7 1 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. III. 
about seven or eight vertical inches of the oil floating upon clear water, this being rather less 
than the probable depth of that in the pit, which had been accumulating for three or four 
months. 
It was stated by a native in charge of the place that the oil ran slowly and coagulated 
in the cold weather, in consequence of which the works bad been temporarily stopped, and 
that when in operation about one maund of oil daily could be obtained. The colour of that 
taken from the pit was green, but some found in a neighbouring shed was of a dark 
brown tinge, and burned readily with dense black smoke. 
It is understood that the mineral oil procured from here is to be used in lighting the 
station of Rawul Pindi with gas. A ‘gas house’ was seen in course of construction there, 
and large gas mains lie along some of the roads, so that the question of supply becomes of 
importance: the quantity reported to be obtainable seems so far from encouraging that I 
doubt whether some larger prospiect must not have existed before an expenditure upon gas 
pipes, &c., was sanctioned. 
The locality where the oil occurs is evidently of but limited extent near the village of 
Siidkal, and it would appear necessary, in order to develop its resources, to open much more 
extensively, across the run of the beds, trenches cut downwards to the rocks, which are now 
so much concealed just near the pits. Even if this was done and other pits sunk, there is no 
reason to suppose any of them would he more productive than the present shaft, and so far as 
can he judged from what is visible there is not room for many. 
As to the possibility of an increased quantity of the oil being obtained by deepening 
the existing shaft, it can only he said that as the beds are nearly vertical with some underlie 
north-westward, if these relations are preserved, the pit in depth ought to pass through 
the beds at present yielding the oil and to enter those seen at the surface iu the drift south 
of the pit, where it may be presumed the prospect of finding the oil in sufficient quantity was 
less favourable, or the shaft would have been sunk there. As the bedding of the rocks is 
much disturbed tlicir continuing to lie in the same position for any distance cannot he calcu¬ 
lated upon, but it seems likely that (if it has not already been done) the shaft, might with 
some advantage be carried down to intersect the oil-hearing rocks south of the pit. 
To sum up: from what is now to he seen at this petroleum locality, it would be advisa¬ 
ble to extend the search further before building hopes upon the place as a source of 
supply for lighting Rawul Pindi, and the quantity said by the man in charge to have been 
obtained from the present sinking would hardly warrant expectation that sufficiently large 
results would be obtained by opening other shafts in the same neighbourhood. 
On the occuebence of argentiferous Ualena and Copper in the district of 
Manbhijm, south-west frontier of Bengae,— by V. Ball, Esq., B. A., Geological 
Survey of India. 
Although the greater portion of the district of Manbhum consists of metamorphic and 
sub-metamorphic rocks*, both, but especially the latter, likely to contain ores of the useful 
metals, hitherto no discoveries of the existence of any appear to have been reoorded. 
The occurrence of gold in the streams of Manbhtim and the adjoining districts has, 
however, long been known. Its mode of occurrence has already been described iu these 
pagesf. 
During ray geological examination of Manbhum, the discovery of galena or lead ore was 
made in the following manner:—When at Dadka. a large village forty-five miles south-south¬ 
east of L’urtllia, which is the sudder station of Manbhiim, the Ghatuial brought to me a small 
piece of galena which had been given to him a few years before by some Kumars. He did not 
know what it was, hut used some of it instead of Surma or antimony tor the purpose of 
anointing the eyes of his female relatives. 
By enquiry from the ’Kumars of the neighbourhood. I was, after several failures, at length 
enabled to trace the source from whence the galena had been obtained. The lode, for it 
proved to be such, had been struck some years previously by some Kumars who were search¬ 
ing for iron on the side of a hill formed of mica schist, in which there are a number of 
• Slates, quartzites, schists, &c. 
t Records, 1869, II. 
