The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-04 00:00:00

Tla EAST INDIES-COLONIAL PRODUCTIONS.

The chairman of the East India Company pre-
sents his compliments to the Editor of The Sun,
and begs to enclose a collection of papers upon a
subject of great public interest both to India, and
this country.
East India House, Nov. 1, 1856.

Lieut.-Colonel Good wyn, chief en7ineer in the
Lower Provinces of Bengal, having addressed a
paper to the local government pointing out the
abundance of iron in India, and suggesting the
means to be employed for working the ore, it has
been deemed expedient to give publicity to his
communication,. together with a memorandum pre-
pared at the East India House, showing the mea-
sures which have been adopted from time to time,
with the view of directing the attention of British
capitalists to the iron-producing districts of India.
Further reports on the subject may be shortly ex-
pected, and any new matter therein contained will
be published in like manner forgeneral information.

FROM CHIEF ENGINEER, LOWER PROVINCES, TO THE SECRE-
TARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF BENGAL GENERAL
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
Dated Fort William, the 27th June, 1855.
Sir,—lron being the most valuable metal which is known
for its use in every art, and more particularly for its ex-
tended application to purposes of engineering and building,
I am induced not so much to bring the subject to the notice
of his Honour the Lieutenant-Governor, who has I know a
great interest in it, as to point to its abundance in this
country, and the great necessity that exists for establish-
ing the means of working the native ore.
2. Its abundance has been testified to by almost every
journal in India, and confirmed by many reports, although
the details may have varied with the views of the reporters,
whilst I have myself seen its extensive existence in several
parts of the country ; and having witnessed the native
mode of working it with a considerable percentage of good
metal gained, can state that there is the richest prospect of
advantage if more scientific means and liberal capital were
employed.
3. Of its deficiency as a manufactured article. I cannot
write too strongly ; it is everywhere complained of, and
not more so than by the department, public works. Need
I say that we are working with perishable material when
we ought to have permanent; in wood where we should
use iron, and in brick where by the means that iron would
give us we should be using stone. This deficiency is be-
coming daily more apparent, and our work is cramped and
paralysed from the extremely limited supply from England,
added to which the price has been so much advanced and
the freight raised so high that there is little or no relief to
be expected from the home market.
That the Indian iron can not only be successfully worked,
but structurally applied, was proved many years ago by
Colonel Presgrave, formerly mint master at Saugor, wbo
smelted the iron in the neighbourhood, rolled it in the mint
rollers, fashioned it into bars and rods, and then erected an
excellent suspension bridge near Saugor entirely from the
ore in the vicinity. Its manufacture in India is a subject
of prominent importance, and scarcely less so than the es-
tablishm•n of railways and electric telegraphs.
That the iron of India was formerly allowed to be so long
in its native state may be traced to the corrupt and de-
spotic sovereignties by which the country was swayed ;
but there are now, under the British Government, the
strongest motives, some of which only I have urged, for
bringing this mostvaluable metal into extensive use, placed
as it is by Providence in our very grasp.
4. I will not here enter into details of the profits or per-
centage gained by native processes, or the nature of those
processes ; suffice it to notice here, that the result is most
satisfactory as a guarantee to enterprise, whilst the speci-
mens that I have seen, and which are extant, show the
metal to be of superior quality where attention has been
paid to locality ; and if the postulates I have advanced be
admitted, I deem that the Government would do well to
expend a certain sum to place the matter beyond all possi-
ble doubt.
5. As regards Central India, the Gwalior and Jubbulpore
districts and the neighbourhood of Hazareebaug place the
question of the existence of good iron beyond a doubt; but
for the more ready consumption of the presidency and its
vicinity it would probobly be worth while to enter on ex-
periments in the valley of the Damooda, near Raneegungo,
on the Brohming, in Cuttack, in Assam, and near Pala-
mow, and an outlay of from one lac to four lace of rupees,
according to the extent of the operations, would, I am
sure, end in the most advantageous results.
G. Its modus operandi will be to call upon the authorities
for an imm6diate brief return of the general character of
the iron; information which has at various times been
obtained in each district in which it is found ; to select
from these, under advice, two, three, or four districts, with
especial reference to local facilities for the object in view,
and if possible of after conveyance; to decide to spend not
exceeding 4,00,000 rupees (four lees) upon the whole ; to
erect at once moderate-sized blast furnaces at each place,
the blast engines, Sze., being constructed in Calcutta, while
the furnaces are being built the iron-stone, or ore, fuel,
and flux being simultaneously collected in quantity, in
readiness for the starting and keeping up the supply, and
placing each furnace in charge of some person who has
been used to the work, and who may be found in the Cal-
cutta foundries, giving to them certain latitude, to vary
the proportions and record the results, and give a- large
premium to the most successful to send down the first pigs
made to Calcutta, and upon the result of this examination
and the reports of the blast furnace operations and
local supplies there will be no difficulty in making
over the whole to those who will complete the scheme,
by supplying all the rolling mills, puddling fur-
naces, and continuing the manufacture through all its
steges, either returning the outlay to the Government, if
made a condition, or not, as may be considered most equi-
table at the time.
7. I believe that no complete analysis by a regularly
trained iron viewer and smelter has yet been faithfully ob-
tained, and it is very probable that greater value may, on
the result of such analysis, be found in some localities that
will materially affect the prospect of working them, and I
would fain hope that under effective and scientific manage-
ment our public works may at no distant time receive that
aid from native iron, without which its energies must be
eomparatively circumscribed.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) H. GOODWIN, Lieut.-Col.,
Chief Engineer, Lower Province.

