53 MINERALOGY. 



with the dip at an angle of 38° two separate lines of 

 lignite occur in a coarse sandstone conglomerate with 

 shale and a serai-indurated blue clay containing limestone 

 pebbles. This lignite is highly pyritous, its decomposi- 

 tion affording a copious deposit of sulphate of iron which 

 covers the exposed surface with a dirty-colored efflores- 

 cence. Some of the pieces taken from the deposit retain 

 their original characteristics, do not fracture, and may be 

 sawn through in sections across the grain, the same as 

 wood imperfectly carbonized. Other deposits of wood less 

 charged than the foregoing are found in the banks of the 

 rivers Dahgyaine and Gyaine, some 20 to 30 miles to the 

 north east of Maulmain, covered with the same blue clay 

 as that already noticed, but none possess any useful qua- 

 lity as a combustible material." 



PETROLEUM. 



Petroleum is always for sale in the bazars, it is net 

 however a production of the Provinces, but is imported 

 from Biirraah. At one locality near the banks of the 

 Irrawaddy there are said to be more than five hundred pro- 

 ductive wells. 



cqfi ^loni. — OJS0JO0J. 



AMBER. 



Amber, though universally used for ear knobs, is not 

 found in the Provinces, but Dr. Bayfield described the 

 amber mines that he visited north of Ava as being in a lig- 

 nite formation. The amber, he said, was always found 

 amorig the lignite ; and, as there are numerous localities 

 of lignite in these Provinces, some of them, if explored, 

 migln be found as rich in amber as they are in Burmak 



tSuccin. 



Sue ci num. 



