April— sept.' 1858.] Fossil Wood. 



51 



seems entirely to disappear, at the distance of about 2 miles, where- 

 as the Oosatary beds are 8 miles distant. 



3rd. Both at Trivicary and towards the coast, the sandstones 

 form an elevated tract bounded by a small escarpment, more or 

 less perfect. The similar developments of grits to the southward, 

 such as those occurring at Cuddalore in the Capper Hill, and at 

 numerous other places since visited, by the Survey are all similar- 

 ly characterized. Indeed, the continuity of the Oosatary beds and 

 those of the Capper Hill, has only been destroyed by the breaching 

 action of the Panar and Ariancupom rivers, and the interspace is 

 now occupied by the alluvium deposited bythese rivers. 



4th. Whenever throughout the district, the bottom beds of the 

 cretaceous series have been seen, they rest immediately on the 

 gneiss, whereas, as has been mentioned in the note p — the southern 

 extension of the Oosatary beds rests very unconformably on the 

 cretaceous rocks, so much so that it is easy to be comprehended, 

 that at Trivicary they should overlap these latter, and rest also on 

 the gneiss. 



5th. From these results which have been verified by repeated 

 examination, the only legitimate conclusion that can be drawn, al- 

 though in distinct opposition to Mr. Schlagentweit's statement, is : — 

 that the Trivicary sandstones are identical ivith those of Oosatary, 

 therefore newer than the cretaceous beds and unconformable to them, 

 the cretaceous rocks having been upheaved and denuded partially 

 only at the Oosatary tank and other places, entirely at Trivicary, 

 previous to the deposition of the tree-bearing'sandstone. That Schla- 

 gentweit should have been mistaken, in his reading of the Geology 

 of Trivicary is no more than might have happened to any one who 

 made so very cursory an inspection of this rather difficult district 

 as that gentleman, for it will be observed from Mr. Schlagentweit's 

 report that in the space of one fortnight, viz. from the 24th April 

 to the 10th March, he visited the whole of the country between 

 Madras and Trichinopoly, and travelled thence to the Neilgherry 

 Hills, a distance altogether of 370 miles. It is however exceeding- 

 ly to be regretted that any man of acknowledged scientific attain- 

 ments should make so decided a statement as that quoted from Mr. 

 Schlagentweit's paper, especially on a point of really critical im- 



