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92 COAL.
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the
province of Assam. They are distinguished by the following names : —
XXXII. Makum; XXXIII. Jaipur ; XXXIV. Nagira ; XXXV.Janjil XXXVI.
Disai. Besides these fields there are also other coal-bearing tracts,
the details regarding which have not yet been ascertained. It will be
convenient in this abbreviated account to treat of them collectively.
Some
uncertainty exists as to the age of the rocks, but the balance of
evidence seems to favour the view that it is middle tertiary (Miocene),
and therefore distinct from the cretaceous and nummulitic coals of the
Khasi hills.
The
coal differs from that of the Peninsular coal fields in having a
homogeneous structure and in the absence of a laminated structure. The
average of the assay of twenty-three samples gave :—
Moisture........ 5-
Carbon........ 56-5
Volatile ........ 34-6
Ash.......... 3.9
This indicates a high quality of fuel as compared with the coals of the Peninsular fields.
The
opening up of these fields is a point of the highest importance, since
at present coal is carried 1,000 miles from jBengal for the navigation
of the Brahmaputra, this causing a ten-fold increase on the prime cost.
It
is possible that some of the coal of the Khasi hills above alluded to
may prove of value; but the same does not seem probable in reference to
the tertiary coals of the North-West Provinces, although hopes in that
direction have often been expressed, and
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