58 
ME.  HOENEE  ON  THE  ALLUVIAL  LAND  OE  EGYPT. 
Section  of  the  first  Shaft  and  de&pest  boring  at  the  Statue  q/’EAiiESSES  II. 
Layer*. 
Thickness  of 
layer  f. 
Depth  of  the 
bottom  of  the 
layer  from  the 
surface  of  the 
ground. 
Nature  of  the  soils. 
I. 
inches. 
7-875 
inches. 
The  surface  layer  at  the  superior  ridge  of  the  excavation,  a brown  sandy 
II. 
23-625 
31-500 
argillaceous  earth,  with  a mixture  of  white  sand,  and  small  fragments 
of  limestone  and  burnt  brick.  It  closely  resembles  the  standard  i 
specimen  E,  described  in  Part  I.  of  this  Memoir,  page  127. 
Undistinguishable  from  I.,  except  in  being  of  a lighter  colour. 
III. 
15-750 
47-250 
Scarcely  distinguishable  from  L,  except  in  being  more  indurated,  like 
IV. 
31-500 
78-750 
dried  clay,  and  containing  fragments  of  pottery. 
Similar  in  all  respects  to  III. 
V. 
35-375 
114-125 
Scarcely  distinguishable  from  II.  and  III. 
VI. 
27-520 
141-645 
Almost  identical  with  V.,  with  fragments  of  limestone  and  brick. 
VII. 
15-730 
157-375 
Very  similar  to  III.  and  VI.,  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick. 
VIII. 
39-375 
196-750 
Nearly  identical  with  VII. 
Boring  layers. 
IX. 
8-000 
204-75 
16  feet,  4f  inches.  Filtration  water,  4 August,  1852. 
Light  brown  sandy  argillaceous  earth,  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick. 
X. 
48-000 
252-75 
Dark  brown  argillaceous  earth,  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick  and  parti- 
XI. 
48-000 
300-75 
cles  of  pottery. 
Similar  to  X.,  with  fragments  of  limestone. 
XII. 
24-000 
324-75 
Similar  to  X.,  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick  and  pottery. 
XIII. 
12-000 
336-75 
Similar  to  IX.,  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick,  pottery  and  limestone. 
XIV. 
12-000 
348-75 
A mixture  of  IX.  and  transparent  quartzose  sand. 
XV. 
12-000 
360-75 
Similar  to  XIV.,  but  the  earth  of  a lighter  colour. 
XVL 
24-000 
384-75 
Shining  black  sand,  composed  of  rounded  and  crystalline  grains  of 
XVII. 
12-000 
396-75 
magnetic  iron,  and  a few  round  grains  of  transparent  quartz. 
Same  as  preceding,  with  a mixture  of  argillaceous  earth. 
XVIII. 
12-000 
408-75 
Same  as  XVI. 
XIX. 
12-000 
470-75 
Same  as  XVII. 
XX. 
12-000 
432-75 
Same  as  XVII.,  with  darker-coloured  argillaceous  earth. 
XXI. 
24-000 
456-75 
Same  as  XX.,  but  with  fragments  of  burnt  brick  and  pottery. 
XXII. 
24-000 
480-75 
Same  as  XVI. 
1 
40  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  from  about  2 feet  8 inches  from  the  surface,  indeed  almost 
from  the  present  surface  of  the  ground,  to  the  depth  of  30  feet,  there  is  very  little 
difference  in  the  nature  of  the  soils.  All  the  specimens  sent  to  me  consist  of  a sandy 
argillaceous  earth  or  loam,  of  various  shades  of  colour,  from  dai’k  to  light  bro^vn,  differ- 
ing somewhat  in  texture,  some  friable,  some  having  more  the  character  of  clay,  and 
some  hardened  into  concretions. 
Throughout  this  excavation  and  shaft,  various  objects  of  art  and  some  bones  of 
domestic  animals  were  met  with ; the  former  of  these  may,  at  first  sight,  appear  foreign 
to  a geological  treatise,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  object  of  this  inquiry  has 
been  to  endeavour  to  trace  back  the  history  of  the  formation  of  the  alluvial  land  from 
the  present  time,  and  therefore  they  have  a bearing  upon  the  question  of  the  gradual 
* By  the  term  “ layer”  is  to  he  understood  merely  certain  distinctions  adopted  by  Hekekxan  Bet,  founded, 
in  the  case  of  the  argillaceous  earths,  chiefly  on  differences  of  colour,  and  partly  on  admixtures  of  sand. 
t The  measurements  in  English  inches,  in  this  and  other  sections,  are  those  given  bj''  Hekektax  Bet  ; 
the  minute  decimals  arising  from  his  conversions  of  Erench  metres  into  our  measures. 
