Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865.

CHINA, MONGOLIA, AND JAPAN. 53
granular sandstone in which beds of dolomitic limestone occur." "Granite forms
the summits of most of the principal mountains in this part of the country."
Canton to the Sea. —A gray-wacke, containing much quartz, forms the hills near
Canton. Underneath this rock is red sandstone, "varying from a bright red, finegrained rock to a coarse conglomerate, full of large pebbles of quartz." These strata
dip to westward. Granite occurs below the sandstone and crops out more and more,
as the river approaches the sea. Near the coast the granite forms peaks 1,200 to
2,000 feet high, which continue as barren islets toward the island of Hainan.
Kingyuen (fu) in Kwangsi. —The marble mountains south of Kingyuen (fu)
give rise to innumerable large springs, and even rivers disappear in them to come
again to light after following long subterranean courses. The many colored varieties of marble of this region are celebrated, and the marble formation (Marmor
Gebirge) seems to predominate.
Salt Wells of Sz'chuen.3-M. Imbert has given a vivid description of these, and
although it has often been quoted, it is sufficiently interesting to be inserted here.4
These are at Wutung, in the department of Kiating (fu), and near the city Kiating.
"There are some ten thousand of these springs, or artificial brinepits, in a space
about ten leagues long and four or five leagues broad. The Chinese effect the
boring of these pits with time and extreme patience; yet with less expense than
with us. They have not the art of working rocks by mining (blasting?); yet all
the pits are constructed in the rock. These pits are commonly from 1,500 to 1,800
feet (French) deep, and are only five or at the most six inches in diameter. These
little wells, or tubes, are perpendicular, and as polished as glass. Sometimes the
entire depth is not continued in solid rock, but the workmen encounter beds of
shale, coal, etc.; then the operation becomes more difficult, and sometimes fruitless;
for as these substances do not offer a uniform resistance, it sometimes occurs
that the shafts lose their perpendicularity; but these are rare cases. When the
rack is favorable, they advance at the rate of two feet in the twenty-four hours. It
requires at least three years to sink one pit." A pit of this kind costs about 1,000
taels of silver.5 " The mode of pumping is exceedingly simple, yet laborious; being
effected chiefly by manual labor. The water is very briny, giving, by evaporation,
a fifth or more, and sometimes one-fourth, of salt."
"The air, which escapes from these pits, is very inflammable. If a torch is presented to the mouth of the shaft, the gas ignites, with a great column of fire, from
twenty to thirty feet in height, exploding with the rapidity of powder." This gas
is conducted through bamboo tubes to the saltpans under which it is burned to effect
the evaporation. "Sometimes, in boring the salt pits, very thick beds of coal are
passed through at a depth of several hundred feet." "In sinking these wells a
bituminous oil [petroleum], which burns in water, is commonly found at a depth
of about 1,000 feet. They collect daily four or five jars of 100 pounds each. This' Chinese Repository, III, p. 87. 2 Ritter, Asien, III, 758.
8 Imbert, Annales de l'association pour la propagation de la foi. Vol. III, p. 369.
4 The extract given here is taken from R. C. Taylor, Statistics of Coal, Phil. 1848, p. 660, with
some remarks from Chinese Repository, XIX, p. 325. 5 1 Tael = $1.33.