PART 1.] 
A/uiml Report fur 1874. 
3 
Mr. Theobald continuing his researches in the upper tertiaries, flanking the north¬ 
western Himalaya, has made a rapid examination of the area lying between the Ganges and 
the Ravi. Some of his results, if confirmed by more careful investigation, are of high 
interest. He considers, apparently on good grounds, that the great mass of the Sivalik 
range on this side (east) of the Jumna river is really composed of rocks belonging not to the 
Sivalik group, but to the older and distinct Nahan group, a view in which Mr. Medlicott, who 
formerly examined this area, is disposed to concur. Trans-Sutlej, Mr. Theobald thinks he 
has established a northern limit for the Sivalik rocks along the Una dun. These are most 
interesting results, but as some of the most important palaeontological deductions depend on 
these separations of the rocks in which the fossils occur, they must only be taken for the 
present as provisional 
Further research has led him to modify the conclusions arrived at in the previous 
season regarding the pre-Sivalik age of glacial deposits, for he finds typical glacial debris 
scattered irregularly over the rocks in the typical Sivalik area. 
The collection of the very valuable fossils of these areas increases rapidly under 
Mr. Theobald’s hands, and a large number have been received, the majority of which cannot 
be opened out for want of space in the Museum here. 
Mr. A. B. Wynne commenced the examination of the Trans-Indus salt region early in 
the season. At the special request of Mr. Wynne, Dr. Warth, in charge of the Pind Dadun 
Khan Salt Mines, was deputed to accompany him, so as to form a sound practical estimate of 
the commercial value of these extensive salt deposits. Dr. Warth was unable to proceed 
with Mr. Wynne in the early part of the season, but subsequently joined him on the ground. 
This work was very well accomplished, and a brief summary of the geological results was 
at once submitted with the practical report of Dr. Warth. And this was published under 
the Eevenue Department. Before the close of the year Mr. Wynne had completed a 
detailed descriptive report with full illustrations. And this is now in the press, and I trust 
will be ready for publication without any serious delay. Besides determining the enormous 
extent of the rock-salt, the most interesting result is the confirmation, in all probability 
conclusively, of the supposed old tertiary age of the rock-salt. This idea which had been 
arrived at during a cursory and preliminary examination in previous years was borne out 
by the careful and detailed investigation of the past season. No rock older than the salt 
lias yet been noticed, and this salt seems to be intercalated with the lower beds or almost 
the base of the nummulitic rocks. 
During the recess Mr. Wynne was also engaged in revising, and to a considerable extent 
rewriting, the report on the Salt-range. At the opening of the present season he took the 
field with the object of working up the country lying between the Salt-range and the 
Kashmir boundary to the north, and is now engaged in this area. He has sent in a good 
collection of fossils from the newer tertiary beds of that region, and also some from the small 
ridge of the Kharian or Pabbi hills on the east of the Jhelum river. 
Mr. King, though unavoidably late in taking the field, in consequence of being detained 
at Vienna, lias made, during the season, good progress in following up the interesting ques¬ 
tions to which reference was made in the report of last year. He establishes three zones in 
the Rajmehal series: the uppermost characterized by a marine fauna recognized by 
Dr. F. Stoliczka as corresponding to his ‘ Oomia’ beds in Kachh ; a middle zone also con¬ 
taining marine fossils of somewhat different form from the preceding, and a lower zone with 
well marked Rajmehal plants. This last is found to be closely superimposed, but with 
general unconformity, upon beds containing plant remains belonging to the Kampti-Damuda 
flora, thus leaving little or no room for the zones which elsewhere are thought to intervene 
