Page:Madras Journal of Literature and Science, series 1, volume 6 (1837).djvu/452

424 of the mountains as far as the eye can reach, and proved to be the remains of a former talus, from the fact of the summits of some of them being composed of coarse pebbles and boulders.

The acclivity of the Kossia mountains facing these knolls, may, without any great inaccuracy be divided into three stages. The first a rugged, but gentle slope to the height of about 1500 feet; the second precipices, and the third a succession of summits. Extending along the top of the first stage, and at the base of the second, I found the well marked remains of a raised beach, characterised by a deposite of marine shells, twenty-five species of which, I have identified with an equal number of species comprised in a small collection of fossils from the Paris Basin, presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal by Mr. Christie. The smallness of Mr. Christie's collection, consisting only of about 150 species, prevents me at present from establishing perhaps, a much more extensive agreement between the tertiary remains of these two remote localities.

Descending at another point, ten miles to the westward of this situation, I found at about the same altitude, a continuation of the line of organic remains; but the fossils were here grouped together in distinct families, as is observed to be the case in the subappennine deposites. I have procured sufficient materials from these beds to enable me to establish their nature, as soon as I am provided with the means of comparing them with the fossils of other tertiary groups which have been examined in Europe.

Without dwelling farther at present on the geology of the Kossia mountains, I shall merely observe that their agricultural character appears to improve much after crossing the valley of the Boga-pany. Previous to that, the surface being composed of horizontal strata, is barren, and without soil except in ravines; but at Muflong, where the rocks become inclined, a fine rich soil is abundantly retained on their surface, while the ravines afford an iron sand, in more than sufficient quantity for all the purposes for which the metal is required in the neighbouring country; but the ore is not found in sufficient quantity to render it an object of that importance, which it otherwise would be, in the vicinity of such extensive repositories of coal as here occur.

Should it be thought desirable to give the tea plant a trial in the Kossia mountains, I would recommend a situation at the western extremity of the valley of Myrung, where the soil is derived from a granular foliated felspar, very similar to the rock that affords some of those tea soils, which have been collected in China.

But for the circumstances of the raised beach, as well as of the dis-