114 



Geology of Bangalore, and of 



crystals of felspar imbedded, and numerous small pieces of schorl, not 

 so much in needle-shaped crystals, as in dots. Hornstone porphyry ap- 

 pears also to be common and some of the specimens very beautiful. 

 One in particular with crystals of red felspar in a basis of dark coloured 

 hornstone — another kind which formed a dyke running east and west, 

 contained very minute round or oval crystals of felspar, like the eggs of 

 some insects, with needle-shaped crystals of schorl. T found another 

 kind to the left of the road, the hornstone of a dark colour, the felspar 

 crystals chiefly white, with schorl and iron pyrites. Just before enter- 

 ing Mysore there is much hornblende rock, giving a ringing sound under 

 the hammer. 



Between Mysore and Seringapatam there are few or no tanks, the 

 country watered by a fine canal, w l;ich twists and turns in all directions, 

 and is crossed six or seven times between the two places. Mysore itself 

 lies low, under a very high hill of the same name, a thousand feet above 

 the plain. The country around is slightly elevated; a fine red soil pre- 

 vails, in some places highly cultivated. A deep section called Purneah's 

 cut, close to the town, enables us to see the formation — the rock is gneiss, 

 in a decomposing state, with veins of quartz and beds of hornblende 

 slate, the mica is of a dark green colour. The gneiss rock here differs 

 from that of Bangalore and Chinepatam, by containing much green mica, 

 and the felspar is both red and white. This cut, according to Hamilton, 

 is thirty miles in length, between thirty and forty feet in breadth, and 

 sunk in some places to the depth of eighty feet through strata of solid 

 rock. Purneah appears to have been a truly clever and public spirited 

 man. The Government ought to erect a monument to bis memory, and 

 place it in the very centre of the town, to show how much it appreci- 

 ates native talent, energy and public zeal, and as an incitement to others 

 of his countrymen. 



The stones in the fort of Mysore, within which is the palace of the 

 raja, and those used in constructing the neighbouring fort of Mungerabad, 

 which was commenced by Tippoo, show specimens of the rocks around. 

 The most common is the gneiss just described, white and red felspar, 

 very little quartz, and much green mica in stripes — then there is a rock 

 of red felspar and glassy quartz, felspar predominating, and in large 

 crystals, with only a few scales of mica — red compact felspar with veins 

 of actynolite, and then a sort of porphyritic or augitic hornblende rock. 

 Mysore hill consists of con.mon and porphyritic granite— the felspar 

 is abundant and is either white or with a very slight tinge of red, very 

 licht flesh colour — mica blueish and black. The porphyritic character 

 of the rock is best seen fron) the road leading to Nungengode; the 

 stones on the road used for building show it. The rock at the bottom 



