232 



Abstract of proceedings of the 



[No. 30. 



MUSEUM OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF INDIA. 



c 



The objects of the Museum of Economic Geology of India, which has been 

 established by Government at Calcutta, under orders from the Ilon'ble the 

 Court of Directors, in conjunction with the Asiatic Society and at its Rooms 

 are the following : They are, as scientific men will perceive, generally those 

 of Economic Geologists in all countries, but there are some peculiarities con- 

 nected, with India, and the situations of Europeans in it, which will oblige us 

 to go into a little detail, to explain to those who may not already take an 

 interest in these matters, our wants, our wishes, and our hopes of the ad- 

 vantages which may accrue to the community from this new establishment. 

 Its objects them arc briefly these: — 



1. To obtain the most complete Geological, Mineralogical, and Statistical 

 knowledge possible of all the mineral resources of India, wrought or un- 

 wrought, so as to make them as publicly known as possible, to shew how 

 they have been, or are now wrought, or how they might be so to the best 

 advantage. , 



2. To obtain a complete set of specimens, models, and drawings, relative to 

 the Mining operations, Metallurgical processes, and mineral manufactures of 

 all kinds, of India and of Europe and America; so as to afford to the public 

 information of every thing which can be turned to account here or in Europe, 

 and perhaps prevent loss of time, waste of capital, and disappointment to the 

 Indian speculator. 



3. To furnish the Engineer and Architect with a complete collection of all 

 the materials, natural or artificial, which are now, or have formerly been used 

 for buildings, cements, roads, &c. and of all which may possibly be useful 

 in this department, whether European or Indian. 



4. To collect for the Agriculturalist, specimens of all kinds of soils remark- 

 able for their good or bad qualities, with the subsoil, subjacent rocks, &c 

 and by examination of these, to indicate their various peculiarities and the 

 remedies for their defects. 



5. To collect for Medical men, the waters of mineral springs, mineral drugs, 

 &c. &c. 



6. And finally, by chemical examinations of all these various specimens, to 

 determine their value, and how they may be be3t turned to account for the 

 general benefit of the community. 



With objects like these the Museum of Economic Geology may be said to be 

 placed between the purely scientific geologist and the merchant, the miner, 

 the farmer, the manufacturer, and the builder, or in other words, the merely 

 practical men,who may desire to know how the knowledge of the geologist and 

 mineralogist,— to them often so recondite, and apparently so useless, — can for- 



