From John Grant Malcolmson   24 July 1839

My Dear Sir,

I am sorry that I can only spare a few minutes to answer your letter, as I start this forenoon on a tour to the south of Scotland—and hope that you will not think that the poverty of the information I am able to communicate,¹ on the interesting subjects referred to in your letter, such as to render it not worth your while to ask other questions on subjects on which I am better informed, and at a time when I have more leasure. I saw at Madras some shells collected on the coast of the Peninsula of Malacca opposite Prince of Wales Island, in the Province Wellesley; & the adjoining part of Quedah now belonging to the Siamese. These shells had a very recent appearance, but we did not compare them with living shells. They had belonged to my friend D^r. Ward. You will find his paper on Pinang (Prince of Wales’ Island) in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Bengal vol 18^th. Part. 2^d. P 150 and the part most interesting to you in the Supplementary note on the “Elephant Rock in the Quedah country”—especially P 166 where he describes the caves and the breccia having “small shells, corals” &c—² In Capt Low’s paper in the 1^st. part of the same vol P 131 you will find the following sentence “That portion of Kedda (Quedah) coast, facing Penang, has evidently, in many parts, been rescued from the sea. The period when this happened is not traditionally known, although it is conjectured that it is not very remote: mounds of sea shells are found about two miles inland”.—³ (In the abstract of this paper in the Gleanings of Science vol 1^st these mounds swell into hills, showing the necessity of consulting the original authority).⁴ See P 158⁵

You will think me sceptical when I express some doubt as to these “mounds” indicating elevation⁶ —their low elevation (10 feet); Mr Finlayson in his mission to Siam considers the low plains to be Alluvial:⁷ and at 165 D^r. Ward states the country north of the peak of Quedah to be nearly on a level with the sea. At P 158 he describes the Boonting islands, and states the sea to be beautifully clear and the coral beds “are distinctly visible at a considerable distance below the surface of the water”—but none has ever been seen either on Pinang or the many islands around. What, however, principally leads me to doubt is the following extract P. 152 “This is in some measure confirmed by the phenomena observable on the opposite shore of Quedah, where Capt Low has traced successive deposits of Alluvial matter, for several miles inland, and the gradual retirement of the ocean indicated by ridges running parallel to the present line of coast”— Again P 165—“The country north of Quedah peak, is an immense plain, nearly level with the sea, covered near the coast with rising mangrove, with a very gentle elevation, and bounded to the east by a small range of hills 16 or 20 miles inland. The breadth of the belt of mangrove along the coast varies from half a mile to a mile. This is succeeded by a narrower one of ataps, behind which the country is richly cultivated, laid out in rice grounds, broken every two or three miles by natural boundaries of forest, left probably when it was first cleared. The soil is a rich whitish clay mixed with sand”.—

Now this is nearly a description of the appearances presented along the Coromandel coast⁸ where it is gaining on the sea, and in which the waves are the principal agents— 1^st. a bank of sand is thrown up, and increased by the wind & consolidated by creeping grasses—behind this there is a backwater or a swamp often salt from the sea water springing up from the sand at high tide, when the inside of the sand hills is below the level of the sea— This swamp is often composed of clay containing much sulphurated Hydrogen and nearly impassible. on the sand hills low jungle forms often full of wild hogs &c and these must often perish in the salt mud along with other land animals & be mixed with the marine shells as Placuna or cerithio, &c— Within these salt marshes & lakes another mound of sand may be seen covered with grass shrubs & palm trees—and then a long extent of flat covered with fresh water in the rains & full of fresh water shells—running parallel to the coast for many miles The streams interrupted by the banks of sand deposit mud & gravel in these places and gradually raise them. Other sand hills covered with palms (Palmyra) occur, and alternate with smooth grassy flats sometimes covered with herds of Antelope, at others with rice fields— The whole of this series of actions I carefully studied with a view to medical enquiries on the cause of fever, and think that many places exist along these coasts where many miles in breadth have been thus gained from the sea. In the mud which I refer to this origin I believe D^r. Benza’s shells were found⁹ —and also those mentioned by D^r Babington in his paper on Madras in an Early Vol of the geol. Trans.¹⁰ where he mentions them as having been found in digging a well near the city. I have a fine Placuna of the existing kind from a tank recently dug inland of the town, but their occurrence there can be explained by the effects of waves & deposit from the neighboring small streams and certainly exhibit no proof of elevation. At the mouths of the great rivers of course the progress of the land is more rapid. The Madras coast however like that of Malacca is in some places wasting. In this I do not refer to the marine shells found by Colonel Cullen & mentioned by D^r Benza resting & covered by Basalt in a hill 40 miles from the sea & 5 miles south of the Godavary—¹¹ these I refer to the great tertiary eruptions that gave the present form to the Indian peninsula and formed that most magnificent of all basaltic regions occupying 200,000 square miles of the west & centre of that country. The fossils are figured in my paper now printing for the transactions¹² and as bones of quadrupeds seem to be mixed with the fresh water shells these inferences are confirmed. In that paper I refer I think to Babington’s shells.¹³