MEMORANDUM.
IRON ORES IN THE VALLEY OF THE NERBUDDA

In connection with the introduction of rail ways into India.
the Court of Directors, towards the close of the year 1850,
called the attention of the government of India to the ma-
nufacture of iron in that country. The court observed that
little doubt could be entertained of the capability of India
to produce this most important a. :Ade, bat that faci•
lities were wanted, and infor.aation required. before any
expectation would be entertained that enterprise and
capital could be directed to the promotion of this ob-
ject. Among the localities represented as the most eligible
for carrying on ironworks, the court enumerated Sikree
Gully, near Rajmahal ; the banks of the Damoodah
River and parts of Sylhet and Beerbhoom ; and a desire
was expressed that the attention of Professor Oldham, the
geological surveyor then just appointed, should be drawn
to the subject.
While engaged in surveying the vicinity of Sikree Gully
it was suggested that Professor Oldham should be deputed
much importance could not be at-
laistyeairtlywaass pebossesirbvleedtotetehe Nerbudda Valley, to whichloca-
tes
eafc
thheils.
could bi neuetxe
paecectoeudu
until
ofnt i tah e
scientificmineral
greeesloeugrice
tractNoverym
had, however, been formed by Mr. Jacob, thee assistantßw
al
Railway
survey should have been instituted. A favourable estimate
engineer and geologist to the Bombay and Bear:l:lable.
ir
Company, who declared them to be iuexh e
following is a brief summary of the reports made by this
gentleman duringthe five months in which he was employed
s
The
in the examination of the Nerbudda mineral districts.
deposits of iron; ore in this tract are principally situated
between Poonassa, Chandghur, and Jubbulpore, and the
tract of country in question will be found delineated in
the annexed map.
TALLEY OF THE NERBUDDA.
Mr. Jacob arrived at Poonassa on the 12th December,
1853. At this place there is a large deposit of dolomite
(carlsonite of lime and magnesia), situate a mile westward
of the town. The deposit is represented as inexhaustible,
the outcrop being four miles in length. The stone for a flux
is considered superior to limestone. From Poonassa Mr.
Jacob proceeded to Chandghur, on the north side of the
river, distant about 12 miles, where the red hematite ore of
iron abounds. It is described as of surpassing richness,
yielding 63.4 per cent. of metal, the theoretically pure ore
giving only 69.34 per cent. At one of the mines the ore
lies in rounded nodules on the surface, the depth varying
from Gin, to 10 ft. It is dug out with the greatest facility.
In addition to the loose ore in the vicinity of this mine
the ground for hundreds of acres is strewn with it, and
every stream washes down quantities of the purest kind,
being the debris from the various veins intersected in the
river's course. The river Nerbudda is represented as cutting
four great veins within the short space of one mile, one of
them having a breadth of 122 ft. The veins run almost ver-
tically into the banks. Mr. Jacob adds :--" It is needless
to dwell on the many places in the district where iron ore
abounds; the deposit may be looked upon as inexhausti-
ble. The loose ore, which ought to be first used, would
be collected and placed at the depots for the low price of
ls. 34d. per ton. My camp was four miles from the mine,
and the villagers offered to bring any quantity to it for
that price," The district for miles round is densejungle ;
the timber, Mr. Jacob adds, is of the highest specific
gravity, and admirably suited to the manufacture of char-
coal, and the supps estimated to last for many years.
He observes, naort&Ver, that an easy communication
ws i
fertile,ng g ro utn hdes
may be opened with the coal mines of Hoshungabad
and Nursingpore, and that charcoal with proper coalings
cannot possibly cost more than 4s. per ton. Poonassa is
theh fsol recommended as a proper site for au iron manufactory
upon
1. Tkee
oillo
i place is situated in the British territory.
T
place healthy and abundantly
supplied with water at all seasons
3. It is most conveniently situated. to trade;
the country around is flat, the
bulpore passes in the viein't * -
projected railway to Jub-
close by. y, end the dolomite basin is
Further eastward, half-way between 11 h and
os ungabad
Jubbulpore, are the iron mines of
budda. The ore here is found beneath
the surface at depths
varying from 15 to 50 feet. The deposit, through
red hermatite ore, is represented to be . very find
vastly inferior to
the Chandghur iron, both in quality and quantity, while
the facilitioa for working are also much less
. Still it is
represented that, under very unfavourable ci •
rcumstances,
the inhabitants of Tendukeri manufacturo malleable iron