The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-08-05

of which il is necessary 10 climb order 10 reach
the Immediate loot OF Sham shan
dislncness; you perceive that all the lower heights,
the sides OF the mountain spurs you have passed,
and the vast table land over which you are now
proceeding, are alike covered with backened
Jumps and fragments Of volcanic scoria, you are
walking continually over the heaved up cnders OF
vast furnace; there il nothing but stones beneath
YOUR feet, and those stones are nothing but
wea e may he hs ss'a 70 h.m
ing miles Of surface. The sides Of all
the lesser mountains, from top TO bottom, are thus
cover d with Jumps OF fragment and lava Where
indeed the rock beneath Is laid open by the pass
age OF mountain torrents or otherwise, you see that
under the heaps lodges Of volcanic tufa are other
solid rocks, which form the main body OF these
lower mountains.
But you perceive that the higher mountains all
around have different appearance, looking as if
composed OF rough layers Of rocks. You disngu sh
IN the distance winding streak on the lace Of
Sham-shan, which indicates the path by which
your ascent is to continue. Making tor this, over
the uneven surface OF the table land, you come
narrow ridge or spur with preciptous sides, at the
foot OF which another tract of paved military road
commences. This road, which is itself very re-
maIkdble work, runs along the narrow back OF the
ridge Tor long distance, sometimes IN steps, scme-
times in long inclined planes. until you reach the
side Of the Sham-shan itself, up the lace and over
the inequalities Of which the road proceeds, with
but short interruption, until you attain the sum-
nit
In this last stage of the ascent you have been
coming gradually n your mind 70 certain conclu
which you are surrounded. You are now above the
scoria-covered ridges and table lands. You see
that from Sham-shan on the one side TO Slrah on
the other is space OF between two and three miles
10 length; that the sides Of Shaul-shan above you
stratItied that continuous range of stratlied
rocks proceeds at a great height from Sham-shan
towards Sirah on the left; aud from Sham-sha
rkt 49,, ,t,xllV
surrounded, except at a small space adjoining 81
rah, by lofty wall Of rock, either sratlfled or dis
posed In tabular layers that In their highest parts
all these mountains vlslby and obviously face IN
that their table or STRATA though more or less dsa-
bled or disocated, yet have a general correspond
ence and symmetry, which II IS Impossible TO mis-.
take that, indeed, you are within vast ell ptcal
or circular basin, whose walled SIDES constitute
mountains that from the inner surface OF the walls
Of this basin sharp spurs extend inward like imper
feet or ruptured radli, upon the back OF one OF
which you had tor some time past been that you
are cnging to the inside OF that basin that u the
Camp OF Alden be in crater, 1t Ii only IN one cor
ner OF, and at lower level than, the main body OF
the bottom OF that crater, which is more than TWO
miles IN diameter, and whose walls consist In part
OF the lofty heights OF Sham-shan. ~
All these things become PLAIN to the sight, on at
length gaining the summit Of Sham-shan. You
stand there, within the walls OF an ancient fortress,
which crowns the summit, and whose walls OF ma
yet show what II once was.
You perceive that you are on the highest point OF
the promontory OF Alden, SO as to be able to dis
tlnguish not only the confguration of Alden itself,
but to embrace in the circle OF vision many leagues
of the Indian Ocean the south, and on the other
side the main land OF Arabia, with Its wide wastes
OF sand its few scattered villages, and Its distant
mountains bounding the horizon. Sham-shan you
find though 1t be peak, yet il but portion u the
periphery OF greSs basin, OF which you now see
the outside as well as the inside; on the inside
scarped and tabled, vii some scarped and tabled
spurs, radiatng inward in convergent lines, but
leaving on the whole vast basin, stretching of
enthusiastically towards Slrah and on the out
side, in like manner, scarped and tabled IN part,
but in part sending out numerous ridges OF variable
heights, with branch ridges on the right hand and
on the LETT the longest and highest of which ridges
terminates near Ras Tarshein, at the entrance OF
Back Bay.
Along the summits of this vast basin, from space
to space are small towers and continuing " ais OF
masonry, AMI tanke, and aqueducis, the remains Of
the Notifications constructed IN the old time by
some former possessors OF Alden, whose name has
perlshed-
Csrent quia vate sacro
but whose works remain, emuatng in their great
ness those which Nature herself had raised before
human passions had come to cooperate with hef
In changing the face OF the earth.
Such is tue general formation and the superficial
aspect of Alden.
To complete which general view, some particu-
lar facts need TO be mentioned
At and near Steamer Point you do not find any
of the peculiar stratifed appearance described =
The mountains there consist OF the remoer spurs oil
less comparative elevation, and with sides Tor the
most part covered with lava. In passing from
Steamer Point to the Camp, on the last long PLAN,
you first become aware, as have already mention
ed, that the steep ridges which now open on the
sight, have surface seemingly marked III lines,
which, for aught that be distinguished at dis
lance, arise from diff rencrs of color or either IT.
regularities in the face of the mountain. closer
inspection shows you that these lines are taoles or
strata; that the alternate strata are OF rlable ma
ture, so as TO have undergone much degradation
from the action OF the atmosphere or some other
cause and to be thus broken into hollows, holes,
and caves; that some OF these layers are horizontal,
and that Others dip, but that they have no UNIFORM
ity, rather no identity of inclination, seeming as
if they had either been formed by causes OF une-
quail action, or had been disturbed in their site by
subsequent copvulslons
To which is to be added in further explanation
as To the Jumps and masses Of scor or epongy lava
which cover the whole surface of the lower noun
tans and the tops Of the higher ones, that the eject
ed matter is all OF that color which denotes basal
tic lava that the rocks elected are Of all forms
and sizes, from large angular masses and broken
fragments to more spongy Jumps, whose surface,
while il sometimes decays, yet blackens as u d.
Gays; that no1slags Of CLASSY lava are SEEM nor Is
there any appearance on the surface Vi
continuous lava stream.
The more prevalent, although by no means the
exclusive. appearance OF the rocks ~ OF coPact,
rather than OF graduated orcrystailine FORMATION,
and there are come lodges OF an obviously tUia-
cious structure say that the appearance is notex-
clusvely compact for at the Pass, where the rocks
have been blasted, they show. trappean appear
snce, as they do at sundry places on Back Bay,
where the mountain spurs look as u broken OH Or
cut down near the water, exposing the inferior ior-
nation.
sham-shan is incidentally spoken of as lime
stone rock in the only printed account OF Alden
which have seen--thdt published by Capt. Haines,
who surveyed this coast some years since very
thoroughly, and greatly TO the interests OF nautical
and geographical science, and who is now the Bnt-
isn Political Agent at Aden; But THIS intlmatlon,
n would seem ia an error. The mountains appear
to be wholly volcanic. Couches OF shell limestone
occur, which will be referred to hereafter; but
III, sc are altogether independent OF the original
mountains and obviously to be known as Of COM
paratlvely recent formation.
In the exposed faces Of the rocks along Back Bay
thin veins Of pure quartz occur frequently, whether
veins of segregation or vens OF injection VIII not
Ill s..k.A