ABOUT KXNTA. 



25 



sionally with a slight shade of grey, blue, or red in it, and, when 

 "broken, exactly resembles a piece of lump sugar. The same limestone 

 formation is, I believe, also to be found in Borneo. Some of the 

 richest deposits of tin are found about these cliffs, and probably 

 other minerals will be found when they are properly examined ; 

 two of the best ores of iron (brown hematite and specular iron ore) 

 are common. Hot springs also exist. To the naturalist and botanist 

 this district is full of interest ; that magnificent butterfly — the 

 ornithopteraBrookani — formerly supposed to be peculiar to Borneo, 

 is found plentifully in several places. It is almost needless for me 

 to add that the presence of limestone is a pretty certain sign of 

 good soil. A marble saw, worked by water power, might produce 

 marble slabs for paving the ground floors of bungalows for little 

 more than the cost of transport, which, being by water the whole 

 way, would be trifling ; and the difference between a marble pave- 

 ment and the red tiles commonly used in the Straits needs no re- 

 mark. Before speaking of the hill district to the East of this, it 

 will be well to mention the means of access to this district. 



The easiest way is by water. A coasting steamer, the Pyah 

 JPeTchet, calls every week at Durian Scbatang, a place about 40 miles 

 up the Perak river, on her way to and from Singapore and Penang. 

 Prom Durian Sebatahg to Kota Bahru, the future seat of Gov- 

 ernment in this district, is from two to three days by native 

 boats ; the river is only practicable for a steam-launch at present 

 for a short way, in consequence of the number of snags in the 

 stream, but these will be removed as soon as the river is low enough 

 to admit of the work, the money being already granted by the 

 Government for the purpose. Prom Kota Bahru the Kinta is 

 navigable for two days more by native boats to a place called 

 Mesjid Lama and the Sungei Eaya about the same distance to 

 above Pengkalan Bahru, both places in the centre of the limestone 

 country. When I speak of these rivers being navigable I mean for 

 boats of over a 7coya?i,'saj two tons, burden. 



The first attempt to visit the high hills beyond these points was 

 undertaken last August, when Messrs. Christie and Handyside, 

 the pioneer Ceylon coifee planters, visited this district, "When they 

 told me that their object was to see the mountain country of the 

 interior, I was at a loss which of the many routes to adopt, all being 

 equally unexplored by any one but Malay gutta-cutters and the 



