elephants and buffaloes are attracted by the supply of food and the solitude of the newly-formed land, and in
their turn contribute to manure the soil.
Geology.—Limestone, coal, and petroleum are found ; with oil springs, mineral springs, and brine springs. The mountains on the opposite sides of the valley are characterised by distinct systems, those on the north being composed of primitive formations, while those on the south partake largely of sandstone, shell-limestone, and coal. Some valuable minerals are met with. Gold-dust is found in all the rivers flowing from the northern mountains, but it differs in purity and colour, and also in malleability. That which is obtained in the Dikrang is purer than that found in the Brahmaputra, though it is more abundant in the bed of the latter river. Gold-dust is found most plentifully near the foot of the northern hills ; it is never sought for in the southern rivers. Beds of iron-ore exist in various places, and tracings of former workings on a large scale remain ; but the native article, being undersold by iron imported from England, is now driven out of the market. Coal has also been discovered in beds of considerable magnitude, and from the circumstance of its existence at the two extremities of the province, there appear grounds for the inference that the coal formations of Assam are co-extensive with the whole length of the valley. The extreme difficulty, however, of moving about in those districts, the absence of roads, and the jungly and almost uninhabited state of the country, have tended to prevent the opening up of the mineral deposits of the province. More recently, the largely-extended cultivation of tea, and the conse quently increased demand for means of transport and communica tion, have directed attention to the local supplies of fuel for the river steamers which now navigate the Brahmaputra. In 1864-65, Mr H. B. Medlicott, Deputy-Superintendent of the Geological Survey, visited this province, and reported most favourably of the value and extent of the coal. To the north of the Brahmaputra no coal worth working was found. To the south, in Upper Assam, the principal localities are in the neighbourhood of Jaipur, in the l)ebrogarh sub-division of the Lakhimpur district, and in the vicinity of Makum. The chief sites are the Terap, where a minimum thickness of 5 feet of bright clean coal, nearly horizontal, was seen ; the Namchik, a tributary of the Dihang, where, within 200 feet in length, three thick beds of good sound coal were seen, one 8 feet thick ; and at Jaipur, where a seam of 1 7 feet thick occurs, of which 10 feet is good bright coal. Several other seams also exist which have never been touched. The inaccessible nature of the country, however, and the want of a trustworthy map, render it quite impracticable at present to obtain even an approximate idea of the extent of area over which these beds range, and of the amount of fuel available. It can, however, be safely asserted that this amount is very large and most valuable. Assays of the Assam coals showed a proportion of ash not exceeding from 2 to 5 per cent. The survey of the country is now being pushed forward. Neither copper nor silver are found in the province. Rock-salt is dug out of the earth, and brine springs are not uncommon, from which salt is made ; but the manufacture is costly, and the salt is as expensive as that imported from Liverpool.
Vegetable Products: Tea.—The most important article of commerce produced in Assam is tea. The rice crop covers a very great proportion of the cultivated land, but it is used for local consumption. The tea plantations occupy only a very small area, but they are the one great source of wealth to the province, and the necessities of tea cultivation are the chief stimulants to the development of Assam. The plant was discovered in 1823 by Mr Robert Bruce, who had proceeded thither on a mercantile explora tion. The country, however, then formed part of the Burmese dominions. But war with this monarchy shortly afterwards broke out, and a brother of the first discoverer, happening to be appointed to the command of a division of gun-boats employed in some part of the operations, fol lowed up the pursuit of the subject, and obtained several hundred plants and a considerable quantity of seed. Some specimens were ultimately forwarded to the superintendent of the botanic garden at Calcutta. In 1832 Captain Jenkins was deputed by the Governor-General of India, Lord William Bentinck, to report upon the resources of the country, and the tea plant was brought to his especial notice by Mr Bruce; in 1834 a minute was recorded by the Governor-General on the subject, to which it is stated tl at his attention had been called to it in 1827 before his departure from England. In accordance with the views of that minute, a committee was appointed to prosecute in quiries, and to promote the cultivation of the plant. Com munications were opened with China with a view to obtain fresh plants and seeds, and a deputation, composed of gentlemen versed in botanical studies, was despatched to Assam. Some seeds were obtained from China ; but they proved to be of small importance, as it was clearly ascertained by the members of the Assam deputation that both the black and the green tea plants were indigenous here, and might be multiplied to any extent; another result of the Chinese mission, that of procuring persons skilled in the cultivation and manufacture of black tea, was of more material benefit. Subsequently, under Lord Auckland, a further supply of Chinese cultivators and manufacturers was obtained men well acquainted with the processes necessary for the production of green tea, as the former set were with those requisite for black. In 1838 the first twelve chests of tea from Assam were received in England. They had been injured in some degree on the passage, but on samples being submitted to brokers, and others of long experience and tried judgment, the reports were highly favourable. It was never, however, the in tention of Government to carry on the trade, but to resign it to private adventure as soon as the experimental course could be fairly completed. Mercantile associations for the culture and manufacture of tea in Assam began to be formed as early as 1839; and in 1849 the Government disposed of their establishment, and relinquished the manufacture to the ordinary operation of commercial en terprise. In 1851 the crop of the principal company was estimated to produce 280,000 Ib. Since then the enterprise has rapidly developed. The returns for 1871 show 11,475,398 Ib of tea manufactured in Assam, against 9, 5 11,5 17 in 1870,showing an increase of 1,963,881 Ib in one year. There were 416 gardens open, and the whole extent of land held under the different tenures for this purpose was 474,939 acres, of which 54,384 were reported to be under cultivation. The average monthly number of labourers employed on the tea gardens of As sam during 1871 was 54,326, of whom upwards of 38,000 were imported under the Labour Transport Acts, chiefly from the western districts of Lower Bengal. It is to be remembered that Assam now includes Cachar, and these statistics are for the whole province as constituted in 1874. Tea cultivation is steadily progressing in Assam, and has firmly established itself as a staple of Indian trade. Be sides rice and tea, the other principal crops of Assam are pulses, Indian corn, oil seeds, sugar-cane, pan, hemp and jute, rhea grass, mulberry, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Animals.—The zoology of Assam presents some interesting features. Wild elephants abound and commit many depreda tions, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes. Many are caught by means of female ele phants previously tamed, and trained to decoy males into the snares prepared for subjecting them to captivity. A considerable number are tamed and exported from Assam every year, but the specula tion appears to be rather precarious, as it is said about twice tho number exported are annually lost in the course of training. Many are killed every year in the forests for the sake of the ivory which they furnish ; and the supply must be very great which can afl ord so many for export and destruction without any perceptible diminution of their number. The rhinoceros is found in the denser parts of the forests, and generally in swampy places. This animal is hunted and killed for its skin and its horn. The skin aifords the material for the best shields. The horn is sacred in the eyes of the natives. Contrary to the usual belief, it is stated that, if caught young, the rhinoceros is easily tamed, and becomes strongly at tached to his keeper. Tigers abound, and though many are annu ally destroyed for the sake of the Government reward, their numbers seem scarcely, if at all, to diminish. Their destruction is some times effected by poisoned arrows discharged from an instrument resembling a cross-bow, in which the arrow is first fixed, and a string connected with the trigger is then carried across the path in front of the arrow, and fastened to a peg. The animal thus struck is commonly found dead at the distance of a few yards from
