390 



GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE. 



or west of us, about five miles from the shore, oppo- 

 site which the coast curved in a little, and one or 

 two narrow but fertile-looking valleys came down 

 from among the hills, and opened out upon the sea. 

 Cocoa-nuts and other palm-trees were visible on the 

 lower grounds, or crowning some of the small crags 

 and promontories, and the scenery of these valleys 

 seemed very beautiful. A prahu came out from 

 the shore behind the island, and proceeded on a 

 wind towards the east-ward. 



Although the hills were so rugged and broken, 

 the rocks of which they were composed ap- 

 peared to be regularly stratified, and to lie in a 

 nearly horizontal position. All the beds exposed 

 were of a white colour, and seemed thick and homo- 

 geneous. They were plainly visible in the face of 

 the precipices, both at the base and at the summit 

 of the hills, and must form a very thick mass, not 

 less indeed than 2,000 feet.* As we proceeded 

 alongshore a mass of hills of a much greater eleva- 

 tion became dimly visible through the clouds to- 

 wards the N.W., in the interior of the island. In 

 the afternoon, after passing the lofty little island, 

 the base of which was fringed hero and there with 

 cocoa-nuts, we found another flat sandy island be- 

 yond it, covered with low bushes, and surrounded 

 by a reef, apparently of coral,with a ring of breakers. 



* Beds of a similar appearance I afterwards saw in the island 

 of Madura, and found them to be a white limestone, composed 

 chiefly of coral detritus. 



