Baza and Alhama. 347 



the road to Velez Rubio and to tlie more eastern province of 

 Murcia, there is a village called Cullar, situated within the 

 limits assigned to it. The first part of the intervening tract is 

 occupied by the pretty cultivated valley immediately below 

 Baza, the upper stratum of which consists of a greyish-coloured 

 argillaceous marl, that is observed in the descent to a stream 

 about four miles from the last-named city, to become very te- 

 nacious, and to be covered with gravel. Hence, for about six 

 miles there is a long gradual ascent, varied by a succession of 

 little horizontal flats and gentle hills. The road often passing 

 along denuded spaces, or cut through little ridges and emi- 

 nences, numerous escarpments of horizontal calcareous marl 

 strata, from 3 to 6 inches thick, are exhibited, containing dis- 

 continuous beds of earthy marl, studded with separate pieces of 

 laminated gypsum frequently grouped together, and presenting 

 a boat-shaped form. Higher up the ascent a regular stratum of 

 gypsum was observed, in two separate instances, about a yard 

 thick, between horizontal strata of semi-indurated calcareous 

 marl. Near the summit of the ascent the marl becomes more 

 calcareous, and several strata, each about 4 inches, and altoge- 

 ther about 3 feet thick, were noticed, of a somewhat porous 

 earthy limestone, containing a few crystalline facettes of the 

 same substance. This point is nearly the highest level of the 

 gypsiferous marl formation in this direction, and hence to Cullar 

 is almost a horizontal plane. I am inclined, in consequence, to 

 consider these latter and higher strata, which, nearer to Cullar, 

 are observed at times to alternate with thin beds of a sandy 

 marl, in which small grains of quartz and specks of mica are 

 seen, as the equivalents of the compact paludina limestone, 

 which, on the opposite side of the valley lately crossed, rests 

 upon the gypsiferous marl deposit, as before noticed, on the 

 descent to Baza by the Guadiz road. 



As far as the eye can reach to the right and left of the road from 

 the stream last mentioned to Cullar, this immense deposite ex- 

 tends over a greyish barren-looking tract ; but shortly beyond 

 the latter village, in the direction of Velez Rubio, it is succeeded 

 by a mass of transported materials which extend to the base of 



■I 2. 



