1838.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 169 



The following announcement of two new sites of coal in Assam was 

 communicated by Dr. McClelland, Secretary of the Coal Committee. 

 To Captain Henderson, 



Jtylcmber of Coal and Iron Committee, Calcutta. 



Sir, ^ 



1 beg to acquaint you for the information of the Committee that in a recent visit 

 to the 90uth-east frontier of the valley, I inspected beds of coal in two places, first 

 at Borhath and then near Jeypore. 



2. The first bed at the former place that I met with, was in the channel of 

 the Disang river about a mile above the little village of Borhath and at the com- 

 mencement of the rising ground of the first low range of the Naga hills. The bed 

 was visible for about a hundred yards in length aud about eight feet in thickness 

 above the level of the water and gravel of the, stream ; it was immediately covered 

 by a stratum of loose rubble four or five feet deep, over which was the superficial layer 

 of soil of about the same depth that forms the surface of the surrounding place. 

 The bed was apparently horizontal, for a part of it was visible in the opposite bank 

 of the river at the same level. 



3. Ascending the bank and proceeding up a gentle rise about a quarter of a 

 mile, at an elevation of probably 50 or 60 feet, I came again upon a vein of coal in 

 the banks of a iittle watercourse and traced it for about 200 yards. It was not 

 here visible in extensive continuance, masses being overlaid here and there with the 

 fallen rubbish of the acclivity above, but it cropped out at intervals and always seem- 

 ed to bear a thickness of several feet. From beneath this bed several small springs 

 of petroleum flow into the pools in the watercourse, and four or five seers (10 lbs.) of 

 this oil were collected by my servants from their surfaces in a few minutes. 



4. The coal in both these strata appeared to be of the first quality, and nothing 

 could well be more favorable than the position for facilitating the working, nor for 

 the transport of the coal as far as the waters of the Disang admit, but this stream 

 is barely navigable for laden canoes of small size in the dry weather, although in 

 the rains it has a depth of water sufficient for large boats, and its stream is no where 

 impetuous. 



5. The other bed of coal was similarly situated at the foot of the eastern side 

 of the same hills, about 12 miles from Bhorath, about 3 miles inland from the 

 Dehing river, and the village of Jeypore. This coal is also accompanied by petroleum 

 springs and appears to be of exactly the same quality as that first mentioned. 



6. Captain Hannay i- now engaged in quarrying some of this coal, agreeably 

 to instructions from the Ri^ht Honorable the Governor General, and I hope soon 

 to be able to send a small quantity of it to the Presidency. He was not aware of 

 the existence of the Borhath coal, the superior facilities of transport offered by 

 which would otherwise have induced him probably to have worked it in preference, 

 but he couM not so well have superintended the labourers, the road between Jeypore 

 and Borhath being in an extremely bad state and scarcely passable after rain. 



7. Although no other traces of coal have as yet been discovered in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of either Jeypore or Borhath than the beds now noticed, it is impossible 

 not to cometotne conclusion, from what has been brought to light by previous 

 discoveries above and below, and from the general conformity of the g-eology of the 

 whole tract, that a most extensive bed of coal underlies all the small range of Naga 

 hills on this frontier for an extent of perhaps upwards of 100 miles. 



8. Along this great extent we may hereafter find beds extending far lower 

 down towi.rds the great navigabie channel of the Brahmaputra, and therefore 

 apparently offering some advantages in regard to transport, but as these advantages 

 will he counterbalanced by greater difficulty in drainage it seems to me that we are 

 not likely in all Upper Assam to find any two points where coal could be worked to 

 more advantage than those now noticed, viz. Borhath and Jeypore, with reference 

 particularly to the nature of the streams which traverse this bank ; for, these 

 receiving no tributaries of the least consequence after leaving the hills, they in 

 themselves are as fitted for navigation close to the hills as in any part of their 

 courses, whilst a little longer navigation is of little or no consequence, and the 

 Dehing and Disang are the largest streams on the south bank. 



9. if therefore the sample of coal to be sent down should turn out favorable 

 in regard to cost, the committee need not I think hesitate working these seams, 

 looking to the discovery of further beds better situated. I greatly fear however the 

 present lamentable desolation of this part of the country aud the inefficient manage- 

 ment to which it has been entrusted may oppose most formidable obstacles to 

 working the coal on any scale and with any economy. Iu the hills there is indeed 

 a sufficient population of Nagas for any works, and the tribes in this neighbourhood 

 are in great measure civilized and would willingly take employment under us, were 

 they free to choose ; but they are all now engaged in the raja's salt works in the 

 vicinity, and I apprehend they are not at liberty to leave them. 



