40 



SKETCH OF THE 



sectile, with rather a greasy feel, fine grained, and containing minute 

 scales of mica. They acquire a reddish ferruginous crust on exposure 

 to the air. In other situations they are fawn-colored — in others whitish, 

 or light buff, with streaks of a purplish color,^ — in others they approach 

 to the nature of pipe-clay, with a distinct slaty structure — while in others 

 they resemble a line grained sandstone slate. In these we also observe 

 the seams, above described, which ran at right angles to the strata. 



The above series of rocks occur in strata, generally slightly inclined 

 to the S. E. and E. Sometimes, also, the strata are almost horizontal, while 

 at others they exhibit appearances of a curved or saddle-shaped stratifica- 

 tion. The hills are all low, and are topped by a rock hereafter to be 

 described. Organic remains appear to be of very rare occurrence in this 

 formation, and I have only met with one specimen from the neighbour- 

 hood of Sari. It occurred in a soft shale, somewhat resembling the 

 shales of the coal measures. The specimen in question appeared to me, 

 to be the impression of a portion of a cryptogamous plant. This plant 

 appeared originally to have been expanded in a fan-like form, with ribs 

 of about quarter of an inch in breadth, radiating from a common centre, 

 the interior or central part of these being occupied by three or four longi- 

 tudinal tubes. The diameter of this plant, or fan-like portion of a plant, 

 might have been about five and half inches. The impression appears to 

 have been covered with a thin bituminous crust, portions of which still 

 remain. Except this, I have met with no other appearance of organic 

 remains. Captain Dangerfield mentions the occurrence of impressions 

 of ferns, in a fine-grained sandstone slate, at Jiran, and it is probable 

 that the rock in which these occur is similar to the one just described. 



With regard to the age of the above formation, I am inclined to be- 

 lieve with Captain Dangerfield, that it ought to be classed with the 



