1842,] Mineral Resources of India. 825 



and 28th paragraphs of a General Letter from the Honorable the Court 

 of Directors, dated the 8th April last, for the information and guidance 

 of the Military Board. I am also directed by his Lordship in Council, 

 to call for the sentiments of the Military Board, with regard to the 

 practicability of substituting Bheerbhoom coal for sea-coal for purposes 

 to which the latter is applied. I am, &c. 



Council Chamber, T. Thornhill. 



5th Sept. 1808. 



I need not quote the whole of the Board's answer. It states, that an 

 ample supply of sea-coal is actually a saving of expense, as charcoal is 

 inadequate to the same work ; and " that the Honorable Court in their 

 General Letter of the 12th July 1805, particularly require that this 

 article shall be regularly indented for." This last hint seems to 

 favour a surmise of Messrs. Sumner, &c. that they were unfairly dealt 

 with, owing to the strong interest made by the coal contractors at 

 home. The Board go on in their third paragraph : — 



" As the Military Board have never had an opportunity of seeing 

 " or knowing the quality of Bheerbhoom coal, they request to be 

 " favored with a communication of any information that the records 

 " of Government may contain on the subject of it, and in what manner 

 " some of it may be obtained for the purpose of trial at the Agency 

 " Yard." 



It was, however, not thought worth while consulting the records of 

 Government, and his Lordship in Council directed the Collector of 

 Bheerbhoom to procure and forward to the Commissary of Stores, a 

 quantity of from fifty to one hundred maunds of the coal to be found in 

 that district, reporting at the same time for the information of the au- 

 thority, any particulars connected with the object of the proposed expe- 

 riment which he may be enabled to collect from local enquiry respect- 

 ing the quality of the coal, and the state and situation of the mines from 

 which it is procured. His Lordship stated as his reason for this inqui- 

 ry, the desirableness of ascertaining " by experiment whether the coal 

 of which there are reported to be extensive mines in the districts of 

 Bheerbhoom, can be advantageously used or not, as a substitute for 



