﻿106 
  GEORGE 
  MAW'S 
  NOTES 
  ON 
  A 
  JOURNEY 
  

  

  foldings 
  of 
  the 
  Mesozoic 
  and 
  Tertiary 
  beds 
  are 
  subordinate 
  in 
  their 
  

   effect 
  on 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  I 
  purpose, 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  to 
  follow 
  my 
  route 
  as 
  an 
  itinerary, 
  

   and 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  contour 
  and 
  geological 
  features 
  in 
  passing 
  from 
  

   north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  summarize 
  my 
  observations 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  

   of 
  stratigraphical 
  sequence. 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Algiers 
  presents, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  cliffs 
  and 
  escarpments, 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  as 
  the 
  Marocco 
  sea- 
  

   board 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  and 
  the 
  coast-lines 
  of 
  Corsica 
  and 
  the 
  

   Reviera 
  already 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  previous 
  papers. 
  The 
  hill- 
  and 
  

   and 
  valley-system 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  shelves 
  under 
  the 
  adjacent 
  'sea, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  the 
  intervention 
  of 
  distinct 
  escarpments, 
  indicating, 
  as 
  I 
  believe, 
  

   that 
  the 
  existing 
  coast-level 
  is 
  so 
  recent 
  that 
  the 
  sea 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  had 
  

   time 
  to 
  excavate 
  a 
  cliff-boundary. 
  The 
  palseontological 
  evidence 
  on 
  

   the 
  connexion 
  of 
  Europe 
  and 
  Africa 
  in 
  Postpliocene 
  times 
  brought 
  

   forward 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Boyd 
  Dawkins 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Physical 
  Geo- 
  

   graphy 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  during 
  the 
  Pleistocene 
  age 
  " 
  (Popular 
  

   Science 
  Review 
  ' 
  for 
  April 
  1873) 
  supports 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  recent 
  

   origin 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  Mediterranean 
  coast-line. 
  

  

  Raised 
  Coast-beaches. 
  — 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Tristram 
  that 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  raised 
  concrete 
  shell-beaches 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  

   coast 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Oran, 
  ranging 
  in 
  height 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level 
  from 
  

   200 
  to 
  600 
  feet. 
  The 
  fragments 
  exhibited 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  him 
  at 
  

   Mers-el-Kebir, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  400 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  Mr. 
  Gwyn 
  

   Jeffreys 
  has 
  determined 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  : 
  — 
  Pecten 
  opercularis, 
  

   Pectunculus 
  glycymeris, 
  Cardium 
  edule,Venus 
  gallina, 
  Turbo 
  rugosus, 
  

   and 
  Fusus 
  corneus, 
  all 
  common 
  Mediterranean 
  and 
  Pliocene 
  species. 
  

  

  Neighbourhood 
  of 
  Algiers. 
  — 
  The 
  city 
  of 
  Algiers 
  is 
  built 
  up 
  the 
  

   side 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  boss 
  of 
  land 
  standing 
  out 
  as 
  a 
  promontory 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  higher 
  land 
  of 
  the 
  Lesser 
  

   Atlas 
  and 
  Tell 
  Plateau 
  by 
  the 
  level 
  plain 
  of 
  the 
  Mitidja, 
  the 
  submer- 
  

   gence 
  of 
  which 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  200 
  or 
  300 
  feet 
  would 
  separate 
  the 
  

   high 
  boss 
  as 
  an 
  island. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  across 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  

   south, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  distance 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west. 
  It 
  includes 
  the 
  

   oldest 
  rocks 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  section, 
  viz. 
  mica-schist 
  and 
  

   gneiss, 
  with 
  intercalated 
  quartzite, 
  disposed 
  as 
  an 
  anticlinal 
  with 
  a 
  

   north 
  and 
  south 
  strike. 
  Its 
  highest 
  point, 
  about 
  800 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   sea, 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  de 
  l'Empereur, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   beds 
  dip 
  nearly 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  at 
  an 
  inclination 
  of 
  30°. 
  

  

  Skirting 
  these 
  ancient 
  micaceous 
  rocks, 
  Tertiary 
  beds 
  are 
  super- 
  

   imposed 
  as 
  terraces 
  ranging 
  round 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Algiers 
  to 
  the 
  S. 
  and 
  

   S.E. 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  ascend 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Moustafa-Superieur 
  

   nearly 
  to 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  They 
  have 
  a 
  prevalent 
  dip 
  of 
  from 
  

   10° 
  to 
  20° 
  S.E. 
  and 
  E., 
  and 
  consist 
  of 
  soft, 
  calcareous, 
  cream-coloured 
  

   freestone, 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  tufaceous, 
  occasionally 
  including 
  beds 
  of 
  

   compact 
  limestone, 
  and 
  closely 
  resemble 
  in 
  mineral 
  character 
  the 
  

   Calcaire 
  grossier. 
  They 
  abound 
  in 
  shells, 
  among 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Etheridge 
  

   has 
  determined 
  the 
  following 
  — 
  Pecten 
  jacoba;us, 
  Area, 
  Cucullcea, 
  

   Modiola, 
  sp., 
  casts 
  of 
  Cerithium, 
  Natica, 
  sp., 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  Pecten 
  

   and 
  Ostrea 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  supposes 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  Miocene 
  age, 
  and 
  possibly 
  

  

  