1836.] the Country heiween Hyderabad and Nagpur. 201 



length, and of a shape approaching to that of an italic / running nearly 

 N. by E. to S. by W. The hill is entirely formed of basalt, as its form, 

 had led me to expect. Above and in the body of the hill it has a con- 

 centric globular structure, the external layers of which are remarkably 

 soft, and on the top of the hill resemble a peperino ; lower down it is 

 soft, of a greenish colour, and soapy feel. The nuclei left unde- 

 cayed on the top, are exceedingly hard and tough, of a deep black 

 colour, and contain large crystals of olivine, and small globules of 

 calcedony. Many small but very characteristic specimens of this last 

 mentioned mineral, which had been imbedded between the concentric 

 nodules, were picked up. At the bottom of the hill, the basalt 

 loses its concentric form, and occurs in tables or laminae, having the 

 appearance of having been subjected to violent forces. It sounds un- 

 der the hammer when struck. Various specimens of the trap are much 

 loaded with iron, sometimes in grains of a reddish brown colour; at 

 others, it appears as if it had been partially smelted, and is not very 

 different in its appearance from some examples of laterite. Much of 

 the " kankar" that abounds in the soil is coloured with iron, while 

 other portions are perfectly white ; it is not, however, confined to the 

 soil, as it was observed to have formed between two laminae of the 

 basalt, and by the gradual deposition of the lime, to have nearly broken 

 up the upper stratum. From between some of the vertical fissures in 

 the tables, and round the large rounded masses that occur in them, a 

 formation of " kankar" projects in several places half a foot from the 

 surface of the rock. It was evident, that the water loaded with lime, 

 percolating through the alluvial black soil, or through the rock itself, 

 gradually deposits the earth, where its accumulation is favoured by 

 circumstances, of which the most important is the occurrence of an 

 impervious rock or soil below that supplying the lime ; and this explains 

 the absence of organic remains in this recent formation, except 

 where, in soils rich in lime, it forms round the roots of plants, 

 and unites with itself, here and there, a fresh-water shell. The 

 rock over which the river flows is granite, intersected by some great 

 dykes of greenstone, whose surface has a smooth metallic coat- 

 ing where washed by the stream. They project eight or ten feet, 

 and are divided into numerous rhomboidal masses by fissures, into 

 which lime has been deposited; and in the bed of the river, numerous 

 fragments of calcedonies, zeolites, and other minerals found in volcanic 

 rocks, are partially cemented by lime. The banks are mostly compos- 

 ed of black cotton soil, and the lower part is covered with small irregular 

 loose slabs, resembling the dried cow-dung used for fire ; which are found 

 in situ projecting from the bank, and connected above with portions 

 formed round the roots of plants, and below with other layers spread 

 out between different strata of the alluvial earth. 



