Page:Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, Part 2.djvu/431

954 to collect the coal at as little expense as possible,” Captain HAWSAT observes, “I selected the vein nearest to Jipoor, and before I came to this determination, I employed myself in exploring the neighbourhood; and have been very successful in finding coal and iron in great plenty.’ As the sample, consisting of 224 maunds, has not been found of so good a quality as the Anam coal that had been previously sent down to Calcutta from the Stfry beds, we have annexed in the preceding note the whole of the details given by Captain HANNAY of his operation’. It would perhaps have been better, on such an occasion, if samples of different kinds had been transmitted, rather than a selection of that ‘which from its hardness seemed to be the best; indeed it may be doubted if hardness in coal denotes a superiority, and if the circum stance, noted by Captain HANNAY, of the bed becoming somewhat .oft? the deeper the excavation was carried, be not a very favorable sign. We are not however to expect that a first sample, from the outcrop we may say, of a single bed in a new and extensive coal field, should be i a first rate quality. The only fault of the sample of this coal selected by Captain HANNAY is, that it contains a considerable quantity of sulphur, which, from trials made at the mint, appears to render it unfit for sense’. ing silver, and that 40 maunds are only equivalent to 32 maunds, of tha variety of Burdwan coal in use at the mint at the time, for getting “P steam. Captain FORBES is, however, of opinicn, thatthis sample of Aasea coal would be found nearly as good as Burdwan, when burned in the comparatively small furnaces of the boilers of steam-vessels. As far as the Assam coals generally have been tried, their qualities have been found to be so good, that we may regard the small cargo transmitted to Calcutta by Captain HANNAY, as chiefly valuable es showing the facility with which the article may be raised and transported. Captain JENKINS, in enclosing the bill of expenses incurred in raising and transmitting a boatload of Jypoor coal to Calcutta, observes: “I need not point out to the Committee, that this attempt to work the coal beds in the neighbonrbpod of .Iypoor has been made under very unfavorable circumstances ; the greater part of the last dry season bad passed away before Captain HANNAY was able to commence operalio1’ pan over the veto of coal, asd which come from the summit of the hillocks, I several beds of sandstone Of the description called by the miners whltel,o.t; It s soft, and easily broken, and was Intermixed with large masses of lroa ov soft red sandstone, and there were also two smell veins of coal, which ilthaø several feet higher than the larger vein evidently appeared to belong to lb. earns bId. having the same dip and bearing. In the beds of these water.courses, ad eli. throughout this low hilly tract, there are found large pieces of petrlAed wood, t4 pieces of white quarts and worn fragments of mica slate, having quIte lb. 01 a salt into.”