THE COAL OF ASSAM. 9 



be the acknowledged boundary between us and the Burmese, and that 

 towards the south-west, in North Cachar, the Burrail ridg-o, which is 

 the physical continuation of the Patkai, should be our boundary with 

 Muneepoor, while intermediately, tribes of naked savages should be 

 permitted to assert a mischievous independence. It is, moreover, only 

 a recent pretension on their part, suggested by some years of immunity 

 from control. I was informed by Major Holroyd, who has either personal 

 recollection or the most direct information regarding the settlement of 

 the North-East Frontier, that the Patkai range throughout its entire 

 south-eastern extension was t1ie,n understood as the limit of British 

 territory ; and that for some time the Nagas of those parts formally 

 recognised the authority of the Civil Officers at Seebsaugor. A little 

 judicious firmness would, I believe, easily re-establish the normal order 

 of our relations with these people. Their present state of insubordination 

 was a principal cause of my having seen so little of the important rocks 

 forming the hills south of Seebsaugor. I will discuss the few observa- 

 tions I was able to make, in connection with those of the adjoining region 

 in the Dibroogurh (or Luckimpore) District. 



In my notice of Tezpoor coal localities, I have described what I 



observed in the Abor Hills north of Dibroogurh. 

 Luckimpoor. -x, • r i i i p 



it IS to be hoped that future explorers in these 



regions will keep in mind the views recorded, and will endeavour to 



discriminate between coal that is useful in quality and quantity and 



coal that cannot be so regarded. This is not the first time, though, I 



trust, it may be the last, that false hopes have been based upon the lignite 



sandstones of the Sub-Himalayan rocks. My observations of the coal to 



the south-east of Dibroogurh are discussed in the following paragraphs : — 



After so many reports of failure, it was pleasant to come to something 



Good coal in Upper '^"^^'^'^^ °^ ^^^^T attention. It is pretty generally 

 ^^^'^''^- known that ccal exists over a large extent of 



country in Upper Assam ; that it has for several years been worked ; and 

 B ( 395 ) 



