680 Trip to Pind Badud Khan and the Salt Range- [July, 



water being abundant within 8 feet of surface. The flint limestone 

 generally prevails here, being at times capped by the soft friable sand- 

 stones and conglomerates which form the lower part of the northern 

 slope of the salt range. 



April 6th. — Noorpoor and Nilawan coal. — A little to the south of 

 Noorpoor, and above the Nilawan salt mines, the flint limestone forms 

 a precipice at least 150 feet high, beneath which is the same shell lime- 

 stone as is found in other localities to the E. above the coal beds, and 

 only differs at this point in being more arenaceous. Beneath the shell 

 limestone is the yellow marl, succeeded by bituminous shales at least 30 

 feet thick, in which two small seams of coal occur 8 inches in thickness 

 and separated from each other by about a foot of shales. The coal is 

 identical in character with that to the eastward, and the carboniferous 

 strata at this point seem only to differ from those to the east in their 

 being a less deposit of coal and a greater development of bituminous 

 shales. Beneath the coal is the usual succession of sandstones, conglo- 

 merates, &c. reposing on the red saliferous marls of the Nilawan salt 

 mines, at present closed. Samples of this coal were preserved and sent 

 along with a specimen of the Kuhar Jet coal to the care of Misser Gyan 

 Chund at Pind Dadud Khan, to await my return to that place. 



April 7th. — Noorpoor to Jabha, 10 kos. — From Noorpoor came on 

 to Jabba, a distance of 10 kos, passing the villages of Monara, Pudral 

 and Pyle — near the latter place, the plain of the Jhelum is distinctly 

 seen, and at this point there is a sort of valley across the salt range, 

 through which a good camel road is said to exist leading to the village 

 of Kutta on the south side of the range. From Noorpoor to Pyle the 

 road is very rough, leading along hills of the flinty limestone, but from 

 Pyle to Jabba the direction is northerly, and the sandstone strata ap- 

 pears forming a more level country than to the south. At Jabba the 

 water is near the surface, and raised from wells sunk about 6 feet in the 

 ground. To the north of the place the strata seem altogether com- 

 posed of soft friable sandstones, conglomerates and clays, which dip at a 

 very small angle towards the plain of the Illaqua of Chingee, and which 

 are part of the same series as rest on the flinty limestone towards the 

 ridge of the range, and are evidently of a much more recent character. 

 They seem to be comparatively destitute of organic remains, although 

 nodules of peroxide of iron are abundant in them, and which has pro- 

 bably been accumulated around a centre of some organic matter. 



