338 ON THE GOLD OF LIMONG, 



fuch difcoveries might be made, as would amply cora- 

 penfate for the difficulties leading to them. The gold- 

 merchants who come from the neighbouring and lefs 

 rich countries, give us fuch accounts of the facility of 

 procuring gold as border nearly on the marvellous, and 

 would be altogether incredible, if the great quantities of 

 that metal produced by them, did not, in a great mea- 

 fure, evince the certainty of their accounts. I have 

 feen an imperfecl chart of a part of the interior country, 

 made by an intelligent native, on the fcale of the rate 

 of his walking, and from the refpeclive fituations of the- 

 fun in regard to his polition. It contained a chain of 

 what he called Gold Mines, extending in latitude, nearly, 

 not much lefs than three degrees. This chart is in the 

 poffeffion of Mr. Miller, of the Council of Fort Marl- 

 borough, who did me the favour of explaining it. After 

 making allowances for the licenfe of a traveller, fome 

 credit may be given to this chart, more efpecially, as 

 we are well affured that that part of Sumatra produces 

 large quantities of fine gold, The remit of the whole 

 is, that it would be a very laudable obje6t to explore 

 thofe lich countries, and to eftablifh the working of 

 gold-mines in them, as it could be done under a certain 

 profpeel of advantage. The cxpence arifing from clear- 

 ing the country, procuring intelligence, making roads, 

 eftablifhing and forming pofls of communication, and 

 of employing profefTional men, would, undoubtedly, be 

 at firft very confiderable, but the refulting advantages 

 would defray thefe, and render it a matter of furprife, 

 that a meafure attended with fuch obvious utility had 

 not been adopted at an earlier period. 



It is more than probable that Sumatra muft have been 

 the Ophir of Solomon's time. This conjecture derives 

 no fmall force from the word ophir bcingreally a Malay 

 fubftantive of a compound fenfe, fignifying, amountain 

 containing geld. The natives have no oral or written 

 tradition on the fubject, excepting that the ifland has in 

 former times afforded gold for exportation ; whether to 



the 



