1854.] Notes upon the Geology of the Bajmalial Hills. 281 



some improvements on the blast used and the mode of producing it, 

 would be needful. The immense loss which occurs in refining the first 

 smelted iron, or as they say making it pucka, a loss which amounts 

 often to fully one-half of the entire weight, at once points out the 

 great want of such improvements : while the excellent quality of the 

 iron obtained, and its admirable adaptation for many purposes are 

 unquestionable. 



Beds of fine siliceous clay, which with proper treatment would 

 yield excellent fire bricks and crucibles, and prove an admirable 

 material for the manufacture of many useful articles of hard pot- 

 tery, occur in several places. This clay is white, with a slight pink- 

 ish or grey dove-coloured tint ; burns when properly cleaned to a 

 dead cream white ; is very refractory, and only requires a slight 

 admixture of some other more tenacious clay to give it sufficient 

 adherence to bear moulding. This is the Khari of the natives, and 

 is the same as that which occurs near to the Ganges north of Col- 

 gong ; and which was so long since as 1840 very strongly recom- 

 mended by Dr. O'Shaughnessy for the purposes I have mentioned. 

 "Within the district of the Rajmahal Hills, it occurs in several 

 places ; near to Lohuria, in the ridge joining the hill of Gundesru, 

 &c. &o. ; and again in abundance at Khari-puhar in the South, out- 

 side the Damin-i-koh boundary. This clay has been partially worked 

 at Patturghatta, on the banks of the Granges, for pottery ; wood 

 being here used as the fuel in baking : elsewhere it is only dug for 

 the ordinary uses to which it is applied by the natives, colouring 

 houses, writing, painting, &c. In connexion with the coal of this 

 district, it will hereafter prove a valuable material. 



There are few other mineral products within the district of any 

 value. Some of the highly indurated beds of shale which occur 

 under the trap-rocks, would with proper selection, afford stones well 

 adapted for the purposes of coarse hones, or sharpening stones 

 (oil stones) ; and might be so applied ; of this kind is a bed near 

 Burhait of a salmon-coloured tint (erroneously de scribed as " clink- 

 stone,") from which, with a little care in the selection, good pieces 

 could be obtained. 



Throughout the hills, the trap rocks themselves yield the most 

 admirable road materials. Throughout the Damin-i-koh, excellent 



2 p 



