Annual Report, 1867 . 
7 
coming year is far advanced, and they will be ready for issue punctually at the proper times. 
The issue for this year (4 parts) will I hope complete the Cretaceous Gastropoda. 
It was not a little gratifying to find the high appreciation in which the publications of 
the Geological Survey were held by the geologists of Europe, during our visit last year. From 
many we had applications for these works, both the Memoir’s and Palasontologia, which could 
not be acceded to, owing to the limited number of copies now available. I am glad also to be 
able to bear hearty testimony to the friendliness with which any proposals for exchange were 
invariably received, and I only regret that this excellent system of co-operation cannot be 
carried out to a much larger extent than at. present. 
During the year, a report on the coal seams found near Chanda on the Wurdah river, to 
the extreme south of the Nagpur territory, was submitted. As stated in last year’s report, 
and alluded to above, Mr. W. T. Blanford had been deputed to carry on the lines of boundary 
of the several rock groups from their known limits to the north past Nagpur to the south, so 
as to trace out, if possible, the actual connection as he went along. This has been done as far 
south as about 19* 25' of north latitude, or about the southern limits of the conntry included 
in Sheet 73 of the Indian Atlas. It is not intended to convey the idea, that such an extent of 
area has been worked out in detail, hut the general features have been sketched in. 
The rocks belonging to the coal-hearing series of India do not cover any veiy extensive 
area in the vicinity of Chanda. They extend from under the great flows of the Deccan traps, 
a little to the south of Wurrooda and Legaou, in an irregular band of an average width of 
about 20 miles to the Wurdah river where this band has diminished to about 12 miles in 
width. The further extension to the south of these rocks has yet to be traced out. It is 
difficult to arrive at any very satisfactory conclusions regarding the true distribution of these 
rocks, inasmuch as the area under which they extend, is so thickly and widely covered with 
recent and alluvial deposits, as almost entirely to conceal the solid rocks beneath. It is, how¬ 
ever, probable that a very large portion of these rocks belong to the group developed in the 
immediate vicinity of Nagpur, and in which no coal seams have been found. 
The coal yet discovered near Chanda is confined to two or three localities. One is about 
10 miles due west of the station at a village called Kumbari. The bed is seen on both sides 
of the Wurdah, which here forms the boundary between the Woon district of Berar, and the 
Central Provinces. It is not easy, as no sufficient exposure of the coal has yet been made, 
to determine the exact thickness, hut it seems to be between five and six feet; the upper part 
being much decomposed. It dips about 7° to the west-south-west. On the other side of the 
Wurdah the coal cut into varied from 2. feet to 15 inches in thickness, and as in the distance 
of less than 250 yards, if had thus diminished from five feet or rather more to less than half 
that thickness, the probability seems to be that the seam is very irregular if really constant at 
all, and that the quantity available is therefore not sufficiently steady to justify mining on any 
large scale. The quality of the coal is also poor. It yielded only 49 per cent, of fixed carbon, 
that is, not one-half ol the weight. There is also present a considerable quantity of iron 
pyrites. 
Mr. Blanford suggested that the extent of this bed should be proved by sinkings or 
borings near the village of Belora on the west, and a little to the west of the village of 
Googoon on the east side of the river. 
A second .locality is about 10 miles south of Chanda, and about 14 miles north of 
Ealarpur. It is seen on the right or Hydrabad hank of the Wurdah near the village of Sasti. 
and in the bed of the river is covered by the water excepting at the driest seasons. In the bank 
it was cut into for seven feet, of which six were coal, the top of the seam having been denuded, 
so that the total actual thickness could not be seen. It is all covered by alluvial clay forming 
the bank of the river. Die upper three feet appeared to consist of lair coal, shaly here and 
there; the lower three feet of better quality, one foot at the bottom being the best. The 
rocks aU round there are so concealed as to render it difficult to form any trustworthy opinion 
as to the extent or constancy of the seam. This knowledge can only he obtained by a careful 
senes of borings or sinkings. 
The Sum of Rs. 152-11-3 has been paid into the public treasury, realized during the period 
referred to in this report by the .sale of Memoirs, Ac. 8 1 
LtBEAKV —By the liberality of the Government of India, I was enabled this year to 
devote a portion of the large amount sanctioned as for the estimated expenses of the Survey but 
undrawn in consequence of the. absence of so many of our staff to procuring such standard 
senes ol works as were not withm our reach from the very limited monthly sum allowed for 
