276 Report on the Geological Structure of the Salt Range. [No. 3. 



the oolitic shales at Musakhail, in the Chichalee Eange we detected 

 several thin beds of it, none of which exceeded 1^ or 2 inches in 

 thickness. 



It is of a dark grey colour and has a high specific gravity. 



It dissolves with slight effervescence in aqua regia, leaving a con- 

 siderable residue of dark mud. The solution is of a dark yellow 

 colour and gives with ammonia a dense brown precipitate of peroxide 

 of iron mixed with a little alumina. 



It is therefore analogous to the block hard ironstone of Scotland, 

 which, occurring as it does in connection with coal, is perhaps one of 

 the most valuable iron ores known. 



It would be interesting to ascertaiu if this ore is ever used at 

 Kuneegoornul by the Wuzeerees, to yield the iron manufactured 

 there, and which is brought into Kalibagh for sale in lumps of very 

 coarse pig iron. We believe haematite ore is chiefly employed, but from 

 what rock it is procured, we could obtain no information. Charcoal is 

 used for the smelting of the ore, no other fuel being accessible. 



The beds of clay ironstone above noticed are too small to be of 

 much practical importance, and, even did thicker beds exist, the want 

 of a suitable fuel for the fusion of the ore, would prevent its being 

 smelted at any thing like a remunerative rate. 



In the lower argillaceous sandstone beds of this formation, we 

 obtained at Moosakhail and also in the neighbourhood of Kalibagh 

 very perfect carbonaceous impressions of the delicate fronds of a 

 small fern, probably a species of Pecoptaris. These were associated 

 with small pieces of brown coal, which are evidently the compressed 

 stems of soft vegetables. Their remains, however, were too indis- 

 tinct to admit of their being identified. The masses of jet described 

 as Kalibagh coal present on fracture a woody structure similar to that 

 of the wood of Coniferae or Cycadaceae, numerous concentric circles 

 of growth pierced by medullary plates being apparent in most speci- 

 mens. Some Peeteus, Ostreae, Terebratulae and fragments of Echi- 

 nidae occur in the limestones, in the upper beds of which a few 

 belemnites were detected. 



These latter however abound in the shales and green sandstones 

 which succeed the limestone, and are associated with Ammonites, 

 Grypheae, Plagiostoma and saurian remains. 



