92 REMARKS ON THE 



rugged, and, though the hills with which it was studded were still low, 

 the scene was rocky and wild in the extreme. The hackery road, which 

 is tolerably good, passes through a narrow Ghat, I proceeded myself by 

 a higher route, winding along the edge of the ravines with which the 

 country was intersected, and passing over the tops of the hills. The 

 rocks were every where observed at the surface, and the almost perpen- 

 dicular sides of the ravines presented to the view excellent sections of 

 the strata. We encamped on an elevated plain surrounded by ranges of 

 low ridge-shaped hills. Since leaving Birpur, we have been gradually 

 ascending, and the ascent of the last six miles has been much greater than 

 usual. The rocks observed were different modifications of quartz, varying 

 in color from pure white to a very dark brown. The pure white variety 

 has not yet been seen regularly stratified, beds of it, however, alternate 

 with other rocks, and these beds are traversed in every direction by seams 

 and cracks, and have the appearance of being made up of a congeries of 

 detached masses, varying in size from two or three inches to a foot in dia- 

 meter, and closely connected together. The colored varieties are distinct- 

 ly stratified and are arranged in parallel layers, varying from an inch to 

 a foot in thickness. Their color depends on an admixture of the rocks 

 with which they are associated, sometimes in very small proportion, and 

 at others the proportion is considerable, many of them, too, derive their 

 color from iron — the dark brown variety is a ferruginous quartz, very rich 

 in this metal. Iron appears to be an abundant production in the country 

 we have been describing, and several pretty good specimens of the magnetic 

 iron ore presented themselves. The above quartz rocks were seen alter- 

 nating with clay slates — in some situations soft and friable, in others 

 quartzose — and chlorite slate. The chlorite slate was first seen three or 

 four miles distant from Pit. About half way between the last mention- 

 ed place and Ghdtah, we passed a small hill composed of serpentine. 

 It was not stratified. The bed in which it occurred appeared, as far as 



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