86 



The recent elevation of the land on the eastern side of the 

 Island has materially affected the contour of Antechamber Bay. 

 At the head of the bay Chapman's River marks the site of what 

 was once an arm of the sea or estuary running much further into 

 the land than at present, its former outline being indicated by 

 raised sea beaches, lagoons, marsh, and sandhills. 



ASPHALTUM AND FoSSIL ReSINS. 



The occurrence of a pitch-like substance along the southern 

 shores of Kangaroo Island has attracted attention for many 

 years and awakened hopes of finding mineral oil in the locality 

 that has led at various times to trial bores being sunk. Mr. 

 Tolmer, in his " Reminiscences," says that as far back as about 

 1844 he found loose fragments of pitch at several points on the 

 south coast, aud 20 years later he was shown the spot where the 

 substance exuded from the rocks. Professor Ralph Tate visited 

 the site of one of these trial bores, aud from the enquiries insti- 

 tuted by him, expressed the opinion without any reservation that 

 these carbonaceous products were nothing more than " waifs " of 

 the shore. The Government Geologist, Mr. H. Y. L. Brown, in 

 examining portions of the coast line where the substance had 

 been obtained (South- West River and Hog Bay River) was led 

 to the same conclusion. 



Near the close of last year a report was current in Adelaide 

 that the material was found inland, at a considerable elevation 

 above sea level, and could be seen in situ, which awakened fresh 

 interest in the matter, and induced the writer to undertake a 

 journey to the locality to test the value of these new assertions. 

 With regard to the main object of my visit, the results were dis- 

 appointing, but at the same time I cannot claim that they were 

 absolutely conclusive. 



The materials which created the hope of finding mineral oil in 

 the vicinity are of two kinds — 



(a) A kind of asphahu7n, usually occurring in more or less 

 flat cakes, up to three or four inches in thickness, or 

 in small broken fragments. 

 (6) Dark-colored travertine limestone, brown to black, either 

 as angular fragments, or similarly dark-colored lime- 

 stone crust. The black coloring of the stone was 

 supposed to arise from the infiltration of bituminous 

 matter. 

 My observations included the following points : — 

 1. The asphaltum occurs in blown sand, or on surfaces lately 

 ■denuded of sand by the wind. On the east side of the bay I 

 picked up a fragment about six inches in diameter and subglobu- 

 lar in form. On the west side of the bay, in a sand cliff about 



