852 



Report on the Manganese of the Mergui Province. By Captain G. B. 



Tremenheeke. 



1. During my stay at the Tenasserim coal basin, a piece of man- 

 ganese ore (black wad) of good quality, was brought to me by a Kareen, 

 who stated that it had been found accidentally in the bank of a 

 stream called the Thuggoo, which enters the Great Tenasserim, seven- 

 teen miles below the coal site. Subsequently, several other pieces of the 

 same ore were brought by Mr. T. A. Corbin, Assistant to the Com- 

 missioner 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 Lieut. Glover, 

 of the Madras Army. 



2. In proceeding down the river, I visited these spots, and found 

 at each that a valuable bed of manganese ore existed close to the 

 surface of the country. It had been apparently cut through by the 

 action of the streams 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 sufficieutly shew the 

 nature of the deposit, and are fair samples of what might be easily 

 collected. 



3. The best Specimens, No. 1 and 2, are from the Thuggoo river 

 and the bank of the Great Tenasserim. That of the Therabuen did not 

 appear to be at the surface of so pure a quality, but the existence of 

 the bed being known, it is perhaps premature to pronounce it an in- 

 ferior ore, from the examination of specimens taken from a hole ex- 

 tending not two feet into the bank. No. 5 is a portion of manganese 

 rock projecting into the Great Tenasserim river, near the mouth of the 

 Therabuen stream. 



4. For the localities above mentioned, I must refer to the sketch 

 accompanying my report on the tin of this province recently forwarded. 



5. Of the extent of these manganese beds, it is difficult to pro- 

 nounce. The face of the country in which they are situated is flat, 

 thickly overspread with soil, and with the densest jungle. It is not, 

 as far I could perceive, intersected by many streams, which would afford 



