506 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
The following I quote from the report of the Company for the 
year 1878 :— 
«The out-turn of steam coal and rubble from the Company’s collieries, 
during the year 1878, was 208,790 tons. The quantity consumed on 
the main line was 162,370 tons, at an average cost (exclusive of car- 
riage) of 5s. 5d. per ton ; and on the Jabalpur line, 17,600 tons, at an 
average cost of £1 2s. 43d. per ton (carriage included). Regular mining 
was not commenced in this area till about ten years ago, when a branch 
from the main trunk line, brought the coal into successful competition 
with that from Ranigunj, twenty-three miles being saved in the journey 
up country.” 
V.—RANIGUNJ.* 
This field is situated on the rocky frontier of Western Bengal 
at a distance of 120 miles from Calcutta. 
The groups represented with their respective thicknesses are 
as follows :— 
Upper Panchet or Mahadeva, : ¢ 500 feet. 
Panchet, . : . : 5) IO 5 
Ranigunj, . 3 3 : 5, S400) 5 
Tronstone shale, : : 0 e400. 
Barakar, . ; 3 - 2,000 ,, 
Talchir, : ; . . : 800 ,, 
Total, 11,200 ,, 
The Ranigunj coal-field is the largest and most important of 
the areas in which coal is worked in India. Its proximity to the 
main line of railway, and also to the port of Calcutta, tends to 
give it pre-eminence over other less favourably situated localities. 
The total area of coal-bearing rocks which is exposed is about 
500 square miles ; but it is possible that the real area may be 
even double that, since on the east the rocks dip under and are 
completely concealed by alluvium. Throughout this area a cen- 
tral zone includes the principal mines, and the chimneys which 
dot this tract constitute it the black country of India. In the 
year 1774 coal was known to occur there, and so long ago as 
1777 was actully worked. In 1830 several collieries of con- 
siderable extent had been opened out and were, we have 
reason to believe, in a flourishing condition. 
In 1872, forty-four mines were at work, nineteen of which 
* Blanford, ‘‘ Memoirs Geological Survey of India,” Vol. ITI, 
