Page:Notes of a journey across the Isthmus of Krà.pdf/44

 of some 200 houses; we had not time to land, as we wished to get back to Apay this night.

15.—We arrived at Tsoompeon at 10.30 a.m., and after much civility, which we hereby acknowledge, from Payar Teet, the governor, who provided us with two more elephants, we started on our return through heavy rain. Slept at Apay this night (4th April). Got to Kraw the next day, 5th, at 4 p.m., passing through the streams, which had swollen a little from the heavy rain, the commencement of the monsoon. Went straight on board our boat, tested the correctness 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.

15a.—On the route from Kraw to Tsoompeon we were struck with aremarkable change of geological features. We had observed as we emerged on the plains of Tsoompeon, 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 of 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 expense 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