VART 3 .] 
Ball: Building and Ornamental Slones of India. 
109 
In Mr. Medlicott’s account of the Sub-Himalayan rocks of North-Western India* he 
states that gypsum occurs in several parts of the district; it is found in lumps in the ferrugi¬ 
nous clays of the Subathu group, and at Sahansadhara, below Masuri, it occurs in small 
irregular veins through limestone. 
Mr. Mallet has described the deposits of gypsum in the Spiti valley. He believes them 
to be derived from thermal springs, as the masses occur at all levels unstratified and amor¬ 
phous, and what is more to the point, the thermal springs are at present depositing gypsum 
with the carbonate of lime. The origin is traced to chemical reaction betweenf iron pyrites 
and carbonate of lime, the former abounding in the underlying black slates. 
Mr. Mallet concludes his observations thus: “ The compact unaltered portions of the 
gypsum are of a snowy whiteness, and would form a beautiful material for ornamental pur¬ 
poses. All of it, from its apparent purity and freedom from iron, &c., might be manufac¬ 
tured into very superior plaster of Paris. One fatal bar, however, exists to its economic 
employment, namely, the mountain carriage across the entire breadth of the Himalayas.” 
In Each Mr. Wynne! reports the existence of gypseous shales below the regular 
nummulitic beds; but the deposit of gypsum appears to be inconsiderable there. 
In Madras gypsum occurs in several places. “ It is most abundant in the Ootatoor beds 
(cretaceous), especially in the belemnite clays to the east of Ootatoor and in the unfossiliferous 
clay to the north-east of Muravuttoor.§ 
It might be obtained in any quantity for ordinary purposes, such as moulds; but for 
casts it is generally too impure; however, selected portions, chiefly in the form of transparent 
plates of selenite, would answer for a small demand for the latter purpose. 
Dr. Balfour, in his Cyclopaedia, besides the above, also enumerates the following localities. 
The Chingleput District, Sadras, Ennore, the Bed Hills, Nellore, Masulipatam, and Bangalore. 
Gypsum is used by the natives medicinally, and can be obtained in most bazars in small 
quantities. 
VI.— Ornamental Stones. 
The use of ornamental stones in buildings in India, either in the way of mosaic or on a 
larger scale, has not been much practised latterly. 
Probably the finest extant example is afforded by the inlaid work in the Taj at Agra. 
The following is a list of the stones used there as ascertained by Dr. Voysey:— 
Name. 
Locality. 
Lapis Lazuli 
... Ceylon and Thibet. 
Jasper 
... Basaltic trap of Hindustan. 
Heliotrope 
... Basaltic trap of Hindustan. 
Chalcedon Agate 
Chalcedony 
... ( Basaltic trap of Hindustan ; also from 
Cornelian 
... ( Sone and Narbada. 
Sarde 
...) 
Plasma, or Quartz and Chlorite ... 
... Basalt of Dekan. 
Yellow and striped marble 
... Guzerat. 
Clay slate 
P 
Nephrite or Jade ... 
? 
* Mem. Geol. Surv., 
India, Vol. Ill, p. 177. 
t 
„ V, p. 167. 
X 
„ IX, p. 266. 
§ 
„ IV, p. an. 
