CANALS, MINING, AND RAIL-ROADS, 
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measures we believe extend away indefinitely below 
the plain surface of the country. But on the eastern 
side, in Sylhet and Assam, we a^e presented with a 
very different appearance. There the coal strata 
are ihiown up as by one convulsion to a heiuht of 
more than 4000 feel above the neiahhouriiii; plain ; 
from which the whole system to which they belonii 
rises at once, like a steep hank of a river gntteied 
by immense falls of rain. It is a most interesting 
inquiry to make : Does the plain of the Soortna 
Cover over a counterpart, yet in their originai 
place, of the deposits which we observe heaved up 
to the skies at Chit rapoonjee ? or, when these last 
were thus heaved up, did the fearful convulsion by 
which that was accomplished break into fragments 
the remaining parts of the ruptured series, and 
sweep them away to (ill up by their debris some 
ocean deeps of the present Bay of Bengal? In re- 
ference to this inquiry, satisfaction might best he 
obtained by boring at Sylhet and Chaituck : but to 
whom are we to look for such experiments? 
^ Perhaps the same object miglit be gaijied by a 
careful observation of the last formation we have 
to notice, consisting of the primitive rocks; by 
which it is plain that the secondary formation just 
mentioned has been tosseU out of itsoiiginal place. 
These primitive rocks may be studied with great 
advantage on the northern side of the Khassia 
mountains, where they are of great extent, and 
much exposed iii numerous immensely deep rents, 
which are now river courses ; and, also all down the 
valley of the Bi umhapoottra, which is stndded with 
beautiful groups of hills entirely composed of them. 
The granite, gneiss, and schist of this formation 
deserve the closest examination ; and, from the little 
vve were able to see of them, we should think they 
would furnish numerous appeaiances not less 
striking than those of the celebiaied rocks of Glen- 
tilt. Just under the cntcherey at Goalpara we notic- 
ed a most singular confluence of different rocks, which 
must have run iw a semi-liquid state into one mass ; 
and similar phenomena we caught glimpses of else- 
where. But the most interesting part of their exa- 
mination would be iheii relation to tire secondary 
strata. It appears certain that down the plain of the 
Brumhapootira, far into Bengal itself, the present 
soil lies immediately upon these rocks; no secon- 
dary strata intervene betweerr it and them. Can it 
be decided that no secondary strata were ever de- 
posited in the same place, before they came up to 
the surface ; or that secondary strata were there 
and have been swept away ? And can it he ascer- 
lained where in the plains of Bengal, the secondary 
strata of Bnn.dwan are broken off by the primitive 
system traced down from the north and east?* 
TEA FORESTS IN ASSAM. 
Mr. Bruce of Sudtya has discovered no less than 
ten new localities, in which the plant is growing in 
abundance and vigour. All the ten localities now 
discovered are in one vicinity, which, on looking 
at any tolerable map of the eastern portion of As- 
sam, onr readers may easily recognize by the help 
of the following description. Sudiya, it will be 
seen, lies on the north hank of the Brumhajiootlia, 
at the junction of a small liver called the Koondil 
Paneel The country to the south is watered by two 
rivers, the Dihooroo and the Booree Dihing, which 
both run from eastward to weslwaid, and join the 
Brumhapootira at different points below Sudiya. 
If a line he carried nearly south, with a slight in- 
clination towards the east, from Sudiya, until it 
cuts the Booree Dihing, it will fall upon the village 
of Ningrew,on the north bank of that river; and 
all the new localities of the lea plants are scattered 
in almost every direction aiound this village at va- 
rious distances, from half a day’s to a whole day’s 
journey. Seven of the localities lie between the 
Booree Dihing and the Dihooroo ; and the remain- 
ing three are to the south of the former river, and 
* Friend of India. 
to the southeast of Ningrew, upon small trihularv 
streams of the Booree Dihing, Immediately to the 
west of Ningrew, and on thenorth sid.eofthe river, 
is a low range of hills, from a hundred to a hun- 
dred and fifty feet high, on the tops of which an in- 
ferior tea is said to grow wild : hut because of its 
inferiority the Singphos pay no attention to it. The 
plants of this sort do not grow above ten or twelve 
feet high ; the largest leaves are not more than an 
inch aiidahalfin length, and they are much more 
indented than those of the other sorts. Another 
kind of tea also grows about in the jungles in the 
neighhonrhood, and on the Naga hills about a day’s 
journey from Ningrew, to the south of the Booree 
Dihing, which is equally disregarded by the Sing- 
phos, and is known as the bitter tea. It is distin- 
guished by the brown colour of the central thick 
fibre, and also of the edges of the leaves. T his 
sort, it is said, will not grow in the same neighbour- 
hood with the finer kinds : at least, they are never 
seen together. 
Thus, it appears, we have three varieties of the 
tea plant. 'I’hat which the Singphos make use of 
is not at all biiter, and differs widely from the sort 
produced in the Hookoom country in the Burman 
territories. Indeed from a trial of some of this tea, 
piepared in a particular manner, Mr Bruce is firm- 
ly uersnaded that it will prove to be Green. To 
raise nlants of this tea, the Singphos sometimes 
sow its seed : hut they prefer one mode or anoti/er 
of planting shoots. Some cut off twigs about a foot 
and a half long, just as the young leaves begin to 
shew themselves, and lay them in the earth, in an 
angle of about 45“, with the top of the twig appear- 
ing at the surface. Others take a branch as thick 
as a man’s arm; and, having cut deep notches in it, 
about one-thiid through it, and three feet apart, lay 
it in the ground, and cover it all over excepting 
where the notches are: at the notches the new 
shoots spiing up.* 
CANAL BETWEEN RAJMAHL AND 
CULNA MINING RAIL ROADS. 
We are happv to perceive that the construction 
of a canal from Rajniahl to Culna, with the view 
of keeping Open the communication of the West- 
ern with the Lower Provinces thionghout the year, 
still engages the attention of Government. This i.s 
an object of the highest national importance, and 
the completion of it will form an era in the history 
of India, vVe have heard the expense of the canal 
estimated at between forty and fifty lakhs of Bn 
pees : hut, great as this sum may appear, it is not to 
be put in compaiison with the advantages which 
stich an nndei taking would confer on the trade of 
the country. But while the question of so large an 
expenditure is on the tapis, it would not be impru- 
dent to enquire, whether the same sum, or perhaps 
even less, might not be sufiicient for laying down 
a noble rail road between Kajmahl and ralcnita. 
We are not acquainted with the local obstacles 
which exist to the accomplishment of such a 
scheme, but they cannot he gieater than tliose 
which European eiiterprize is accustomed to over- 
come in England. The division of the country, 
tlirough which it would pass, is more free than any 
other section of Bengal.! 
INDUS STEAM NAVIGATION COM- 
PANY ; AND PROPOSAL TO UNITE 
THE SUTLEGE WITH THE JUMNA. 
Our readers are already aware that it has 
been “ proposed to have two iron tug steam 
* Friend of India. 
+ Friend of India. 
