Part 2 .] B Ian ford: Lead ore in Raipur. 45 
wiiich 4 traced, it. and a hill is seen in the direction in which the vein runs, which may bo 
formed of the quartz. 
The width of the vein, as usual, varies greatly. Near the high road, both north and 
south, it cannot be much less than 30 feet. About a quarter of a mile to the south, this 
thickness gradually decreases to about six feet. At this spot the veinstone rises like a wall 
above the surface of the little ridge formed of its quartzose debris, and the direction of its 
dip, obscure elsewhere, is distinctly seen, It here underlays to the eastward at an angle of 
about 10° from the vertical, in other words, it dips at 80°. Beyond this, to the south, the 
thickness probably diminishes still further, as, for about quarter of a mile, the vein can no 
longer be traced at the surface; beyond that distance it again forms a ridge of some height. 
It is simply impossible from the surface examination of a metallic vein, especially in a 
district where no mines exist, to ascertain what its value may he below the surface. All 
metallic mines are more or less speculations. Taking into consideration the large amount 
of veinstone exposed, the. proportion of galena seen is small, and unless the quantity of lead 
ore be greater below the surface, it will not alone pay for the working. It should he observed 
that the fresh unaltered appearance of the galena found render's it impossible that its paucity 
is due to the greater portion having decomposed. But larger masses may occur below, anil 
there is also a probability of copper ore being found. The occurrence of the ores in a well 
marked vein is certainly a most important circumstance, and I may add that it is the first 
instance of a distinct metallic lode that I have seen in India. 
Altogether I think it may safely be stated that there is nothing in the appearances 
presented by the Chicholi lode inconsistent with the occumnice of a good vein of lead and 
copper ore below the surface. There are two disadvantages in the locality : the absence of 
workmen acquainted with mining and want of water, not merely as a motive power for 
pumps, &e„ but for stamps and washing floors. But these are only questions of expense, and 
should rich ores occur, will readily be overcome. 
At Wurdband, 16 miles east of the Chicholi lode, two rather irregular quartz veins occur, 
forming hills of considerable size. I saw no traces of ore or of fluorspar in these, but my 
search was necessarily hurried. The direction of these veins approximates to that of the 
Chicholi lode. 
nth March 1870. 
Better specimens than before accessible have been assayed, and yielded 9 oz. 19 dwts. 
6 grs. of silver to the ton of lead. 
The Wardha river Coal-fields, Berar and Central Provinces. . 
The last notice of these coal-fields was given in the Kecords of the Geological Survey 
of India, Yol. II, pt. 4, p. 94. Since that time great progress has been made in the detailed 
exploration of the field, and it is now possible to give a tolerably accurate estimate of the. 
extent of area oyer which the coal can be traced, and of the amount which is available, in the 
vicinity of the river Wardha. 
This river Wardha forms the boundary between the Central Provinces, lying to the east 
of the river, and the ‘ Assigned Districts’ (Berar) and the Nizam’s Territories, lying to the 
west of the river. The same boundary is continued farther to the south by the Pranhita, 
as the stream is called after the junction of the Wardha and Wein ganga, and still further to 
the south by the Go da very, as the continuation of the same stream is called after the 
junction of the Pranhita and Godavery, near Siroucha, 
Previously to the recent exploration the only places where coal had been actually found, 
were a tew points exposed by the cuttings of this river. The whole surface near the river is 
so covered with widely extended beds of calcareous gravels and conglomerates (? pliocene) and 
thick masses of sands and clays and often of regur, or black cotton soil, that, as a rule, very 
few, and these very limited and imperfect, sections are seen and the structure of the country 
must to a large extent be imagined or built up from these small sections. Although thick 
beds of coal rfere visible in the banks of the river, their continuance inland could not be 
traced, and even whore the rocks were exposed, the denudation had been so groat, and the 
thickness of the covering clays, &e., was so considerable, that the outcrops of beds of such 
marked character as coal and coaly shale of 40 and 50 feet in thickness were entirely 
concealed. And it therefore was essential that actual borings should be put down. The 
results of a few of the early trials were given in the notice referred to above. (Vol. II. p. 94). 
