﻿NEGRAIS 
  ROCKS. 
  121 
  

  

  than 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  all 
  unite 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   trustworthy 
  conclusions 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  Arakan, 
  though 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  

   is 
  perhaps 
  no 
  more 
  promising 
  than 
  in 
  Pegu, 
  yet 
  there 
  seems 
  some 
  pro- 
  

   bability 
  of 
  fossils 
  being 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  Secondary 
  rocks, 
  which 
  seem, 
  

   moreover, 
  less 
  altered 
  on 
  the 
  Arakan 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  Pegu 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  outcrops 
  of 
  limestone 
  throughout 
  the 
  Southern 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  Arakan 
  Range, 
  both 
  those 
  alluded 
  to 
  above 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  

   those 
  met 
  with 
  occasionally 
  in 
  the 
  hills, 
  present 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  subor- 
  

   dinate 
  beds 
  among 
  the 
  shales 
  and 
  sandstones 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  

   some 
  cases 
  where 
  limestone 
  occurs 
  in 
  such 
  extensive 
  masses 
  as 
  to 
  favor 
  

   the 
  idea 
  of 
  their 
  being 
  continuations 
  of 
  the 
  thick 
  bed 
  of 
  Nummulitic 
  

   limestone, 
  which 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  and 
  such 
  may 
  

   be 
  their 
  character 
  though 
  not 
  yet 
  established 
  on 
  fossil 
  evidence. 
  First 
  

   of 
  these 
  in 
  importance 
  is 
  the 
  limestone 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  miles 
  or 
  so 
  East-north- 
  

   east 
  from 
  Baumi, 
  on 
  the 
  Arakan 
  Coast, 
  about 
  Lat. 
  17° 
  18', 
  forming 
  

   a 
  low 
  ridge 
  striking 
  North-north-east 
  from 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  mangrove 
  

   swamp, 
  where 
  it 
  terminates 
  towards 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  soon 
  disappearing 
  

   in 
  the 
  forest-clad 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  approachable 
  by 
  a 
  

   small 
  boat 
  up 
  a 
  tidal 
  creek 
  traversing 
  the 
  mangrove 
  swamp, 
  after 
  three 
  

   quarter 
  flood. 
  The 
  rock 
  is 
  massive 
  and 
  subcrystalline, 
  with 
  an 
  apparent 
  

   dip 
  of 
  20° 
  to 
  50° 
  to 
  East-south-east, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  cyclopean 
  masses 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  rock 
  lies 
  enables 
  us 
  to 
  judge. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  blue 
  or 
  gray 
  color, 
  and 
  

   generally 
  devoid 
  of 
  fossils 
  ; 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  blocks 
  corals 
  are 
  seen, 
  but 
  

   none 
  have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  obtained, 
  capable 
  of 
  being 
  determined. 
  Its 
  

   thickness 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  much 
  under 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet. 
  Above 
  the 
  

   limestone 
  (as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  ground 
  enabled 
  me 
  to 
  judge) 
  occurs 
  an 
  in- 
  

   tensely 
  hard 
  ferruginous 
  conglomerate, 
  characterised 
  by 
  numerous 
  quartz 
  

   pebbles. 
  Below 
  the 
  limestone 
  comes 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  hard 
  silicious 
  sandstone 
  

   like 
  a 
  quartzite, 
  of 
  a 
  gray 
  color 
  on 
  its 
  freshly 
  fractured 
  surface, 
  but 
  

   weathering 
  red, 
  and 
  then 
  displaying 
  the 
  original 
  thin 
  layers 
  of 
  sand, 
  

   which 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  form 
  the 
  thick-bedded 
  rock 
  before 
  us. 
  Near 
  

   Q 
  ( 
  309 
  ) 
  

  

  