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.
