HISTORY OF COAL DISCOVERIES. 7 



feet. The coal in both, these beds appeared to be of the first quality, 

 and favorably situated for working as well as for transport, so far as the 

 waters of the Disang permit; but Captain Jenkins pointed out that 

 " this stream is barely navigable for laden canoes of small size in the 

 dry weather, although in the rains it has a depth of water sufiicient 

 for large boats, and its stream is nowhere impetuous.-" The last state- 

 ment is not strictly accurate^ as there are several rapids in the first few 

 miles below the debouchure of the river from the hUls. 



Close to the second outcrop several small springs of petroleum 

 were observed, from which the oil flowed into the pools in the water- 

 course, and four or five sers were collected in a few minutes by Captain 

 Jenkins^ servants. ^^ 



This report contains aprScis of all the information available up to 



Eeport upon the coal date on the coal of Assam. The Committee point 



Sed^o^'GOTernment ^^^ *^^ advantageous positions of both the Jaipur 



iLXXeSZ^i ^^d ^''^^^ ^^^1 ««^^« ^^^ ^e^P^^t to water car- 

 first printed report.) riage, deciding between the two in favor of 



Borhat on the whole, lstl2/, on account of the coal being closer to the 



river, and %ndly, from the shorter water carriage to Disang Mukh. Later 



investigations and more accurate maps have shown these conclusions 



to be incorrect, as the coal is equally near the river in both cases, and 



the distances to Disang Mukh are almost the same, what Kttle difference 



there is being in favor of Jaipur. The Committee were of opinion 



that, in the then existing state of communications between Upper 



Assam and other parts of India, its coal could not be supplied in 



Calcutta at a cheaper rate than that from Bengal : they considered, 



however, that it might be advantageously used for the supply of the 



Ganges steamers, and furnished estimates to show that it could be 



delivered at the higher stations on the Ganges at lower rates than were 



then ruling for Burdwan coal.f 



* Journal, Asiatic Society, Bengal, Vol. VII, p. 169. 

 f Journal, Asiatic Society, Bengal, Vol, VII, p. 948. 



( 275 ) 



