472 Notes on ike Influence [No. 36, 



have mentioned, and in the districts in question, it was impossible to 

 move off the roads till the sun had dried up the dew with which the 

 grass and brushwood in the junj^les was daily saturated. On the 

 Baba Booden bills in April, 1848, the hottest season of the year, 

 I found the fog so dense till 8 or 9 A. m. and the condensation of 

 water on the trees in the jungles so great, that I used to be wet 

 through in moving through them. 



About 37 miles north of Bangalore is the range of hills of which 

 Nundydroog forms the most conspicuous object ; some friends en- 

 camped at the foot of these hills, were at a loss to account for the 

 circumstance that Nundydroog was often clear of vapour, when two 

 other hills close to it were covered with a cloud, nor were they able 

 to account for it, till on ascending these hills, they were found 

 to be covered with a stunted vegetation, from which Nundydroog 

 was free. When encamped on Nundydroog, I observed rain fre- 

 quently fall on those opposite hills, apparently avoiding the one on 

 which 1 was. Doctor Darwin supposes that as the summits of 

 mountains are much colder than the plains in their vicinity, they 

 condense the vapours more readily, and so contribute to form 

 springs ; supposing Dr, Darwin's theory to be true, which I have 

 no doubt it is, the condensation produced by the cold top of Nundy- 

 droog actually higher than the neighbouring hills, was more than 

 counterbalanced by the circumstance of the others being clothed 

 with verdure. The presence of springs near the top of insulated 

 granite hills as Nundydroog, Sivagunga, Sevefndroog, and in fact 

 on most of the insulated hills in Mysore, is not easily accounted for. 

 These hills are insulated and rise out of the plain from 15 to 1800 

 feet, the base surrounded with blocks of granite. It is difficult to 

 suppose that the causes we have been enumerating as influencing 

 springs, can have any perceptible effect on those which are found 

 under the lower strata, in Bangalore as deep as 50 feet, — for the 

 sources which supply these, we must look to other causes. 



I have the honor to be, &c. 



Bangaloee, I (Signed) 0. I. Smith, Surgeon, 



2'ddJune, 1849. ) Mysore Commission. 



(True copy.) 



M. CUBBON, 



Commissioner. 



