1837.] 



Geologij of the Deccan. 



363 



the Ahmednuggur minerals prevail ; hence descending the Beema to 

 its junction with the Seena, a gradual diminution takes plac e, and at 

 the junction they almost disappear ; returning north, at Ashtee, be- 

 tween Kurkumb, and Mohol, a few are met with. At Oondurgaon, 

 and up both banks of the Seena river to Purrunda, numerous and very 

 fine specimens of milk opal, with a flame-coloured tinge in transmitted 

 light, are found on the surface ; and this is the only locality where I 

 met with opal as a distinct mineral ; and here the members of the 

 zeolite family are very rare. At Tudwull, between Oondurgaon and 

 Barlonee occur the only specimens of black calcarious spar seen by 

 me in Dukhun ; it is associated with transparent calcarious spar. In 

 excavating wells in the cantonments at Poona, splendid specimens of 

 ichthyophthalmite were brought to light ; and generally in the bed 

 of the river Mota-Mola and the neighbourhood, fine specimens of 

 heliotrope and coloured quartz occur. The other minerals are nadel" 

 stein, analcime, chabasite, and laumonite. Captain Dangerfield's 

 details prove that the minerals of Malwa are identical with those of 

 Dukhun. 



Natural Salts. — Only two kinds of natural salt came under my notice, 

 namely, muriate and carbonate of soda. 



With respect to the former, many of the wells at Ahmednuggur are 

 brackish ; and there is a rivulet running into the Seena river about 

 two miles north-west of the city, which has its source a few miles 

 distant, called the Salt Brook. It passes over a saliferous soil; and 

 in its dry bed, or on insulated stones standing in its stream, are incrus- 

 tations of common salt intimately mixed with carbonate of lime. No 

 use is made of this salt. The saline impregnation of the soil extends 

 to some distance west and north-west of Ahmednuggur, as I found a 

 handsome well at Kurjooneh, eight miles distant, filled with water so 

 brackish as not to be available for domestic use. At Wurgaon, between 

 Kurjut and Pairgaon, a peculiar hoary appearance of a patch of ground 

 in the midst of withered grass, led me to examine it. The whiteness 

 was occasioned by lime in minute particles, mixed with a little muriate 

 of soda. 



The third locality of common salt was in the bed of a rivulet at 

 Koond Mawlee, near the falls on the Kookree river, between Serroor 

 and Kowta. A little common salt, with a trace of carbonate of soda, 

 appeared, incrusting the rocky bed for a few feet near the water line. 

 I did not observe common salt elsewhere. My attention was first 

 directed to carbonate of soda at Serroor, by observing washermen 



