oct. — dec, 1856.] of the Southern Division. 101 



The limestones of the district are numerous and of various kinds. 

 The lime gravel, or kunker, is widely diffused in the soil, and in 

 some places is nearly a pure carbonate of lime ; in other places it 

 is mingled with other substances and takes the form and consist- 

 ence of concreted limestone or pisolite. These are the kinds used 

 for making roads and burning into lime. Travertine or tufa is 

 found in stalagmitic concretions in caves and bordering around the 

 stems and branches of plants. The crystalline limestones are also 

 numerous, they are found in nodular masses and large blocks and 

 show the crystals of calcspar and the fine granular and compact 

 varieties. Some of these kinds receive a tolerably good polish and 

 might, it is thought, be wrought for marble. The minerals found 

 imbedded in these stones are the chondrodite, graphite, pyroxene, 

 and molybdenum ; and the different locations where they are found 

 are Poovandy, Puntelacoodee, Carnapadi, Vitherapadi, in the Tiru- 

 mungalum Talook and in a number of other places. In the loca- 

 tion at Puntelacoodee the outcrop is some 20 yards in width, six or 

 five miles long and of a depth not explored. These masses of 

 rocks are nodular in most places, nor does there appear to be any 

 regularity of dip in the case of any of them. They lie in wild con- 

 fusion in every part of these limits resembling the ruin of a vast 

 wall. The stone of the south side of this bed is highly crystalline 

 calcspar of a dull whitish colour, while that on the north side is 

 finely granular or compact, and of a bright flesh colour. 



Another feature of the district is its iron. This is widely dif- 

 fused : it is found in almost every part of the district, either in the 

 form of native iron or united with oxide in the form of haematite, 

 of ochre or of octahedral crystals of specular iron and iron sand, 

 &c. ; there is the silicate of iron, the carbonate and sulphuret and 

 a vast quantity of laterite, but so small quantities are found in any 

 one place, except of the silicate and laterite that it has been but 

 little wrought. 



The region where gold is sometimes found was visited and the 

 sand and rocks of the same, to some extent, examined. The name 

 of the place is Pulkanath, 14 miles north of Dindigul just under 

 the east end of the Pulney mountains. The gold is found in small 



