220 TIN MINES OF MALACCA. 



of disputes about property, are occasionally brought 

 before the court, and are all that occur. The port 

 is perfectly free, there being no customs, tolls, or 

 duties, on either imports or exports, on markets, 

 bridges, roads, or any other thing, except a slight 

 registration tax on horses, carts, and bullocks, to 

 pay the expenses of the police. 



The land however is considered to belong to the 

 Government or East India Company, and is held 

 from them on payment of a tax or rent which never 

 exceeds one-tenth of the produce, and which varies 

 according to the nature of the soil. The revenue 

 derived from this did not, Mr. Salmond assured us, 

 pay the expenses of the government.* 



He described the tin mines, a few miles up the 

 country, as simple excavations in a few feet of clay 

 and sand. A coarse rubble below this is then 

 washed, and pebbles of tin ore extracted from it. 

 This is smelted once, and brought, principally by 

 water carriage, to Malacca. If designed for the 

 English market, salt water is thrown over it while 

 still hot, which gives it a dead white appearance 

 like silver 5 if for the French, a little sulphur is 

 added to give it a yellowish coppery tinge. The 

 respective merchants of the two countries will give 

 the best price only for their favourite colours, 

 although the two parcels of tin may perhaps have 

 been taken from the same mass. 



* For detailed information, respecting Malacca, I must of 

 course refer my readers to Lieutenant Newbold's work upon it. 



