1.0.8. 16  Proes. of the Astalic Soc. of Bengal. [N.S., XVIII, 
mineral that has its own specific uses, but fuel is not one of 
Without abundant coal of a particular quality iron is of 
little use at present, and its value may be considered as 
negligible, except for purely local needs. In regard to all such 
heavy and not intrinsically valuable metals, mountainous 
regions are always at a disadvantage as compared with regions 
more accessible to rail and road facilities. 
The Himalaya as a whole, likewise, are poor in mineral 
veins, using the term in the strict sense of infillings of ore in 
what were once cracks and fissures in the rocks. This poverty, 
like the poverty in coal, may also very probably be ascribed 
to the compression and folding of the rock mass of the moun- 
tains, which has gone on fairly uninterruptedly for geological 
ages and left no fissures or gapes in an open condition and 
ready for the reception of the class of ores usually found in 
mineral veins. 
other noticeable mineral deposits, which have so far no 
emerged into publicity, though accounts for the use of the 
public, printed by the State Press, are in course of preparation. 
It may interest you to touch briefly on some of these. 
Petroleum Oil Belt. 
I will refer first of all to the possibilities of an exten- 
sion into this area of the oil-field conditions represented by 
Khaur. With the contemplated early entry of this oil-field 
ia 


