Page:Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 1.djvu/557

1832.] V. — Note on Indian Saline Deposits. By Mr. Henry Harpur Spry, Bengal Medical Service.

In the fourth number of the Journal of the Asiatic Society, a note was published by the Rev. R. Everest on Indian saline deposits, in which particular attention was directed by that gentleman to the large quantities of carbonate of soda found in a plain about a mile to the west of Ghazipur. He states also, that " As the sulphate of soda, is said to be collected in large quantities, from the soil of the basaltic districts on the western side of India, it is not improbable, that these saline deposits are distributed over the peninsula of India co-extensively with the nodules of kankar (corbonate of lime), and hy- drated iron ore."

I have never met with any saline deposits among the trap formations of this district ; but I am induced to believe the following notice re- garding the sulphate of soda deposit in the Gangetic portion of the Oude territory, contiguous to Cawnpore, may not be unacceptable.

This saline deposit abounds in very large quantities about Unaii, and is found in the ravines all the way on to Sultanpur. It has a light earthy, and sometimes a dirty white, appearance in the mass, and its fracture is brittle. It yields by the common native process full 50 per cent, of pure Glauber's salt, of which quantities are annually manufactured by them ; and on analysis I found 200 parts to contain of Dried Sulphate of soda, 145.9 Muriate of soda, 6.0 Alumina, 25.0 Trace of iron,. 1.5 Silicious sand, 9.0 Trace of lime, 1.0 Loss, 1 2.0 200.4

The kankar formation is very abundant along the Cawnpore bank of the Ganges, but the new sandstone formation of Bundelkhand, (which is the nearest approach I am aware of,) must be further, even from the sulphate of soda deposit of Unau, than the Ghazipur saline deposit described by the Rev. R. Everest.

Sugar, Aug. 14, 1832. 2s