1854.] Notes upon the Geology of the Rajmahal Hills. 279 



At the Motijhufna falls, near to and south of Sukri-gully the 

 same gentlemen, as I was informed, sunk a pit in search of coal. 

 There could have been no previous examination of the adjoining 

 country ; as the slightest investigation would have shewn the utter 

 futility of such an attempt. The hill is composed of successive 

 sheets of columnar and massive trappean rocks, between the flows 

 of which, as has been stated to be the case commonly, occur thin 

 deposits of shales, and sands, in which are imbedded stems, and 

 fragmentary pieces of plants. A subsequent flow of molten lava 

 passing over these, has charred the stems, has baked the mud into 

 hard shale, and has indurated the irregularly deposited patches of 

 sand into a hard semi-vitreous sandstone. The same phenomena 

 are twice repeated ; but the whole thickness of the intercalated 

 mechanical deposit does not in either case exceed a few feet* while 

 below are several hundred feet of nothing but basalt. It is difficult 

 to conceive how any discovery of coal could have been anticipated 

 in such a locality. 



In many places throughout the hill district, iron is smelted in the 

 same rude way as in the adjoining districts. The source of the ore 

 used, is almost invariably the highly ferruginous sandstones which 

 occur, as noticed above, at the top of the series beneath the trap 

 rocks. Some of the beds of this sandstone or rather some portions 

 of the beds, are very highly impregnated with peroxide of iron, both 



they appeared to be, was more fully insisted upon. The most promising localities 

 were indicated, and the peculiarly favourable combination of circumstances at 

 present existing for working such beds from the great demand for coal for the 

 heavy railway works in the neighbourhood, was alluded to. It was strongly urged 

 that every encouragement should be given to such undertakings i, and in accord- 

 ance with these views the officer in charge of the Government territory of the 

 Damin-i-koh has been instructed by the Government of Bengal, through the 

 Board of Revenue to facilitate such enterprizes in every way in his power, and on 

 most liberal conditions. 



* There are only two falls here, not three, as stated, and these beds of shale, 

 &c, occur at the bottom of each fall. One of the indurated patches of sand, has 

 from some rude resemblance which it presented, been said to be & fossil head of a 

 rhinoceros, without apparently the slightest consideration of the extreme interest 

 which would attach to the finding of such a fossil in this locality, as elucidating the 

 geological date of the rocks in which it occurred. 



