691
not receive in time to afcertain the fad. I faw alfo feveral detached lumps of brownhsematites ; but on the hill there is no ore of iron, that is by the natives cormderedas workable.
The lithomarga is found in large mafles heaped together, and incumbent on therocky ftrata, with various fragments of which it is intermixed ; and it appears to meto have been formed from the hornftone in a particular Hate of decay. Its furfaceis generally Ihining, polilhed, and conchoidal. The mafles, fo far as I obferved,are not difpofed in ftrata; but, internally, fome of the pieces are compofed ofalternate thin plates of different colours. That ufed for fuperftitious purpofes is ofa pure white colour, and indurated fubftance; fome is red, being coloured by anoxyde of iron ; fome, as I have obferved before, is internally ftratified, and confiftsof alternate layers of the lithomarga and of a yellow ochre ; fome is black, refemblingvery dark vegetable mould in an indurated ftate; fome again of the lithomarga is ofa pure white colour, and friable nature; and nearly approaching to this is anotherclay, which is evidently decompofed white mica. Among the lithomarga is founda black friable fubftance, in its appearance much refembling charcoal; but it isundoubtedly of a foflile nature, and probably is an iron ore. It has a bluilh tinge,which it probably derives from manganefe.
The temple of Malaifwara is a very poor building; but is much frequented at afeftival in the month of Magha. Some of the figures on the chariot of the image areexceedingly indecent. The woods above the temple are rather taller than ufual inthefe barren hills, and contain many trees of the Dupada, Chloroxylon Uupada,Buck. MSS. The refin is ufed as incenfe; and mufical inftruments, fomewhatrefembling the guitar, are made of the wood. From the top of the hill the view' isvery fine; the country being compofed of hills, cultivated fields, refervoirs, likefmall lakes, and palm gardens, all intermixed. In this hilly country are fome con-fiderable flocks of fheep, but no herds of breeding cows.
Madana Mada contains 40 or 50 houfes, and is placed between two refervoirs ;one belonging to itfelf, and the other to a neighbouring village. So partial arethe rains in this country, that the one refervoir is now half full, while the otherhas not above a quarter of its water ; the two hills, from whence they are fupplied,being on oppofite fides of a very narrow valley. Madana .Mada has a very fine palmgarden, for the ufe of which the water of its refervoir is entirely referved. Whenthat fails, the proprietors have recourfe to the machine called capily. Three thou-fand pagodas have been granted by Purnea for enlarging their refervoir; by whichmeans the machinery is expected to become unneceflary, and of courfe the revenuewill be greatly augmented. The gardens here contain 48,000 palm trees.
At night I was awaked by a prodigious noife in the village, which was at fomediftance from my tents. On inquiry of the fentry, I was told, that there was noone near except himfelf; every other perfon having gone into the village as foon asthe uproar commenced. I lay for fome hours in great uncafinefs, fuppofing thatmy people had quarrelled with the natives; but, it being a rainy night, I did notventure out, and was unwilling to part with the fentry. Soon after all was quiet,and the people returned. In the morning my interpreter told me with a good dealof exultation, that one of the cattle-drivers had been poffefled by a pyfachi, or evilfpirit, and had been for fome time fenfelefs, and foaming at the mouth. On thisoccafion the whole people, Muflulmans and Pagans , had aflfembled ; and, in hopesof frightening away the devil, had made all the noife that they could : but he hadcontinued obftinately to keep poflefiion, till the arrival of the Brahman, who, having
4 t 2 thrown