1847.] Geological and Miner aloyical Observations. 1 13/ 



being rather pleasant to the nostrils. I express donbt, because the 

 scent may perhaps have been derived from the bottle containing the 

 liquid. Torches are made of the Asphalt. The second is drunk for 

 indigestion. The use of the third is unknown. The latter I should 

 have pronounced mucilage from decaying vegetation, had it not remained 

 several days in a close bottle at a temperature of 95° without fermenting. 

 The smell of the mineral water is scarcely sufferable. 



From the occurrence of bitumen I have been led to anticipate the 

 discovery of coal, and a day or two ago I stumbled upon a large boulder 

 of crystals of lime containing lignite, of which I have the pleasure to 

 send you a small specimen. This was in the Puhli valley Huzara, 

 about 40 miles north of the mountains of Serra. Coal would be quite 

 useless here, where wood is superabundant : but its position in any 

 given country is always an important enquiry. 



The stratification of this formation is nearly vertical. The course 

 of the ridge an azimuth of about 247°. Eastward the ridges, which 

 fall into the plains, were of sandstone, wherever I came in contact with 

 them, from Rawul Pindi, to Noorpoor : a sandstone running in parallel 

 ridges nearly vertical, filled with sandy debris, which when washed 

 away by the torrents, leave natural walls of rock of the most singular 

 appearance. In this sandstone I have never discovered traces of 

 organic remains. 



The supposed iron ore is found on hills formed of debris of the lime 

 and sandstone rocks, and lying northward of the Serra Ridges, about a 

 mile from the left bank of Hurroo river. I could not detect any strata, 

 the masses seemed to be scattered at random through the soil. I col- 

 lected about 5 or 6 fts. of it in the course of an hour, with the assistance 

 of my servants. But I should doubt there being any vein in that 

 locality that would pay the working, It must be remembered that 

 there are masses which have been washed out in the course of hundreds 

 of years. If I can find means of packing the Asphalt, I will do 

 myself the pleasure to send it you. It may possibly differ in some 

 respects from the same substance elsewhere found. I fear the other 

 liquids would not bear the carriage. 



Mr. Vans Agnew, Civil Service, and Boundary Commissioner, has 

 just left me on an expedition northward, which promises to be interest- 

 ing to science. Lieut. Young of Engineers, accompanies him. 



7 h 2 



