OF THE HILL OF SEETABTJLDEE. 
301 
equally abundant throughout the whole of Berar, part of 
the provinces of Hyderabad, Beeder, and Sholapoor, and 
appears to form the basis of the great western range of 
trap-hills which separate the Konkan from the interior of 
the Deckan. 
It is probably one of the main sources, when decomposedj 
of the black diluvial soil, to which Hindostan owes so much 
of its fertility. The valley or extended plain of Berar^ 
that of Hoshungabad, of Seronge, of Irundiala south of 
the Kistnah, of the Palnad bordering the Kistnah, and 
numerous others, all lie near the course of rivers, which at 
some former period have covered these plains, and formed 
their extensive deposiies of alluvium. Whether the deposi- 
tion originated in some sudden and partial inundation, or 
whether it was owing to the gradual subsidence of the wa- 
ters of the great deluge, I think may be determined by 
cautious investigation. I am at present inclined to think 
that the most probable cause was the latter. 
The hill of Seetabuldee offers favourable opportunities, 
if the quarries are extended, of ascertaining positively, 
whether the basalt is merely a superficial deposite, or is 
deeply connected with a mass beneath. It is surrounded 
on all sides by gneiss or slaty granite, which is found at 
the base of the hill a few feet deep. Perhaps Nagpoor af- 
fords more opportunities than any other part of India, of 
studying the geological history of these rocks, as it is situate 
near the junction of the primary and overlying rocks. 
Numerous opportunities must arise during the excavation 
of wells and baths, of ascertaining the connection of the 
strata beneath. A well, in Mr A. Gordon's garden, near 
the base of the hill, of about 40 feet depth, penetrates 
through three or four feet of black soil, succeeded by a 
magnesian siliceous clay, which appears to owe its origin. 
