HISTORY OF COAL DISCOVERIES. H 



surface. These advautag-es, however, he thought were outweiglied by 

 the superiority of the coal from the Makum field, which he considered, 

 judging from the evidence then available, to be the coal-field of Assam. 



In the Namchik river he observed three thick beds of good coal with- 

 in a length of section of 200 feet, and was of opinion that the Makum coal, 

 and that in the above mentioned river, belonged, beyond reasonable doubt, 

 to the same band. The supply from this field he considered to be prac- 

 tically unlimited, but at the same time pointed out the difficulty of 

 extraction to be anticipated owing to the high inclination of the seams. 

 The age of the coal he regarded as most probably nummulitic. Finally, 

 the neglect of the Upper Assam coal, notwithstanding its proved excel- 

 lence, and the causes which had led to this, were reviewed, and sugges- 

 tions made with reference to the system on which the coal lands should 

 be leased out. At the time of Mr. Medlicott's visit the authorities of 

 Sibsagar stated that they could not undertake to protect his camp in the 

 interior of the Naga hills.'^ Hence no effective examination of the 

 Nazira coal-field was then possible. 



Some details were also given respecting the petroleum springs, of 

 which the most abundant visited were those near Makum. The copious 

 discharge of gas and non-discharge of water being both favorable symp- 

 toms, Mr. Medlicott recommended that experimental borings should be 

 sunk there to practically test the value of the oil accumulations. f 



About the same time an attempt was being made by Mr. Goodenough, 

 Mr. Goodenough, ^ member of the firm of Mekillop, Stewart and 

 1866-68. Company, to utilise the petroleum of Assam. He 



appears to have been granted certain rights over a large tract of land on 

 both sides of the Buri Dihing, extending from Jaipur to the effluence 

 of the Noa Dihing. ^* The first of the systematic borings for oil was 

 commenced at Nahor Pung in November 1866, but it does not appear 

 to have been successful, and it was abandoned after having been sunk 



* Memoirs, Geological Survey of India, Vol. IV, p. 395, 

 t Ibid, p. 387. 



( ^79 ) 



