1854.] Notes upon the Geology of the Bajmahal Hills. 275 



Tegrogunj, and here also might be economically valuable. In the 

 northern part of the hills near Simuria a mass of calc tufa* passing 

 into nodular kunkur is found, in one of the valleys intersecting the 

 hills, and similar deposits occur in several other places, stretching 

 all along the western flank of the hills. And in some places thick and 

 extensive (Chuperbhita pass, &c.) deposits of nodular kunkur cover 

 the low broken ground at the base of the hills. 

 Economical Products. 



The occurrence of beds of coal associated with the sandstones of 

 this district has already been noticed above. Of the localities where 

 the mineral was known to occur in 1851, Captain Sherwill has given 

 a listf enumerating thirteen. Of these at least eight are utterly 

 useless as productive sources of coal, in some coal does not exist 

 at all, while in others bituminous shale only occurs, of no use 

 as a fuel. In addition to the localities mentioned in this list, on the 

 revenue survey map of the Damin-i-koh, as well as on the index map 

 of the Bhaugulpore district, "coal" is marked as occurring a short 

 distance north of Kooskira, at the eastern extremity of the Puchwara 

 pass. There is however no trace of coal in this locality. 



Of those places which offer any promise of producing useful fuel, 

 the Brahmini Nuddi, on the south of the hills ; the districts of 

 Dubrajpore to the north of this, of Burgo, in the Puchwara pass ; 

 and of Hurra in the northern part of the hills, are alone worthy of 

 any detailed notice. 



In the Brahmini Nuddi, coal is found close to Mussinia in thin 

 beds of very slaty character. None of these beds exceed two feet 

 in thickness and the best of them contain at least 50 per cent, of 

 shale or earthy matter ; the true coal seams not being more than a 

 few inches in thickness. At Dhomunpore some three miles to the 

 west of Mussinia a bed of slaty coal, a little more than two feet thick 

 is found. It is of superior quality to the Mussinia coal, but still 

 earthy, and its small thickness and position make it scarcely worth 

 working. 



In the vicinity of Dubrajpore several thin beds of coal occur, all 



* The " bed of fresh water limestone" of Capt, Sherwill. 



f Notes on a. tour in the Rajmahal hills, Journal Asiatic Society, Bengal, No, 

 yil. of 1851. 



2 O 2 