There are other tertiary deposits near Pondicherry & in Travancore, but we cannot yet venture to refer them to any particular epoch. The common opinion and tradition is that the great city of Madapooram¹⁴ or Seven Pagodas south of Madras has been depressed, and it is said Pagodas sculptured in the rocks were seen below the waves in calm weather—but this place is cut out of a low granite hill washed by the waves, and their influence is sufficient to account for the destruction of part of the town. You will find this wonderful place described in an Early vol of the Trans of the Asiatic Society of Bengal¹⁵ & a paper on it by D^r Babington in the Trans of the Royal Asiatic Society of London¹⁶ (antiquarian however).—

I think that there are some of D^r. Ward’s specimens in the Geol Society museum and also D^r. Babingtons. At Malacca I could see no proof of elevation—the low islands near are formed of laterite resting on fine clay & inland there is granite— I found coral under high water mark & none on the islands.— I have also seen in a medical paper by a D^r. Carswell a good account of Singapore which also consists of Laterite. This paper is printed in the 1^st number of the Madras Medical journal,¹⁷ recently published but without the name. Allen & Co Leadenhall Street would show it to you.—

Arracan is very low—alluvial I believe, with granite hills rising amidst the low swampy plains. I could give you some details from Medical papers—but there may be proofs of elevation in other parts. There were some papers, but very short, published about a volcanic or pseudo-volcanic eruption at Chitagong some years ago in one of the Calcutta journals— I cannot give the exact reference at this moment.— With regard to the Bombay, Burnes & Lyell have made the cutch depression perhaps too notorious.¹⁸ Grant’s paper on Cutch now printing for the Transactions throws much light on this district.¹⁹ A D^r. Henderson read a paper to the Royal Asiatic Society on Cutch some years ago— it was not printed but you could get it I dare say. I would recommend you to consult Cap^t. M^c Murdo’s letters in the Trans. of the Literary Society of Bombay on this subject, and a letter in the Edin^b Journal.²⁰ At Bombay I could find no proof of Elevation certainly not of a late period— Shells are consolidated but not above high water mark. Baron Hugel & D^r. Lush & a M^r Fulljames however have described the bones of the island Perim in the Calcutta journal.²¹ Baron Hugel has published in Germany also. Mr. Bailie Fraser has described in the Geol Trans coral islands in the Persian gulf;²² of which I have seen notices in med^l. papers.— The papers on the Calcutta borings well deserve a careful examination—which should be deferred however till the operations are completed. I do not think they prove depression.

Have you ever seen the “Gleanings in Science” the name under which the Journal of the A. S. of Bengal first appeared, when edited by Capt Herbert, an astron^r. and Geologist. At Page 293 there is a memoir on the Keeling islands or “Cocos”—a coral group in the Indian seas but not proving either elevation or depression I think.²³ There is a plan and chart of the island. Royle has got the work— I do not know of any other copy in London. I could lend it to you. At P 164 of the same vol. you will find a short notice of gravel and erratic ? blocks in the Dehera dun valley, high up in the Sub-Himalayan regions. at 18 feet down “gravel & large stones” are mentioned—at 162 feet—“Sand & gravel, with enormous stones”— Some of them must have come “25 miles at least.” The paper is well worth examination being from Capt Herbert himself.²⁴

At Shahar on the south coast of Arabia I found recent coral & shells raised considerably; also at Kamran island—&c and behind the town of Jedda on the road to Mecca.

Sowerby has my specimens, and a box full of them is in the cellar at the Geol socy., which you may consult. A young friend D^r. Nash to w⁠⟨⁠hom⁠⟩⁠ I showed the Jedda specimens, has noticed them in a short paper in the Edin^b Journal.²⁵ This I mention, as they were not subjected to any examination, and his authority is therefore not of value on this point. Great part of Java has been raised as I believe in the recent period—84 species of shells collected by my friend D^r Hardy²⁶ 40 miles or more inland from Batavia prove this—but G. Sowerby is now comparing them. You can ask him to show them to you if you like.

So much for a very hurried answer to your questions. I hope to see the Glen Roy paper soon, as I hope to visit it before winter.

I have extended the fossil localities of the cornstone or middle series over part of the Nairnshire coast, which is important as we had only the old series there before.²⁷ I think of looking at Orkney & Caithness. I have not yet procured any facts relative to sheepdogs but hope to do so. A good spirit for Natural History exists here. I am glad Murchison has been so successful. I wish he had send me my drawings, however. I propose visiting Dumfries Shire & the Border counties. Can you give me any hints as to interesting localities— If you write soon direct to me “Post Office Edinburgh”. D^r Ward published a work on the Med^l Topog^y of Penang²⁸ & Capt Low on the statistics of the coast opposite Province Wellesley.²⁹ These you will see at the India House.

Yours truly J G Malcolmson

A very intelligent naturalist & chemist Mr Shiar of Aberdeen is engaged on the diluvium of the E. counties³⁰ . He would be happy to communicate with you I am sure. He has mapped the course of the boulders

Do not pay your letters— I never grudge postage, altho I fear this letter is not worth it