PART 1.] 
Annual Report for 1872 . 
5 
considerable time to come to publish a detailed account and map of the complicated structure 
of the hills flanking the great Himalayan range in the Punjab; and it seemed, therefore, 
desirable to give at once a brief outline and description showing the relations of the rocks 
and their general physical aspects and structure. 
For this purpose, a section close to the most frequented station in those hills, Murree 
(Mari) was taken. Dr. W. Waagen has pointed out very clearly the distinctions of the 
beds, as indicated by their fossils. Such a sketch ought to suffice as an index or guide to 
other observers in the adjoining districts. Descriptions of the mineral contents of the gneiss 
in the district of South Mirzapur are given by Mr. F. Mallet, who has pointed out the 
occurrence there of a very valuable deposit of Corundum, which is also of high interest 
from its associated minerals being identical with those occurring in America in the same 
association. 
The sandstones of the Godavari are described by Mr. B1 anford, while Mr. King, who 
took up Mr. Blanford’s work there, describes in more detail the Southern portions of this 
area near Kummummett, and shows the occurrence of coal there in quantities which will 
repay the expense of working when the field is rendered more accessible. Mr. B! an ford 
also contributes two valuable sketches of the geological structure of the Bcluchistan 
shores of the Persian Gulf, as well as a notice of Maskat and Massandim on the coast of 
Arabia. Mr. Medlicott describes in detail a very remarkable case of what appears to he 
only local jointing in some sandstones at Jabalpur, and a careful discussion of the physical 
relations of the ‘Lameta’group. Mr. Theobald has given a. notice of petroleum localities 
in Pegu, and further discussion of the relations of the ‘axial’ group in Western Prome, 
while, in addition to these more local and limited notices, a general sketch of the geology of 
Orissa, and another of the geology of the Bombay Presidency, were a'so published—both 
drawn up by Mr. Blanford. This brief enumeration of the principal contents of the 
numbers will show how much has been done to elucidate the geological structure of the parts 
of India and adjoining countries in which the officers of the Survey have been engaged. 
Of the Memoirs of tiie Geological Survey two volumes have appeared. It was 
stated in last report that these were well advanced. Both Vol. VIII and Vol. IX have 
been issued during the year just closed. In the first of these, Vol. VIII, in addition to 
brief accounts of three small, isolated, and unimportant coal-fields in Bengal, a long and 
detailed account is given of an immense area, nearly as large as England, to the north of 
Madras town, including the districts of Kurnool and Kuddapah, with maps and illustrations. 
Vol. IX includes a notice of the Peninsula of Kutch (Kach'li), a description of the geology 
of the vicinity of Nagpur, a notice of the geology of Sirban hill near Abbottabad in Punjab, 
and a brief notice of the occurrence of Ammonites in beds, in the Salt-range, containing 
other fossils universally admitted hitherto as of carboniferous age. This last is one of 
the most striking discoveries which has marked the progress of Palaeontology for many 
years. The occurrence of the Braebiopoda, Ath/ris subtilita, A. Hnunjji; P-rodueM 
costata, 1*. longispina, P. llumboldtii, in the same beds would at once be admitted as 
abundant evidence that those beds belonged to the true carboniferous group of Europe, but 
with them also occur Strophutoxia Morrisiana, which would rather indicate a Permian age. 
There is, however, no question whatever that the association of fossils points conclusively to 
a Palaeozoic epoch, whatever doubts there may be as to the exact horizon in tho 
palaeozoic series to which tho beds may belong. Now, the occurrence of a true Ammonite 
in any of the pakcozoic rooks is a fact altogether new to stratigraphical paleontology, and 
opens up a whole field of investigation of the highest interest. Tho examination in detail 
of the beautiful series of fossils obtained from the Salt-range has unfortunately been 
