﻿8 
  THEOBALD 
  : 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  PEGU. 
  

  

  laud 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  these 
  remains 
  ; 
  and 
  

   enters 
  into 
  speculations 
  touching 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  their 
  entombment, 
  which 
  

   need 
  not 
  here 
  be 
  reproduced. 
  A 
  single 
  sentence 
  will, 
  however, 
  suffice 
  to 
  

   show 
  the 
  divergence 
  of 
  views 
  then 
  held 
  from 
  those 
  current 
  now 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  

   evidence 
  before 
  us, 
  then, 
  is 
  such, 
  that 
  I 
  believe 
  no 
  practical 
  geologist 
  

   will 
  be 
  disposed 
  to 
  assign 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  wood 
  or 
  bones 
  under 
  con- 
  

   sideration 
  to 
  the 
  comparatively 
  impotent 
  exertions 
  of 
  existing 
  causes," 
  

   — 
  this, 
  I 
  presume, 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  confession 
  of 
  faith 
  touching 
  the 
  

   cataclysmal 
  origin 
  of 
  all 
  diluvial 
  deposits, 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  exploded 
  till 
  

   a 
  later 
  period, 
  constituting 
  in 
  fact 
  the 
  supposed 
  distinction 
  between 
  

   diluvium 
  and 
  alluvium. 
  

  

  At 
  page 
  378, 
  in 
  noticing 
  the 
  fossil-wood, 
  the 
  following 
  passage 
  

   occurs 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fossil-wood 
  is 
  beautifully 
  silicified, 
  

   and 
  displays 
  most 
  delicately 
  the 
  structure 
  and 
  fibres 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  plants 
  : 
  

   in 
  other 
  specimens 
  of 
  it, 
  this 
  structure 
  is 
  more 
  obscure, 
  though 
  sufficient 
  

   to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  trees 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  exists 
  were 
  dicotyledonous. 
  This 
  

   obscurity 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  dicotyledonous 
  plants 
  

   being 
  impregnated 
  with 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime, 
  whilst 
  all 
  the 
  monocoty- 
  

   ledonous 
  stems 
  are 
  silicified, 
  as 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  dicotyledonous/' 
  

   If 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  venture 
  an 
  opinion 
  from 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   o-reat 
  fossil-wood 
  deposit 
  which 
  stretches 
  down 
  below 
  the 
  frontier 
  into 
  

   the 
  Prome 
  district, 
  I 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  sentence 
  quoted 
  above 
  

   conveys 
  a 
  misconception. 
  Certainly, 
  below 
  the 
  frontier, 
  monocoty- 
  

   ledonous 
  wood 
  is 
  extremely 
  rare 
  ; 
  dicotyledonous, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  in 
  

   places 
  very 
  abundant 
  ; 
  both 
  being 
  silicified 
  ; 
  and 
  no 
  fossil- 
  wood 
  has 
  ever 
  

   been 
  met 
  with 
  by 
  me 
  from 
  these 
  beds, 
  mineralised 
  by 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime. 
  

   One 
  piece 
  of 
  wood 
  impregnated 
  with 
  gypsum 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  

   the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  India 
  from 
  near 
  Yenan-gyoung, 
  but 
  no 
  calcare- 
  

   ous 
  wood 
  whatever; 
  neither 
  can 
  Dr. 
  Oldham, 
  who 
  has 
  traversed 
  the 
  

   same 
  ground 
  as 
  Crawfurd, 
  recall 
  ever 
  having 
  seen 
  any 
  such. 
  The 
  only 
  

   explanation 
  that 
  suggests 
  itself 
  to 
  me 
  is, 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Buckland 
  had 
  before 
  

  

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