'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎45] (60/496)

and lie says, as there is no evidence of large solid masses moving through the pla
netary spaces, and many arguments against it, it seems more probable to imagine
diffused matter in a highly electric state to encounter the earth’s electric action,
and a discharge to ensue of greater or less violence, which, in its more intense de
gree, may suffice to attract together and condense, and even to fuse, the loose mat
ter into larger or smaller masses or particles, which in that state fall to the earth ;
while, in the less intense conditions, there may be no more than an evanescent flash,
marked by a train of light, or the fall of loose matter. In some cases, vast num
bers of these lesser luminous exhibitions may take place together, from the pas
sage of the same diffuse mass, which, under more energetic conditions, would give
rise to only a few, or perhaps a single large luminous meteor, attended with the
fall of a more or less condensed mass or smaller masses.
“ The opinion first propounded by Chladni, and adopted by Humboldt, that
shooting stars and meteors are planetary bodies revolving round the sun, requires,
it is considered, their number to be prodigious to satisfy the facts of observation,
and if such innumerable asteroids continually enter our atmosphere, and pass
within a few miles of the earth, how is it they never come in contact with it ? For
be it remembered, Mr Strickland says, aerolites are not regarded as being the
shooting-stars themselves, but only as fragments left behind them in their course.
c Can we suppose that our earth, a body of nearly 8,000 miles diameter, should
be incessantly forcing its way through showers of these planetary bodies, hun
dreds of which daily approach in their circumsolar revolutions within from 16 to
140 miles of the earth, and yet that they should never impinge upon its surface ?
Should we not in that case continually hear of these fiery masses, with diame
ters from 80 to 2,600 feet, and velocities of thirty-six miles a second, dashing into
resplendent appearance presented by the gypsum when the sun is shining, produced by these
imbedded crystals, is very striking. The occurrence of rock crystal in this locality is both very
extraordinary and exceedingly interesting, and this is the only one that we are aware of in which
silica in a pure state is thus associated with sulphate of lime. In the carbonate of lime or lime
stone it is met with, but even in this locality it is rare. The crystals are of contemporaneous for
mation with the gypsum, and probably have been formed by segregation of silica from that rock.
In the rock salt, though much more rarely, crystals are also found imbedded.
Associated with the red marl there is a white sandstone, in which coal, along with mineral
sulphur, occurs. To examine its value and adaptation to economical purposes, particularly
steam vessels, was one of the principal objects of my journey to this place. The late lamented
travellers, Burnes and Wood, had each reported, 1 believe, to Government, and pointed out that
this district would yield coal in sufficient quantity to supply the demand ; if, however, any atten
tion had been paid to the geological structure of the country by them, they could have at once
declared that no coal of value or worth working would be found.
Some months prior to undertaking the journey, a series of papers regarding the coal of
Kalabagh was put into my hands by Mr. G. Clerk, Governor-General’s Agent, requesting me to
give my opinion as to the probability of coal being found in the district of Kalabagh, in any quan
tity. After perusing the papers, I answered in the negative, unless it was found that the true
coal formation, or carboniferous system, dipped under the saliferous system, out-croppings of
which might be found containing beds of coal. Such, however, is not the case* But one ot the
enterprising officers mentioned has even gone farther, and asserted, that “ were the salt range
East of the Indus examined by a geologist, there is ample reason to believe that discoveries of
value to Government would be the result,” alluding to the discovery of the coal. In a private let
ter to the address of Mr G. Clerk, an extract of which has been published in the Asiatic Socie-
fy’s Journal, we mention the existence of coal, probably the same as found by Burnes* and
Wood; it is not true bituminous coal, and, had they examined the localities in which it was
found, and the district, they would, had they been at all conversant with geology, have come to
the conclusion that the Kalabagh district would not yield coal in sufficient quantity nt to be used
* Specimens of supposed coal were transmitted to the late Secretary of the Asiatic Society
in 1832, from Luchee, Kurpa, &c. On examination, he found that they were nothing but bitu
minous shale. How such an error could have been committed in forwarding such specimens, is
very extraordinary.