OCT. — MAR. 1858-59.] other portions of the Ceded Districts. 299 



It was my intention to have arranged for exploring operations 

 of this nature at Coilcontlah in my late survey ; but I was unable 

 to do so without personally superintending such which would have 

 prevented my giving the requisite attention to the other places I 

 required to inspect. 



With, respect to the establishment of mineral mining in this 

 country, the absence of any class of skilled labor at all approxi- 

 mating to that of the miner must offer a serious drawback with 

 any parties who might on all other considerations think favourably 

 of the circumstances for mining adventures in Southern India. 



The preliminary exploring operations undertaken by Govern- 

 ment whilst giving some more sure grounds for the establishment 

 of works on an efficient scale would be the commencement of 

 giving a few men some experience in the mechanical part at least 

 of the work. 



In the further operation of dealing with the mineral after ex- 

 traction from the mine consisting of picking, dressing and wash- 

 ing and chiefly of much detail manipulation performed by women 

 and children ; the cheap labor of this country would be much in 

 its favour ; also as to the smelting and subsequent parting of the 

 silver there are no points from which any difficulty incidental to 

 this country is to be expected ; the establishment for such opera- 

 tions would require to be fixed in some central position to draw 

 supplies of ore from the various points, and at the same the sup- 

 ply of timber for fuel ; the amount of fuel required for reduction 

 of the ore being 10 to 15 cwt. for each ton of lead reduced. 



Iron making at Roodrar. 



The country which may be described under the name of the 

 Roodrar Iron district extends for about 25 miles north of this 

 place ; Iron making seems to have been carried on in former times 

 at nearly all the villages immediately skirting the eastern side of 

 the Nullemulla hills. 



The following are the names of a few of the places where fur- 



