ART. XII.-On Contributions to the Geology of Western India, including Sind and Beloochistan. By H. J. CARTer, Esq.,

F.R.S.

Presented 14th November 1860.

In the last number of the Journal I contributed all the unpublished facts that had come within my knowledge up to that time of the Geology of Western India, &c., and in the present number I propose to record all that have occurred since. They are as follows :

Discovery of Ammonitiferous Limestone near Jeyselmeer in the Great Desert, &c. By Dr. IMPEY.

The following observations are recorded upon information received from Dr. Impey, both orally and by note, respecting certain geological specimens which he collected and forwarded to the Society in 1858, when travelling from Roree on the Indus to Jeyselmeer, in the "Great Desert," and from thence to Jodpoor in Rajpootana.

Dr. Impey states in his note that, the course lay over loose sand all the way from Roree until arriving within 40 miles of Jeyselmeer, where he met with a "kind of conglomerate apparently of the same sand hardened."

About 20 miles westward of Jeyselmeer there are some wells at a place called Koochee, and from the sides of these he knocked off some pieces of rock which (describing from the specimens sent to the Society, and which are deposited in the Museum) consists of deep, ochre-yellowcoloured, compact limestone, charged with ammonites of a deep ferruginous claret colour. These fossils are all small, but numerous, and on making a vertical section and careful sketch of one of them, I find that it closely approaches A. opis. Sow. (Grant's Geology, Cutch). The yellow limestone is evidently the same as that stated to be brought to Balmeer for tomb-stoues (see Dr. Forbes' geological specimens from Balmeer in the museum of the Society); and also that forming part of the ruins of the famous city of Mandoo, in the Vindyah Range towards the lower part of the Nurbudda (see Lieutenant Blake's specimens from Mandoo in the Museum). From the latter and other circumstances, I conjecture that,

the same formation may be found somewhere about the lower part of

the Nurbudda.

The specimens of ammonitiferous limestone from the northern border of the "Runn" of Cutch in the Museum, also agree, in their two colours respectively, with the specimens from Jeyselmeer, but there are belemnites also present with the ammonites, and the limestone is more or less arenaceous, indicating a proximity to sandstone strata in the same series. A. opis also comes from the northern border of the Runn.

On his way from Koochee to Jeyselmeer, Dr. Impey found all the strata to be composed of micaceous sandstone, which the specimens show to be compact but not crystalline. He did not see any limestone at Jeyselmeer; from Koochee to Jeyselmeer there is a slight ascent all the way; but on leaving Jeyselmeer and going eastward toward Pokurn there is a descent to a place called Lathee, which is the lowest point between Jeyselmeer and Pokurn. Here he found apparently (from the specimens) the same kind of micaceous sandstone, but white or slightly yellowish, and containing silicified fossil-wood, stems of plants, &c. of a brown colour. I cannot make out more of these remains, although they are large and numerous; the wood appears to be dicotyledonous, but is too opaque for microscopical examination.

This sandstone continues all the way to Pokurn, but here becomes red again. The white variety is very like in appearance and consistence to some which Mr. Blackwell (late Mineral Examiner to the Government) brought from the caves of Bagh, on the Nurbudda.

Sandstone would seem to continue on to Jodpoor, for from this locality also Dr. Impey sent specimens of the red kind, one of which is so micaceous that it contains much more mica than sand, the two ingredients being more or less separate and interlaminated with each other. He also sent specimens of clay-strata, brick-coloured and green, which had evidently been baked by heat.

In an article in the Standard newspaper (April 1858), written by an "Eye-witness," it is stated that, about 40 miles N.W. of Jodpoor are white-marble quarries. The character of the country here is wavy, in mounds, no hills or rocks, and from the mounds, by a kind of "burrowing" process, the author states that blocks of the marble are obtained. Fine specimens of "flexible sandstone," I also learn from a friend, are to be obtained from Jodpoor and its neighbourhood.

Are these sandstones and limestones continuations eastward of the members of the Jurassic Formation in Cutch? The ammonites of Koochee look very much like those said to characterize this series.

Geology of the North Bank of the Nurbudda from Baroda eastward. By the late Major FULLJAMES.

In "No. XXIII." of the printed "Selections from the Records of Government of Bombay," page 100, we learn from a geological communication by the late Major Fulljames, that the first rock which makes its appearance above the alluvial soil after leaving Baroda and travelling eastwards is reddish syenite and granite. He then meets with "micaschiste" from Jumbogaum to Jumboghora.

Visits the village of Chalwar and the Sooneekee Doonghur or Hill of Gold," which consists of mica-schiste. Many rocks of different kinds are to be seen here. Blue slate, &c.

From Jumbogaum goes to Teyghur and Jaitpoor, where he sees granite and mica-schiste.

From Teyghur to Chota Odeypoor,-granite, felspar-rocks and serpentine. Some good specimens of grey-marble were brought from Dewchuttee, which is 7 miles N.E. of Chota Odeypoor. From Chota Odeypoor to Kuralee, and on to Wasna,-mica-schiste.

Wasna to Aggur. -About a mile from the former place the ground begins to rise a little, and a few limestone rocks make their appearance, which look like "greyish marble." This ridge continues all the way, on the right side, to the village of Chametra (6 miles). About a mile, after the limestone has made its appearance, a close-grained, whitish sandstone crops out in large tabular masses, and then red sandstone in fine slabs.

