6 HUGHES : kuehuebXrI coal field. 



disadvantage I could discover, by providing proper communication to 

 transform the barren (and almost poverty-stricken) locality to a state of 

 prosperity/^ 



In the return called for by the Secretary of State for India, 1867, 

 Dr. Oldham gives a short notice of the field ; and after forcibly pointing 

 ont the absence of sound data for arriving at any satisfactory con- 

 clusion, he roughly estimates the amount of available coal, which it is 

 likely to yield, at 168 millions of tons. 



III. — General Topography. 



The geographical position of the field is between the parallels of 

 86° 16' and 86° 23' E. long., and 24° 10' to 24° 14' 



Position of field. -nt i • i • n -i -i r^ -, 



N. lat., occupymg a portion oi the tract defined 



by the river Barakar on the south, and the Oosri, an afiluent of it, on 



the east and north. 



It is bordered in its immediate vicinity on the south, south-wes.t, west, 

 and north-west by hills of metamorphic rocks ; but on the north, the 

 ground is comparatively open, and the nearest hill of any magnitude is 

 Khandauli, three miles distant. 



The surface of the field is broken by the rocks of the Barakar 

 group, which constitute Komaljore, Kheri, Bhuddiia and Bali hills, and 

 two or three small rises in the extreme east and south-east. 



The general elevation above the sea-level can be approximately 

 stated at 900 feet; the ground on the north-east 

 and south rising gently to about 60 feet higher. 



The Sooknid river and its tributaries, the Kumar sote, the Durdurwa, 



the Khakho, the Suni, the Khundiha and 



lamage. Komaljore streams drain the entire area of the 



field, and pour their waters into the Barakar. The local watersheds 



214 ) 



