in heaps all 

 about ; whilst those rays, that are more inclined, will either compress, and 

 shake, or split, and penetrate according to the various natures of the 



materials 



* It has been said that the occurrence of stilbite is decisive of the aqueous origin which is the 

 reason why I mention stilbite being found. 



