ECONOMIC RESOURCES. 89 



of a site for the works, were all important factors in the want of success 

 which characterised the early efforts. 



With these defects removed, and with the present high price of iron 

 while local labor is not sensibly increased in price, the undoubtedly rich 

 deposits of Birbhum may yet prove as valuable as their early most san- 

 guine explorers believed them to be. 



Several special reports on the iron ores and works of Birbhiim have 

 been published, of which the following are the principal : 



Oldham, Dr. T., examination of the districts in the Damoodah 

 valley and Beerbhoom producing iron ore.— Selec. Rec. Ben. Govt 

 No. VIII, 1852. 



Barratt, J., on the iron-works, &c, of Beerbhoom. — Pamph. : Cal- 

 cutta, 1857. 



Blanford, W. T., Report on the Beerbhoom iron- works.— Calcutta, 

 1860. 



Mr. Sowerby, Manager of the Kumaon iron-works, also reported 

 upon Beerbhoom iron. 



As the above remarks were written in 1870, and were founded, so 

 far as I am personally concerned, on a very cursory examination of 

 that portion of the area, I gladly avail myself of some notes on the 

 subject made by my colleague, Mr. Hughes. His visit was made in 

 1875 with special reference to the question of the possibility of re- 

 establishing an iron factory in Birbhum. His notes are too detailed 

 to be reproduced here in full. I shall therefore give his concluding 

 remarks and his calculations regarding fuel and flux, together with the 

 analyses of the ores which are here put into tabular form : — 



1. With respect to ore, my concluding remarks are that, wherever laterite 



occurs, it is prohable that ore will be found at no very great depth, for the laterite 

 itself is usually not over 40 feet thick. 



m ( 243 ) 



