tart 3 .] Hughes : Manganese ore in the Wardha Coal-field. 
125 
Manganese oee in the Waedha Coal-field. 
In connection with the question of iron-manufacture in India, it will be of interest to 
notice a discovery I made this year, within the limits of the Wardha coal-field, of a deposit 
of manganese ore, which is at present an ingredient of great service in the process for convert¬ 
ing iron into steel, although its prime function in that process, and the presence of a certain 
proportion of manganese in the best steel, are questions still under discussion. 
In 1869 I drew attention, in the manuscript report of my season’s work, to the 
occurrence of manganiferous sandstone in the Kamthi series, but the proportion of manganese 
to the other constituents of the sandstone was altogether too small to render my discovery any¬ 
thing more than merely interesting. This year I was fortunate enough to meet with a much 
more available source of manganese, and it is this source which I wish to draw attention to. 
The ore occurs in botryoidal masses in the red clays of the Kamthi series around Malagarh 
Hill. These concretionary lumps as usual contain much foreign matter, but the proportion 
of oxide of manganese is considerable. An analysis by Mr. Tween gave: 
Manganese ore— 
Loss on heating 
. .. ... 
8-5 
Oxide of manganese 
». 44"6 
Iron and alumina 
... 
6'8 
Sand and clay 
... 
... 40T 
Total 
... lOO'O 
The physical characters are those of psilomelane, which is a proto-peroxide of manganese; 
hard, having a bluish black colour, submetallic lustre, and a brownish black streak. 
Of the ores of manganese this is about the most abundant. It is closely allied to 
pyrolusite, and by some mineralogists is considered to he only an impure variety of it. 
I did not attempt to estimate the probable quantity procurable from the beds in which 
this ore occurs, as I wished before tracing it out closely to have its value determined 
analytically. I remember, however, being impressed with the idea that there was a large 
amount of it, of more and less purity than the sample I sent to our Museum. 
None of our Indian iron-ores are known to contain more than a trace of manganese, 
and the independent ores of this metal seem to be somewhat scarce. 
In the Panjab it is said to come from Jammu, which may mean anywhere within 
the extensive Himalayan territory of the Maharaj of Kashmir. 
In Madras it is said to occur near Vizianagram, in Karnul, Maisfir, and the Nilghiris. 
In Burma, it has been reported upon by our own officers and others. 
In Bombay an earthy mixture of iron and manganese oxides, occurring as a dark brown 
powder in magnesian limestone, was found this year by my colleague Mr. Foote, at Bhimgarh 
in the Belgaum district. Its composition is— 
Water and organic matter 
... 
14-6 
Oxide of iron and a little alumina 
22-0 
Binoxide of manganese 
20-0 
Insoluble 
... 
44-8 
101-4 
