226 Geological Society. 



is described as being discoloured to a distance of three miles by the 

 detritus carried down by the river, with regard to which it may be 

 stated that the base of the triangle of the delta is above 125 

 miles. 



After mentioning a range of hills called the Hala Mountains, 

 which extends in a northerly direction from the sea-shore west- 

 ward of the mouths of the Indus, and terminates to the N.W. of 

 Cabool in the Hindoo Caucasus, and which consists, in part of com- 

 pact nummulitic limestone, the author proceeds to describe the 

 principal geological features which he observed on the banks of this 

 great river. The town of Hydrabad, he states, is built on a finely 

 grained, shelly limestone. At Schwan in lat. 26° 22' and at Curachee, 

 are hot wells; and the island of Bukhur, in lat. 27° 42', consists en- 

 tirely of flint. On the eastern bank of the river, opposite this island, 

 is a precipice of flint, 40 feet high, on which the village of Roree 

 is built. In lat. 28° 55 the rivers of the Punjab fall into the Indus. 

 Still higher up, in lat. 33", at Kara Bagh, the river cuts through a 

 range of hills, described by Mr. Elphinstone as the salt range. The 

 salt is found in layers of about a foot in thickness, separated from 

 each other by thin strata of clay. With the exception of this range 

 of hills, which is estimated to be about 1800 feet above the level of 

 the sea, the district of the Punjab is uniformly flat ; but the hilly di- 

 strict is intersected by numerous defiles, presenting vertical strata, 

 which terminate in peaked points. Between the river Sutlege and 

 Lahore the country consists of indurated clay, sometimes gravelly. 



At Attoch, much higher up, the rocks by which the Indus is con- 

 fined consist of a dark coloured micaceous slate, which is said to 

 extend to the southward until it meets the salt range above men- 

 tioned. Near this place gold is washed out of the sand of the river. 



At Lahore, in February 1832, the author experienced a very vio- 

 lent shock of an earthquake. Several valleys were choked up by 

 the masses of rock thrown down from the overhanging precipices, 

 and a great part of the population of Badakhshan was destroyed. 

 In crossing the Punjab the author observed that several buildings 

 of the Mogul Emperors were decaying from the foundations, and 

 were encrusted with an efflorescence of nitre. Proceeding to the 

 westward from the Indus, lie found bituminous coal at Cohat, and 

 that the salt range above mentioned extended across the country 

 into this district. The river of Cabool flows through a very nar- 

 row defile, the rocks of which rise to a height of 2000 feet, and con- 

 sist of sandstone, quartz rock and mica schist, the strata of the 

 latter being vertical. Cabool is situated 6000 feet above the sea. 

 The neighbouring hills are covered with rounded pebbles of all sizes, 

 sometimes loose, at others forming a conglomerate. A beautiful 

 white marble is found near Cabool, and the rocks are occasionally 

 covered with asbestus. 



From Cabool the author crossed the Hindoo Caucasus to Balkh 

 and the plains of Tartary. This range of mountains is the prolon- 

 gation of the Himalaya to the westward of the Indus. 



Hindoo Koosh is, properly speaking, the name given to the highest 



