18S1.] Remarks by Mr. V. JBall, on the Andamans and JViaobars. Ill 



" A thorough scientific exploration of the islands included in the 

 Andaman and Nicobar groups is a great desideratum, not only for the 

 purpose of setting at rest such Anthropological questions, but also in 

 order to completely elucidate the Zoology and Geology. 



" With reference to the latter there are two questions of considerable 

 economic importance which have yet to be determined. The first of these 

 is whether coal in workable quantities exists. Hitherto, such coal as has 

 been found in the Andamans and Nicobars only occurs in small nests of 

 limited extent and not in regular seams. The rocks of the Andamans are, 

 so far as is known, of older Tertiary (Eocene) and perhaps partly Cretaceous 

 ages : they are probably closely allied to some of the groups which include 

 workable coal in upper Burma and Assam. In the Nicobars there are 

 rocks of the same age and together with them some which are younger, 

 probably Miocene. There are believed to be distinct points of resemblance 

 between the former and the coal-bearing rocks of Sumatra, Borneo and 

 Java. So that, arguing from analogy, there appear to be grounds for 

 believing that a useful discovery of coal may be made in these islands. 



" Some years ago I appended to a paper on the Geology of Port 

 Blair, which was printed in the Journal,* three allusions, two distinct, and 

 one less clear, to a rumour that mercury has been found in the Andamans. 

 The mode of occurrence and the age of the rocks with which mercury occurs 

 in different parts of the world vary a good deal ; for present purposes it is 

 only necessary to refer to California where the deposits afford two-thirds 

 of the mercury of commerce. These deposits occur in altered Cretaceous 

 rocks with which serpentine is associated, the ore of mercury, cinnabar, 

 being sometimes found in the serpentine itself. It is believed, as above 

 stated, that some of the rocks in the Andamans will prove to be of Creta- 

 ceous age, and it is an ascertained fact that serpentine occurs in some 

 abundance associated with them. Now it is known, all the world over, 

 that similar associations of rocks are often accompanied by the occurrence 

 of similar minerals. It seems therefore to be quite justifiable to express 

 a hope that research may prove the existence of mercury in these islands. 

 It is needless to remark that owing to its high value such a discovery 

 would be of great importance. 



" It is now ten years since I directed the attention of some of the 

 officials in the Andamans to the possibility of such a discovery being made 

 and Mr. Homfray, then protector of the Andamanese, shewed them some 

 metallic mercury, but they appeared to be unacquainted with it and 

 nothing was elicited. A much more likely way of being successful would 

 be to make search for cinnabar which is the common ore of mercury. 



11 The red pigment commonly used by the Andamanese was some years 

 ago analyzed by Dr. Waldie and found to consist of red oxide of iron, 

 * Vol. XXXIX, 1870, p. 239. 



