2 SECOND YARKAND MISSION. 



The illustrations of this essay of Dr. Verchere do not assist the comprehension of the 

 subject, and they were evidently drawn with a crinoidally disposed pencil. The so-called 

 stalk stem is evidently an adventitious and accidentally adherent body. 



The only other notice of the Karakoram stones previously to that of Stoliczka was 

 attached to a specimen of one which was presented to the Geological Society by Major, 

 now Colonel Godwin-Austen, and collected by him. This specimen closely resembles a 

 Parkeria, and this did not escape the accomplished palaeontologist, who, at the time of the 

 reception of the fossil, had charge of the Museum of the Society. Professor Rupert Jones, 

 F.R.S., wrote on the label of the specimen " Parkeria." 



The next and the most important notice of the Karakoram stones was the last effort of 

 Stoliczka, whose lamented death occurred soon after he concluded his short description of their 

 geological position. 



The following extract from Stoliczka's last diary places the subject at the point whence 

 the present attempt to explain the morphological characters and the classificatory position 

 of the Karakoram stones may be said to commence : 1 



Extract from Stoliczka' 's last diary. 



" June 15th, Karakoram-lrdngsa, 14 miles. Starting from Woabjilga, the grey triassic limestones were 

 met with, afterwards the red limestones succeeded them, and continued to camp, often interrupted by patches of 

 greenstone, which is greatly developed at the camp north of the pass. 



" 16th, Daulatbeg Uldi (crossing the Karakoram pass), about 22 miles. Leaving camp, the green stones 

 are underlain by black crumbling shale, in mineralogical character like the Spiti shales, but are very likely 

 triassic, like that near Aktash. Then follows an alternation of grey or whitish limestones and shales, and the 

 triassic red limestones ; and on these rest blackish and grey marly shales, which are overlain by almost hori- 

 zontal strata of brown limestone, very much like the lower Taglang limestone, and which contains fragments 

 of Belemnites. These liassic rocks form the Karakoram range proper, and extend far eastward. The hills to 

 the west are much higher, and do not allow a distant view. 



After crossing the pass, the road skirts the base of the centre ridge in a south-east direction ; and here the 

 liassic limestones come down several times, and about four miles from the pass grey marly shale, or almost marly 

 limestone, crops out from under the brown limestones ; both are evidently liassic. On the right bank of the 

 stream more massive limestones occur, dipping to north-east, but very indistinctly. I should think that these 

 are triassic limestones. They very readily crumble to pieces, being dolomitic ; and these often contain reddish 

 beds interstratified. 



" 17tA, Burlsi, 24 miles. First we crossed the Dipsang plain, with solitary low hills, probably still belong- 

 ing to the Taglang series. Then we ascended towards the watershed. The low worn-down hills to the west 

 were thickly strewed with round pieces of whitish or reddish compact limestone, intermingled with boulders, 

 large and small, of fine-grained syenitic gneiss. This rock must be in situ somewhere near the head of the 

 watershed. Further on were many greenstone boulders coming down from the west, and this rock must also be 

 found in that direction. At last we descended into a narrow gorge, the sides of which for fully a mile con- 

 sisted of a limestone conglomerate, the boulders of white, grey, or black limestone being well rounded and 

 worn and cemented together by a stiff bright red clay. Upon this followed dolomitie limestone, rather 

 indifferently bedded, massive and white, and this was overlain by bluish shales and well bedded limestone, extend- 

 ing from about six miles north of Burtsi to the camp. These limestones appear to be triassic ; they are com- 

 pact, with layers full of small gasteropods, among which I recognised a Nerinaa,. The so-called Karakoram 

 stones, i.e., corals, occur in dark shales below the limestones, which are capped by a yellowish-brown limestone, 

 well bedded, but of unascertained age. The whole series dips south-west at a moderate angle. [The last 

 paragraph closes the diary.]" 



1 See the portion of the present work relating to Geology, by W. T. Blanford, page 45. 



