which alternates with the quartzy-sandstone, often becomes a distinct grey-wacke, consisting of a greyish green base, with numerous angular fragments of clay-slate imbedded. No such appearances could be observed in the slates which alternate with the Mussooree limestone, and this circumstance, coupled with that of superposition, seems to mark the quartzy-sandstone as the newest formation of the two.

To the north of the Agilwar, we passed over one more ridge of apparently similar composition to the one just described, and then descended into the valley of the Ganges. This valley, where we came upon it, is full a mile broad, and exhibits at different heights, say from 2 to 300 feet above the present level of the stream, flat terraces of gravel, containing boulders, from the size of a pumpkin downwards, perfectly similar to what form the present bed of the river. These appearances continue all the way to its source. In the bed of the river and the precipitous banks that enclose it, we found strata of blue slate, hard and splitting into large plates, uniform in colour and general character, and inclined at a considerable angle to the N. E.—a slate widely different from the soft and parti-coloured varieties, that alternate with the limestone of Mussooree. As we advanced northwards, where our road led us to a considerable height above the river, we met again with a limestone and slate similar to that at Mussooree, and the overlying quartzy-sandstone, apparently capping all the heights in the neighbourhood. At the end of our second day's march along the course of the river, the quartzy-sandstone had become the predominant rock, and the slate had nearly disappeared, being only found in the lowest ground opposite Ballahaut. The line of junction of the two was seen only a few feet above the level of the river. Somewhat before this, the slate had partly assumed the character of talc-slate, having a faint glimmering lustre, and a soapy feel. Beyond Ballahaut we continued travelling near the line of junction of the two formations, the slate gradually passing into a perfect talc slate, and the quartzy-sandstone becoming rather more crystalline than before. Perhaps the name of quartz rock might be more appropriate to it, though it still exhibits in some places traces of round grains agglutinated together. About Batwaree, two marches in advance of Ballahaut, the quartzy-sandstone ceases on the low ground and the slate contains a mixture of quartzy and felspar, forming a talcose gneiss, with hornblende occasionally intermixed. Traces of the quartzy-sandstone yet remain upon the cliffs above for some miles farther to the north, where a gradual passage of it may be observed into the talcose gneiss. We found this talcose gneiss for two marches further to the north, containing, however, at times a

good deal of mica, and, rarely, garnets. The valley in which the river flowed had become narrower day by day, and was now nothing but a channel of the breadth of the water course, from which cliffs nearly perpendicular rose, on either side, to the height of several thousand feet, shewing a section of the different beds from the top to the bottom. The rock was evidently approximating to a real gneiss, but it was not until the third day's march from Butwaree, between Daugal Dhurmsala and the village of Sookee, that a gneiss and mica slate formation appeared in its usual features of grandeur, and with its usually-accompanying minerals. Here the river flows in a cut through a ridge, which to the west forms the snowy peaks from which the Jumna takes its rise, and continuing to the east, always above the line of forest, and often far above that of perpetual snow, runs to the south of the temple at Gungotree. Bare precipices, thousands of feet in height, and pinnacles thrust into the sky-those characteristic pinnacles which in other countries have received the names of horns, spids, and aiguilles, and here are called by a term of similar import, kantas, present themselves prominently to our view-and as we climb over the ruins below, among blocks bigger than houses, by the side of which the foaming river runs, we find a well-defined gneiss and mica slate, with kyanite and garnet imbedded. A thin stratum of coarse-grained snow-white marble was also seen. On approaching the village of Sookee, white layers and veins were seen in the cliffs that overhung us. They were composed of a coarsegrained granite, containing crystals of black tourmaline imbedded. This granite is seen in the mass a short distance further on, where the river takes a sharp turn to the eastward towards Diláree. Here the precipices on the northern bank were composed of mica slate overlaid by a rock, the rounded outlines and bare ruggedness of which indicated granite. About a mile beyond Diláree the line of junction changes from the horizontal to the vertical. Both rocks may be traced in contact for several hundred feet upwards, but the slate does not appear to have been at all disturbed by contiguity of the granite. The dip is here, as it has been throughout the whole of our journey, between N. and E., with little or no variation. We met with granite further on, all the way to Gungotree-granite often having mica rarely, and acicular crystals of black schorl abundantly imbedded. Yet, besides the ridge of snowy "aiguilles," which runs three or four miles to the south of us, and peers everywhere above the intermediate rocks, another similar one is seen to the north of us, which meets the first at an acute angle, a short distance beyond the temple at Gungotree. Both these ridges, from their peculiar outlines, must be

of mica slate, or gneiss. We find too on our way masses of slate several feet accross lying in the granite, and pieces again of the size of a brick, as if they had been imbedded in it in a state of semifusion, so as to form an irregular gneiss. But these appearances are only partial. This granite appears to range in nearly an east and west line. We have crossed three different masses of trap on our journey, besides the diallage rock, I mentioned, to the west of Mussooree, viz. one on the ridge before descending into the valley of the Gauges, and two others in the clay-slate, and talc slate. We could not, in either case, trace their connection with the surrounding rock: but we probably crossed them at nearly a right angle, and, if so, their ranges must approach to a parallel with that of the granite. They had all the characters of a common greenstone. From Gungotree to Diláree, the river runs through a gloomy chasm in the granite; the branch from Gungotree has rather a dingy hue, but the northern one called the Melung, that comes from Tartary, is, indeed, a beautiful water— as blue as the Rhone when it issues from the lake of Geneva. As the stream becomes larger below Sookee, it is a grand and singular object-with a body of water as great as that at the falls of Schaffhausen, perhaps much greater, it preserved the appearance of a mountain brook during the whole of the time we saw it. There is no perpendicular fall, but the slope is so great that it tumbles and foams over the rocks for the entire distance.

