1S60.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 315 



careous strata and for the last five or six miles the rocks are mostly 

 of rapidly disintegrating strata, red, greenish, and with salt efflo- 

 rescing on the surface. Amongst these, which on the surface become 

 earthy masses, are some nummuhtic beds alternating with non- 

 fossiliferous grey limestone and strata of sandstone and grit, often 

 vitrified and darker coloured externally. All these dip to the east 

 at all angles varying from 1° to 90°, but mostly from 15° to 45°, rough- 

 ly speaking, amongst them are a few thin beds of flint. The masses 

 with corals He about on the surface and in drift masses, in something 

 like a line parallel to these strata. 



" Upon the lower parts of these inclined strata in many places 

 are plateaux of gravel having amongst it large vitrified-looking blocks. 

 These plateaux are of several acres in extent, and from 50 to 100 

 feet above the bed of the stream. Occasionally below that, and a few 

 feet above the stream, are patches of alluvial soil cultivated by the in- 

 habitants, apparently very fertile. 



" The day following we made a march of 4J miles up the Zam ravine, 

 till we came to a tanged (a ' tightness' as they call their passes in 

 Pushtu) beyond which the General considered it advisable not to 

 go that day. The strata composing the hills on either side, so far 

 as they were not obscured by the horizontal shingle beds, appeared 

 to consist mostly of a brownish limestone alternating with beds of 

 the coloured disintegrating shales, the latter far exceeding the former 

 in quantity, all dipping to south-east at moderate angles. 



" In front of us, the stream came through a narrow gorge between 

 a height of perhaps 200 to 250 feet, composed of a light coloured 

 limestone with numerous veins of calcareous spar running in all direc- 

 tions through it. Its strata considerably waved, and with a low dip 

 to the north-west. The strata of these heights seemed at the point 

 of junction to overlie the coloured strata, but I had not an oppor- 

 tunity of getting close to the point. 



" The 4th was rather a momentous day, and I had not much time 

 for dawdling and looking about, as some five miles up, the Wuzeerees 

 stood, and the fight of the expedition came off. 



" After we passed through the tangai the strata were mostly of greyish 

 non-fossiliferous limestone overlying unconformably beds of the co- 

 loured shales. The uppermost beds of the limestone here had a 



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