﻿PRELIMINARY 
  REMARKS. 
  9 
  

  

  him 
  fragments 
  of 
  fossil-wood 
  which 
  were 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  imbued 
  super- 
  

   ficially 
  with 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime 
  during" 
  a 
  very 
  recent 
  period. 
  The 
  extent 
  to 
  

   which 
  this 
  fossil-wood 
  has 
  been 
  silicified 
  varies 
  considerably 
  ; 
  and 
  even 
  

   pieces 
  originally 
  well 
  silicified 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  very 
  tender 
  

   friable 
  mass, 
  by 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  atmospheric 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  conversion 
  

   of 
  the 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  hyaline 
  silica 
  into 
  the 
  earthy 
  and 
  porous 
  hydrate. 
  

   In 
  this 
  state, 
  if 
  embedded 
  in 
  a 
  clay 
  containing 
  lime, 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   infiltration 
  of 
  that 
  mineral 
  might 
  take 
  place, 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  secondary 
  

   mineralization, 
  which 
  would 
  go 
  far 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  description 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Buckland, 
  quoted 
  above. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  postscript 
  to 
  his 
  paper, 
  Dr. 
  Buckland 
  alludes 
  to 
  the 
  current 
  

   popular 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  petrifying 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi, 
  

   and 
  quotes 
  a 
  passage 
  from 
  Lieutenant 
  Alexander's 
  travels 
  in 
  the 
  Burman 
  

   Empire 
  (London, 
  1827), 
  wherein 
  it 
  was 
  stated, 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  

   military 
  operations 
  at 
  Prome 
  " 
  the 
  pioneers 
  were 
  ordered 
  to 
  remove 
  a 
  

   house, 
  and 
  upon 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  cut 
  down 
  the 
  massive 
  teak 
  pillars 
  on 
  

   which 
  it 
  was 
  raised, 
  they 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  their 
  hatchets 
  were 
  

   all 
  turned. 
  On 
  examining 
  into 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  this, 
  they 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  

   pillars 
  were 
  petrified 
  throughout, 
  though 
  the 
  house 
  had 
  only 
  been 
  built 
  

   ten 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  pillars 
  were 
  under 
  water 
  three 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   during 
  the 
  monsoon/'' 
  After 
  adducing 
  some 
  arguments 
  to 
  disprove 
  the 
  

   possibility 
  of 
  any 
  such 
  rapid 
  petrifaction 
  of 
  timber, 
  as 
  here 
  described, 
  

   having 
  taken 
  place, 
  Dr. 
  Buckland 
  suggests 
  what 
  was 
  doubtless 
  the 
  true 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  the 
  case, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  pillars 
  were 
  in 
  reality 
  silicified 
  

   logs 
  of 
  fossil-wood, 
  which 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  are 
  frequently 
  seen 
  

   stuck 
  up 
  as 
  posts 
  round 
  Pagodas 
  and 
  Khyoungs 
  (monasteries), 
  and 
  may, 
  

   where 
  abundant, 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  building, 
  especially 
  if 
  such 
  

   were 
  a 
  sacred 
  edifice 
  or 
  Hpungi 
  Khyoung. 
  

  

  Subsequently 
  to 
  the 
  annexation 
  of 
  Pegu, 
  an 
  important 
  contribu- 
  

   tion 
  towards 
  a 
  precise 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Dr. 
  T. 
  Oldham, 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  

  

  ( 
  197 
  ) 
  

  

  