Vol. 67.] WOECESTEE, EOBERTSON, AND ASHTON (CAPE COLONY). 707 



almost to the foot of the mountains, a distance of about 6 miles, 

 the dip of the Malrnesbury Beds is uniformly to the south, and 

 nearly always at a steep angle, often exceeding 50°. It is only at 

 the extreme north of the exposure, as just mentioned, that the dip 

 is northerly. It follows that, if there be no repetition by faulting 

 or isoclinal folding, the total thickness must be enormous. Un- 

 fortunately, the data at our command are insufficient to decide 

 this question. It must be stated however, that, so far as my 

 own observations went, I could see no evidence of repetition ; and 

 the distinct difference of lithological character at the northern 

 as compared with the southern extremity of the section is, on the 

 whole, evidence bearing against this supposition. 



Another specially favourable opportunity of examining a large 

 part of the Malmesbury ISeries is afforded by the road, which passes 

 along the right bank of the Hex Kiver from De Wet Station in a 

 northerly direction. Some 3 miles above the station the base 

 of the Table Mountain Sandstone is reached, and in this distance 

 exposures of the older rocks are frequent. The road from Worcester 

 winds round the southern side of a low but steep hill, known as 

 Meirings Berg ; and the numerous cuttings here are excavated in 

 a soft silvery slate, with highly developed cleavage and a generally 

 sericitic appearance. This may perhaps be described, for con- 

 venience, as silvery phyllite. Passing northwards, a more gritty 

 facies soon sets in ; and, from a point a short distance south of 

 De Wet Station to the base of the Table Mountain Sandstone, the 

 whole may be classified as grit, with occasional quartzite-bands. The 

 coarser types approximate very closely to the grits at the head of 

 the Hartebeest River ; and trie direction of strike is quite in 

 agreement with the view that these are continuous. On these 

 grounds I have divided the Malmesbury Beds into two series, 

 as shown in the accompanying map (PI. LI) — a series mostly 

 composed of grits, lying to the north, and presumably the older; 

 and a broad belt of slates and phyllites on the south, which appear 

 to be newer in stratigraphical sequence, and are cut off abruptly 

 by the Worcester Fault, their actual thickness being hence qu ; te 

 unknown. 



An interesting and important observation was made on the main 

 road, on the other side of the Hex River. Xear to the house 

 marked on the Survey map as Maze Kraal, there was found a 

 small exposure of a highly decomposed rock, full of small crystals 

 of ottrelite. It seems highly probable, in fact almost certain, that 

 this is the westerl}' continuation of the narrow band of ottrelite- 

 schist at Waai Kloof, near Nuy, which lies some miles to the east, 

 but exactly in the required direction, assuming the strike to remain 

 uniform, as it actually appears to do. This rock was only seen at 

 one point in the Hex -River Pass, but its assumed position is 

 indicated on the map (PI. LI). 



