498 Visit to the Gold Mine at Battang Moring, [Ocr. 
a footpath through a dense jungle for an hour or so, we crossed the 
frontier into the A/uar territory. The boundary mark, as pointed out 
by the Malays, is a large Bankon tree growing close to the path on 
the right hand. After crossing the Schong and Gummi streams we 
arrived at the latter place at a quarter-past 3, P. Mm. 
Gummi is, or rather was, a small village situated close to the foot 
of Mount Ophir: it contained about 20 houses, almost all of which have 
been forsaken by their inhabitants, owing to causes before-mentioned. 
It does not appear to have ever benefited by excess of cultivation, but 
probably owed its former population to the proximity of the a 
mines, which merit a brief description. 
About sixty yards from the deserted hut which constituted our 
«¢ Serai,”’ nearer the mountain, is a house almost concealed by the 
sloping ground on which it stands, inhabited by six or seven Chinese 
miners, and immediately in front of it is a gold mine. This place is 
called Battang Moring. The mine is nearly exhausted; it is situated 
on the flat marshy ground at the foot of the slope on which the 
Chinese house stands ; in length it measures about ten yards, by four 
in breadth; and six or seven feet in depth. . 
It is filled with muddy water, which is drained off by a simple bam- 
boo hydraulic apparatus somewhat resembling the Indian Pukotah. 
The miners descend for the purpose of digging out the metallic earth, by 
means of rude Jadders formed of the notched trunks of trees; a 
Chinese, who had embraced Muhammedanism, went through the pro- 
cess, which is extremely simple: having dug out a quantity of the 
earth, which consists of coarse sand, greyish clay and white pebbles, 
among which crystals of quartz are found, and greenish stones, he 
placed it in a shallow funnel-shaped vessel of wood, and carried it to 
a stream of water, conducted by two narrow channels close to the 
mine. 
The water falling froma height of about afoot washes away the 
lighter earthy particles and clay, assisted by the rotatory motion of 
the miner’s hance. This done, he carefully picks out the stones and 
other refuse too large for the water to carry off, whilst the gold dust, 
in minute portions, sinks to the narrow bottom of the vessel, from 
which it is extracted, carefully washed, and laid by to be made up into 
small bags each containing one bunkal, (15 oz. tr.) 
The gold of Ophir, though small in quantity, is as fine as that of 
Pahang in quality, being estimated at ninety touch. A gentleman of the 
Madras Medical Establishment, to whom I showed the crystals and 
