94 



G colony of Bangalore, mid of 



The noddes are foiincl about the depth of seven or nine feet from the 

 surface. There is first a whitish brownish earth to about the depth of 

 two feet, then about a foot of while clay, to this succeeds a blueish 

 clay, intemiixed with a little reddish earth to the depth of 4 or 5 feet, 

 and a blueish whitish earth or clay with lumps of kuiikar imbedded in 

 it. There is apparently always much clay connected with the modern 

 formation, and it is likely an analysis of the rocks in the neighbourhood, 

 would show a superabundance of felspar with a considerable proportion 

 of carbonate of lime. It is probable also that some chemical action is 

 constantly at work, not by us well understood, but perhaps in some 

 measure similar to that which leads to the formation of stdtpetre. Be- 

 sides this modem formation of kunkar in nodules, I have seen it as an 

 earthy deposit upon rocks in one of the large branches of the Cauveri. 



Before leaving this subject I may allude to the existence of small 

 mounds in many parts of the country, and dela:'hed fragments of a 

 substance resembling b'aie : of a white colour and cancelated structure, 

 and co'.isidere i by the natives to be the burnt bones of giants, and called 

 asiu-har or giant's bones. Mention is made of these by Buchanan — 

 and a note upon the subject will be found in the Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal for December f^S'^ Lieut, Newbold, in the October 

 number of the same Journal for 1S36, gives an account of substances 

 of a calcareous and siliceous nature found near Bellary, and in the I8th 

 number of the Madras Journal of Science some observations on the 

 same will be found by Dr. Bmza and Mr. Cole. Buchanan, Benza and 

 Cole consirler them as specimens of calcareous tufa, which some of them 

 most certainly are, but specimens answering to their description were 

 brought me, picked up about twentv-four miles from Bangalore, which 

 were of the same peculiar cancelated structure like bone, but they did 

 not effervesce with acids — they are siliceous and approach closely to, if 

 they are not a coarse kinl of semi-opal in a decomrosed state. It is 

 necessary therefore to divide these substances so m.U'di resembling burnt 

 bones into the calcareous and the silic-^ous, the last of which appear 

 perhaps to be a sort of opaline siliceous sinter. 



The soils around B uigalore and generally in Mysore, mav be divided 

 into the Vack or cotton soil, not common in this part of the country — 

 2d. A rich red soil from the disintegration of rocks containing much 

 iron-like hornblende. — 3d. The common or reddish brown soil, where 

 perhaps the iron is in a state of protoxide. — 4*h. A white siliceous un- 

 productive soil, and. — 5fh. A clayey soil ivxml in the valleys and below 

 tanks. Besides these five, there is another seen to the south-west of 

 the fort, near a small range of little hillocks of a chlorite rock contain- 



