1842.] of the Himmalay a Mountains. cxvii 



well-defined strata, rather appearing like amorphous projecting masses, 

 unless when impure, and then the strata are as well marked as those of 

 the better defined schists. In two instances, the dip was observed 

 N. E., inclination 20°, and N. N. E., inclination 32°. The first of these 

 was a purple arenaceous rock, containing a good deal of carbonate of 

 lime, the second was an almost pure compact dolomite of a light grey, 

 and remarkable for its conchoidal fracture, toughness, and hardness. 



255. In the descent to the bed of the Ramgunga, chloritic schist 

 of a perfectly pure type occurs, being in fact green talc slate; it 

 contains metallic copper disseminated, but no attempt has been made 

 to work it. In the bed of the river a schist occurs, which may well 

 be called talcose schist, being a mixture of quartz and talc. It bears the 

 same relation to talc, (prismatic talc mica,) as rhombohedral talc mica. 

 It is in this particular place schistose, and distinctly stratified ; but in 

 other quarters, it passes into a massive rock, bearing the same relation 

 to it, which ordinary quartz rock bears to the above schist. It is in 

 fact a talcose quartz rock, as we may call the ordinary type micaceous 

 quartz rock. The titles talcose and micaceous schist might be confined 

 to the schistose types of this compound rock, and that of talcose 

 slate, to the slate composed entirely of indurated talc. This would 

 introduce some precision into our account of rocks. In like man- 

 ner, chloritic slate should be reserved for the pure mineral, and chloritic 

 schist for the compound types. Without a reform, terminology will 

 never make any real progress. 



256. From the bed of the Ramgunga, the route ascends to Gun- 

 golee Hath, on the valley of that river from that of the Surjoo. The 

 talcose schist passes into a quartz rock in which the talc is gradually 

 lost, until it at length very closely resembles a sandstone in appearance, 

 argillaceous schist then establishes itself, but whether by transition 

 or per saltum, the state of the surface does not admit of deciding. 

 The dip was observed to be N. 7° E., inclination 45°. Towards the 

 summit of the ridge, magnesian and siliceous limestones begin to 

 prevail, and the crest is entirely composed of a flesh-coloured dolomite, 

 with purple clouded delineations, which I think would form a very 

 handsome material for various ornamental works, as it takes a very 

 high polish, and is not more difficult to cut than ordinary marble. It 

 is traversed by veins of a purplish brown calcareous spar with curved 



