1849.] Trip to Pind Badud Khan and the Salt Range. 689 



April \6th. — Kalibag. — Sunday. 



April 17th. — Ditto. — Unable to go out in consequence of heavy 

 rain. Iron is manufactured about 30 miles to the W. in the hills at 

 a place called Kamgoorum. Wood charcoal is used for the fusion of 

 the ore. The iron is brought to Kalibag in coarse lumps of pig iron, 

 and is of very inferior quality. 



April 18th. — Kalibag. — Visited the alum shale locality of Cheetah 

 in hopes of discovering a seam of lignite, but was unsuccessful, the 

 coaly matter being generally disseminated through the shales. In a 

 calcareous blue clay interlaminated with the shales, fossils are abundant, 

 as well as in the calcareous strata above and below these. 



Petroleum is found at a place called Jabbee, on the S. of Indus, 7 

 kos from Kalibag, among the hills. It exudes from the rocks and 

 floats on the surface of water, where it is collected in quantity, and 

 burned by the natives around in place of oil in their lamps. It is 

 known under the name of Gunduk ka tal. From the description of 

 the locality where it is found, we infer it exudes from the neighbourhood 

 of alum shales, and is probably the result of the spontaneous combus- 

 tion of these strata, during which it exudes to the surface along with 

 watery vapour. It is of a dark brownish colour, the most penetrating 

 smell and burns with a yellow and smoky flame. Its medicinal properties 

 do not seem to be known to the natives, who use it only as a source of 

 light in their lamps. At Jabbee salphur is also found in small quan- 

 tity. 



April 1 9 th. — Kalibag to Gurree, 8 kos. — Left Kalibag and crossed 

 the Indus, after which came on to Gurree, the road running S. S. E. 

 parallel with the salt range, and about 2 miles from its base, through a 

 jungly country of little interest. In the district there is a great scarcity 

 of water, this article being only found around the villages, the principal 

 of which is Daukhail, 3 kos from Kalibag. At Gurree there are two 

 wells, but only one yields water fit for drinking ; the water is reached at 

 20 feet from surface, and hence a large supply might be procured were 

 more wells dug. 



At Tuttee, a small village 3 miles from Gurree, the Jumsau used in 

 the preparation of alum, is procured. An efflorescence is scraped from 

 the surface of the ground in the jungle around, its soluble part dis- 

 solved by water, and the solution dried up in the sun in gurrahs, is what 



4 u 



