208 Report on the Geology, Zoology, $c. [No. 135. 



jet and not true bituminous coal; but well adapted, from the experi- 

 ments which we made on a small scale, for steam purposes, burning 

 with much flame, emitting much gas, and at the same time leaving but 

 a small quantity of earthy matter or ashes.* Probably, however, they 

 were led into error, which even in Britain sometimes happens, by con- 

 founding the alum slate, which is of a greyish black colour, and is 

 associated with the white sandstone in which the seams of coal occur. 

 This is not at all improbable, as the colour of the alum slate is so very 

 dark, and so apt to deceive the eye of the traveller ; the colour too, is 

 owing to bituminous matter. The use of coal as a fuel is unknown to 

 the natives, being used by them as a medicine in various diseases, and 

 is so much prized as to have led them to suppose, that a large sum 

 would be given for it. From the different seams, about two thousand 

 maunds had been collected and brought to the town of Kalabagh, 

 where it was stored up by a number of individuals, in quantities of from 

 10 to 100 maunds, for which they expected to get 4 rupees per pucka 

 maund=ft 64. 



Resting upon the red sandstone, we meet with a limestone abounding 

 with fossil organic remains ; it occupies the same position as the mus- 

 chelkalk, a formation which has only been properly identified in France 

 and Germany. Murchison has no doubt pointed out certain beds in 

 England as its equivalent, as in them he has found many organic 

 remains, which are also found in the muschelkalk or shell limestone. 

 Such characters deserve the highest consideration ; but on the other 

 hand, if in another quarter of the world a limestone is found with 

 organic remains, differing from those met with in a rock holding the 

 s ame geological position in Europe, are we from this character to infer 

 that these rocks are of different ages ? If we do this, we are taking 

 for granted, that at the time of the deposition of the saliferous system, 

 the laws which regulate the distribution of the organic kingdom, ope- 

 rated simultaneously throughout the globe. If we look at the orga- 

 nic world of the present day, and trace out its distribution, we find 

 that in each continent, we have a particular series of animals and 

 plants peculiar to it. Thus for instance, let us first examine the mam- 

 malogical kingdom. To how many genera does this remark not apply ? 



* Journal of the Asiatic Society, 2d Series, No. 37, p. 2. 



