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Minerabgical Description of the Island of Banka. 93 



Banka. to cover the whole with fresh vegetation, and in a few 

 years the spots where the mines were worked are converted a^ain 

 into forests. 



The mine of Sungei- Tango, is the most important of those 

 of the Upper-furnace ; it employs more workmen than any other 

 single mine on the island, and produces, in one season, more 

 metal. The stratification of the excavation is very regular ; it 

 consists, under the soil, of alternate layers of sand and clay of 

 various colors, between which the black clay occurs in extensive 

 irregular masses. The lowest stratum, containing the ore, had 

 been lately carried out, and was collected in a large heap prepar- 

 | atory to the process of washing. 



I collected at this heap a great variety of the stones which 

 had composed the stratum, of which I shall mention only the 

 chief, as the other varieties will be successively pointed out in 

 the description of the mines. 



[These stoii3s are mainly quartz and feldspar, with the con- 

 glomerate and ironstone before described ; also] 



Large masses of a white substance which is considered by 

 the Chinese miners as an unequivocal indication of the termina- 

 tion of a stratum of ore, the name is Kongtay. It is of the 

 purest white color, very light and adheres strongly to the tongue, 

 it possesses all the properties of pure clay; and the manner in 

 which it is found, demonstrates plainly that it is a deposition 

 from water. On this the ore of tin is composed in strata differ- 

 ing in richness and extent, and mixed with the various kinds of 

 stone which are from time to time enumerated in the account of 

 the mines. 



The mines of Sungei Tango, as well as those of Sungei Bu- 

 lak above mentioned, have been worked for many successive 

 years, and their neighborhood forms the most extensive naked 

 tracts of the country in this part of the island. 



Proceeding- from here to Klabbet the road leads nearly in a 

 western direction through a most luxuriant forest, the soil of 

 which consists of a thick black vegetable mould. 



The most important mine in this district is that of Sinhin, it 

 employs thirty-two workmen, and is the second in productive- 

 ness of those at present worked in Banka. I found the miners 

 within six feet of the stratum of ore : they were engaged in car- 

 rying out the earth from an extensive pit of an oblong form. 



On one of the sides I remarked the following succession of 

 strata ■ 



1- Vegetable mould. 



2. Black clay in extensive masses abruptly and irregularly in- 

 terposed between the other strata. 



3. Fine whitish sand (with a small proportion of clay inter- 

 mixed. ) 





