OF SEVERAL PARTS OF WESTERN ASIA. 361 



ginous, and easily crumbled down. Nos. 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 87, 

 88, and 98, will convey a good idea of their ctiaracter. No. 98 

 overlies an interesting mineral, (No. 99,) which I believe is re- 

 garded in Syria as bituminous coal. Such, indeed, I should 

 have considered it, had I not subjected it to analysis, when I 

 found its composition as follows, in one hundred parts : 



Bitumen, or volatile matter, 68.0 



Carbon, ........ 24.4 



Earthy incombustible matter, 7.G 



100.0 



Now I believe that no bituminous coal, occurring in regular 

 beds, contains near as much volatile matter as this specimen. In- 

 deed, its composition corresponds very well with that given for 

 asphaltum. And yet it conducted quite differently, when heated 

 in a platinum bowl, from a specimen of true asphaltum, (No. 100,) 

 from Gebel Es Shakh, on Mount Hermon, which is a part of 

 Anti-Libanus. The latter specimen easily melted ; but the for- 

 mer did not melt at all. The specimen from Hermon, however, 

 did not differ very much in composition from the one taken from 

 Lebanon. In 100 parts I found 



Bitumen, or volatile matter, . . . . .72.6 



Carbon, 14.0 



Earthy residuum, 13.4 



100.0 



These analyses will, I think, justify the inference, that these 

 deposits of bitumen can have little bearing upon the question of 

 the age of the rocks containing them ; for they are probably of 

 volcanic origin. The character of the lignites occurring in the 

 same series, at Brumanah on Lebanon, is not different from that of 

 common lignites, and the accompanying shales are mere friable 

 clay, impregnated more or less with carbon. See Nos. 69, 70, 71. 



None of the specimens sent me appear to be genuine challv, 



but rather chalky limestones, or marls. Nor have I seen any 



genuine chalk described as occun-ing in any part of this vast 



cretaceous formation. The specimens sent by Mr. Hebard under 



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