﻿12 
  THEOBALD 
  '. 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  PEGU. 
  

  

  of 
  "basaltic 
  trap" 
  are 
  shown 
  to 
  occur, 
  a 
  feature 
  which 
  my 
  own 
  ex- 
  

   amination 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  country 
  failed 
  to 
  verify 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  I 
  

   would 
  fain 
  say 
  a 
  few 
  words, 
  tending 
  to 
  explain 
  how 
  this 
  curious 
  discre- 
  

   pancy 
  can 
  be 
  accounted 
  for. 
  On 
  referring 
  to 
  Dr. 
  MacClelland's 
  sketch 
  

   of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the' 
  district, 
  it 
  is 
  somewhat 
  remarkable 
  that 
  the 
  term 
  

   " 
  basaltic 
  trap 
  " 
  nowhere 
  occurs 
  in 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  selections 
  from 
  the 
  Re- 
  

   cords 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  India, 
  No. 
  IX, 
  page 
  7 
  , 
  Dr. 
  MacClelland 
  

   thus 
  expresses 
  himself 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  rocks 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  composed 
  

   are 
  laterite, 
  slate-clay, 
  and 
  bituminous 
  often 
  dark 
  argillaceous 
  sandstone 
  

   assuming 
  a 
  basaltic 
  character, 
  with 
  a 
  concentric 
  form 
  of 
  disintegration." 
  

   In 
  a 
  still 
  later 
  Report, 
  dated 
  27th 
  June 
  1855, 
  Dr. 
  MacClelland 
  thus 
  

   epitomises 
  the 
  geological 
  constitution 
  of 
  the 
  Yomah 
  hills 
  : 
  "The 
  Yomah 
  

   hills, 
  throughout 
  their 
  whole 
  extent, 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  slate-clay 
  and 
  argil- 
  

   laceous 
  sandstone 
  in 
  alternating 
  beds 
  passing 
  into 
  each 
  other. 
  These 
  

   rocks 
  are 
  generally 
  soft 
  and 
  friable, 
  affording 
  a 
  fine 
  light 
  grey 
  colored 
  

   loose 
  and 
  dry 
  soil, 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  hard 
  and 
  stiff, 
  but 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   hard 
  and 
  basaltic, 
  and 
  where 
  this 
  occurs, 
  it 
  yields 
  a 
  dark 
  brown 
  soil." 
  

   Now, 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  remarkable 
  that 
  in 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  Dr. 
  MacClelland' 
  s 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  any 
  allusion 
  to 
  u 
  basaltic 
  trap 
  " 
  occurs, 
  and 
  I 
  cannot 
  

   but 
  suspect 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  basaltic 
  trap 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  index 
  to 
  the 
  map 
  is 
  a 
  

   copyist's 
  error 
  or 
  alteration, 
  originating 
  perhaps 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  basaltic 
  

   sandstone 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  converted 
  into 
  basaltic 
  trap 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  I 
  

   shall 
  try 
  to 
  make 
  clear. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  selections 
  from 
  the 
  Records 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  India, 
  

   No. 
  XX, 
  page 
  4, 
  Lieutenant 
  E. 
  C. 
  S. 
  Williams, 
  r. 
  e., 
  in 
  giving 
  a 
  sketch 
  

   of 
  the 
  physical 
  features 
  of 
  Pegu, 
  quotes 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  MacClelland 
  as 
  regards 
  

   the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  Yomah, 
  using 
  the 
  following 
  words 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  Yomah 
  

   range, 
  from 
  the 
  frontier 
  to 
  lat. 
  17° 
  15', 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  brown 
  or 
  grey 
  

   slate-eclay 
  with 
  thin 
  layers 
  of 
  bituminous 
  limestone 
  containing 
  fossil 
  

   testaceous 
  remains 
  frequently 
  alternating 
  with 
  and 
  passing 
  into 
  beds 
  of 
  

   argillaceous 
  sandstone, 
  generally 
  soft 
  and 
  friable, 
  though 
  indurated 
  in 
  

  

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