hill: geology of Jamaica. 77 



usually erass-coYered and not retaken by shrubs and trees, as in the 

 case of the abandoned soils of other formations. 



"William Hill has made microscopic examinations^ of a rock from Mile 

 Gully near Kendall in the centre of the island, 1,100 feet above the sea, 

 which apparently belongs to the Brownstown formation. The nature of 

 this material, as described by him, is as follows : " Mile Gully, speci- 

 men 1. Angular fragments set in a matrix of what was in all probability 

 fine mud, but now granular calcite. The structure of the fragments 

 and mud is obliterated by general crystallization. Mile Gully No. 2. 

 Made up originally of large fragments set in matrix of fine mud. 

 Structure of fragments mostly lost, outline shown by patches of crystal- 

 line calcite. Fragments of Lithothamnion and fragments of probably 

 Amphistegina. Contains also ossicles of a recent starfish. Mile Gully 

 Xo. 3. Patches of clear crystalline calcite in a matrix of granular cal- 

 cite. One or two fragments can be seen to be Echinoid plates or 

 ossicles." 



Jukes-Browne and Harrison state that these specimens from Man- 

 chester and St. Elizabeth were found to resemble coral limestones." and 

 Hill also compares them ^ to rocks of this origin, but from these de- 

 scriptions we do not see the resemblance, — especially to rocks of 

 reef origin or reef debris. 



From their usual association with and occurrence above the Montpelier 

 beds, there is little doubt that they were continuously deposited with 

 the latter, and possibly may represent shallowing but nevertheless deep 

 water beds after the culmination of the Montpelier subsidence. Our 

 knowledge of the upper contact of these beds is very deficient. In 

 Clarendon and St. Elizabeth they clearly occur below the Cobre and 

 Porus (Bowden) formations. 



These beds occur at many places in the western half of the island, 

 especially in the vicinity of Brownstown and Eetreat, St. Ann Parish. 

 At these localities, as in Trelawney, St. James, Hanover, and Westmore- 

 land, they occupy the highlands of the interior, constituting the surface 

 formation out of which the cockpit country is largely eroded. Beds of 

 allied lithologic character are exposed at Moneague in the excellent cut- 

 tings along the Montego Bay between Ipswich and Catadupa ; at Retreat, 

 Trelaw^ey Parish ; at Cinnamon Hill, St. James Parish ; on the north 

 coast i^oad, and in the blufifs at the railway station at Ewarton. 



1 Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, 1891, Vol. XLII. pp. 248, 249. 



2 Ibid., Vol. XL VIII. p. 219. 



3 Ibid., Vol. XLVIl. p. 248. 



