1850.] Coal in Wddi Araba 3 eastern desert of Egypt. 141 



same as above, — with nodules of iron pyrites ; and six inches of blackish, 

 compact, grey calcareous stone bring us down to the depth of 1 69^ ft. 

 from the surface. 



A bed of psammitic, quartzose, compact, grey sandstone with slaty 

 fracture, containing small blackish fragments of shells, indetermina- 

 ble, as if steeped in bitumen, continues down to the depth of 177 ft. 

 Two feet of an argillaceous sandstone, reticulated with veins of lamel- 

 lary selenite ; and three feet of argillaceous schists, — smoke-coloured 

 and dark yellow, bring us down to the depth of 182 ft. 



After these we have two feet of a marly, slaty, grey-coloured clay 

 with green spots having metallic lustrous surfaces ; — one foot of the 

 same, but of a dark colour without spots, and traversed by a parallel 

 bed of dolomite — ten inches thick, white, compact, and containing some 

 bivalves of very old date and the teeth of the fish — squallus ; — two feet 

 of an argillo-quartzose psammite of a greyish colour ; layers of a black 

 slaty marl — slightly sandy extend down to 190 ft. below the surface. 

 It contains carbonized plants and their impressions in great number, 

 (monocotyledons) . 



Three feet of quartzose white psammites ; two feet of a bronze green 

 clay; — one foot of a green marl with red spots and of a metallic 

 splendour, — and with carbonized monocotyledons, and their impressions ; 

 - — one foot of greenish yellow psammite also with monocotyledons ; 

 — two feet of black bituminous marl, containing many carbonized, 

 monocotyledonous plants ; — one foot of white, argillaceous psammite ; 

 — one foot of a black slaty clay, containing lignite infiltrated with iron 

 pyrites ; — a foot of black slate with impressions of plants, iron pyrites, 

 and traces of carbonate of copper ; — an inch layer of grey dolomite with 

 minute, unknown fossil shells ; — one foot of black marl with red spots 

 containing nodular iron pyrites ; — six inches of whitish grey, and very 

 compact dolomite with veins of crystallized barytes, and here and there, 

 nests of lignite. 



One foot psammitic grit, — with small grains of chlorite ; — one foot 

 of black slaty clay, with great numbers of small unknown shells ; — two 

 feet of black, slaty clay, — two feet of quartzose psammite of a green- 

 ish grey colour ; — three feet of white, compact, quartzose psammite ; — 

 one foot of black clay, with vegetable impressions ; — one foot of violet- 

 coloured marl with green spots ; — one foot of a greyish dolomitic 



