160 Remarks on Mr. Fraser's Journey from Delhi to Bombay. 



The appearances of the tract around Jhodepoor, on the west of the pri- 

 mary mountains, as described by Mr. Fraser, bear a very distinct resemblance 

 to those of the new red sandstone, or red marl formation of England ; and the 

 specimens of reddish sandstone from that part of India precisely resemble those 

 of the red marl of Somersetshire, Devonshire, and other counties in which that 

 formation exists. The occurrence of claystone porphyry in connexion with this 

 sandstone, is a further point of resemblance ; the specimen of the former sub- 

 stance from the Jhodepoor hills, agreeing exactly with the porphyritic masses 

 which are found in the red marl of Somerset and Devon. The nature of the 

 connexion between these rocks in India is, however, deserving of further in- 

 quiry ; and in England it is still involved in some obscurity. 



The description and specimens of the sandstone which occurs at Baug and in 

 its vicinity, at a considerable distance from the districts above mentioned, agree 

 with those of the sandstone from the neighbourhood of Jhodepoor, and of 

 the English red marl. 



From the statement of Major Rennell, that " the tract between the Indus 

 and the Chelum is wonderfully productive of salt mines, affording masses of 

 salt hard enough to be formed into vessels*," Dr. Kidd has been led to suppose 

 that the red marl formation probably abounds about the stream of the Indus. 

 The facts mentioned by Mr. Fraser add strength to this conjecture ; and it is 

 highly probable that the vast sandy deserts on the west of India, throughout 

 which salt lakes occur, belong to the same formation ; — which is known to oc- 

 cupy extensive tracts (and in many instances to assume the character of sandy 

 deserts) in Russia f and various parts of the continent of Europe, Africa J, 

 and North America. 



The relations of the secondary limestones, mentioned by Mr. Fraser, are 

 well deserving the investigation of future inquirers. In the vicinity of 

 Baug, the order of the rocks appears to be, granite, clay slate (or greywacke 

 slate?) in strata nearly vertical ; red sandstone in horizontal strata ; and above 

 these compact yellowish-grey limestone, resembling that which is described as 

 occupying a considerable tract of country in the vicinity of Neemuck, about 

 140 miles to the north of Baug. 



3. — The position and appearances of the trap rocks described by Mr. Fraser, 

 are no less in accordance with those of similar composition in other countries. 

 The specimens are almost identical with the basalts and amygdaloids of 



* Rennell's Hindostan, p. 69 ; quoted in Kidd's Geological Essay, p. 115. 

 t See Mr. Strangways' paper on the Geology of Russia, in the preceding part of this volume. 

 X See the Rev. W. Buckland's remarks on specimens from the interior of Africa. — Lyon's 

 Travels in Africa; Appendix. 



