Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. i. 
n 
sandstone and bryozoan limestone, scarcely more than 10 feet in all, capping a low ridge of 
crystalline rocks for about a mile in length, and then itself covered by the trap. Although 
I examined the base of the trap at many places in the vicinity and all along for nearly a 
hundred miles to the north I found no other representative of the Bagh beds. 
Of the trap itself a great variety occurs within the area I traversed. I did not notice a 
single instance of intrusive trap of this age. The trap is first met with on the Great Deccan 
road, at about half way between Sipri and Goonnh; and from here its spread is unbroken, 
save b 3 ' a fcu r projecting ridges and points of the Vindliyan sandstones, and this only in the 
northern part of the area. Near Kotra I noticed large blocks of baked sandstone weathered 
out of a trap flow. I nowhere found large siliceous geodes so abundant as in the bottom flows 
at the boundary of the trap area. On the whole, porous vesicular trap highly charged with 
zeolitic matter largely predominates. In the road cuttings through the hills south of Goonali 
there are excellent sections exhibiting the distinct flow's of rock. In several I noticed the gradual 
passage, within 8 or 10 feet, from a close-grained crystalline hall trap to a highly vesicular 
and earthy rock at the surface of the hod. At the base of a flow also, compact rock takes the 
place of the large spheroidal trap of the centre of the mass. In the region from Be or a to 
Mehidpur a strong, dark, columnar basalt is constantly met with in the beds of the large 
rivers. In the western region north of Butlam a porphyritic basalt is common. It is the 
homstone-porphyry of Dangerfield’s description. 
Intertrappean beds were noticed at many places in the north-eastern part of the area; hut 
always very local, thin and highiy altered into a confused agglomeration of crystalline lime¬ 
stone, arvugonite and silica. At the village of Bugleri, 3 miles north-west of Mundesor, 
I noticed at the base of a small scarp of Vindhyan sandstone a bed of breccia made up of 
Yindliyan debris. Although the fragments were not water-worn the bed seemed to me to he 
certainly water-laid; and it is overlaid by trap. 
Laterite of various descriptions occurs at many places. The regular, primary form of 
this rock,-that so generally associated with the Gi-eat Deccan trap formation,-is found 
capping the hills south of Goonah ; and, again, the plateau on which Augur stands is covered 
by about 50 feet of laterite, rocky and massive at top, and soft, earthy and ochrcous at base, 
as is generally the case with this deposit. 
Black cotton soil occurs frequently over large areas, hut its connection with the trap 
seems very indirect. I frequently observed trap decomposing into an ordinary yellow kun- 
kury clay, this being overlaid, with a sharp surface of junction, by a thick layer of black soil. 
August, 1866. 
Meteorites. —The Museum of the Geological Survey of India has been enriched, during 
the past quarter, by a magnificent specimen of the meteorite which fell at Meuow, in 
Mechlenburg St relit?., on the 7th of October. 1861 (P1863), and also by a perfect cast of the 
whole mass. This mass was purchased at the time by Baron Beichenhach,' and has ever 
since remained almost intact in his collection. He would not have it cut, and specimens, 
therefore, excepting a few of very minute size, were unknown iu other collections. More 
recently, Baron Beichenhach has been desirous of disposing of this splendid meteorite, and 
alter sometime it passed into the hands of Mr, Wm. Nevill, now of Godalming, Surrey, 
whose valuable collection of meteorites is well known. This collection is now, I believe, 
the finest private collection in the world, and it would rank very high even among the series 
in Public or Government Institutions. To Mr. Nevill, I am indebted for the splendid 
specimen now here. It consists of about one-third of the whole mass, showing on all but 
the cut and polished plane tho original crusted surface of the mass. This vitrified crust 
is coarser, more granular, and altogether less truly vitreous than usual. I have as yet only 
had the opportunity of seeing the polished surface of the cut stone, and it is not easy to 
distinguish the structure in this way. The sp. grav. is more than 4, showing the amount 
of metallic matter iu the stone. But a more careful examination of it will be made. 
To Mr. Nevill, I am also indebted for the extremely rare specimen of the stone which 
fell at Perth, Scotland, on the 17th May, 1830. Of this fall, only one specimen was known. 
This which belonged to Mr. Nevill (having been a part of the Lettsom collection purchased 
by him) was divided with the British Museum, and the fall was, therefore, only represented 
