1839.] of the country extending between Bhar and Simla. 1055 



been met with in such a vast tract of country, results not from its 

 absence, but, probably, from the partial manner in which the country 

 has been examined. Captain Herbert in one of the vols, of the Asiatic 

 Society's Trans, has given a paper on the occurrence of coal in the 

 Indo-Gangetic mountains, in which he comes to the conclusion, that 

 all the sandstones and other rocks noticed, belong to the red wacke 

 series, but from data utterly groundless; and remarks in regard to 

 the probability of finding the coal formation, that the indications 

 are unfavourable; we shall however quote his own words — " it will be 

 perhaps asked," he says, " is this coal, of which the traces are proba- 

 bly widely diffused in our sandstone range, likely to prove of any 

 value, or do these many indications afford any ground to hope for 

 the discovery of more extensive and profitable deposits?" To this 

 it may be replied, that the considerations upon which are founded the 

 hope of discovering, in the neighbourhood of these mountains, the 

 true coal formations, are quite independent of its occurrence under 

 this type and in this form; if any thing perhaps, they are rather 

 unfavourable to the expectation of eventually discovering beds of the 

 true coal formation, for it has been noticed, that in those countries in 

 which the coal beds are most largely developed, as in England, the 

 traces of the mineral in the superincumbent sandstone are rare, if 

 not altogether wanting ; while on the continent, where the true coal 

 beds do not occur, small seams or veins are frequently met with in 

 this rock. To find traces of coal in superincumbent sandstone, in 

 districts where coal has not been found, is one of the strongest evi- 

 dences, if not the most important, that coal is present. In fact nothing 

 is more common in a coal district, than to see disseminated through 

 the sandstone, or occurring in small seams, coal prior to reaching an 

 important bed ; we may state that from it we are entitled to infer, that 

 if a shaft is sunk sooner or later, we shall arrive at the bed of 

 coal. In examining a coal district, advantage should be taken of 

 all the streams that occur in a district, for by so doing, a transverse 

 section of the strata is obtained, and frequently thus the outcrop 

 of a bed of coal is perceived. It is also of importance to examine 

 the masses which occur in the stream, coal in such localities, fre- 

 quently occurring at a considerable distance from the bed in situ. 

 If the remarks of Captain Herbert were applicable, all the obser- 

 vations made by geologists, mining engineers, &c, would be void. 

 In the same paper we are told, that grey wacke is considered as 

 synonymous with the old red sandstone by most geologists ; who 

 these geologists are he alludes to, we do not know. Also that at Delhi 



