﻿32-1 
  REV. 
  R. 
  BARON 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  stated 
  that 
  hardly 
  a 
  year 
  passes 
  without 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  shocks 
  being 
  

   experienced 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  never 
  

   severe 
  or 
  of 
  long 
  duration; 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  caused 
  by 
  these 
  

   earth-waves 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  is 
  entirely 
  unknown 
  here*. 
  

   The 
  natives 
  strangely 
  imagine 
  that 
  earthquakes 
  are 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  

   whale 
  (trozond) 
  turning 
  on 
  its 
  back. 
  

  

  Sedimentary 
  Rocks. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known, 
  not 
  taking 
  account 
  of 
  recent 
  superficial 
  accu- 
  

   mulations, 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  few, 
  if 
  any, 
  strictly 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  in- 
  

   termingled 
  with 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  crystalline 
  series. 
  Possibly, 
  

   however, 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  island 
  rocks 
  of 
  Tertiary 
  age; 
  but 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  do 
  not 
  

   " 
  form 
  a 
  belt 
  around 
  the 
  island," 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Wallace, 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Island 
  

   Life,' 
  affirms. 
  These 
  rocks 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  ILy 
  own 
  observations 
  with 
  

   regard 
  to 
  these 
  sedimentary 
  strata, 
  which, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  to 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  confirm, 
  with 
  certain 
  quali- 
  

   fications, 
  the 
  statement 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Bulletin 
  de 
  la 
  Societe 
  de 
  

   Geologie 
  ' 
  (Aug. 
  1871, 
  p. 
  88) 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  Le 
  pavant 
  voyageur 
  a 
  constate 
  que 
  

   la 
  grande 
  ile 
  semble 
  formee 
  d'un 
  noyau 
  micaschisteux 
  qu'entoure 
  

  

  a 
  l'ouest 
  et 
  au 
  sud 
  une 
  vaste 
  zone 
  de 
  formation 
  jurassique 
  

  

  Cette 
  zone, 
  qui 
  supporte 
  une 
  bande 
  etroite 
  de 
  terrain 
  nummu- 
  

   litique 
  parfaitement 
  caracterise 
  par 
  des 
  Neritina 
  Schmicleliana 
  et 
  

   petri 
  de 
  foraminiferes 
  (appartenant 
  aux 
  genres 
  Alveolina, 
  Orbitoides, 
  

   Trilocidina, 
  &c), 
  s'etend 
  du 
  bord 
  sud 
  de 
  la 
  baie 
  de 
  Narendry 
  au 
  

   versant 
  ouest 
  des 
  montagnes 
  granitiques, 
  auxquelles 
  est 
  adosse 
  le 
  

   fort 
  Dauphin. 
  Elle 
  est 
  formee, 
  comme 
  on 
  sait, 
  de 
  plaines 
  coupees 
  

   dans 
  leur 
  longueur 
  par 
  trois 
  chaines 
  de 
  montagnes 
  qui 
  courent 
  du 
  

   nord 
  au 
  sud." 
  In 
  a 
  journey 
  which 
  I 
  took 
  to 
  the 
  north-west 
  coast 
  

   in 
  1886 
  I 
  found, 
  in 
  various 
  localities, 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  fossils, 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  identified 
  by 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  B. 
  Newton, 
  F.G.S., 
  of 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum, 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  list 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Appendix 
  (p. 
  331). 
  

   These 
  fossils 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Jurassic, 
  Cretaceous, 
  and 
  Eocene 
  systems. 
  

   The 
  accompanying 
  map 
  (PI. 
  XIII.) 
  gives 
  the 
  exact 
  localities 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  found. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  sandstone 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  commonest 
  

   rock, 
  covering 
  vast 
  stretches 
  of 
  country 
  in 
  thick 
  beds. 
  It 
  varies 
  

   much, 
  of 
  course, 
  in 
  texture 
  and 
  composition, 
  from 
  coarse 
  grit, 
  which 
  

   is 
  found 
  adjoining 
  the 
  elevated 
  region 
  of 
  crystalline 
  rocks, 
  to 
  rocks 
  

   of 
  a 
  fine 
  grain. 
  It 
  is 
  mostly 
  of 
  a 
  reddish 
  colour, 
  but 
  yellow 
  and 
  

   white 
  calcareous 
  sandstone 
  is 
  also 
  common. 
  It 
  seems, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  

   could 
  discover, 
  to 
  be 
  unfossiliferous. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  (which 
  

   are 
  comparatively 
  few) 
  composed 
  of 
  sandstone 
  are 
  quite 
  remarkable 
  

   in 
  appearance, 
  especially 
  Angoraony, 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  Anoron- 
  

   tsanga, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  isolated 
  hill 
  standing 
  out 
  as 
  a 
  witness 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  1887 
  there 
  "were 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  shocks 
  felt 
  in 
  the 
  capital, 
  being 
  

   an 
  unusual 
  number. 
  They 
  occurred 
  on 
  Feb. 
  7 
  and 
  8, 
  April 
  11 
  and 
  13, 
  and 
  

   May 
  20. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  (that 
  on 
  Feb. 
  7) 
  was 
  the 
  severest 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  

   for 
  many 
  years, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  violent 
  to 
  do 
  any 
  damage. 
  

  

  