﻿158 
  THEOBALD 
  : 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  PEGU. 
  

  

  the 
  well 
  known 
  white 
  marble 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  Ava; 
  the 
  dark 
  

   marbles 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  procured 
  from 
  the 
  limestone 
  hills 
  in 
  Martaban 
  

   province 
  j 
  and]I 
  might 
  add 
  a 
  very 
  neat 
  gray 
  marble, 
  resembling 
  the 
  China 
  

   marble 
  used 
  for 
  flooring 
  in 
  Calcutta, 
  procurable 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  North-east 
  of 
  

   Tonghoo, 
  where 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  quarried 
  for 
  lime. 
  

  

  Petroleum. 
  — 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  mineral 
  in 
  Pegu 
  rested 
  

   for 
  some 
  years 
  on 
  no 
  better 
  foundation 
  than 
  a 
  general 
  impression 
  that 
  it 
  

   had 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  some 
  spots 
  or 
  was 
  very 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  last 
  few 
  years, 
  however, 
  this 
  doubt 
  has 
  been 
  entirely 
  set 
  at 
  rest 
  

   by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  ' 
  oiP 
  at 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  locality 
  in 
  Western 
  Prome, 
  in 
  

   what 
  may 
  in 
  future 
  not 
  unlikely 
  prove 
  remunerative 
  quantity. 
  All 
  these 
  

   localities 
  are 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi, 
  either 
  among 
  

   Nummulitic 
  rocks 
  or 
  the 
  still 
  newer 
  Tertiaries. 
  

  

  Petroleum 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  stream 
  among 
  

   the 
  hills 
  South-east 
  of 
  Namayan, 
  below 
  Prome 
  ; 
  but 
  having 
  visited 
  the 
  

   reputed 
  locality, 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  corroborate 
  the 
  statement, 
  though 
  from 
  

   what 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  rising 
  through 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   newer 
  group, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  rash 
  to 
  assert 
  that 
  no 
  escape 
  of 
  petroleum 
  was 
  

   ever 
  likely 
  to 
  have 
  occurred 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  question 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   to 
  the 
  East 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi 
  (within 
  Pegu 
  at 
  least) 
  that 
  efforts 
  to 
  

   discover 
  profitable 
  sources 
  of 
  oil 
  should 
  be 
  directed, 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   nowhere 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  bank 
  does 
  the 
  Nummulitic 
  group 
  appear, 
  which 
  

   would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  Burmese 
  oil, 
  and 
  that 
  consequently 
  

   a 
  much 
  greater 
  thickness 
  of 
  unproductive 
  beds 
  would 
  there 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  

   pierced 
  by 
  a 
  boring, 
  or 
  traversed 
  by 
  the 
  oil, 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  bank, 
  where 
  

   the 
  Nummulitic 
  group 
  is 
  raised 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  or 
  may 
  more 
  reasonably 
  

   be 
  sought 
  for 
  at 
  moderate 
  depths 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  bank 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  

   nowhere 
  seen. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi 
  where 
  petroleum 
  is 
  

   reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  is 
  at 
  Yenan-doung, 
  twelve 
  miles 
  South- 
  

   west 
  from 
  Myanoung. 
  A 
  square 
  shaft 
  has 
  here 
  been 
  sunk 
  through 
  

  

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