42 MR. H. J. L. BEADNELL ON THE NUBIAN [Feb. 1909, 



examine the district, and report on the nature of the junction 

 of the granites with the sedimentary rocks ; no information of 

 value on this latter point was, however, forthcoming. Although 

 my preparations had been made for many months, it was only 

 quite recently that I found time to pay a hurried visit to this part 

 of the desert, which curiously enough had received the attention of 

 my former colleague, Dr. Hume, a few weeks previously. Hume 

 informed me that he had found a number of granite-exposures, 

 and that they had proved one of the most interesting features 

 of his trip. I await with great interest the publication of his 

 results, as it is more than probable that we both visited some of the 

 same exposures. 1 



The southern limit of my journey was lat. 24° X., or a little 

 south of the latitude of Aswan. The area examined and mapped 

 (south of the most outlying of the oasis-wells) amounts to 2500 

 square kilometres, the actual distance traversed as the crow flies 

 being about 225 kilometres, and the time occupied six days. One 

 day of comparative inaction was spent at El Nakhail ; but, as trotting 

 camels were used, I was able to visit most, if not all, of the 

 prominent hills on the plain, as well as a number of points on the 

 scarps to the east. The area was surveyed by plane-table triangu- 

 lation extended from accurately fixed points in the Oasis, and the 

 position of El Nakhail, the southernmost point reached, is I believe 

 very little in error. The time of year was the latter part of 

 May, and coincided with a spell of very trying weather. I mention 

 these details, as showing that circumstances were not favourable for 

 that leisurely examination and detailed mapping to which the area, 

 on account of its exceptional interest, is entitled. 



Eight actual exposures of crystalline rocks were met with,, 

 distant from the village of Beris in the south of the Oasis, as 

 follows : — 



1 Since writing the above I have been in correspondence with Dr. Hume, 

 who in a letter, under date June 7th 1908, writes : — ' With regard to your state- 

 ment about the granites, I am sorry to say that we are not in agreement. I 

 find that the rocks of igneous nature are of every variety common to the Ked- 

 Sea Hills, and even include metamorphics such as gneisses and schists, nor do 

 I see any evidence of metamorphism in the sandstone. You have no doubt 

 been impressed by the steep dipping of the sandstones round the granite-ridges, 

 but my explanation is acute folding passing into faults, accompanied by 

 differential movements between masses of different consistency.' 



As will be seen from a later paragraph, we are in agreement as regards the 

 similarity of the crystalline rocks in this part of the Western Desert and those. 

 of the Bed-Sea Hills. Until Dr. Hume's" results are published, I must refrain 

 from discussing the question whether the explanation of folding is adequate to 

 account for the observed facts. It is, in any case, satisfactory to find that we 

 are both of opinion that the present positions and relations of the crystalline 

 and sedimentary rocks are not what they were at the time of the deposition of 

 the latter. [Since these lines were written, the concluding portion of Dr. Hume's 

 memoir on the South-Westem Desert ot Egypt, with map, has been published 

 in the ' Cairo Scientific Journal ' vol. ii, no. 24 (September, 1908) pp. 314-25.] 



