﻿NEWER 
  ALLUVIUM. 
  43 
  

  

  the 
  rock 
  of 
  organic 
  matter, 
  but 
  to 
  some 
  superficial 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  

   or 
  some 
  other 
  components 
  of 
  the 
  rock. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  intimation 
  I 
  received 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  in 
  Pegu 
  of 
  a 
  

   soil 
  which 
  I 
  consider 
  myself 
  as 
  justified 
  in 
  terming 
  regur, 
  was 
  from 
  

   an 
  intelligent 
  native 
  official 
  at 
  Menghi, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  80 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  

   South 
  of 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  it 
  occurred. 
  The 
  Burmese 
  are 
  close 
  observ- 
  

   ers 
  of 
  natural 
  peculiarities 
  in 
  rocks 
  and 
  stones, 
  and 
  this 
  Burman 
  

   asked 
  me 
  if 
  I 
  had 
  heard 
  of, 
  or 
  could 
  explain 
  the 
  reason 
  of 
  one 
  hill 
  

   being 
  covered 
  with 
  black 
  earth, 
  whence 
  it 
  derived 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Minet- 
  

   toung 
  (the 
  black 
  hill), 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  far 
  and 
  wide. 
  I 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  discovered 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  e 
  Minet-toungs", 
  called 
  from 
  the 
  villages 
  

   nearest 
  each 
  respectively, 
  Zen 
  Minet-toung 
  and 
  Pebingoan 
  Minet-touno* 
  

   distant 
  from 
  the 
  former 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  West-south-west 
  direction; 
  the 
  

   latter 
  I 
  should 
  estimate 
  as 
  barely 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  

   former 
  at 
  perhaps 
  three 
  times 
  that 
  size. 
  The 
  entire 
  country 
  consists 
  of 
  

   shale 
  and 
  sandstone 
  of 
  Miocene 
  age, 
  forming 
  hills 
  with 
  a 
  somewhat' 
  

   tame 
  outline, 
  though 
  the 
  valleys 
  are 
  rather 
  deeply 
  cut 
  in 
  these 
  soft 
  and 
  

   unaltered 
  strata. 
  

  

  Viewed 
  from 
  Zen, 
  Minet-toung 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  

   points 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  South, 
  forming 
  a 
  regular 
  conical 
  eminence 
  

   above 
  the 
  hills 
  in 
  its 
  neighbourhood. 
  The 
  ascent 
  to 
  Minet-toung 
  from 
  

   a 
  Chin 
  village 
  near 
  it, 
  lies 
  at 
  first 
  over 
  the 
  ordinary 
  sedimentary 
  beds, 
  

   to 
  about 
  a 
  little 
  better 
  than 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  summit, 
  where 
  

   the 
  road 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  enter 
  on 
  what 
  has 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  grayish 
  

   decaying 
  trap, 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  presently 
  show 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  bedded 
  trap, 
  

   in 
  reality, 
  an 
  integral 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  group 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  

   rock 
  forms 
  the 
  entire 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  

   much 
  decayed; 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  underlying 
  rock 
  has 
  resisted 
  

   decomposition, 
  and 
  presents 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  trap 
  decomposing 
  into 
  

   regur. 
  On 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  gray, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  summit 
  

   it 
  passes 
  into 
  a 
  perfectly 
  black 
  regur, 
  undistinguishable 
  from 
  a 
  dark 
  

  

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