'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎41] (56/496)

saw the dust rise, pointing at the same time to the spot. The whole party then
immediately proceeded there, and found to their astonishment the aerolite broken
into fragments, of which those now forwarded were alone of any considerable
size. The stone, from the velocity of its descent, had made a hole of several
inches in depth,—like the print of the foot of a young elephant, as the villagers
described it. They were naturally much puzzled to account for the appearance of
tlm stone, which altogether differed from any to be met with in their neighbour
hood; but at length were constrained to conclude that it had fallen from the sky.
The circumstance seemed so extraordinary that one of them was immediately sent
to summon the Patel of the village to the spot, who soon arrived, attended by a
crowd of people who had also heard the wonderful tidings. These too, unani-
tnously adopted the same conclusion regarding the fall of the stone, and the Patel
took into his charge the accompanying fragments, and wrote a report of the whole
circumstances to the Mahalkurree of Gootul, who is revenue and police officer of
the district in which Negloor is situated.
“ The Mahalkurree thought the Patel’s report so extraordinary that he de
termined at once to proceed to Negloor himself, to enquire as to its truth, which
he did. And after having examined the stone itself, as well as the hole in the
ground made by its fall, and found all the accounts of the villages who were pre
sent to agree, he could not avoid coming to the same conclusion that they did, re
garding its fall from the sky. To place the matter beyond doubt, however, he
took statements in writing of the circumstances from the cultivator Ninga and
another, who had heard the rushing noise made by the stone in its passage through
the air, and forwarded their depositions, with his own report and the fragments
twelve localities in Europe, Asia, and Africa, all of which are filled with foraminiferous and other
chambered shells ; the number of species amounting; to eighty-one, some calcareous and some
siliceous, including twenty-two species of microscopic nautilites, nummulties, and cyprides, and
forty species of infusori; with these there are a few confervse and other minute vegetables. #
That the calcareous matter which invests the exuviae of molluscous and radiated animals found
in the limestone above-mentioned, as also in a nummulitic limestone which we shall afterwards
notice as occurring among the Himalayas, the limestone of Caraberg, the muschelkalk of the
continent of Europe, the nummulitic limestone of Hussan Abdal, the encrinal and coral limestone
of the Silurian and carboniferous systems, is a segregation, (as supposed by Buckland and Jame
son,) from the water in which these were deposited, and not formed by the animals themselves,
is more than probable.
As we ascend the Pass leading into the salt range, which lies four coss to the N. W. from
Find Dadur Khan, we cross over a range of limestone abounding with organic remains, similar to
those met on the boulders ; in height it is about 50U feet, very rugged and steep, and two miles
in length. At the summit is the village of Ohout : we then get into a large and well cultivated
valley, through which our route lay six miles, and cross a small hill of fossiliferous limestone, in
which a thick bed of brown iron ore or hematite occurs imbedded, and, from Ebrenberg’s re
searches, we are entitled to infer that in it organic remains will be found. Descending a gentle
acclivity, we arrive at the small but pretty village of Choia Sydun Shah ; from whence the road
to Rotas winds along the bank of a small stream, whose water is supplied by a large spring in the
centre of the town. Its inhabitants are mostly all fuckeers, and it is so celebrated for its sancti
ty by the Hindoos as to cause them to bring the bodies of their relations here, for fifty miles
round, in order to burn them. When we were there, there were several burning, and the ashes
of others collected in heaps. Of Maharajah Runjeet Singh, who has built a large house, it was a
favorite resort, and there was one building for the Jummoo Rajas, (Dhian Singh and Goolaub
Singh) The building material is limestone, the rock of the district. On it in the neighbour
hood of Rotas there is a coating of calcareous sinter and tuffa, f fifteen feet or more in thick-
* Buckland; Edinb. New Phil. Journal, vol. XXI., p. 441.
f Probably this is the rock alluded to by my friend Mr Griffith, in his report on the subjects
connected with Affghanistan. When mentioning the sources of springs, he says —“ The bed of
the ravine by which the army descended from Lala Ghurree Beg, was found to be dry to within
one mile of Ali Musiid, at a place called Siri Chushma, where there are copious supplies/rom a
soil of cavernous limestone. Indeed, this rock seems to be the principal source of the springs of
the country in those parts beyond the influence of the melting of the perpetual snows.’' Jour
nal Asiatic Society, new series, No. 34, page 809.