2-i ABOUT KINTA. 



scientific methods do ? 



"While on the subject of mining, I may mention, that, up to 

 this, all the work is confined to the plains. Lodes no doubt exist in 

 the hills from which the deposits at the foot have been formed, and 

 at some future date it may be found profitable to work them, but, 

 till the rich deposits of stream tin are exhausted, I doubt if much 

 will be sought in situ. 



Close to Pengkalan Katcha, the port of embarkation for one of 

 the most important mining settlements, called Papan, the Kinta is 

 joined by a large tributary, in volume nearly rivalling the Kinta 

 river itself; this stream is called the Sungei Eaya, which also 

 drains an important tin district. 



In the plain between the two rivers, a curious geological for- 

 mation is found. The main ranges of hills all through Perak are 

 granitic, but in this valley principally, and to a small extent else- 

 where, peculiar isolated limestone cliffs rise vertically out of the 

 plains to heights varying from 500 to 2,000 feet ; the greatest num- 

 ber of these hills, or rather I should say cliffs, are to be found between 

 the Kinta and Sungei Eaya ; there are a few of them on the west- 

 ern side (right bank) of the Kinta river, and these are the lime- 

 stones spoken of by Mr-. Deake; one — GunongPondok — well known 

 as a steering point to all mariners making for the Larut river, exists 

 on the eastern side of the pass in the Gunong Bubo range, the road 

 from Larut . to Kwala Kangsa passing the foot of it. A number 

 of these cliffs also exist between the Sungei Eaya and the Kangsa 

 river, of which I will speak directly, but further to the East they 

 are not to be found, nor, I believe, to the South, as I have never met 

 them nor heard of them in Selangor, although I saw a good deal of 

 that country while in the service of the Selangor Government. 

 Like all limestone formations, these cliffs are pierced by caves in all 

 directions, in which large colonies of bats have lived for countless 

 ages, depositing a species of guano (tai kalawi) largely used as ma- 

 nure in the Province Welle sley, where it is brought from Kcdah, 

 in which this limestone formation is again met. The peculiar feature 

 of this rock is the high state of crystallisation iu which it exists, no 

 fossils of any sort have yet been found in it, that I am aware of, 

 although I have frequently searched for them, nor can any marks 

 of stratification be traced ; the rock is generally pure white oeca- 