The "Wasna" here situated, cannot be the one alluded to by Major Fulljames at page 299 of the same "Selections," from whence he obtained his specimens of nummulitic limestone; but knowing of no other "Wasna" at the time, I assumed it to be this (see the last No. of the Journal, page 624). It will be rather a little village by this name on the south side of the Nurbudda, among the Rajpipla Hills, about 10 miles south of Ruttunpoor, where the "Cornelian Mines" are situated. There is also a “Wasna Nana” near Vaneitha, a little further north than Ruttunpoor; thus the name appears to be common in this neighbourhood. In the "Government Selections" (No. XXIII., Part I., page 3, "Guzerat,") Major Fulljames also states respecting nummulitic lime

stone:

"The other branch (of the Rajpipla Hills) turns southerly, and follows the course of the Taptee River along its northern bank and extends as far as Turkeysur Pergunna, from whence I have seen specimens of rock composed of fossil shells of the nummulitic limestone formation, particularly specimens of Nummularia acuta, N. Obtusa, and Lycophris

dispansus, which are abundant in Cutch in such a formation. This rock is, I am informed, used for building purposes, and also affords an excellent lime."

The report from which this is extracted was submitted to Government on the 10th August 1852. The town of Turkeysur is only 10 miles N.E. of Surat.

Discovery of Nummulitic Limestone in situ at Turkeysur. By A. ROGERS, Esq., C.S., Collector of Surat.

In a "note" made by Sir Bartle Frere on that part of my "Summary of the Geology of India" relating to the extension of the nummulitic formation southwards, and communicated to me 20th September 1854, Sir Bartle Frere states as follows:

"The late Dr. Malcolmson (of Messrs. Forbes' House) informed me that, he had ascertained the existence of at least one nummulitic bed, crossing the Valley of the Nurbudda in the Rajpipla Hills. He first detected the nummulites in a pebble which he found in the bed of the river, and after having carefully examined the beds of the neighbouring affluents above this, was at last rewarded by finding a stratum of limestone about six inches thick filled with nummulites and cropping out of the bottom of a ravine which branched off from the Nurbudda. "Expecting that his observations would be published, I regret that I did not ascertain the exact spot, but my impression is that it was not far up the river."

very

The late Dr. Malcolmson, who was Secretary of the Society, died at Dhoolia in February 1844, whither he had gone, partly in pursuit of his favourite science, viz. Geology, and had travelled up the valley of the Taptee to confirm some previous observations, probably among which was the discovery of the Nummulitic Formation, to which Sir Bartle Frere has alluded.* The next mention of this fact was noticed in Major Fulljames' Report to Government, dated August 1852, as above stated, when he also sent the specimens of Nummulitic Limestone on to the Society, which were brought to him from Wasna. After this, I got no more intelligence of the Nummulitic Formation here, until Captain Chambers, of the Madras Engineers, about nine months since (November 1860), brought me a small specimen a of yellow rock charged with

*See a short account of the life of this excellent man, too soon removed from the sphere of his exertions, for the interests of science and the Bombay Asiatic Society! "Bombay Times,” 30th April 1844. I am informed that he left his “Notes” with the friend in whose house he died, and that they were afterwards forwarded on to Messrs. Forbes and Co. What has become of them ?--Ed.

Orbitoides dispansa, and a small striated nummulite, which he had knocked off a block of stone forming part of the walls in the castle at Surat. In this I immediately concluded that I had a portion of the same formation as that sent by Major Fulljames from Wasna; and, putting the foregoing facts together, we inferred that the stone of which this castle is built was probably obtained from the nummulitic rocks of the Rajpipla Hills, and therefore that this formation would by-and-by be found not far off from Surat.

Finally, this was confirmed by Mr. Alexander Rogers, of the Bombay Civil Service, now Collector of Surat, who, forwarding large portions of a yellow limestone rock densely charged with large specimens of Orbitoides dispansa, and a small nummulite belonging to the Striate (probably the species which is found at Wasna, and which to me appears identical with N. Ramondi as before stated), accompanied them by the following information, which is extracted from his letter to me, dated 31st August 1861:

"I send you, for your inspection and for presentation to the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, some specimens of nummulitic limestone, which appears to correspond with that of the Rajpipla Hills and the Cutch formation described by Colonel Grant. I found it at Turkeysur, about ten or twelve miles to the eastward of the railway station, which is at the Keem river, between Surat and Broach, where the country first begins to be undulating and intersected by ravines, as it approaches the hilly districts of Mandwee. I had not time to ascertain the extent of the formation, but found it cropping out from the surface for above a mile from where it lies upon it. The whole appeared to be equally abundant in fossils; in fact, I suppose the whole rock is little more than one mass of them. Those imbedded in the surface are, as you will see, for the most part peculiarly perfect. There is no mistaking Operculina, Nummularia and Orbitoides. The latter, of every size, can be observed, and in every possible variety of section."

In another part of his letter, Mr. Rogers identifies the orbitoides with O. dispansa and the ephippial variety mentioned in Colonel Grant's Geology of Cutch. The largest specimen sent to the Society, which is in the rock, is two and half inches in diameter, so that Orbitoides dispansa and Orbitolites Mantelli (as will be seen hereafter) reached the size of the largest Nummulites.

Since the above was written, Mr. Rogers has sent to the Society some more specimens of the same kind of Nummulitic Limestone from a place called Bhadee, about 35 miles S.W. of Ruttunpoor, in the Un