1836.] the Country between Hyderabad and Nagpur. 217 



this range,and rests on a decomposing granitic rock ; its great and 

 irregular masses show a similar tendency to crystalline arrangement, 

 and thin sheets of calcedony are found in the joints. 



To connect these observations with those published in the As. Re- 

 searches and Journal, on the countries south of the Nerbada, it is 

 necessary to mention, that at the cantonment of Kampty, eight miles 

 north of Nagpoor, the sandstone is met with in the north bank of the 

 Kanan river ; and a mile higher up, the granite has been forced through 

 the strata, bending or converting them into quartz rock. The crystals of 

 felspar and plates of mica are remarkably large, and mica slate is seen 

 in a quarry a few hundred yards distant. Beyond this are some small 

 hills of upraised gneiss 5 near to which a conical hill of curiously 

 altered rock, resembling that above the hot springs of Kair, has burst 

 through a limestone, which it appears to have converted into a fine 

 crystalline bed, like that found in the primitive districts of Scotland. 

 From the summit of this volcanic rock the basaltic hill of Sitabuldee 

 and others are seen to the south and west ; and at the same distance 

 to the north, the rounded mica slate and granitic hills of Ramteskj 

 which extend into the Bengal territory south of Sagur. 



An examination of the map will impress more strongly, than any 

 thing I can urge, the importance of examining the whole Sichel or 

 Shesha range, from the great lake water of Lonar, (to which the at- 

 tention of your readers was called in the number of Journal for June, 

 1834,) to the fossil beds of the Nirmul hills ; and from thence to Bib- 

 be ry, the fossiliferous localities above Mungapett, and the hot springs 

 of Byorah and Badrahcellam. Other hot springs are also said to be 

 found in the Nirmul range, regarding which I could get no correct 

 information. 



There are three other points to which it may be well to call the 

 attention of such of your readers as may have an opportunity of visit" 

 ing these localities. 



1st. Whether the Sichel hills really terminate about Mungapett, 

 or are continued in broken ranges towards Rajamundry ? I have long 

 considered it probable that the dykes so common in the Circars are 

 connected with the great basaltic ranges which cross the Deccan in 

 nearly the same direction ; and Dr. Benza has recently discovered a 

 bed of marine fossils on the top of a basaltic hill five miles south of 

 Rajamundry, and a little above the alluvial plains of the mouths of the 

 Godavery. 



2d, Whether the basaltic hills near the Manjerah river, on which 

 Dr. Voysey discovered fossils, are connected with those of Bekanur- 

 pettah and Nugger above described ; and whether they belong to the 

 same geological period as the Nirmul hills ? 



