No. 31. — 1885.] 



PLUMBAGO. 



181 



in the Indian island; but all the evidence as yet seems to show 

 that as regards the existence of anthracite in Ceylon, a huge 

 and very annoying mistake has been made, and that all the 

 probabilities, unfortunately, are adverse to the discovery of 

 any form of coal in our rocks. 



I feel sure I need not apologize for the space devoted to a 

 matter so closely connected with the subject of the paper I 

 have been asked to prepare, and of such incalculable import- 

 ance to Ceylon, should Dr. Gygax, after all, be shown by the 

 indisputable "testimony of the rocks" to have been in the 

 right. No one would more sincerely rejoice than the writer 

 of this paper, were such to be the answer to the question he 

 has felt it his duty to raise. There seems to be no trace 

 left, in the Museum, at any rate, of Dr. Gygax's specimens 

 of so-called anthracite. Anxious not to do injustice in the 

 matter, however satisfied my own judgment was of the com- 

 pleteness of the negative evidence, I referred the question 

 before giving an adverse verdict to a most competent au- 

 thority, and his deliverance is : — 



" I think you may safely assert that there never was any 

 anthracite in Oeylon. The only thing resembling it that Gygax 

 was said to have seen was a piece that was brought from about 

 Haldummulla. But it would not have been the only piece in the 

 Island had it been anthracite ; and, handling plumbago as I have 

 done for the last 20 years, I would scarcely have failed to see 

 some of it, if it existed." 



This seems conclusive ; and if Gygax received a specimen 

 of anthracite from Haldummulla, it was probably a piece 

 sent from England as a guide to research. There was, 

 nearly forty years ago, some excitement created by an 

 alleged discovery of true coal in Hewaheta, the discovery 

 having no better basis than some bits of English coal 

 washed down an estate stream from the late General 

 Braybrooke's bungalow. 



The calculation is that the amount of mineral fuel con- 

 sumed in India in 1882 was equal to 1,500,000 tons, of 

 which only one-third was imported. At the pit's mouth in 

 Eaniganj, local coal can be delivered for 2£ rupees per ton, 

 while the average price of imported coal, although taken 

 from Britain almost as ballast, at exceptionally low rates 

 of freight, has been over Rs. 18. In consequence of the 



