462 



Sketches of the Meteorology, tyc* 



[Oct. 



of a ravine near Kullaclghee. They there alternate with beds of grey- 

 wacke. They have a very highly inclined, and, in some places, a 

 vertical dip ; and their direction is about north and by west, south 

 and by east. In the dry season they can be very easily examined ; for 

 they are completely exposed for an extent of probably a quarter of a 

 mile, except in a few spots where they are covered with debris. In 

 those parts of the ravine where they have been worn down and po- 

 lished by the stream, their red, blue, and white colours produce a beau- 

 tiful appearance. 



Chlorite-Slate. — This rock is very widely distributed throughout these 

 districts. It is met with throughout the whole of the central and 

 southern parts of the Darwar district, in the ghauts, and at .several 

 points on the western coast, under the claystone conglomerate. Its 

 most common colour appears to be light greenish-grey. In the Ram- 

 ghaut, I found it with disseminated grains of felspar, and having a fine 

 slaty structure. There is a variety found near Darwar and Kittore, 

 which is intermediate between chlorite-slate and clay-slate. It has a 

 bluish-grey colour, a slightly greasy feel, is hard, and has a coarse 

 slaty structure. When tolerably compact, it is employed as a building 

 stone ; for which it is well adapted. 



Some varieties of the chlorite and clayslates contain crystals of iron- 

 pyrites. I have been informed that this mineral is sometimes sent all 

 the way to Madras, by the native merchants, as an article of trade, I 

 believe for the purpose of being cut into beads and other ornaments 

 used by the natives. 



Talc-Slate. — This, like the chlorite slate, has a very wide distributi- 

 on throughout these districts. There are several varieties of it. The 

 talc sometimes occurs unmixed with any other substance. It has, in 

 this case, a fine slaty structure, and a greyish or reddish colour. This 

 variety I found a few miles from the falls of Garsipa. Most frequently 

 the talc is mixed with quartz ; and the rock has then the general ap- 

 pearance of mica-slate, excepting the difference in the characters of the 

 two minerals. This variety occurs in the central parts of the Darwar 

 district, and in the western ghauts. AtNurgoond and Chick Nurgoond, 

 the strata of this variety have a nearly vertical dip j and their direction 

 is south-east and by south. 



Potstone is found associated with these rocks in the south-east part of 

 the Darwar district ; and is used by the natives for the manufacture of 

 various utensils. The soapstone, which is sold in all the bazars, is 

 probably also obtained from the same formation j but I myself have 

 never seen either it or the potstone in situ*. 



* I am indebted to Walter Elliot, Esq. for the specimens of potstoae which I have, 

 and which he took directly from the quarries. 



