1838.] Reports on the Coal and M ineral Resources of India. 1 75 



of a ravine in which there h a stream of water is somewhat heavy and 

 hard. The quaUty may probably improve by pursuing the vein to a 

 distance from the surface, or by sinking a shaft, better beds may be 

 reached. 



« The second locality pointed out by Mr. Erskine, is a little to the 

 west of the first, and 2| coss from the same Ghat,— carriage per 

 maund | of an anna, quality better than that of the first. 



" The third place, and that from Avhich Mr. Erskine himself has 

 been in the habit of taking coal is Pariharpore, a good deal west of the 

 other situations and only two coss, Mr. Erskine thinks from the Damuda, 

 and four coss in a south-westerly direction from Darbadanga, the nearest 

 Ghat on the Adji, which is one coss above Seedpore, — carriage 1| anna 

 per maund. This is a lighter and more brittle coal than either of the 

 others, presenting a glistening and resinous lustre, and on exposure is 

 inclined to crumble. Mr. Erskine is also kind enough to say, that he 

 will take an early opportunity of visiting the several situations in which 

 the above mentioned coals occur, and will afford the Committee farther 



' information as to the nature and extent of the several beds. 



" Mr. E. says that to the eastward of Mammudpore, all traces of 

 coal or indeed any rocks disappear, while on the contrary the quality 

 of the mineral improves on advancing towards the west. Mr. Erskine 

 adds, that the last time the late Mr. Jones visited Elambazar, he said 

 that in his borings about Beerkoolthee, near the Seedpore and Durba- 

 danga Ghats on the Adji, he had met with coal even superior to that on 



I the Damuda, and wished much to open a mine in that situation in con- 



' junction with the late Mr. D. Erskine. 



" Upon the whole the Burdwan coal field appears to be as yet very 

 imperfectly known ; from iSj/, the date of Mr. Jones's last communi- 

 cation, (published in the Asiatic Researches in I829j until the present 

 time, no communication has been made from this quarter except the 

 interesting remarks of Mr. Erskine just quoted. Mr. Jones about the 

 same period reported the discovery of the south east basset of this 



! coal, about six miles from the place then established as a Colliery, so 

 that he was induced to believe from this circumstance, that a basin of 



'l great extent containing many beds of coal exists; Colonel Shelton 

 has recently found a rich vein of coal crossing the Benares road at 

 Angballee, close to the I87th mile stone, v;hich rather tends to support 



i Mr. Jones's conjecture. It is however the eastern and northern limits 



I of the Burdwan coal district that ought to be traced with the utmost 



' care, these being the directions in which coal would be most desirable 

 for purposes of navigation. 



