1853.] A few Remarks on the Rangoon Laterite. 201 



List of Specimens of soils from Rangoon. 



Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Specimens of Laterite taken from a quarry 

 or ditch excavation at the S. E. corner of the stockade, as num- 

 bered in the section, No. 1 being the surface soil, and No. 4 the 

 exterior surface of the excavation hardened by exposure. 



Section of Quarry. 



I observed at this quarry that under a projec- 

 tion (a) where much moisture must have col- 

 lected and but little sun reached (as b) the 

 surface was much less hard than at (a) where 

 it was perfectly rock-like, and could be cut to 

 quite a smooth face if wished. 



No. 5. Laterite specimens from other spots 

 about Eangoon with pebbles, &c. imbedded. \c* 



6. Ditto ditto. V^ b 



7. A smoother and more even textured specimen, approaching 

 sandstone. Taken from a block, said to be similar to that on which 

 the Great Pagoda is situated. 



8. Nodules picked from the gravelly soil. 



9. Earth from a black stratum in the neighbourhood of the same 

 gravelly soil. 



10. Gritty sand from near Scotch Tank, in which plastic clay 

 occurs. 



11. Lump or nodule of plastic clay. 



12. Part of a thin stratum of ditto. These can be, and are used 

 as chalk, although steatite is preferred by the Burmans for writing 

 with, on prepared black tablets. 



13. Disintegrated granite (?) with much felspar— said to come 

 from near Shoe-geen on the Sitang river. 



14 Syenite, found near Ava I am told. 



2 d 



