246 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 



plane, rising very slowly westward from the delta of the Can very 

 or the sea board. It is only on the western part that the surface is 

 broken by a few low but steep hills rising in the gneissic area and 

 by the lines of scarp corresponding generally with the western 

 boundary of the lateritic formations, which occupy by far the 

 greater part of the country now under consideration. The district 

 is poor in economic minerals. In the extreme North-western Punjab 

 Mr. "Wynne made a preliminary examination of some new ground in 

 Hazara, having been prevented by difficulties on the frontier from 

 following the formation of the Salt range across the Indus into 

 Bannu as had been proposed. He made a useful reconnaissance 

 of the ground and defined the limits of the crystalline rocks forming 

 the higher mountains. One general inference was that the gneiss of 

 Hazara is much newer than the central gneiss of the Himalayas. 

 Mr. Lydekker's work in the rT.W. Himalayas was much hindered 

 by the famine in Kashmir, so he spent the season in the mountains 

 of Dras and Tilail where he described some important sections 

 of the sedimentary rocks. Colonel McMahon also made some 

 noteworthy observations in the Central Himalayan districts to the 

 north of the Simla region of the Lower Himalayas, on the relation 

 of the limestone, and slate series of the latter range to the central 

 gneiss. Mr. Theobald made large additions during the same season 

 to the collections of Siwalik fauna, the results of which are recorded 

 in Mr. Lydekker's papers in the Records and the " Palteontologia 

 Indica." 



Mr. Mallet was deputed to report upon some coal seams in Ramri 

 Island, which had been reported by the Commissioner of Akyab. 

 Mr. Mallet could not form a favourable opinion of the practical 

 value of these measures ; the coal is inferior to that of Bengal, and 

 the measures are greatly disturbed and would be difficult to 

 work. Specimens of a very different coal, a bright jetty lignite, 

 were forwarded by the Commissioner from the Baranga islands. 

 Mr. Medlicott also made a short trip to the North West Provinces 

 to serve on a committee appointed for investigating into the causes 

 of deterioration of land by reh or efflorescence in the Aligarh 

 district. His notes were published in the report of the committee. 



Two large parts of the Palreontologia Indica were issued during 

 the year, one by "Dr. Feistmantel on the flora of the Jabalpur group, 

 containing 14 plates, and one by Mr. Lydekker on the crania of 

 fossil ruminants, containing 18 plates. By order of Government 



