1638.] Supposed Coal Field at Bidjeegurh. 841 



nullah, where it seems to pass into a hard bluish-black sandstone ; it is 

 there exceedingly hard, requiring- several smart blows with the hammer 

 before a fracture can be effected. The formation about the bed of the 

 nullah is singular ; it is composed of a quartzoze rock, or a saccharoid 

 quartz, in distiuct granular concretions, emerging at angles varying 

 from 13^° to 35°, but dipping south upon the northern side of the 

 nullah, and dipping north, from the other side, at angles varying from 

 31^° to 461°. 



12. The bed of the nullah is composed of rolled boulders of flinty 

 slate, passing into a very hard sandstone. The strata of shale are near- 

 ly horizontal, gently undulating, and as they disappear from one bank 

 ©f the nullah, they reappear at no great distance upon the opposite 

 side, thus alternately appearing and disappearing throughout the whole 

 length of the nullah. The same general formation holds good, wherever 

 I have here examined. The vein appears as if crushed by the vast 

 super-imposed weight of sandstone, which here towers up to about 6 or 

 700 feet. 



13. The inclined strata of quartzoze rock, as shewn above, hi 

 many cases, run obliquely across the bed of the nullah, presenting a 

 semi-cylindrical appearance, and almost appear as if constructed for a 

 centering, on which a tunnel was to be supported : the strata are con- 

 centric, and from three to six inches in thickness, — the formation is 

 hard, heavy, bluish- black, mixed with shades of red, and appears to be 

 the connecting link between sandstone and flinty slate. 



14. All the specimens of shale obtained here, were anxiously 

 assayed by the blow-pipe ; they are easily heated to redness, but do not 

 appear to contain any combustible matter in their composition ; with 

 alkalies, they fuse into a slightly green glass, denoting the presence of 

 siliceous matter, or oxide of iron. 



15. Mr. Hyland next directed my attention to a spot marked a 

 in the sketch. 



16. On commencing my examination here, I first proceeded to the 

 point b, an absolute precipice, of about 120 feet in depth by about 150 

 to 200 feet in breadth : over this in the rainy season, a torrent of some 

 magnitude is precipitated. The nullahs h f and g are themselves 

 mountain-torrents ; they all however meet at b, and after a heavy and 

 continued shower, must fall with grand effect into the chasm below. 



17. At this season of,the year (December) the channel was nearly 

 drv ; the stratification was consequently fully developed. Below the fall 

 rs a stratum of hard shaly matter, exactly resembling that at f. This 



5 n 2 



