Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/472

 BIR—BIRAMGANTA.

462 rains,

it

is

used as the ordinary route between Maulmain and the

Sittaung river.

Bir

.

—Village with iron mines

from Kangra

Lat. 32°

fort.

district lies in the

2'

in

45"

Kangra

District,

Punjab

76° 46' 15"

n., long.

e.



28 miles

The mining

Dhaola Dhar range, and extends

along the valley of the river Ul,

its

for some 14 miles centre being at the village of

The ore occurs in the form of crystalline magnetic oxide embedded in decomposed and friable mica-schists. It is worked at its outcrop in open quarries. The metal produced equals in Dharmani.

of iron,

(juality

the finest iron obtained in England



but,

owing

to the remote-

ness of the mines from any large market, the inadequacy of the fuel supply, the imperfect

means of communication, and the

limited

amount

The

of labour available, very small quantities are at present smelted.

Developed the mines of Bir might

estimated out-turn does not exceed 100 tons per annum..

by European capital and engineering

skill,

possibly produce large quantities of excellent metal.

The

ore

is

of the

same character as that from which the best Swedish iron is manufactured. Bir Bandh. An embankment running along the west bank of the Daus river, in the north of Bhagalpur District, Bengal. It is usually represented as being a fortification erected by a prince named Bir and this supposition is favoured by the fact that the Ddus is at present an At one time, insignificant stream, which does not require embanking. however, it was probably much larger, and it may be that the Bir Bandh

—



was raised to restrain

Biramganta.

its

overflow.

— Town and formerly a

Madras Presidency



5 miles

salt-station in Nellore District,

from Ongole.

END OF VOLUME

II.