KOTES AND QUERIES. 
69 
From these remarks, it must not be supposed that I wish, in any way, 
to detract from Mr. Mitchell's merits as an observer, — he is one of the 
most indefatigable as well as intelligent workers in that interesting field, 
the Forfarshire Old Hed Sandstone ; besides, not having seen his speci- 
mens, it would be unfair to speak too decidedly as to the correctness of 
the restorations. Mr. Mitchell has omitted to mention the locality from 
whence his specimens have been procured, so that the position of the con- 
taining rock might be ascertained. I have, however, little doubt but that 
this occupies the same horizon as that at Bridge of Allan, and that hence 
his Pteraspis is, in all probability, specifically the same as those in my pos- 
session. James Powkie, 
Reswallie, January 23r(?, 1863. 
East Coast of China. — The geology of this region was described by 
Mr. F. W. KingsmilJ, in a paper read before the Geological Society of 
Dubhn during the past year, and is printed in the last number of the 
' Dublin Quarterly Journal.' Commencing with the igneous rocks, there 
stretches, from the neighbourhood of the island of Hainan, N.N.E., to the 
Chusan Archipelago, a range of low granite mountains, from a few hun- 
dred to three thousand feet high, and in breadth from twelve to thirty 
miles. These liills form, for the most part, the coast-line, seldom receding 
more than a few miles inland. This granite, wherever it occurs, is deeply 
disintegrated, sometimes to a depth of one or two hundred feet ; wliilst 
everywhere embedded in the soft, yielding matrix, there occur nodules of 
more quartzose character, w hich have resisted the effects of time and che- 
mical change. The masses are usually of a lozenge shape, and vary in 
size from a few feet to several hundred. The original quartz veins, broken 
into fragments, still traverse the disintegrated mass ; whilst in the enclosed 
nodules concentric structure can generally be traced. In the higher 
grounds, the soft, yielding matrix has generally been removed by denuda- 
tion, leaving those pseudo-boulders perched all over the granite hills, and 
presenting an aspect not unlike the boulder-formations of more northern 
latitudes. These have led, the author says, to an error in Professor An- 
sted's 'Elementary Treatise' — namely, that the southern limit of the 
glacial drift reached as far as Macao. 
In the Quan-si, west of Canton, a gneissose rock is described. Resting 
on the granite occurs a stratified formation, most likely of Silurian age. 
It may be seen to advantage in the island of Hongkong. Over this is 
found a red sandstone, in some parts running into conglomerate. At tiie 
entrance to the West River (See-kiang) there is a dark, fine-grained, alu- 
minous schist, much used for ink-stones and carved work. Over this red 
sandstone is the great limestone formation of China — the representative, 
probably, of the carboniferous limestone. In Quan-si it contains veins of 
graphite. Near Peking, at Lu-sud-twang, occurs a bluish-yellow slate, of 
so fissile a character as to be used for covering houses. The coal-mea- 
sures succeed the limestone, the lowest member being apparently amicaceous 
sandstone, interstratified, near Peking, with compact ironstone and beds of 
ironstone. The coal-beds there are spoken of as overlaid by compact 
limestone. In the province of Chu-kiang a coal district also occurs, the 
measures probably being continuous ; in this case, the Chinese coal-fields 
may prove to be the largest in the world, and at a future period will have 
an important influence on the destinies of the East. 
The author knew of no formations of later date than the coal-measures, 
with the exception of the alluvial deposits in the great plains and perhaps 
some Secondary rocks in the island of Hainan. These plains occupy the 
greater part of China, and are everywhere intersected with canals and 
