258 



On a reputed Coal Formation [no. 4, new series, 



After leaving the Government Steamer, I sent my camp to march 

 by land, and proceeded myself in a Paddle boat, taking only the road 

 through the jungle occasionally. 



My staff could have reached Kota in somewhat less time than 

 they did, if it had not been impeded by the slow progress of the 

 materials ; — I had found it requisite to give instructions that the 

 whole party should keep together as much as possible. 



As for myself, I found it requisite to make my observations 

 along the course of my march somewhat in detail and to visit every 

 spot on either side of the river where the possibility of an oppor- 

 tunity of examining any exposed section of the rocks of the coun- 

 try might be presented, my own daily rate of progress could not 

 therefore have been expedited. 



The result of the observations in my journey was, that I had 

 passed over a considerable extent both superficially and in thick- 

 ness of a sedimentary deposit of sandstone and limestone, and at 

 its edge or junction with some one or more great volcanic disturb- 

 ances or faults, these had in fact formed the valley of the river, 

 the channel forming a tolerably general line of division between 

 the metamorphic range of hills on the eastern and sandstones &c. 

 on the western side, occasional arms or branches of this metamor- 

 phic range, stretching across the line of the river and forming the 

 great obstructions or barriers in its bed at Buddrachellum,Encham" 

 pilly and Aheree. 



In the course of my examination of these sedimentary beds in 

 my march up the river, I found nothing in the remotest degree 

 approaching to those indications which are met with in European 

 Coal districts, neither in my examination of the pebbles in the 

 river bed did I discover any thing of this nature. 



I could of course form no conclusion at all or be surprised at 

 this negative evidence, as I was quite prepared to meet with a 

 totally different state of circumstances connected with Coal dis- 

 tricts in India to those of Europe, and that therefore an actual 

 examination of the rocks in any district in detail through their 

 entire thickness was necessary, in order to pronounce decidedly 



