341 Geoloyy of the South of India. [Oct. 



" district are situated in this formation, the matrix being a conglo- 

 " merate bed with qiiartoze pebbles : rock salt and gypsum are 

 *' found where this formation extends on the N. W. into the great 

 *' basin of tlie Indus : the stratification is uniformly horizontal : no 

 " organic remains occur. Beginning at the Ganges on the east, 

 *' this formation nrst shows itself, supporting basalt, on the Rajma- 

 hal hills; it again prevails throughout the interval between thecon- 

 " fluenccs of the river Son (Soane) and of the Jamna with the Gan- 

 ges, and thence stretches across W. S. W. through the Bundel- 

 khand district to the banks of the Nermada(Nerbudda), which flows 

 ** into the gulf ofCambay,as far as 79*^ Longitude E.; where it is over- 

 *' laid by the eastern extrimity of the great basaltic district of north 

 western India near Sagar : the red sandstone shews itself again 

 *' emerging from beneath the north western edge of this basaltic 

 " district, at Nimach,near the western sources of the Chambal (the 

 " great southern branch of the Jamna) and at Baug, in the valley of 

 " the Nermada," Journal, Asiatic Society, November 1833, page 

 606. 



The occurrence of a black bituminous looking stone amongst the 

 diamond breecia, attracted my attention some years ago, and havings 

 found traces of coal between the Baingunga and Wurdah, the ap- 

 parent conversion of the fossil into a black coal-like substance ap- 

 peared to support some important speculations. The drawing en- 

 closed exhibits this fossil in its position in the rock, and also a sec- 

 tion, of the natural size, made by breaking it across the line of the 

 fibres, and a magnified representation to display its structure more 

 clearly. The drawing, executed by Dr. Wight's botanical draughts- 

 man, is scrupulously accurate, but I fear too minute in the details 

 to be lithographed with success at Madras. An attentive search 

 amongst the sand stones of the Ceded Districts, would probably 

 lead to the discovery of other fossils in this formation. My object 

 being merely to break the ice which seems to have prevented the 

 communication of facts relative to the natural history of the south 

 of India, I shall conclude by observing that the existence of fossils 

 at Chicknee was observed by Mr. Geddes, Surgeon of the Madras 

 European Regiment, early in 1829, that in May 1833 I found them 

 at various places between Neermul (near the north bank of the God- 

 aveiy) and Hingangaut, 47 miles south of Nagpoor, a tract extend- 

 ing for 180 miles ; and that Mr. Geddes in traveUing from Nagpoor 

 to Masulipatam by Chandah, found the road from Yoitoor or Ettoor 

 to Poonamalla, on the south bank of the Godavery below the junc- 

 tion of the Wurdah, strewed with petrified wood. The Sechachuil 



