﻿OLDER 
  ALLUVIUM. 
  53 
  

  

  of 
  sand 
  or 
  gravel, 
  varying 
  much 
  with 
  locality, 
  and 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  partly 
  the 
  

   detritus 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  rocks, 
  and 
  partly 
  of 
  gravel 
  derived 
  from 
  more 
  

   distant 
  sources. 
  At 
  Nioungdon, 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  tideway, 
  this 
  bottom 
  bed 
  

   consists 
  of 
  clean 
  sand 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  quartz 
  pebbles 
  sparingly 
  dispersed 
  

   here 
  and 
  there 
  through 
  it 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  underbed 
  of 
  sand 
  

   which 
  so 
  greatly 
  favors 
  the 
  abrasion 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  Nioungdon 
  

   stream, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  indirect 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  broad 
  shallow, 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  junc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  with 
  the 
  Irrawadi, 
  which 
  forms 
  so 
  great 
  an 
  obstacle 
  to 
  

   navigation. 
  Higher 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  Monyo, 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   bank, 
  a 
  large 
  stretch 
  of 
  gravel 
  and 
  boulders 
  is 
  exposed, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  point 
  to 
  which 
  these 
  very 
  coarse 
  gravels 
  reach. 
  There 
  is 
  here 
  a 
  

   small 
  village 
  named 
  Shway-gyeing 
  (gold-scratching), 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  

   little 
  gold-dust 
  is 
  occasionally 
  obtained 
  by 
  washing 
  the 
  sands 
  and 
  navels 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  here. 
  The 
  returns 
  are, 
  however, 
  insignificant, 
  and 
  the" 
  

   gold 
  obtained 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  finest 
  possible 
  state 
  of 
  division. 
  Above 
  this 
  spot 
  

   coarse 
  gravels, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  underlie 
  the 
  clay 
  wherever 
  it 
  is 
  cut 
  through 
  fan 
  

   excellent 
  example 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  steep 
  bluff 
  opposite 
  

   Prome. 
  At 
  this 
  spot 
  the 
  gravel 
  is 
  some 
  30 
  feet 
  thick, 
  and 
  its 
  surface 
  is 
  

   not 
  less 
  than 
  60 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  flood 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi. 
  The 
  travel 
  

   here 
  consists 
  of 
  well 
  rounded 
  lumps 
  of 
  the 
  hardest 
  silicious 
  schists 
  with 
  

   a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  fossil-wood, 
  equally 
  well 
  rolled 
  and 
  rounded. 
  Two 
  to 
  

   3 
  inches 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  

   plentiful 
  pebbles, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  occur 
  larger. 
  The 
  largest 
  noted 
  by 
  me 
  

   was 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  of 
  a 
  hard 
  trap 
  rock, 
  though 
  such 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  are 
  rare 
  in 
  it. 
  At 
  this 
  spot 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  clay 
  above 
  it, 
  partly 
  from 
  

   its 
  having 
  been 
  denuded, 
  and 
  partly 
  perhaps 
  from 
  the 
  gravel 
  of 
  this 
  spot 
  

   being 
  of 
  unusual 
  thickness. 
  Under 
  Thaiet-mio 
  the 
  gravel 
  is 
  still 
  coarser 
  

   and 
  contains 
  large 
  logs 
  of 
  silieified 
  wood, 
  well 
  rounded 
  and 
  worn 
  • 
  but 
  

   these 
  have 
  not 
  travelled 
  far, 
  being 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  denudation 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  

   containing 
  this 
  wood, 
  at 
  sites 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  either 
  

   bank. 
  On 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank, 
  under 
  the 
  old 
  fort 
  of 
  Miaday, 
  boulders 
  of 
  

   a 
  large 
  size 
  occur 
  well 
  rounded, 
  of 
  the 
  hardest 
  silicious 
  schists, 
  many 
  

  

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