68 MALLET : GEOLOGY OE DARJILING AND WESTERN DUARS. 



doubled up and hammered out again. This operation is repeated two or 

 three times before the iron is finally worked up into kukris, &c, which 

 are tempered by heating and plunging into water. 



The deposit is a valuable one ; as will have been seen from the 

 assays, the ore is extremely rich, and the quantity appears to be consider- 

 able, while the iron produced is of the best quality. The outturn might 

 be largely increased, and a dozen or more native furnaces easily kept in 

 blast. There is abundance of wood for such in the Rer valley, the upper 

 part of which is entirely covered by virgin forest. At some future time 

 the locality may attract notice for the production of a high-class iron on 

 a larger scale. The workability of the coal will greatly affect this 

 question, but the want of flux within a moderate distance must always 

 be a drawback to iron-smelting in the Darjiling hills. The conditions 

 are not such as would induce one to look to them during the infancy of 

 iron-smelting on European principles in this countiy. 



The actinolite rock, which accompanies the magnetite, is a peculiar 



variety of rock which I have not seen elsewhere 

 Rangu naddi. # 



in situ. Pieces of a similar stone are, however, 



brought down by the Rangu, a stream which joins the Tista south-west of 



Kalingpung. The bed it comes from may be the same as that at Sik- 



bhar, and a close search towards the head of the Rangu might be 



rewarded by the discovery of accompanying magnetite. 



Blocks of magnetic iron schist are washed down by the Sakkam 



river south of Dalingkot. The rock is composed 

 Sakkaui-Chu. . . 



oi magnetite and quartz, the grams of each being 



sometimes distinct, but more usually intimately blended, so that the 



rock becomes almost compact. 



The Ma-Chu brings down large lumps of micaceous hematite. The 



hills through which these streams flow are unin- 

 Ma-Cku. 



habited, and covered by dense forest. 

 ( 68 ) 



