352 
Report on a Route across 
[No. 4, 
recfcness of the survey of the Pakchan (hereto annexed) said to have 
been executed by an Officer of the “ Ganges” Steamer, which some 
fifteen years ago, was employed in conveying Captain Durand on an 
expedition up this river to settle a boundary question. Anchored 
for the night; arrived next day at noon on board the “ Nemesis.” 
15On the route from Krau to Tsoompeon we were struck 
with a remarkable change of geological features. We had observed, 
as we emerged on the plains of Tsoo?npeon, very marked looking 
abrupt hills, which, being accustomed to such in the limestone Islands 
of the Mergui Archipelago, we concluded were of the same group, 
but on closer examination they turned out to be sedimentary 
rocks of either the secondary or primary series, Captain Forlong 
inclines to think the latter, and to be closely allied to the old red 
sandstone group, the dip was N. E. by N. We were unable to collect 
specimens worthy of being forwarded. All the Islands of the gulf, 
that we could see, seemed of the same formation, worn into smooth 
rounded tops, but with perpendicular sides, some of the layers were as 
fine as thread, although generally half an inch thick,* all abounded 
in pebbles, and what Captain Forlong believes to be minute fossils. 
The rocks across the pass were mostly a quartzose sandstone. 
16. It seemed, from our survey of the route, so manifest that 
a communication might be established with little comparative ex¬ 
pense across this narrow neck of land, thus connecting the Bay of 
Bengal with the China sea by a route which would avoid the long, 
dangerous, and circuitous passage by the Straits of Malacca, that 
we thought it worth while to enter into a few calculations by which 
might be shown in figures the comparative advantages of the two 
routes. The following is the result, one which, to our minds, 
makes a further examination of the Isthmus of Krau worthy of 
immediate consideration by our Government in communication 
with that of Siam, as likely to prove of advantage to each, and 
of enormous value to commerce and the travelling world in general. 
It would relieve the commercial world to a great extent of the 
enormous steam charges which keep up the prices of the goods which 
form the staples of trade between Europe, India and China, and 
which render travelling almost prohibited, and it would open up 
a new and interesting country to the geologist and the botanist, 
[* Sic ex covject . The copy received lias \ “ thick. Eds.] 
