136 



A^olices of Books, 



[July 



" The microscopic discoveries of the organic tissuea of plants re- 

 cently made by the Revd. Mr. Reade in the ashes of English coal, 

 have induced J. W. Grant, Esq. of Calcutta to repeat those interesting 

 observations with complete success. The ashes of Serrareem coal, as 

 well as those afforded by several kinds from the neighbourhood of 

 Silhet, and one variety of the Burdwan coal, display most distinct signs 

 of organic textures ; so much so, that some of the coals of very diffe- 

 rent localities may be almost identified by their ashes as having been 

 formed from similar plants, as for instance, one variety of coal from 

 the foot of the hills near Silhet, with another from a lofty bed on the 

 summit of the Kasya mountains. 



" With re^^ard to the nature of the rocks in Central India associated 

 with coal, as far as their details have been made out, there can be little 

 question regarding their identity with the coal measures of Cherra. 

 Franklin, after an examination of several districts, considered the 

 sandstones ot the Nerbudda to represent the new red conglomerate of 

 Europe. The Revd. Mr. Everest on the other hand, has assigned ex- 

 cellent reasons for supposing those rocks to bear a closer alliance to 

 the old red sandstone, and his views are strengthened, if not confirmed, 

 by more recent and extended observalions in a quarter better calculat- 

 ed to affjrd satisfactory results. The limestone of the same districts 

 were considered by Captain Franklin and other writers of the same 

 period with no better reason, to represent the lias, but Mr. Everest 

 justly observed, that as no fossils have been found in it, the chances 

 are that it belongs to an earlier date.* Numerous limestones are found 

 so much alike in appearance, that it would be quite impossible to draw 

 a line of distinction between them except by means either of their 

 fossil contents, or their relative position to other rocks whose nature 

 may be better understood ; but where, as in the present case, such in- 

 formation is also deficient, we must still hesitate to adopt any decided 

 views regarding them. 



Passing over the speculations regarding the disturbing forces which 

 have operated to produce such great changes of level as to cause the 

 deposit, at an elevation of several thousand feet, of vegetable coal and 

 littoral organic remains, we proceed to extract in full a description of 

 the several coal localities. 



'^Silhet Coal Dislrict.^The existence of Coal at Burdwan has been 

 known as early as 1804, when it was observed by the officers of a regi- 



" * Gleanings of Seicnce, vol, 3, page 207." 



