144 KHASI HILLS: 



's in three distinct layers, and the section in descending order, is as 

 follows : — 



ft. in. 



Thick-bedded sandstone 



Sandstone, hard and fine-grained 1 4 



Coal, tolerably good, from 8 in. to 1 6 



Coal, or a carbonaceous mud, with many carbo- 

 naceous particles imbedded, so as to be slightly 



inflammable 8 to 6 



Sandstone, (clean sharp freestone) 11 



Coal irregularly bedded, soft and earthy 1 6 



From this section it will at once be evident, that no good coal can be 

 looked for from this deposit. 



I had no opportunity of visiting the coal said to occur near to Cheyla, 

 ,. ^, , , and further to the Westward near Laour. I have 



JNear Cheyla and 



^^°°''- already referred to the coal found close to the 



village of Tung-ji-nath, South of Nonkradem, and still further to the 

 East. 



As regards the extent of the Cherra Poonjee bed, which is the most 

 Extent of Coal at important, it follows the ridge of the limestone 



^"*" (see Map), and crops out at intervals round its 



bluff escarpment. Thus the coal is seen at the most Northerly point 

 of this ridge, and again near to the road from Cherra Poonjee to 

 Maw'smai. But independently of the very irregular development of 

 the coal itself, and the want of continuity in the bed originally, a large 

 portion of the surface included within the outline of the limestone, as 

 shown on the Map, has been susbequently denuded of the upper beds 

 of sandstone, coal, &c., while, as I have already noticed, other portions 

 have been removed by falling into, and filling, large cave-like excava- 

 tions in the underlying limestone. I shall have occasion to refer again 

 to this question of the amount of coal to be found here. 



