1843.] relating to the great Inundation of the Indus. 185 



Durabbi, &c, on a generally barren country, a characteristic mark of 

 these thinly populated mountains. Here and there, only in the neigh- 

 bourhood of villages, was vegetation met with. 



4th. At Maree, I first witnessed some of the devastating effects of 

 the river's inundation that had taken place about six months before, and 

 as you had directed my attention particularly to the examination of this 

 district, under which is comprehended that of Kalabagh, distant about 

 half coss, and on the eastern side of the river, in order to ascertain whe- 

 ther coal was to be met with fit for steam vessel purposes, I remained here 

 a few days, and then prosecuted my researches up the river as far as 

 Sharkar, to determine if the same system of rocks (saliferous system) 

 existed to the northward, and also to witness the extent of the ravages 

 committed by the great debacle. After an absence of six days, I return- 

 ed to Kalabagh, re-examined the various interesting fossiliferous deposits 

 in that neighbourhood, abounding in the remains of fish and saurian 

 animals (?) and coprolites. I mark saurian animals with an interroga- 

 tion, as the fossils were not of so perfect a nature, as to allow me to 

 say definitely, whether the remains belong to saurian reptiles or sauroid 

 fishes. They are met with in a red sandstone, (the equivalent of the 

 new red sandstone of Europe,) which is superimposed by the red marl, 

 along with which the rock salt, gypsum and alum slate, occur. In 

 some places a limestone is met intervening between the red sandstone 

 and red marl, abounding in fossil organic remains ; and at Jellalpore, 

 where in some places the red sandstone is wanting, we have the marl 

 resting immediately upon a limestone without fossils, and presenting 

 all the mineralogical characters of the magnesian limestone of Europe. 



I left Kalabagh on the 26th for Cohat, following the route of Elphin- 

 stone. 



5th. From all the chiefs whose country I passed through, viz. Alia 

 Yar Khan, of Kalabagh, Ghoolam Mustafa Khan, Ghongree of Shakur- 

 durrah, Russool Khan Khuttuk of Elaichi, I received attention, and was 

 by each of them furnished with a guard, having, as requested by the 

 Maharaja, discharged at Maree the twenty Suwars. 



6th; I arrived at Cohat on the evening of the 29th November, and 

 was met by Futeh Khan, the Naib and brother-in-law of Sooltan Moha- 

 mad Khan, in whose name all orders are issued, and the revenue col- 

 lected. Next morning he again waited on me, accompanied by several 



