516 Report on the Salt Range, [Nov. 



black color, with a brown streak, and sectile when first removed from 

 the rock. Its broken surfaces present a distinct woody structure, and 

 brown patches of imperfectly carbonized wood, resembling peat, are fre- 

 quently to be found in it. The Jet occurs but in small quantity, and 

 would never be worth working. 



Kalibag Jet Coal. — This coal, though in external appearance the 

 same as the last, occurs in a totally different position, being found in 

 strata inferior to the regular carboniferous deposit, and separated from 

 it by a series of calcareous sandstones of a light yellow color, which are 

 highly fossiliferous. Beneath these follow a succession of conglomerates 

 of the older rocks and variegated sandstones and clays, towards the 

 lower part of which occurs an extensive development of highly bitu- 

 minous shales, in some places closely resembling coal, and interlaminated 

 with strata of a white fine-grained sandstone, in which, as also in the 

 shales, detached masses of jet occur, occupying a horizontal position, 

 and may be picked out in considerable quantity. About 40 or 50 

 maunds of this coal and about the same quantity of bituminous shale 

 supposed to be coal, were taken as fuel by Capt. Christopher in his re- 

 turn trip down the Indus in the " Conqueror" steamer. The results of 

 his experiments with the jet coal, have, as was to be expected, been very 

 favorable, and it is only to be regretted that the coal exists in small 

 masses, evidently the remains of trunks of trees and no regular seam. 

 In almost any portion of it which we excavated the woody structure 

 was apparent, and in numerous specimens which we have preserved, 

 nests of peat are to be observed in their interior, showing the imperfect 

 mineralization of the coal, which presents even a less close approxima- 

 tion to the character of true coal than that which occurs in the regular 

 carboniferous deposit. 



The very short time we had at our disposal while at Kalibag, and the 

 extreme heat of the weather, prevented us from examining the locality 

 with the care we could have wished ; for though our short search for 

 coal was unsuccessful, the extensive development of bituminous shales 

 in the strata around afford a hope that a seam of coal (though not of 

 the true coal measures) may be found, which will yield a fuel suitable 

 for the purposes of steam navigation. 



In no part of the salt range have we seen a locality so fraught with 

 interest, as at Kalibag, where strata are developed in many respects 



