PART 2.] 
Annual Raped, IS6S. 
27 
occurs the coal-seam: it is a good deal crushed, altogether about three feet thick, but very 
unequally carbonaceous, being locally split by strings of clay and sand; and contains but 
lew thin strings of coaly substance. The mass of what woidd be extracted as coal is a highly 
resinous hatt or shale, full of small nests and strings of a kind of amber; it gives a woody 
sound when struck, is very tough, and breaks with a large conchoidal fracture. It was obvi¬ 
ous that whatever little use might be made of such deposits, if required on the spot, they 
were practically of no value as a source of fuel for general purposes. It is most seriously 
to be regretted that the statements upon which expectations of coal had been founded should 
have proved to be so fallacious. 
Having completed the cursory examination of these rocks, Mr. Medlieott devoted some 
time to a more careful examination of the Khasia Hills, for which portions of the topogra¬ 
phical survey maps were ready. These very interesting hills had never before been visited 
by any of the officers of the survey at a time when it was possible to examine the lower 
parts of their steep slopes; and consequently, as pointed out long since, much remained to 
be done, before we could suppose that we possessed any true knowledge of their structure. 
Further, the full determination of the cretaceous age of the sandstones, &c., under Cherra 
Poonjee, (Quay. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, 1863, p. 521, Oldham, on cretaceous rocks in 
E. Bengal) which, in my own early description, in consequence of them apparent con¬ 
tinuity and conformity, (the fossils collected having been lost at sea) had been grouped 
with the tertiary rocks above, rendered it necessary to carry out this separation in detail. 
Mr. Medlieott has been able to do much towards this, and in tracing out these rocks has been 
led to several very valuable conclusions, a brief summary of which has already appeared in 
the Records of the Survey. As soon as the topographical survey of these hills is completed, 
I hope to he able to have them examined in detail. 
Later in the season, Mr. Medlieott having arranged for the several duties assigned to 
the assistants under his charge, was requested to take up the very important geological 
question of the extent and relations of the several series of sandstones, &c., associated in 
Bengal with the coal, as compared with those in Central India. With this object, making 
a rapid traverse of the Ranigunj field, and passing westwardly by the Hazareebagh fields, 
he has carried out the section across to Jubbulpore, and with very valuable results, which will 
tend much to a clearer understanding of the different groups or formations. In a new country, 
where the general relations of the rocks is quite unknown, it becomes necessary for each 
observer to form for himself a classification of the rocks he examines, grouping them 
into series or formations, and often giving to these sub-divisions local names. But as the 
examination of the country advances, it not unfrequently happens that such classification is 
proved to he of purely local type, and it is essential either to increase the sub-divisions or 
to bring several together into one larger group. Mr. Medlicott’s traverse of this wide extent 
of country will go far, I believe, to remove, in several cases, the limited amount of confusion 
which had unavoidably arisen from the fact that previously the officers of the survey had 
been working at distant and isolated points. 
Mr. Willson has completed the detailed examination of the district of Saugor in the 
Central Provinces, which he has connected with those of Dumoh and J ubbulpur to the east. 
Unfortunately the want of maps of the country lying to the west of Saugor district has 
prevented the extension of our examinations in that direction, as I was very desirous of 
doing;, in order to join on the geological lines to those we have been for some time past 
steadily carrying southwards through the Gwalior and Rajpootana territories. The district 
of Saugor is mainly composed of trappean rocks, which arc, in this parallel, the most northerly 
portion of the Great Deccan area of these ancient volcanic rocks. These rest upon Vuidhyan 
rocks for the greater portion of their boundary. 
. Mr. Mallet has, during the early part of the year, completed the examination of the crys¬ 
talline rocks oi Bundlecund—being a continuation of his work of the previous year—so 
far as the area occupied liy these rocks is comprised on sheet 70 of che Indian Atlas. The 
further, explorations of this year have rather induced Mr. Mallet to abandon the idea of 
separating these rocks into two series as was suggested in 1866-67. The evidence, however, 
is even yet scanty, and not conclusive. And it must remain ior more careful investigation 
when better maps, on a larger scale, of the B i j a w u r area become available. The maps, at 
present procurable, are too imperfect to admit ol any close or searching examination and 
record. 
