﻿Vol. 
  53.] 
  BALUCHISTAN-AFGHAN 
  FRONTIER. 
  309 
  

  

  by 
  the 
  same 
  natural 
  process. 
  If 
  the 
  Neza-i-Sultan 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  a 
  volcano, 
  these 
  other 
  peaks 
  should, 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  

   process 
  of 
  reasoning, 
  be 
  also 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  necks 
  of 
  old 
  volcanoes. 
  

   But 
  their 
  number 
  and 
  proximity 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  throw 
  

   doubt 
  on 
  the 
  correctness 
  of 
  that 
  supposition. 
  

  

  Gen. 
  McMahon, 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Grriesbach, 
  remarked 
  that 
  the 
  

   Authors 
  had 
  not 
  attempted 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  precise 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  

   lavas, 
  as 
  the 
  fossils 
  brought 
  home 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  still 
  under 
  

   examination 
  in 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Museum 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  volcanic 
  

   eruptions 
  had 
  evidently 
  extended 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  period. 
  The 
  

   Xeza-i-Sultan 
  (Spear 
  of 
  Soliman) 
  contained 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  

   peculiar 
  augite-hornblende-andesite 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  lava 
  found 
  

   in 
  situ 
  elsewhere, 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  must 
  have 
  consolidated 
  

   before 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  agglomerate 
  were 
  formed. 
  The 
  subsequent 
  

   erosion 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet 
  of 
  agglomerate, 
  moreover, 
  indicated 
  the 
  

   lapse 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  since 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  these 
  beds. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Hill's 
  remarks, 
  he 
  suggested 
  that 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  might 
  be 
  retained 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  sand-hills 
  by 
  capillary 
  attraction, 
  and 
  instanced 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  good 
  autumn 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  Bikanir, 
  on 
  hills 
  that 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  the 
  eye 
  pure 
  drifted 
  sand. 
  

  

  