Chap. IV. § 4.] raniganj group. ' ' 123 



high angles, the highest is 1 foot thick, and rests upon about 5 feet 

 of sandstone, below which the second, 5 feet thick, occurs ; the third 

 is 20 feet lower, and measures 3 feet, and the fourth, 30 feet lower, 

 6 feet. On the second and third small quarries have been dug, and shafts 

 were sunk to cut them by the Bengal Coal Company, but, by some 

 mistake, they were commenced outside the out-crop of the coal. In 

 consequence of the vicinity of the great faults forming the Southern 

 boundary of the field, and the consequent disturbed and broken condi- 

 tion of the beds, it is in the last degree improbable that any workable 

 coal will be found in this locality. A little fuel may, doubtless, be 

 obtained from irregular workings, but a large mine is out of the 

 question. 



North of the fault and opposite to the village of Parabira, a shaft has 

 been sunk to a depth of 86 feet, without any coal being found, a result 

 which might have been anticipated, as a considerably greater thickness 

 of beds than 100 feet are seen dipping South towards the shaft, with- 

 out the slightest indication of a coal seam. 



From this point, near Beharinath Hill, for about 3 miles to the East, 

 all the area South of the Damtida is occupied by the Panche't beds. 

 East of these again a considerable area is occupied by Raniganj beds, 

 but nearly the whole surface being covered with alluvium, which, 

 nearly opposite Raniganj, completely covers up all the rocks, very 

 little is seen of the beds. They are, doubtless, the highest of the series, 

 and may very possibly contain in places useful seams of coal. One is 

 said to occur just East of Barhsal, and an old quarry exists, but nothing 

 can be seen of the bed. A little West of where the Salma dyke crosses 

 the Damtida, an old shaft exists, which was sunk by Mr. Homfray to 

 a depth of, it is stated, more than 200 feet ;* only small seams of coal 

 being met with. A few hundred yards South of this, and near the village 

 of Sahibdanga, an out-crop of a seam, 4 or 5 feet apparently in thickness, 



* Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. XI., page 729. 



