210 
On the Sandstone of India. 
[July, 
the primitive rocks at Jelelpur. As far as the Bundain hills, the sandstone did 
not appear to differ from what he had seen before ; but when he came upon the 
Kymar range of hills, (the next to the primitive rocks,) he found it “composed 
of siliceous gritstone, which evidently passes under the sandstone of the Bundain 
hills and in his paper in the Geological Transactions, he gives some important 
additional information, that “ it is composed of quartz rock, varying to siliceons 
grit, and the strata are nearly perpendicular.” So much for the horizontal 
stratification. To the west, near Googri, these strata are “ intermixed with clay- 
slate and schistose limestone.” 
Captain Coulthard, who has likewise published a Map of this part of the 
country, has coloured this as transition ; but whether from any further evidence, 
than the approach to quartz rock, and the highly-inclined stratification, he does 
not state. According to such a mode of reasoning, the “ New Red” is sure 
always to be horizontal ; because the moment the angle becomes inclined, it is 
declared to be a different rock. 
I have looked at Captain Franklin’s section in vain for any marks of stratifi- 
cation in the sandstone ; hut he states, that at the Bonti cataract, it resembles 
quartz rock, which indicates the granite to be near. 
In another paper which he has written on “ the Diamond mines of Panna,” w 
the same formation, a resemblance to quartz rock is also stated to exist in the 
lower beds, at the Bagin waterfall ; “ and in all the glens, particularly in that of 
the Bagin river, black bituminous shale crops out from beneath the sandstone. , 
Further to the west, at Sabigerh, “ black bituminous shale rises to the surface, 
which would seem to imply either that the strata rise to that quarter, or if the) 
remain horizontal, that this bituminous shale bed has failed, as we advance 
eastwards. This distinction is of some importance, and it is a pity that the 
fact has not been well ascertained. 
It will perhaps be asked, if these reasonings are thought inconclusive, by what 
means is it possible to distinguish the New Red Sandstone ? If we look back a 
little at the history of the question in England, it will shew us. 
In the earlier stages of English Geology, the position of the coal, with respect to 
the sandstone , was not clearly ascertained. In some places this last was said to 
overlie, in others to underlie the first. Now, as what are called the coal strata, 
are themselves composed of sandstone , and shale beds, alternating with beds of c° ' 
and each of these beds are variable in thickness, the mere position of a g' rc3t 
thickness of sandstone , either above or below the coal, would hardly entitle it 
the character of a separate formation. It might be said, on the other hand, 
this sandstone was only the upper or lower bed of the coal grits, somewhat more 
developed than usual that the coal had failed towards the upper or lower 
of the series, a fact common to all alternating beds. But it was observed, 
with the lower beds of coal alternated a fourth member, viz. a limestone ; that 
the coal failed the limestone beds gradually increased, forming sometimes “o 
mountains, either of the limestone itself or of limestone and shale interstrati j 
and distinguished as well by their minerals, as by their organic remains ; an ^ 
there was usually a considerable thickness of this limestone between the c° a 
lower sandstone. Viewing then the whole as a series of beds of sandstone, hm ^ 
shale, and coal, represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, the series wou 
thus. 
1 predominating, with 3, towards the upper end 2, rare. — Old Red ^ W ^ ouBta in 
2 predominating alone, or with 3 — I rare — 4 beginning to app ear ‘"” 
limestone. 
