PART 2.] 
Oldham: IFardha river Coal-fields. 
51 
the coal afterwards, it was injudiciously placed, and must be for years to come superseded 
by others more conveniently located. Such general considerations, however, based on a view of 
the field at large were of little avail, as compared with ‘ practical’ views, and the work was 
hastily pushed on. It is to be hoped that the fact, that the Geological Survey have since then 
pointed out the exact localities for borings and have thus proved the existence of coal within a 
few feet of the surface, where, they wore told, ‘ such trials were only foolish blunders,’ evincing 
an ‘utter ignorance of the teachings of Mining,’ and were ‘at places where it was impossible 
that coal could exist,’ will be a warning to future enquirers in their researches, and that they 
will at least try to make themselves acquainted with the geological structure of the area they 
are about to examine before they trust to preconceived notions or permit themselves to be 
swayed in their investigation of facts by personal wishes or local tendencies. 
The facts stated above are sufficient to show that if the object of a proposed line of 
railway be to accommodate the largest amount of coal traffic, there cannot he a shadow of 
doubt that that line of railway should go right into the middle of t he Wlin district. 
The consideration next in importance to the establishment of a free communication with 
the coal-fields was stated to he ‘ the opening out of the 1 Lingunghat cotton country.’ 
But what is the King unghat cotton country P Bv much the larger portion of the cotton, 
which now finds its market at Hingunghat, and all of which is shipped or sent away as 
Hingunghat cotton, is not grown in the immediate vicinity of Hingungliat, hut is brought 
from very considerable distances. Previously to the opening of the Nagpur branch of the 
Great Indian Peninsular Railway, a large share of its supplies was drawn from the couutry to 
the north and north-west of the place, and much excellent cotton was brought to Hingunghat, 
even from Anvee, 50 miles to the north-west, and from the districts in that direction. All this 
cotton now finds Its natural outlet at the nearer marts of Wardha and other places on the 
line of railway, and scarcely a load, as might have been anticipated, crosses this new line of 
communication to reach Hingunghat on the south. The country lying between H in gun ghat 
and Wardha must also naturally seek the nearest markets for its produce. For the Hingun¬ 
ghat market, therefore, the supplies must now be derived from the south, south-east, 
and south-west. But to the south.east, and partly to the south, on the oast of the river 
Wardha, with the exception of a small area near to the town, the country is almost an 
unbroken jungle for hundreds of square miles. The so-called 1 southern road,’ although it 
passes very near to the large towns of Wurrora and Bhanduk, scarcely touches even isolated 
patches of cultivation for its entire length from near Hingunghat to near Chanda, and 
again south and south-east of Chanda it sweeps fur mile after mile through dense jungle. 
This belt of forest jungle is in places 30 to 40 miles wide from east, to west, and not 
only does this immense area not yield any cotton at the present, hut it is of such a nature 
that no reasonable hope of its over producing cotton profitably can be entertained. The 
surface deposits are derived from the decomposition of coarse ferruginous sandstones and 
other silicious rocks, which yield a dry thirsty sandy soil, in which the cotton plants can¬ 
not flourish. Between this immense range of forests, yielding little hut mere jungle produce, 
and the Wardha river there is a belt of open ground varying in width from two to ten miles, 
over which are spread thick deposits of alluvial clay and occasionally regur in which a 
fair amount of cotton is grown. But, as shown, this area is very limited, and the amount 
of produce must he equally so. On the other hand, to the west of the Wardha, the country 
is open and cultivated, and produces largely of cotton over an area very many times the 
extent of the possible cotton yielding country of Chanda. And besides this large area in 
Berar itself, immediately adjoining to it on the south, is the rich and well known district of 
Edlabad in His Highness the Nizam’s territories, from which, even at present, with all the 
difficulties of long land carriage (at least (10 miles to Hingunghat) and heavy rivers to 
cross, by much the most valuable portion of the ‘ Hingunghat cotton' is obtained. I was led 
to these considerations myself while engaged in the careful examination of the country (and 
few persona, if any, see the country with the same detail that geologists do), but I have also 
been confirmed in this view by those actually engaged in the cotton trade, and who, therefore, 
were personally able to ascertain the facts. Mr. F. Cuvwen, agent for Warwick and Company, 
by far the hugest, dealers in Hingunghat cotton, stated to me on enquiry that he had given 
particular attention to this important question of where the cotton which came to that 
market was grown, and had ascertained that taking the ordinary annual sales at Hingunghat 
as about 30,000 bales, not more than 2,000 out of that quantity were the produce of land 
