170 



Notices of Books ; 



[July 



would equal that brought from Europe. Having failed however to cre- 

 ate a monopoly in his own favour, (and by the attempt excited the op- 

 position of Mr. Jones, and Messrs. Raitt, Inglis and Co.*) the Bara= 

 chara and Charagow beds were given up, and finally lost sight of by the 

 success of Mr. Jones's mines at Burdwan. 



"Tiiere can be little question as to these beds being placed much more 

 favourably with regard to the plains than the Cherra Ponji coal, for inde- 

 pendant of the remark that * the road to it will be good' Mr. Jones as 

 well as Mr. Stark had too little confidence in the disposition of the 

 Kasya tribes to venture farther into their country than the skirts of 

 the hills. 



" Although the pyrites contained Cherragow and Barachara coals 

 may render them unfit for fuel, still they may be employed profitably 

 in the manufacture of the sulphate of iron and coal-tar. To obtain the 

 first of these articles in large quantity, the brassy coal as it is called? 

 might be exposed during the rains in a cistern built of sandstone, the 

 sulphur will decompose the water thus accumulated and form sulphu- 

 ric acid which, by acting on the iron of the decomposed pyrites will 

 form the salt in question. Subsequent lixivation and crystallization? 

 like the first part of the process may be performed by the natural 

 changes of the season in India. In this way an important article in 

 the arts and commerce of the country might be obtained almost without 

 labour. One of the specimens of coal recently discovered by Lieute- 

 nant Vetch on the north sido, of Assam, contains a considerable pro* 

 portion of pyrites, and would, as well as the Silhet coal referred toby 

 Mr. Cracroft in the preceding note, answer admirably for this manu- 

 facture. 



" The hills in the neighbourhood of Silhet, Mr. Jones says, aflford an 

 iron ore in thin concretions resembling cast-iron plates, what he aU 

 ludes to is an oxide derived from the loose sandy materials of these hills, 

 but being spread over a great surface and occurring in but small quan- 

 tities in any particular place, it may be considered as of no great im" 



*« * Mr. Cracroft states " that Mr, Inglis embarked 5000 rupees in working this coal, 

 ■\\'hich was dug close to the water and loaded on the boats at once : but it was not approved 

 of on trial in Calcutta, the money was consequently lost and the speculation abandoned. 

 The coal is highly impregnated with pyrites which renders it unfit for use in steamers. '» 



" But supposing the coal discovered by Mr. Stark to be that which was afterwards work- 

 ed by Mr. Inglis and disapproved of, yet still when we recollect that the Burdwan and 

 Palamow coals were also at first condemned, it would be desirable to know something 

 more regarding the Charagow and Barachara beds and their topography before we agaia 

 east them aside," 



