OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE DINDINGS. 45 



of at least one timber merchant in Penang who started on a 

 very small scale on the Dindings some years ago, and who 

 has made a large fortune out of timber. Steps are now be- 

 ing taken to establish forest reserves before all the best kinds 

 of timber are exhausted, for although the district is a small 

 one, it is the only part of the Colony in which there is any ex- 

 tent of forest left. 



Tin is the only metal found in any quantity in the district. 

 There are considerable deposits of alluvial tin in three or four 

 places, and experts judge from the appearance of the ore, that 

 it has not travelled far from the lodes. There being no hills 

 outside the district nearer than the main Perak range, it is 

 reasonable to conclude that the lodes are located in the hills 

 at the foot of .which the alluvial deposits are found. 



The tin has not yet been worked by Europeans, nor, ex- 

 cept on a very small scale, by natives, notwithstanding the 

 great facilities that exist in the way of water-carriage. Be- 

 fore the collapse of the tin syndicate, there was every pros- 

 pect of land being taken up in the Dindings by Chinese capi- 

 talists from Taiping (Perak), but the fall in the price of tin 

 caused the scheme to fall through. Round about Telok Sera 

 there are traces in many places of old workings (chiefly Lam- 

 pan) y which are said by the Malays to be of Siamese origin. 



Gold has been found in small quantities at one or two places, 

 and in Pangkor Island there is place which is still called Telok 

 Klian Mas. 



The island of Pangkor is about 12 miles lung and 4 or 5 

 miles wide at the broadest part. It is very hilly, there being 

 three peaks over 1,100 feet high and three over 700 feet. 

 The highest point is 1,313 feet. These figures are taken from 

 the Admiralty chart. There is not much level land, but the 

 soil is good, and many of the smaller hills are well adapted 

 for planting. The headquarters of the district were, till last 

 year, situated on the East side of the island, where there is 

 an excellent harbour, with deep water and well sheltered 

 from all winds. It is well known for the abundance and 

 excellence of the fish caught there, a large quantity of which 

 is cured and exported. A few small steamers call occasion- 



