36 
On the Minerals of the 
[Feb. 
curable. Pioneers are then employed to clear the quarry ; this is also choked with 
large masses, which the workmen avoid as much as possible, as being troublesome 
to break. Fine stones for building might, therefore, be readily procured, and 
it seems to be an excellent material, which cuts readily with a chisel. It is an uni- 
form aggregate, without a tendency to shistose structure, and consists of grains of 
glassy quartz, united by a greenish grey substance, which has no lustre, and might be, 
perhaps, considered as of the nature of powdery quartz or hornstone ; but its co- 
lour is against that supposition ; and in many places, I think, I can trace the foliated 
appearance of mica. It contains some small red spots, which seem to me to have 
arisen from the iron of the mica, when it decayed, having collected in the form of 
ochre. If wanted for building, the part of the stone above the quarry, which is re- 
jected by the workmen, as wanting fissures to facilitate its division, and by them 
called Korra, would be found the best, but its distance from the river is perhaps too 
great. 
The siliceous matter of this division of minerals also has some tendency to form the 
kinds of clay called c,hari, of which there is a very considerable quarry on the hill 
S. W. from the hot springs of Rishikunda, but which I could not visit. It is of 
an uniform bluish grey colour, but becomes white, when powdered. It has a soft 
greasy feel; does not readily fall into powder, when put in water; nor does it ad- 
here to the tongue. It is chiefly used for writing and painting. From the unctuous 
nature of its feel, this might be suspected to belong to a class of minerals, that will 
be soon mentioned ; but on the banks of the Man, near the hot springs of Bhiin- 
bandh, I found the petrosilex in a state of decay, advancing towards the formation 
of such a substance ; and at Amjhor Ghat, 9 or 10 miles from Mungger, I saw a red 
grained siliceous aggregate, evidently in part changed into a kind of c,hari , called 
there parorimati, which is used by pregnant women as a medicine. 
But farther, a c,kari used in writing, is found on a hill called Geruya. It is a stra- 
tum of an unctuous substance, which cuts smooth with the knife, and although on 
the face of an arid hill, retains some moisture, even in March. When dried ft ad- 
heres to the tongue, and instantly, on being put into water, falls to powder’ It is 
of a fine white colour, veined and spotted like the siliceous rocks, between which it 
is found. These rocks have a strong resemblance to the argillaceous breccia men- 
tioned m my account of the 1st division of minerals, as being found near PhutkiTr 
but its cement is most evidently sUiceous, and it contains veins and nodules of 
quartz, as well as nodules of other substances. The whole has more or less of a slav. 
gy appearance; and some of it has, in my opinion, most clearly undergone the ac- 
tion ot fire. There is, however, nothing about the bill tVi Q * i ^ 
it is quite sporadic, in the midst of the Mnleml m * Crater ’ a " d 
left bank of the Chandan. 1 am, howler L^d to ‘T’ °" the 
on of the 2nd class of minerals, from its’resemblance to ‘the" in m ” Zk''^ ^ 
This hill, Katauna, is situated a little south from Tha^ah will T"*' 
ofTe' ii s :i’ G z;i nce ° f a crat - • :i; 
Notwithstanding the copious warm springs which it ™ , 
traces of volcanic fire, that I have observed^ thia mine ral d "’ "* ** °" ly 
The soft matter called c.hcri, formed of the • ,0 ”- 
leads me to speak of a softer class of stones whichT* mentioned ’ 
division, although by no means so much as in the fi ° aCUp,es much of * his min'™ 1 
tnct, nor did I here observe any whin ; they * !n If “ f P ° rt! ° n ° f the d “' 
j y aie all of a softer nature ; although 
