708 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 7. 



6th. — I would not agree to submit an offer of this kind for an inde- 

 finite period, but I agreed to recommend to Government that they should 

 have a farm of the veins now known (six) for one year for one 

 hundred rupees ; and as it is of primary importance to Government to 

 ascertain the real value of the veins, and this cannot be done without 

 sinking shafts or driving galleries at an expense which cannot well be 

 estimated I consider that this is the best plan we can adopt ; I therefore 

 have the honor to recommend it for the sanction of the Lieut. -Governor. 



7th. — In the meantime I have given the applicants Eajmon and Buk- 

 tawur Singh, permission to go on digging out the Mahaldiram vein for 

 one month. 



8th. — If this proposition is agreed to, I shall make a point of submitting 

 specimens of the ores monthly for examination and analysis, so that we 

 may be fully and accurately informed of the result of the diggings. 



1 have, &c. 

 (Signed) A. Campbell, Superintendent. 

 True copy. 

 Cuttach iron ores. — In reply to an application from the Hon'ble the 

 Governor of Bengal for a report on Mr. Samuells' iron ores from Cuttack 

 the following was sent in. 



To Hodgson Pratt, Esquire, 



Under Secretary to the Government of Bengal. 

 Sir, — In reply to your letter No. 330 of 21st March, I have the honor 

 to report as follows : 



1. That Mr. Samuells' iron ore marked Xunkerie No. 1 is the " Ochry 

 red iron ore" of mineralogists, which produces excellent iron without the 

 aid of lluxes. 



2. A specimen of this ore from Burdwan was carefully analysed by 

 me in 1828, and gave as much as 84 per cent, of peroxide of iron equal 

 to 59 per cent, of iron, but this was a very pure specimen containing only 

 9 per cent, of earthy matters and 6 per cent, of water. 



3. Mr. Samuells' specimen is evidently a mere surface one, and has 



thus a much larger proportion of earthy matters, the oxide of iron being 



gradually dissolved and washed out of such specimens by the rain water 



filtering through them : it contains in 100 parts 



Water and carbonic acid, 5.50 



Earthy silicates, 28.40 



Peroxide of iron, 66.00 



99.90 

 Loss,.. .10 



100.00 



