18370 



through the Northern Circars. 



55 



Now, it is curious to observe close to this pit, that the masses just 

 above it are the lateritic iron ore, compact in the lower part, cavernous 

 in the upper; but, attention, is attracted by the stalactitical projections 

 of iron ore, some one or two inches in diameter, shooting downwards, 

 penetrating and being imbedded in the subjacent lithomarge. Some of 

 these stalactites imitate the drippings from a candle. 



The third hill, a continuation of the second, but higher than any 

 in this plain, (being two hundred feet high, or little less,) is capped by the 

 already mentioned lateritic stone. It is very cavernous, mixed with a 

 good deal of sand — a conglomerate in composition — the sinuosities 

 lined, or filled, with a whitish or yellowish clayey substance. 



But, what we must not lose sight of is, that this lateritic mass is 

 traversed by thick veins of the compact, glimmering hsematitic ore : 

 and the passage of the one into the other is hardly perceptible. This 

 is one of the localities in the plains of India, which, together with 

 those on the Neilgherry mountains examined by me, might invalidate 

 the opinion that the latente is a formation per se associated with trap. 



The fort of Puddagarum is built on the summit of a hill of this 

 sandstone ; and the soil covering the plain is a red ferruginous sand 

 containing many pebbles of sandstone and the lateritic rock just de- 

 scribed. Next day I re-examined this locality, and clearly noted the 

 insensible passage between the haematitic iron ore and the lateritic 

 stone ; in some places, this last overlaying the former, and in others 

 vice versa, 7 



Paykarow and Toonee, Feb. 7. — These two villages are divided by 

 a torrent, being situated at the foot of a group of hills, which rise in a 

 ridgy form with an east and west direction. Some hills of this group 

 attain a height of about one thousand feet above the plain, and are 

 thickly covered with shrubs and underwood. They are formed of 

 gametic gneiss with occasional strata of quartz, their direction being 

 that of the ridge itself, viz. east and west, and nearly all of them are 

 vertical ; at least those of the summit are clearly so. 



The populous village on the left bank of the torrent, is called 

 Paykarow, the other on the opposite bank Toonee. The skeleton of 

 the famous bandit Paykarow is seen hanging on a gibbet here, outside 

 his own village. This marauder gave the Government much trouble many 

 years, and defied the few troops sent against him and his associates ; 

 the gang burning, destroying and plundering the houses and property 

 of the Zemindars, and of all who were known to be partial to their 

 enemies. They cut off the ears and noses of those whom they 

 thought befriended the British Government and sent them to 

 our Commissioner, the Honorable Mr. Russell. The energe- 

 tic and decisive measures of Sir Frederick Adam, carried into 



