Mr Crawford's Account of the Mission to Ava. 365 



breccia, calcareous sandstone, cellular 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 mis- 

 sion 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 rhi- 

 noceros, 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 skeleton as will enable the expe- 

 rienced naturalist to determine the genera and species to which they be- 

 longed. These were obtained close to the celebrated petroleum wells. From 

 their great induration, and having been little rolled, they are, generally, in a 

 very perfect state. The bones, as well as the fossil-wood, are found superfi- 

 cially 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 E. and N. of Ava, as far as twenty miles, 

 and those close to the city, on the western bank of the river, are all of mar- 

 ble, 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. 



" The great ranges of mountains, dividing the Burman dominions from 

 Arracan on one side, and Siam on another, are reasonably supposed to l)e pri- 

 mitive. In the last direction, the roots of these seem to extend to the new 

 settlement of Amherst, 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 scattered over the plains. These rise abruptly and perpen- 

 dicularly to the height of from 300 to 500 feet, and in one place to 1,500. 

 They contain some spacious caves, which have been converted into places of 

 worship. One of these rocks is so remarkable, that it deserves particular men- 

 tion. Its perpendicular wall confines the Ataran for several hundred yards 

 on its right bank. About its m»lddle it is penetrated by a branch of the river, 

 which flows quite through it by a magnificent arch. This is a highly pictu- 

 resque object. 



Neither the proper Burman nor Talain country appears to be rich in metallic 

 ores, with the exception of those of iron, tin, and antimony. The principal 

 consumption of the country in iron is supplied from the great mountain of 

 •Poupa, on the eastern side of the Irawadi, and near the latitude of 2F. Lao, 

 the country of the Shans, as it is denominated by the Burmans, is on the 

 contrary, extremely prolific in metals. The singular passion of the Burmans 

 for the study of alchemy, has brought collections of the ores of Lao into the 

 market of Ava, and this circumstance enabled the gentlemen to make collec- 

 tions of them. The ores thus obtained consisted of those of iron, silver, lea^J, 

 copper, and antimony. The Shans possess the art of smelting all these, and 

 bring them in their metallic state into the market of Ava. The silver ores in 

 the Burman dominions are, however, wrought to the greatest advantage by 

 the Chinese. The mines exist about twelve days' journey to the NE. of Ba- 

 moo, towards the Chinese frontier. 



