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Contributions toioards a History of the Development of the Mineral 

 Resources of India. By S. G. Tollkmache Heatly, Esq. 



No. 2. Memoranda relative to the working of Iron in Bengal. 



The existence of iron in the districts of Balasore and Beerbhoom, 

 seems to have been known at the earliest period of British rule in the 

 country. With regard to Balasore, the following passage occurs in Cap- 

 tain Alexander Hamilton's Account of a Voyage to the East Indies in 

 1708, [vol. 1, p. 395] :— 



In two days I travelled from Badruc to Balasore, and saw nothing in the 

 way but things common and indifferent, the product of the country being 

 corn, cloth, iron, anise and cummin seeds, oil and bees' wax. Iron is so 

 plentiful, that they cast anchors for ships in moulds ; but they are not 

 so good as those made in Europe. 



In Beerbhoom, iron manufacture seems to have been of not less anti- 

 quity. The ore which abounded in the district was dug out and 

 collected by a set of men, who sold it to the beparries or itinerant 

 dealers. A trifling contribution was levied on these miners by the Rajah 

 within certain limits, and by some other landholders in their estates. 

 The ore was carried by the beparries to established markets called 

 aurungs, where it was purchased by the smelters, whose furnaces or 

 saals adjoined the aurung. At these markets the Rajah had officers who 

 levied a duty from the smelters in proportion to the quantity manu- 

 factured : part of the levy was made at the kot-saal or roasting furnace, 

 and part at the khamar-saal, where the iron was finally prepared for use. 

 The whole of the collections thus made was entered under the head of loha 

 mahal, and was kept distinct in the Rajah's accounts from the rent of the 

 land in which the aurungs lay. The Rajah again paid a certain assess- 

 ment on his profits to Government, which assessment was also designated 

 by the term loha mahal. The same item of Government accounts com- 

 prehended also the payments made by the few detached landholders, to 

 whom I have before alluded as imposing duties upon the miners in their 

 estates. This detail will I think, in conjunction with the narrative 

 that follows, shew clearly, that the right of ownership of the iron was 



