172 
Records of the Geological Survey of India, 
[vOL. XII. 
irregular seams containing (with some malachite) dark emerald green, translucent, 
crystals, which, on examination, proved to be atacamite. The point is worth 
notice, in that the locality in question is, I believe, the only one in which ataca- 
mito is known to occur in India. 
Os COEUHDUM FROM THE KhASI HilLS, BY F. R, MaLLET, F. G. S., 
Oeological Survey of India. 
Amongst the specimens lately transferred from the Economic to the Geolo¬ 
gical Museum, was one of “ hone stone”, locally known as “ maushynrut”, from 
the Khasi Hills. Its high specific gravity attracted my attention, and on examin¬ 
ation it proved to be corundum. It is a finely granular, light gray, or grayish- 
white rock, containing microscopically minute specks of a translucent, dark red, 
mineral. It scratches topaz with ease. The specific gravity is 3'93. It appears 
from information obtained by Colonel Sherer, Deputy Commissioner of the Khasi 
and Jaintia Hills, to whom the matter was referred, that the mineral is procured at 
a village called Kongiyniew “ towai-ds the north-west of, and at a distance of about 
two days’ journey from Nongstoin.” Hongstoin is the capital of a petty Khasi 
state ; latitude 20“ 31' longitude 91° 20'. It would seem that there are no quarries 
of the stone, but that the villagers pick up pieces found loose on the surface, 
and use it locally, as before mentioned, for hone or rather grind-stones. 
As the edge of the hills to the north-west of JSTongstoin is about 30 miles 
from that place, and within 15 miles of the Brahmaputra, it would appear that the 
locality where the corundum is found cannot be very far from the edge of tho 
hills, and that it is within a day or two’s journey from the river, for carts or 
laden animals. If, therefore, the stone occurs in largo quantity—a point I’espeoting 
which no information is available—it is worth attention commercially. Corun¬ 
dum is found in large quantity in South Rewah,i and notwithstanding the fact 
that it is more than a hundred miles from the railway, over a road of which 
the first third is execrable even for laden cattle, and impassable for cai’ts, the 
corundum is exported to some extent to Mirzapur. The Khasi stone, therefore, 
if found near the edge of the plains, would be far more advantageously situated 
with respect to carriage. The Rewah corundum is a tougher, less easily pul¬ 
verized stone than the Khasi. Whether the powder of the latter, however, would 
do the same amount of work as that of the Rewah, is open, jjerhaps, to question. We 
arc indebted to Colonel Sherer for a specimen of tho corundum lately received, 
weighing about 20 pounds and measuring about 4x7x9 inches. It had evidently 
been in use as a grindstone. 
* Eecorcls, Vol. V, 20, Vol. VI, 43, 