To recapitulate the rocks observed in the order of succession, they are-1, granite; 2, gneiss and mica slate; 3, talcose gneiss and talc-slate; 4, clay-slate; 5, Mussooree limestone; 6, quartzrock, or rather quartzy-sandstone, and grey wacke slate.

The relative position of these two last, however, needs farther investigation, for there are undoubtedly seams of quartzy-sandstone alternating with the Mussooree formation; one in particular, several feet in thickness, may be observed near the bottom of the hill, just above the village of Rájpoor.

V.-Note on the Fossil Camel of the Sub-Himalayas. By Lieut. W. E. BAKER, Engineers.

With reference to a doubt expressed in your Journal for September, the specimens of "Camelida" now in our possession, will, I hope, be sufficient to establish the existence of that genus in the fossil state.

They are: A cranium, with portions of both rows of upper molars, shewing also the occipital and parietal bones, so peculiar in the camel.

A fragment of upper jaw with molars.

Two fragments of lower jaw with molars.

The upper and lower extremities of a metacarpal bone (the central piece wanting).

The lower extremity of a radius.

In the above specimens, I have been unable to detect any point of difference from the camel of the country, with which also they appear to correspond in size. The cranium, however, has not yet been cleared from the matrix, which may conceal some distinctive mark.

The existence of fossil Capride, (in which I include antelopes,) is established by numerous specimens of teeth and jaws, and several heads, more or less perfect; these, with the Cervida and Bos, nearly complete the known varieties of ruminant of the larger unknown genera: we have yet much to learn.

I have lately seen a nearly perfect fore-leg (consisting of the humerus, radius, cubitus, carpus, metacarpus, and one phalanx), of a ruminant which must have united the height of the camel with the proportions of the bos, judging from the great excess in length of radius compared with that of the humerus and metacarpal bone. Of a similar animal we possess chains of vertebræ, cervical and lumbar, at present buried in matrix; should their clearance determine any interesting point, I shall not fail to communicate it.

Of rhinoceros remains, we have now a plentiful and most interesting collection, comprising, besides teeth, heads, &c., more numerous perfect bones than of any other animal.

Our latest acquisitions are teeth and jaws of the porcupine and rat, several fragments of fish with their scales beautifully perfect, and a small species of felis about the size of the jungle cat.

P. S. Your fig. 19, Pl. XXXIII. vol. iv. appears to me the upper articulating surface of an axis of horse or camel, whether the former or latter might be judged by the size.

I make this guess, from the appearance of the angle with which the pivot rises out of the flat articulating surface.

In the bullock, antelopes, goat, sheep, and stag, the rise is nearly perpendicular in the horse or camel, it has a concave shape. Fig. 19, is apparently much interwoven; the axis which I have supposed may belong to the elk*, is not in its proportions similar to the corresponding bone of the camel, but belongs to an animal with a shorter and thicker neck.

* See plate XLIV. and page 506.

VI.-Examination of a Mineral Exudation from Ghazní. By H. PIDDINGTON, Esq.

[Among the specimens of minerals and drugs received from SYED KERAʼMAT ALI, and collected by him while on Government employ in Cábul, as noticed in the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, 7th October, 1835, a bottle containing a mineral exudation from Ghazní excited attention; it was labelled by Lieutenant CONOLLY,

"Rock Chetny which, according to the Syed's informant, oozes out of a fissure in a rock at Ghizni. Native appellation Mumia? A. C." Having placed this in Mr. PIDDINGTON's hands for chemical analysis, we now hasten to publish the account he has been so kind as to draw up of the results of his examination.-E.]

I-Description. An unctious, viscid mass, semi-transparent, of a dirty light-brown colour, interspersed with small dark-brown and black specks; and mixed with angular fragments of calcareous rock, varying from the size of a lentil to that of a horse-bean.

The smell faint and sickly, and very peculiar. The taste pungent ; when diluted with water sickly.

II.-Tests. 1. Solution in cold distilled water is turbid and clogs the filter; does not affect litmus or turmeric papers..

2. When boiled the same. The residue contained calcareous stones with a little siliceous matter, and a coarse bran-like powder, which when freed from the calcareous matter by dilute muriatic acid, proved to be the remains of half decomposed dung; evidently, by comparison with fresh dung, that of birds, and probably of pigeons or bats, &c. I recognised in it minute fragments of straw, pith, shells of seeds, &c. The brown and black specks were minute seeds, quite perfect, or fragments of a carbonaceous looking crust,

3. Boiled in highly rectified alcohol, silky crystals were left in the mass, which was now tough and pasty: these crystals were nitrate of soda. The alcohol evaporated was found to yield nearly pure nitrate of lime, mixed with a little fatty and very fœtid animal matter. 4. The solutions were tested by—

Oxalate of ammonia, giving plentiful precipitate. Lime.