8 PRELIMINART NOTICE ON THE 



said to be taken from a depth of some feet below the surface, and to be 

 of very much superior quality to those previously furnished. On exa- 

 mination, however, they proved to be little, if at all, superior. They 

 yielded from 47 to 57 per cent, of ash and were in reality scarcely 

 worthy of the name of coal at all. 

 In September 1854i, again, Mr. Samuells,* who succeeded Mr. Goulds- 

 Mr. Samuelk forwards ^"'7 ^s Superintendent of the Tributary Mehals, 

 "°^ urgently remonstrated against the neglect of these 



" extensive beds of coal, iron, &c." in a district combining so many 

 promising features ; and subsequently, communicating with the Curator 

 of the Museum of Economic Geology in Calcutta, described his visit 

 to the locality near Talcheer, from which ' Lieutenant Kittoe had pre- 

 viously obtained his specimens, and which will be found referred to 

 below. It is about 2 miles above the Kajah's residence, near the village 

 of Moolpal. 



Mr. Samuells statesf that he there made a cut down the bank of the 

 stream (12 or 14 feet high) upon the bed of coal, finding first " a peaty 

 " substance like coal, but so soft, that you could thrust a stick through 

 " it ; then coal shale, below which was indifferent coal, much mixed up 

 " with shale ; about 8 or 10 inches below which was a hard slaty rock : 

 " the whole bed 5 or 6 feet in thickness." He proceeds to describe the 

 Gopalprasad coal, when he states "that for several miles above Gopal- 

 " prasad, and about a mile below it, the stream bank presents a succes- 

 " sion of stratified coal cliffs, which have an exceedingly curious appear- 

 " ance." The whole ground in the jungle to the rear of these cliffs is 

 stated to be " covered for considerable distance with coal shale and dust. 

 " The appearance of the coal about 6 feet back from the river and 2 

 " or 3 feet below its bed was excellent, hard, sparkling, and much less 

 " laminated than the more exposed coal on the cUffs." 



* MS. Correspondence with Government of Bengal, under dates cited. 

 t Journal Asiatic Society, Bengal, No. III., 1855, AprU, p. 249. 



