﻿46 
  THEOBALD 
  ! 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  PEGU. 
  

  

  flood 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  in 
  the 
  tidal 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  delta 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  

   about 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  midwater 
  mark 
  or 
  lower. 
  Whenever 
  conveniently- 
  

   exposed 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  this 
  dark 
  clay 
  is 
  dug 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  the 
  

   other 
  for 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  the 
  coarse 
  earthenware 
  of 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  The 
  concretionary 
  argillaceous 
  limestone, 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  c 
  goot- 
  

   ing* 
  or 
  f 
  kunkur/ 
  is 
  generally 
  absent 
  throughout 
  the 
  older 
  clay 
  in 
  Pegu 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  where 
  present, 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  small 
  concretions 
  quite 
  insignificant 
  

   in 
  amount, 
  and 
  never 
  in 
  the 
  pseudo-stalactitic 
  and 
  tabular 
  masses 
  seen 
  

   in 
  the 
  alluvium 
  of 
  Northern 
  India. 
  This 
  deficiency 
  of 
  lime, 
  and 
  its 
  

   slightly 
  more 
  arenaceous 
  character, 
  are 
  what 
  mainly 
  distinguish 
  the 
  Pegu 
  

   deposit 
  from 
  the 
  corresponding 
  one 
  in 
  India. 
  By 
  ' 
  corresponding' 
  I 
  do 
  

   not, 
  however, 
  mean 
  a 
  strict 
  correspondence 
  in 
  age 
  ; 
  since 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  

   the 
  Pegu 
  deposit 
  is 
  far 
  the 
  younger 
  of 
  the 
  two, 
  and, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  actual 
  age 
  

   goes, 
  probably 
  corresponds 
  more 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  earlier 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  newer 
  

   alluvium 
  of 
  Bengal. 
  The 
  correspondence 
  meant 
  by 
  me 
  between 
  the 
  older 
  

   alluvium 
  of 
  Pegu 
  and 
  the 
  older 
  alluvium 
  of 
  Bengal 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  position 
  

   rather 
  than 
  age, 
  both 
  being 
  the 
  deposit 
  wherein 
  the 
  existing 
  drainage 
  

   system 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  rivers 
  has 
  been 
  excavated 
  ; 
  but 
  without 
  s 
  upposing 
  

   that 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  either 
  deposit 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  cotemporaneous 
  in 
  

   part, 
  as 
  from 
  general 
  considerations 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  magnitude 
  and 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  of 
  them, 
  a 
  far 
  greater 
  age 
  may, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  fairly 
  claimed 
  for 
  

   the 
  Bengal 
  deposit 
  than 
  for 
  that 
  of 
  Pegu. 
  

  

  Not 
  to 
  recapitulate 
  much 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  in 
  the 
  Records 
  (loc 
  cit), 
  

   I 
  may 
  merely 
  state 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  of 
  any 
  fossils 
  having 
  been 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  alluvium 
  of 
  Pegu, 
  which, 
  on 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  this 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  deposit 
  is 
  of 
  fluviatile 
  origin, 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  little 
  remarkable. 
  Putting 
  

   aside 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  probable 
  occurrence 
  of 
  fluviatile 
  and 
  

   lacustrine 
  conditions 
  towards 
  the 
  upper 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  drainage-basin 
  

   of 
  the 
  Irrawadi, 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  inclined 
  to 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  estuary 
  origin 
  

   of 
  the 
  older 
  alluvium, 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  Pegu, 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  Gangetic 
  basin 
  also. 
  

   Two 
  considerations 
  guide 
  me 
  to 
  this 
  conclusion, 
  viz., 
  \stly 
  — 
  the 
  negative 
  

  

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