Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVII. Part 1 . 
213 
Bancora the calcareous concretion called cancar begins to cover the surface of the 
granitic and syenitic rocks, which rise aboyethe surface to considerable elevations in 
that district. 1 ’ 
The great coal field occupying both sides of the river Dummooda succeeds next. 
The extent of this field is not precisely known, but it appears to be connected with 
that of Sylhet and Caehar. The shale covering this coal has sometimes vegetable 
impressions and even animal remains : amongst these u Dr. Voysey distinguished 
a phytoltthus , a catamite , a lycopodium , and one specimen of a gigantic species of 
patella*' 
The new road to Benares u passes over granitic rocks, of which the ranges of hills 
on the left and the whole country as far as the S6n and round by ShdrgMti and 
Gaya, is probably composed. On approaching the Sdn river and crossing the hills 
behind Sasseram, sandstone begins to appear, and continues to be the surface rock, 
with probably ouly one considerable interval, all the way to Agra; forming, as before 
noticed, the southern barrier of the valley of the Ganges and Jumma : that interval 
occurs in the low lands of Bundelkh&nd, where the remarkable isolated hills are 
all granitic.” 
The Vindhva range running from east to west may be said to unite the two 
longitudinal ranges. It is composed of granitic rocks (including as usual gneiss 
and syenite), on which lie sandstones, and over all an extent of trap rocks not per- 
haps equalled in any country: according to Captain Franklin the sandstone is 
synonimous with the newer red or saliferous sandstone. It is found “ flanking the 
great primary branch which runs to Udayapfir on the side of Guzerat, and to the 
north it sweeps into the desert to an unknown extent.” 
** With regard to the rocks of more recent formation, India is peculiarly barren.” 
The lias limestone has been detected in Bundelkhand by Captain Franklin, but no 
trace of the oolites or chalkbeds, unless the cancar be their equivalent — an opinion 
to which Captain F. appears to incline. 
This general sketch of the geological structure of the country is intermixed with a 
great deal of valuable detail, which could not be rendered intelligible In any summa- 
ry such as the limits of our work would admit. In a note an account is given of a 
vein of hornblende in syenitic granite broken through by a basaltic dyke. Frag- 
ments of the syenite are found in the dyke ; and in some of these fragments the vein 
of hornblende is seen, 
II. On the Geology of a Portion of Bandelkhand, Boghelkhand, and the Districts of 
Sag ar and Jebelpur . By Captain James Franklin, 1 B. N. C. pp. 23 to 46. 
Captain Franklin in the first part of his paper details the particulars of the routes 
travelled, with the several observations made at each place. He then gives what he 
considers the result of his observations in a general view of the geological structure 
of the districts in question. Our business is of course chiefly with the latter 
Dr. Voysey it appears considered, that the basis of the whole peninsula of India is 
granite ; “ he had traced it along the coast of Coromandil lying under iron clay; 
also in the bed of the Godavari river from Rajamaherulri to NaniMir; he had spe- 
cimens from the base of the Sitabaldi hills of Nagpur, from Travankfir, Tinnevelli, 
Salem and BelMri. To this may be added Mr. Stirling’s account in his Memoir on 
Orissa where he says, “ the granite appears to burst through an immense bed of 
laterite ; rising abruptly at a considerable angle.” These localities are all on the 
southern side of the central or Vindhya chain. Captain Franklin considers that to 
the north the proofs of granite being the basis rock are equally numerous and con- 
vincing. Whether there is a series of the primary strata between this granite and 
the secondary rocks must often be left to conjecture ; but in the bed of the Nerma- 
da between Lainarta and Beragerli may be seen a series of beds from gneiss up- 
wards, each in its place graduating into one another imperceptibly, and preserving 
the same dip and direction. 
But the principal feature of Captain Franklin’s paper is bis having identified the 
sandstone so extensively developed in the tract under review with the new red or 
saliferous sandstone of European geologists, and the limestone restingon it with the 
lias limestone of England. These are interesting results, and are deserving of atten- 
tion from our ludian observers, inasmuch as the author of this paper had the great 
advantage of examining these rocks recently at home. 
Captain Franklin founds his opinion of this being the newer red sandstone on 
the general parallelism of its stratification to the horizon, and on its saliferous na- 
ture, He describes it as consisting of fine grains of quartz, cemented by clay and 
coloured more or less by the red oxyd of iron. It is occasionally compact, but ita 
