220 



Statistical Report on the 



[No. 35, 



Though the name Circar would seem to imply that the division 

 is of Mahometan creation, it is doubtful if it is so. On the contra- 

 ry, from the existence of one family of Surdeshmookhs and of Sur- 

 deshpundyahs it is more probably a division derived from the times 

 of Hindoo rule and supremacy — and adopted by the Mussulmans 

 (who contented themselves by changing the name) for the mere 

 purposes of convenience. The substitution of the Norman name of 

 county for the Saxon shire, A\itliout disturbing its boundaries, of- 

 fers a parallel to this. 



The Circar is divided into Pergunnas, which, when large, are 

 again subdivided in Talookas — the division of Turufs, though ac- 

 knowledged, is only spoken of in one or two of the more wealthy 

 and populous pergunnas — very often the divisions of talookas and 

 pergunnas are confounded together by the natives, and the num- 

 ber of the latter is sometimes stated at fourteen, while, by includ- 

 ing some of the former, it is raised as high as eighteen at others. 

 The map annexed will afford a tolerable idea of these purely artifi- 

 cial divisions, and the table in the Appendix, No. 1, contains the 

 names of the pergunnas and talookas and the number of villages, 

 according to an assessment called the JcoaJkamil. 



The chief geological formation of the Cir- 

 Geological Features. ..... , p 



car IS sienitic granite composed oi quartz, 



felspar, and horneblende. The next is gneiss- passing occasion- 

 ally, by a very natural transition, into horneblende schist. The 

 third is sandstone. Although the minerals noted above constitute 

 the prevailing sienitic rock, it by no means follows that no other 

 mineral components occur — of these the chief are : 



1st. The pegmatite of French writers, from which horneblende 

 is excluded, and the rock consists of quartz and felspar alone. 

 The first mineral sometimes so predominates, that, appearing in 

 pieces from the size of a hazel nut to that of an egg, it gives the 

 rock the look of a conglomerate. The felspar in this variety is 

 very commonly flesh coloured — this is a frequent form occun-ing in 

 the neighbourhood of Warungul and at Dogundah in the road 

 between Pakhall and Mahdapoor. 



2d. Felspar and horneblende, this is a loose crumbling variety 

 which wears, and is finally decomposed, by the weather. Common. 



3d. Quartz, felspar and actinolite. The latter mineral taking 

 the place of the horneblende and giving to the rock a gi-eenish 



