Dynamics of Bengal coal mining in the nineteenth century: Dissemination of mineralogical knowledge and railway networking

Abstract

This study seeks to analyse the pattern of development of the coal mining industry in Bengal during the nineteenth century, and also its underlying causations. It reveals that though attempted for the first time in 1774, regular excavation of coal mines took off only around the mid-nineteenth century. I argue that mining in Bengal suffered initially from the adverse attitude of colonial governance and its institutions, and afterwards, from the lack of mineralogical knowledge, inefficient transport networks and the scarcity of labour. Once the style of governance shifted from the Company State to the rule of the British Crown, those impediments disappeared. These deliberations show how those successive events established a comparative cost advantage in favour of Bengal coal, enabling it to compete with British coal in the domestic market. The export ventures of the industry, especially in South and Southeast Asia, are also briefly discussed.