Retnews — Posewiiz's Borneo. 569 



study of the literature of the subject, much of the best information 

 being in Dutch and but little known out of Holland. In the 

 present work he has summarized all that is known concerning the 

 Greography, Geology, and Minei-al Kesources of Borneo. 



The German edition was published in 1889, and although three 

 years have now elapsed, the information brought together will be of 

 great value to all who are interested in the island. Portions of its 

 large area, however, remain wholly unknown to Europeans. 



The formations represented, comprise (1) the crystalline schists, 

 the old slate formation of Devonian (?) age, and certain eruptive 

 rocks : these constitute the mountain chains and their spurs, but the 

 rocks, though grouped together for convenience, are of different 

 ages, and they have not been properly separated. Granites, diorites, 

 gabbros, and serpentines occur. Some of the crystalline rocks may 

 be Archaean, and although the Devonian age of certain slates is 

 suggested by their fossils, these are so badly preserved that no exact 

 determination could be made. Certain beds of limestone, sandstone, 

 conglomerate, and slate (2), are grouped as Carboniferous, from the 

 fact that Encrinites, Fenestella, Stenopora, and a few other fossils 

 have been found in some of the limestones. 



Next in point of order amongst the strata recognized, are (3) 

 Cretaceous beds. These are known only over a very limited area. 

 They comprise grey marls and greenish-grey sandstones, and have 

 yielded species of Avicula, Area, Lima, Modiola, Trigonia, Goniomya, 

 Fholadomya. Hemiaster, etc. ; but their age cannot be said to be very 

 decisively determined. 



All the above-mentioned formations are found to occupy portions 

 of the Mountain-land ; the highest elevation in which, Kina-balu, is 

 estimated at about 12,000 feet. 



The Hill-land, which rarely exceeds 200 to 300 feet in height, is 

 formed of (4) Tertiary strata. The beds are mainly of Eocene age 

 and comprise sandstones and shales with coal-seams, marls, and 

 limestones. These ai-e pierced in numerous places by eruptive 

 rocks, mostly " hornblende-angite-andesites." The Eocene strata 

 have yielded Nummulites, Corals, and Mollusca. Some of the 

 Mollusca may be compared with those obtained by M. Verheek from 

 the Tertiary strata of Sumatra, and described by Dr. H. Woodward 

 (Geol. Mag. 1879, pp. 441, 492, 535) ; there do not, however, 

 appear to be many species common to the two islands. In Borneo 

 there are some later Tertiary strata (Miocene ?) ; but owing to the 

 absence of fossils, their age could not be more definitely determined. 



The Plains are covered by sandy clays and conglomerates (5), 

 grouped as Diluvium ; and the Marshes are made up of (6), Alluvial 

 formations, or recent marine and fluviatile deposits. Eeference is 

 also made to Cave-deposits and to recent Coral-reefs. 



A large part of the work is devoted to the subject of " Useful 

 Minerals." These include Coal, which occurs in the Eocene, and 

 also in the so-called Miocene deposits ; but chiefly in the former. 

 It occurs in considerable quantity, but has been comparatively little 

 worked. Full particulars are given, with analyses. Gold occurs in 



