Rablconda; a famous diamond miné in the territory o f Vifiapdur,
about forty Britifh milesï N. W. froth", the junction o f the Beettta and
Kiftha, feems to be the moft noted of tftofein that quarteri” -v A diftrict
on thé rivèr Mahamada, to the S. of Sumboulponrv is* istMb»ötedA&itiis
rich product ; as Ü Gandieotta, on«the fou'thérn bank; ç f the river
Pennar.13
The -thine near the Mahanada! is hot1 ’ the foie exampleof the hSIa-
mond being found to the north of the Deccan ; for this mineral unexpectedly
occurs fo far north as Penna, in the territory of Büödélcund,
about fixty B. miles to the fouth of the river Jumna, which flows into
the Ganges.1“ Bundelcund is] a mountainous track, about a hundred
miles .fquare, fubjeCt to its Raja.
Nekt in value to the diamond are the fapphifè and the ruby, ^hich
are chiefly found in the Birman territories-j but the ruby alfo occurs
in Ceylon, which likewife produces an inferior kind bf fapphire, the
topaz, many curious tourmalins, and other precioüs3 ftoneSj rnthutely
defcribed by Thunberg, among which onei;of the moft peculiaris'the
rat’s eye, which, likelhe Italian girafbl, has a peculiar rëfieÉfioôj pàr*
taking of the nature of felfpar.*0
Among the metals gold is found in the rivers which flovir from Tibet
into the Ganges and Indus'} but no gold mines feem ever to have been
known in'Hindèftân, which hàs rather been celebrated for aftra<5ifig
this metal in commerce from other countries. On the: Other hand Tibet,
a mountainous country, abounds in this ? precious metal. : Silver
feems rare in general throughout the oriental regions ; and there- is. no
indication of this mineral through all India.' Thunberg mentions iron
ore and plumbago among the minerals of Ceylon ; bût &ƒ§ ifôthiïig
of copper, which feems alfo little known in Hindoftan.' It is indeed
to be regretted that more curiofity has not been, exeited by the mineralogy
of our poffeffions in Bengal, and the other regions of this; in-
terefting country ; but the attention of the Englifh to this grand branch
17 Renndl, 253.
** lb. 240, where it S’s not unreafonably inferred that Ptolemy’s Adamaa is this river- ,
*9 lb. *33» ' £ Thunberg, iv. 2 zo. See .the account of Ceylon, ch. 5. of this article;
: C H A P I. G E N E R A L ’' V I EW . 2*3
o f feience is very recentj u&deven the aVarice‘p f;adventi!ref8 cannbt be
tempted to- explore w ha t is not known to exift.
The natives fometimeS-Teekibr theycure of difeafes- by bathing in the
facred Areams 5 andtheir-deVotionto water ?in'general feems to prevent
their exploring any medicinal- fources. Yet-there-are -a few exceptions,
and feyeral warm-fprings are,reputed!facred;
Among tlie Angular features o f nature may (.be; mentioned the appearance
o f th e provinces o n th'e- rjye'rs, during the feafon o f inundation,
when an accefc is opened-by numerous channels ,tp places before inland.
The g ra n d . afpeft o f the northern mountaftps covered with fnow, and
the wide defert on th e .e a ft o f the Indus, are alfp; grand fea ture s; as is.
the high table land o f Myfore, fupportqd by natural buttrefles o f mountains.
T h e Sunderbunds-, and prodigious forefts, have! been already
mentioned. T h e detached’ ridges o f ro ck , foknetimes crowned with
Arong.,fortfo,flFes,;nray'aMb-he naihedamong the.natural etuiofities, But
o n p o f the moft noted, in- the Hindoo tradition is :th&' Gangqutra or fall
o f the Ganges, fometimes called the x,Q)wJs l^oiith. -AfQOtding fo the
repq^t o f a Bramin* w ho pretended to have vifited the (pot, the Ganges
fprihgs from the Peak o f Cailafa, feven days’ journey,to tjie fouth of
Ladac'pr’Latac, the capital o f 'a 'fmall Tibetian p rinc?Pality .31 This
p e a k ’is q.hoijt tp® mifes tp,*!**
flo^sd for abjOut feyen-OT eight miles, when itjfind^ a fubterfane^n paf-
fag& i“ , 'u n til' it a ^ § ! emerges in the cqunjijy- o f Redaf-Naufo, at the
place called Gungowtry.”/ , This place is marked in Mr. Arrowjfmitb’s
Map as fituated on that fource o f the-flanges. Rafted th.e.Aliknundra,;
and it feems proved, by M^. Hardwiqk|^f|p u rn ey to ‘Sirinagur, that
th e veneration q f .the natives,' and tire Braminical fixations q u its Chores,
confirm the Braniin’s report, and proclaim the Aliknundra to he. foe
real and genuine Ganges, being perhaps’ the foftheft fource erroneoufly
k id down in the map of Tibet by the lamas, (if thefe fuppofed fources
dp not rather flow into the Indus ;) aisalmqft every name, and pofition
laid down by them will probably ..Be found extremely inaccurate. It
feems probable that the fource of . the GangeV is in a calcareous’ douhtry,
whence the 'river eafily works itfelf a fuh.terran.eous pafiage, as feveral
..s* A f. Ref. v. 43.! vp
M ineralo-
Mineral Wa-
rlétil.Ht
Natural Cu.
riolities.