Observations of the late Mission to Jva. 19 



clay iron ore, with beds of sand and clay, and the highest of 

 blue mountain limestone. The lowest portions are alluvial, 

 and highly interesting to the geologist. The gentlemen of the 

 mission discovered in these abundance of sea shells, with fossil 

 wood and bones. Among the latter are the bones of the fossil 

 elephant or mammoth, * fossil rhinoceros, various ruminant 

 animals, alligators, and tortoises. An immense collection of these 

 has been brought round for the government. Some of the 

 bones are of great size, and all completely petrified. There 

 are among them the teeth and such other portions of the ske- 

 leton as will enable the experienced naturalist to determine the 

 genera and species to which they belonged. These were ob- 

 tained close to the celebrated petroleum weils. From their 

 great induration, and having been little rolled, they are gene- 

 rally in a very perfect state. The bones, as well as the fossil 

 wood, are found superficially in gravel, the same situation in 

 which similar diluvian or antediluvian remains have been found 

 in other quarters of the globe. <> 



The ranges of mountains to the east and north of Ava, as far 

 as twenty miles, and those close to the city on the western bank 

 of the river, are all of marble, and this of many varieties. The 

 white statuary marble, some of which is very beautiful, is 

 brought forty miles down the river from a mountain on its 

 eastern bank. i*^i^ ^>f 



The great ranges of mountains dividing the Burman domi- 

 nions from Arracan on one side, and Siam on another, are rea- 

 sonably supposed to be primitive. In the last direction the 

 roots of these seemed to extend to the new settlement of Am- 

 herst, where we find granite, quartz, and mica slate. Some 

 continuous low ranges in the Martaban district are composed 

 entirely of quartz rock. Blue mountain limestone is a frequent 

 formation in the same district, from which lime of much purity 

 is manufactured. Detached rocks of this substance are scat- 

 tered over the plains. These rise abruptly and perpendicu- 

 larly to the height of from 3 to 500 feet, and in one place to 

 1500. They contain some spacious caves, which have been 

 converted into places of worship. One of these rocks is so re- 



* This is a mistake. They belong to the mastodon, as will be seen from 

 a subsequent account of them in this Number, page 56. — Ed. 



