1839] and Statistical of the Ceded Districts, 117 



Lakes, Marshes and Springs. — There are no lakes nor marshes of any 

 note: the springs and wells are often impregnated with muriate of soda 

 and carbonate of lime in varying proportions. Saline and fresh 

 springs sometimes occur in almost immediate proximity ; a pheno- 

 menon to be ascribed probably to the almost veriical strata through 

 which they rise. It is a curious fact that many gardens, particular- 

 ly at Bellary, formerly extremely productiv3, now yield, compa- 

 ratively speaking, little or nothing: this I have found to arise from the 

 practice of irrigating them with water drawn from brackish springs ; 

 the water evaporating leaves its saline contents disseminated in the soil, 

 which, by constant progressive accumulation, first diminishes, and even- 

 tually destroys the power of vegetation. Copious springs of fine water 

 occur in the Paliconda hills, a little to the south of Cuddapah; falling 

 from precipices occasioned by deep rifts in the sandstone rocks they add 

 much, during the rainy season, to the picturesque character of the wild, 

 scenery among which they are situated. Some of the springs near the 

 base of the hiils rise from a considerable depth, as indicated by the 

 slightly thermal character I found them to possess. The thermometer, 

 immersed in the water close to the orifice from which it bubbles up from 

 the rock, indicated a temperature of 88° Fahrenheit; while that of ihe 

 water in the rivulet close by amounted only to 72°. The temperature 

 of the atmosphere was 65°. There is a saline spring in the blue lime- 

 stone at Jummulmudgoo, into which the newly dyed chintzes are dipj 

 for the purpose of fixing the colour. The water contains a consid fa- 

 ble. proportion of muriate of soda, which is also found in thin effioi ra- 

 cing layers on the edges and between the planes of the lamina the 

 rock. 



Soil — The soil is principally the regur, or black cotton g I, 

 mingled more or less according to situation with calcareous matter, 

 ing from the kankrous deposit so common in many parts of India, s 

 debris, of the subjacent rocks, and decayed animal and vegetable matt( ; 

 the latter in small proportion. In the Bellary division, for instance, 

 where the rock formation is chiefly granite, gneiss, and its associated 

 schists, the regur is mingled with decomposed felspar, grit ly paiiicies of 

 quartz, and often covered with angular pebbles of white quartz, ferrugi- 

 nous quartz, jasper, &c. The bases of the hills are generally surround- 

 ed with the soil arising from their own disintegration, which is carried 

 to a considerable distance by the transporting power of streams and rain. 

 In the Cuddapah district the decomposition of the limestone, calcareous 

 veins, clay slate and sandstone, imparts a lighter colour and a looser 

 texture to the regur; which, added to the nature of the stratification 



