MINING DISTRICTS OF LOWER PERAK. D 



but can hardly be worked until a proper and systematic drain- 

 age has been organised. 



A road, four miles long, is being made and will join Papan 

 to Batu Gajak on the Kinta river. 



Several other mines of less importance are worked in the sungH Trap. 

 district, especially on the Sungei Trap, where the ore is found 

 in large stones of nearly pure oxide imbedded in a hard blue 

 clay. 



The Sungei Eava district is the smallest of all, but at the Sungei R«ym 



J 7 district. 



same time makes the largest returns of tin. owing to the 

 adventurous and enterprising spirit of Penguin To 5 Domba, who 

 attracts numerous Chinamen by advancing them the necessary 

 sums to start mines in his district. The total Chinese popula- 

 tion amounts to 6 or TOO, but many other smaller works are 

 carried on by Malays. 



The principal works are situated in the Gopeng valley. The sungeiTejah 

 geological formation is granitic. At the head of the valley the pin™*' °°~ 

 wash lies under a greyish, yellowish clay at a depth of 8 to 9 

 feet from surface ; it varies in thickness from 3 to 4^ feet but 

 does not present throughout a regular percentage of tin-ore, 

 it being generally found in large pockets disseminated in the 

 wash. These pockets are very rich and exceed in quantity and 

 quality anything existing in the best mines of Larut. Unfor- 

 tunately the extent of mining ground is very limited in the 

 upper part of the valley, and has been very nearly worked out. 

 Four Kongsis, numbering 1-30 men, are still at work, but will 

 have exhausted their mines within the next two years. 



The new mines lately opened in the lower part of the valley 

 towards the plain are getting on fairly : the wash is thicker, but 

 not so rich and deeper below surface. However, little has been 

 done yet to give the plain a fair trial, and there is no reason 

 why it should not improve. 



Fifteen to sixteen Kongsis, with a total number of 7 to 800 

 coolies, are occupied at present in the Gopeng district, and re- 

 turning steadily large quantities of tin. The produce for the 

 week ( 30th January to 6th February ) amounted to 120 pikuls. 



