4 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[VOL VIII. 
between these two formations. Mr. King’s work includes a large portion of sheet 94 of the 
Indian Atlas, but unfortunately the northern portion of this sheet is still unsurveyed 
topographically, or rather the topography is not yet published. 
The exploration of the Beddadanole coal-field was continued under Mr. King’s direction 
with the assistance of Mr. Vanstavern. Some bands of poor coal and coaly shale were 
proved in the lower parts of the measures. The upper portion has not yet been proved; yet 
it is there, according to the analogy of the Wardha fields, that the main coal is likely to 
occur, if at all. This portion will be tested on Mr. King’s return from his present duty, and 
on Mr. Yanstavern returning from the Juggiapettah borings. These have been put down 
alongside those formerly made by Colonel Applegath, and where he believed he had found 
coal, but Mr. Yanstavern has not been able to trace any proof whatever of the existence of 
coal or of any similar substance, although his borings have been carried below the depth to 
which the previous one had proceeded. All these borings have since been carried down to 
the metamorphic or sub-crystalline rocks without a trace of coal. 
Mr. King has been diverted from the systematic continuation of his work for the 
present season to examine the gold-bearing reefs of the Wynad, and is at present actively 
engaged on this work. 
Mr. Foote accomplished a heavy season’s work in the Southern Mahratta country, com¬ 
pleting the examination of the quartzite series of that region. Considerable progress has 
been made in preparing for publication a detailed description of this area. Mr. Foote 
also examined so much of the adjoining country as enabled him to complete the northern 
half of sheet 41 of the Indian Atlas, and the north-west quarter of sheet 58. In the 
preparation of these maps also considerable progress has been made. 
At the close of the season, Mr. Foote made an examination of the small gold-bearing 
tract in the Dambal hills of Dharwar. Of this a report with small map has already appeared. 
(Records, Geological Survey, November 1874). The smallness of the area and the sparing 
distribution of the metal seem to offer but little inducement for any large outlay of capital 
in gold mining or washing. 
At the close of the recess Mr. Foote took up the country north of Madras town in order 
to complete the area lying between the hill ranges and the sea (in sheets 76, 77, and 95), 
also to close in a large portion of that country. This had been left while urging on the 
examination of the Kadapah and Karnul districts, as being of less pressing importance 
at this moment. 
Mr. Hughes has again been largely called upon for investigations which are not purely 
geological, and which very seriously interfered with the systematic progress of the survey. 
These have been chiefly in connection with the prospects of establishing the manufacture of 
iron in various places. At the close of last year he had just completed a re-examination of the 
available ores and associated rocks of Kumaon; this examination only confirmed the views 
expressed years since by the G eological Survey as to the abundance of ore and flux, and as 
to the probability of their being also a good supply of fuel for operations upon a limited 
scale. He is disposed to take a rather less favourable view of the richness of the ores, but 
this was always the view of the Geological Survey; the great tractability of the ores to a 
good extent compensating for a certain poorness in quality. 
Mr- Hughes was then detained to revise the examination of parts of the Raniganj field, 
with a special view to the advantages offered by it as a locality for the smelting of iron, 
and establishment of iron works on a large scale. On these points full reports have been 
published during the past year in the Records of the Geological Survey. 
