43 
Letter from the Himmalaya. 
[Feb. 
The primitive rocks or strata, are such as do not contain in themselves, nor rest 
upon any beds which contain organic impressions, and they were hence considered 
as having been formed previously to the existence of animals or vegetable life. 
They consist of granite, gneiss, mica slate, clay slate, primitive limestone, sienite y 
hornblende rock, and some of the porphyries. 
The tr ansition rocks extend from the beds of clay slate where organic impressions 
are first formed, to the old red sandstone or grauwacfce of the Germans, or to our 
mountain limestone, which lies immediately under the coal formation. Others make 
it extend to the coal inclusive : this difference arises from the coal beds in Germany 
being unconformable to the strata on which they rest, which makes them be con- 
sidered as the commencement of a new formation, whilst in England they are con- 
formable to the transition. 
The secondary rocks extend from the last mentioned point, up to the chalk, 
inclusive. 
Tertiary is the term now generally given to the beds above the chalk : these ex- 
tend from the chalk to the uppermost compact strata. Above these lie beds of 
detritus, gravel, sand, &c. &c., such as we now see forming in vallies or at the 
mouths of rivers, from the matter brought down by them, which latter beds are 
termed alluvial ; but since the former often cover the tops of hills and elevated 
ground, and seem to have been occasioned by some extensively acting cause which 
has ceased, they are termed diluvial. 
Di luvial beds, as above mentioned, consist of detritus : they have been formed pre- 
viot sly to the excavations of the present vallies : in them are found the bones of ani- 
mals not mineralized, but of species distinct from any now inhabiting the surface 
of the earth, though sufficiently near to he referred to the same genera, particu- 
larly of the elephant and hyppopotamus. Above these, beds, as has been already 
mentioned, come the alluvial beds. The formation of these is still in progress, from 
the decomposition of mud and gravel at deltas and in other situations. An advantage 
from the above divisions in the nomenclature which it introduces, is that it at once 
gives the mineralogical name of the rock, and refers to its place in tlie series which 
is its geological or geognostic position, as a primitive limestone or granite, transi- 
tion, &c. &c. 
An eminent geologist has lately endeavoured to introduce a new nomenclature of 
rocks, which refers only' to their geological position, so that the same rock as gra- 
nite and gneiss, if found in one point in the series, lias a quite different name from 
what it would have in another; but this does not seem likely to become general. 
II * — Letter from the Himmalaya. 
The following letter was written by a friend several years ago. Although the 
topics it touches on have all been previously brought before the public, yet, as there 
aie many of them new to the generality of our readers, we have thought they would 
n °«« t unwddl £ *° see them treated in a familiar and interesting manner. 
I have before remarked that several very eminent snowy peaks are called kylns, 
by the mountaineers, one of which is near the Mansarowa lake; another a very 
magnificent three peaked mountain I saw and nearly approached to in Kunaur up 
ie bedof the Sutlej in 1818 ; its base is washed by that great river, where it leaves tbe 
broken plains of Shot or Tartary, and enters the Himmalaya : but there is one kylat 
e ebrated in the extravagant legends and fabulous mythological stories of the 
inr oos, which may perhaps be grounded on geographical facts, though much obscur- 
InfTfT' lh \ S or ? ait ? sa > is Supposed, by them, to be the chosen 01 ym- 
tar a °L^ lade ° and - 1IS h l eaveal 7 choir > where they sing, dance, dally, and drink n?c- 
much in their fashion. There, according to them, 
m ure . t] .„ attl,e f ® et of three peaks, and clad in snow, and lofty beyond all human 
stones if ! r 7 " lu ] mng 7 ,th S° kl > diamonds, and all manner of precious 
now at mix bt tbe d A n / 0n - tade 18 foundedon any matter of fact, the place* we ar< 
reducing his altitudes^ in and Mahadeo’s votaries will not thank us foi 
Gangntri was t dpmn t a °7 ot Hindoos were of opinion, that the earthquake al 
we attempted rSfr of , hls displeasure at our prying into his secrets; ba< 
as it conlri t l e , iem that it was onlv his method of giving us welcome] 
s. n “Crm„ e „rSd, d v ! r receive "’ ithout n ° ise »■«> «&»*«, 
Gangotri, i as ™d ™ o Id rI ! ’l" 5 ' P?7 er over Britons - When ™ «mrned t, 
s I> assured an old Bramm whom I left here, that I had seen Mahadeo. In- 
