PREVIOUS OBSERVERS. 11 



" is very defective. The coal is inferior. Captain Forbes found, by various 

 "experiments conducted at the Calcutta Mint on 500 maunds of the best 

 " Hurrah coal, that nearly double the quantity, compared with the Burd- 

 " wan coal, was required to produce the same quantity of steam, and that 

 " it is generally unfit for smithing purposes, affording an inadequate heat 

 " for welding or even for hammering with facility, and on analysis 

 " Mr. Prinsep found it yields upwards of a fourth part of ashes." 



In April 1838 coal was discovered by Mr. James Pontet on the 

 banks of a nullah called the Bumany (Bramini). Mr. Pontet ascer- 

 tained that coal extended for ten miles round the village of Dobradge- 

 pore (Dubrajpur).* 



" In a report on the Rajmehal coal, submitted to the Government 

 "in 1832 by Colonel McLeod and Major Forbes, it is stated that 

 " Mr. Ward, the Commissioner of Boglepore, was aware of the existence 

 " of coal in a bed of sandstone near the pass of Patch wary " (Paehwara) . 

 It is added : "This situation appears to be ten or fifteen miles to the 

 " north of Dobradgepore, and, together with the Hurrah and Sikrigully 

 " indications, proves the extension of coal formation along the entire base 

 " of the Rajmehal hills." 



This report in reference to Bajmehal contains further particulars 

 regarding Mr. Pontet' s Dubrajpur coal : an experiment was made on 

 Coal' Committee, 1842. gome f j tj cc fo Q regu ] t being that 4 maunds 24 

 " seers of B-ajmehal coal is only equal to 3 maunds 5 seers of Burdwau 

 " coal. Captain Wilson reported that it required 20 J maunds to do the 

 " work of 12 maunds of Burdwan coal, and that it keeps up steam with 

 " difficulty." The Committee concluded from the above results that it 

 must be a surface coal. 



The report gives an account of all that was known up to date re- 



E, )ort bv the Coal garding the localities previously mentioned. Some 



Committee, 1846. additional particulars regarding Mr. Pontet's 



* A rough sketch map of the locality is given. 



( 165 ) 



