Miscellaneous, 189 



Limestone, also fossiliferous. A quarry of this may be seen at a 

 short distance from Fountain's Hall, on the road to Sawley. — I am, 

 Sir, yours truly. 



J. S. TUTB. 



Makklington, Ripley, Yorkshirb. 



nyniso:E3Xjij.A.3iT:BOTJS. 



The Geological Survey of India. — India has often been de- 

 scribed as a country of mystery ; but it is not the fault of India if 

 too little is known here in the west of what she is doing. Her rail- 

 way system is something to wonder at,- yet it attracts but scant 

 attention, except among those who buy or sell railway shares. The 

 great Trigonometrical Survey of India will be, when completed, 

 the greatest, the most accurate, and most fruitful in scientific results 

 of any in the world. Another great work is the Geological Survey, 

 commenced ten years ago, under the direction of Dr. T. Oldham, 

 which, as in the case of our own Geological Survey, is dependent 

 for its progress on the maps published by the trigonometrical sur- 

 veyors. In the ten years, however, an area more than double the 

 extent of Great Britain, chiefly in Bengal and Central India, has 

 been carefully examined and mapped, with most valuable results. 

 The extent of the Indian Coal-measures, and the quality of the Coal, 

 have been ascertained ; the best being the Assam Coal, which lies 

 near the river Brahmapootra, convenient for transport by water, 

 when once the mines shall be in work. The quality is said to be 

 equal to that of the best Newcastle coking coal. Another series of 

 Coal-strata approaches, by one of its extremities, within eighty miles 

 of Calcutta, and these are described as similar to the Upper Coal- 

 measures of Europe. The fossil plants and reptiles with which 

 they abound are represented by numerous specimens preserved in 

 the Geological Museum at Calcutta. Besides this, the relations of 

 all the various strata to one another over the whole area of the 

 Survey have been made out with much advantage to pal^eontological 

 science, and with reconciliation of many apparent contradictions. 

 The fossils of the Cretaceous rocks may be instanced as evidence of 

 the knowledge, skill, and labour bestowed on the survey ; and these 

 with specimens of the minerals hitherto collected, are arranged in 

 the Museum above mentioned, where their value is increased by a 

 good library, accessible to students. The results of the survey 

 are further made known by the publication of reports and memoirs, 

 with maps and other illustrations, and by a highly important work, 

 " The Palaeontologia Indica," in which the descriptions are written 

 by some of the ablest of English naturalists. We may add to this, 

 that the Topographical Department of the Indian Government is 

 making a Topographical Survey, which is to embrace the whole 

 Empire, and publishing the result in a series of maps. These maps 

 are remarkable for the fidelity with which the features of the 



