THE COAL OF ASSAM, 23 



Oil the other hand, to protect in some measure the public, the coal-fields, 

 and proprietors who may do justice to both, from rash and invidious 

 s]3eculation. 



The difficulty in fixing the grants has been a main cause of delay in 



opening up these coal-fields, and it certainly de- 

 Settlement of grants. 



serves every attention. It was proposed by the Com- 

 missioner that I should, in co-operation with an Officer of the Revenue 

 Survey, attempt some such settlement of areas ; but the suggestion 

 was manifestly made without due consideration of the work, in a forest- 

 covered country, where the first elements of a map had yet to be fixed, 

 and where every thing had to be learned regarding the rocks. This 

 undertaking would, moreover, have been incompatible with the 

 object of my mission to Assam — to form a general opinion of the 

 coal-resources of the province. The objects to be held in view in 

 assigning grants are— 1st, that, as far as possible, each grant should 

 be so limited that the deposits within its area may be fully 

 worked from a single mine; this area might be looked upon as a 

 normal or integer .^rant : 2nd, that within each grant there shall be 

 ample scope for the full development of an extensive mining concern. 

 This latter condition is evidently contingent upon the productiveness of 

 the Measures ; so that to be fulfilled it might be necessary that a con- 

 cession should consist of more than one unit-grant. There are, of course, 

 in every single case, special circumstances of position and of physical 

 features to be taken into account, so that, even supposing the constants 

 to be ascertained, it is prima facie objectionable to assign any one fixed 

 area as the limit for a grant. In countries where these matters are 

 properly administered, these arrangements, as well as a certain super- 

 vision of the mining operations, are primarily confided to the minino- 

 engineers of Government. It were to be regretted that objects so im- 

 portant should be lost sight of in the present case ; yet it cannot for a 

 moment be contemplated to withhold the rights of mining until such 



( 409 ) 



