1833.] Asiatic Society. 265 
The rains had washed down masses of the hill, and among these we found a great 
deal of the coal, in fact it seemed to abound here more than in any other part. The 
nyartas whom we sent up to scale the precipice, brought down their hamarbands full 
of it. The next morning I rode about four or five miles up the Phika Nadt, and 
found the coal in similar situations, in veins stratified with sandstone, and occasi- 
onally conglomerate rocks. In the evening I explored the Chala Nadi to the west 
of the Phika, and found several large veins in the face of a perpendicular rock of 
the same description. I send specimens of the several varieties :—some appear to 
be mere lignite, but others are genuine coal. It is found however in such narrow 
veins as to give but little promise of a profitable application. The natives tell me 
that it is found in almost all the rivulets up to Hardwar, wherever the lower range 
is composed of kacha (unripe) materials; they call it momyai, and use it as a me- 
dicine for curing wounds, and as an infallible remedy for Cholera! for the latter 
purpose they pound up about half an inch square of it, and mixing it with a lota 
full of warm milk, drink it off.’’ 
The specimens of coal sent down by Mr. Ravenshaw are all nearly of the same 
character, strongly impregnated with sulphuret of iron, which forms thin fibres 
streaking some of them, and passes into thick masses of pyrites decomposing in 
others :—a clean lump had a specific gravity of 1.968 in consequence, and the re- 
sidual ash was principally iron oxyd; it burns with good flame, does not coke, 
and retains sulphur enough to ignite spontaneously after being charred. 
Wolatilevmatters( cei. s cs dc) t.cyarlayel eae cnveretersi ean, Os 
Gano naes sectapertelegaie: state’ alave!'s ol-aleadtonelh aves tara OULO 
PERT ENO aS hpWibe dG AdAuin Mon Bolded Se .come ets 
/ 100.0 
Gold*. 
Mr. Ravenshaw in other communications of a recent date, mentions a discovery 
that all the rivers and streams descending from the same range of hills are im- 
pregnated with gold. The river in which it is most abundant is the Koh, which 
flows a few miles to the east of Naginah, and falls into the Ramgunga, four or five 
miles below Sheakdt. ‘There are two parties of nyartas or gold-workers on 
this river, one at Kot,kddir, twelve miles from Kot,dwar, whence the Koh issues 
from the hills, and the other about ten miles lower down opposite to Barapura. 
At the former the nyarlas pay 50 rupees per mensem to the zeminddr, and at the 
latter 30 rupees. At Lakherghaut on the Ramgunga, about four miles from the 
hills, another party is established, and a fourth to the eastward at Amangarh on the 
banks of the Phika Nadt, a tributary of the Ramgunga. 
* The reader will find some valuable remarks on the gold of the Ramgunga tributaries 
by Captain Herbert, in his notice of Himalayan minerals printed in the Physical 
Researches Asiatic Society. He notices the same curious fact of no gold being dis- 
covered in these streams until they enter the lowermost range of hills :—he also men- 
tions having a specimen of the gold inits parent rock, but properly concludes that 
although we may be certain of the existence of the wetal within this range, we must 
patiently wait until the progress of population and industry shall press upon the hitherto 
_ unexplored resources of the mountains ere we reap the advantage of our knowledge. 
An individual might be ruined in the search, unless indeed some lucky chance should 
give him a prize in the mining lottery. 
MM 
