48 mineralogy:. 



ZINC. 



In a broken boulder that a native brought me at Tavoy, 

 was a large vein of some ore, that I judged to be black 

 blende, or black sulphuret of zinc. I was never able 

 however to ascertain the locality whence it was brought. 

 Dr. Heifer reported the existance of ores of zinc on the 

 Mergui Islands. He says : " The other ores discover- 

 ed are of less importance. They are arsenic and zinc. 

 The latter may contain some silver." 



sgS. 



MANGANESE. 



Captain Tremenheere has given a full report on the 

 manganese of Mergui, on the Tenasserim ; and I have 

 seen specimens of manganese mixed with iron from one of 

 the islands south of Mergui. 



Captain Tremenheere wrote : " During my stay at the 

 Tenasserim coal basin, a piece of manganese ore, (black 

 wad),of good quality, was brought to me by a Karen, who 

 stated, that it had been found accidentally in the bank of 

 a stream called the Thuggoo, which enters the Great 

 Tenasserim, seventeen miles below the coal site. Subse- 

 quently, several other pieces of the same ore were brought 

 to Mr. T. A Corbin, Assistant to the Commissioner from 

 the Therabuen river, five miles above the Thuggoo, and 

 from an intermediate spot, the locality of which had been 

 previously known, and had been, I believe, originally 

 pointed out by Lieutenant Glover of the Madras Army. 



" In proceeding down the river, I visited these spots,and 

 found at each, that a valuable bed of manganese ore ex- 

 isted close to the surface of the country. It had been ap- 

 parently cut through by the action of the stream and river 

 before mentioned, leaving a section of the bed of ore in 

 their banks, covered only by the debris of the banks 

 themselves. Large quantities might have been carried 

 away, but a few hand specimens only were taken, which 

 sufficiently shew the nature of the deposit, and are fair 

 samples of what might be easily collected. 



" Of the extent of these manganese beds it is difficult to 

 pronounce. The face of the country in which they are 



