BOltXEO 219 



marl stage, consists of marls and shales, with isolated 

 nummulites, many orbitoids, lamellil>ranchs, and crusta- 

 ceans. The fourth, or limestone stage, which forms coral 

 reefs, contains numerous fossils, among which are num- 

 mulites and many orbitoids. These strata are broken 

 through and disturbed by basalts, augite- and hornblende- 

 andesites, which are associated with breccias, conglomerates, 

 and tuffs of eruptive origin. The age of these rocks is 

 probably Miocene, for the limestone stage is also pierced 

 by them. As to the composition of the younger Tertiary 

 formations little is known. They appear, however, to 

 consist also of sandstone, marl, and limestone beds, and 

 the limestones are said to occur as coral reefs." 



The abundance and wide distribution of coal in the 

 island is remarkable. In this respect Borneo is by far 

 the richest of all the islands of the Malay Archipelago. 

 Schwaner says : — " The occurrence of coal is more wide- 

 spread than one might be led to think by a first examina- 

 tion. In the whole of the hill-formation it constitutes 

 a most important and almost never-failing factor. All 

 fissures and openings that have been made use of for the 

 investigation of the underground geology have led to the 

 discovery of coal seams, and even the banks of the great 

 rivers disclose them in many places." As far as is 

 known, there is no coal of greater age than the Tertiary 

 period. Most of it belongs to the Eocene, but the brown 

 coals of the Miocene also occur plentifully. 



Mr. Motley, in his Eeport on the Geology of Labuan 

 and neighbourhood, gives the following interesting de- 

 scription of its peculiarities : — " The coal, dense and 

 perfectly carbonised as it is, yet exhibits most unequivo- 

 cally its vegetable origin ; and not only that, but even 

 the kind of vegetation of which it has been composed is 

 evident from the most cursory inspection of the heaps of 



