596 W. J. Hamilton, Esq., on the 



ably stratified. Lower down the valley, to the N.W., red and yellow marls 

 underlie a white stratified rock, which is probably the white tuff mentioned 

 before. This is another point of resemblance between the two localities, and 

 it is probable, that, as in the neighbourhood of Akserai and Kodj-hissar, the 

 red sandstone formation extends under this vast tufaceous rock throughout its 

 v\^hole extent. The most surprising and inexplicable feature in this phaeno- 

 menon is the occurrence of horizontal tertiary and volcanic beds over so vast 

 an extent of country, at the height of 4000 feet and upwards above the sea. 

 What a mighty effort of elevation must we not suppose, capable of raising 

 a tract of land above 200 miles in length to this great height, without any- 

 where disturbing the horizontality of the stratification ! 



About eleven miles due south of Caesarea is the lofty summitofArgseus, rising 

 like Hassan Dagh to a single peak, and bearing in its general appearance a 

 great resemblance to the still more lofty peak of Ararat, which I had seen 

 the preceding year. The summit of this mountain consists of a reddish brec- 

 ciated and scoriaceous conglomerate, full of fragments of trap and porphyritic 

 trachyte, and is nearly the point of junction of two enormous broken craters, 

 one of which opens to the N.E., the other to the N.W., and the steep sides 

 of which, to the north, are covered with perpetual snow for 2000 or 3000 feet 

 below the summit. On the southern slopes the snow is not so deep, and 

 except for the last 1000 feet, lies in the deep ravines only, and not upon the 

 intervening ridges. 



The height of Mount Argpeus has hitherto been much underrated. Kin- 

 neir Macdonald guessed it to be only 8000 feet above the sea. The plain of 

 Caesarea is, by rough calculation of the barometer, at least 4200 feet above 

 that level; and according to the three following observations, I consider that 

 the summit of the mountain cannot be less than 13,000 feet above the sea. 



By barometer 13,293 



Angle of elevation from Greek Convent 13,242 



Angle of elevation from Kara-hissar 12,809 



A little below the summit on the S.E. side, rugged serrated ridges rise 

 through the snow ; consisting of a compact trachytic rock with a conchoidal 

 fracture, resembling greenstone or hornstone. Other ridges are composed 

 of trachytes of different colours and textures. Near the foot of the great 

 cone several smaller ones of pumice and lapilli rise, encircling its base on the 

 S.E. side, whilst to the west and north are many more, from some of which 

 streams of basalt or lava may be traced ; but I was unable to examine the 

 whole of the mountain. Some of the cones of pumice on the south side have 

 also deep depressions or craters partly broken away, and are clearly the most 



