"KU DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS IN SARAWAK 



contained in it; but this project was also abandoned as unpro- 

 fitable, the precentage of the precious metals in a ton of the 

 residuce left bp smelting out the Arsenic being too small to repay 

 the cost of their extraction. 



Silver is unknown in the Territory, except in the connection 

 bere stated, or naturally alloyed with the gold. It is not im- 

 probable that the argentiferous arsenic at Bidi may be found 

 richer in silver than has yet appeared, but the analyses made 

 heretofore have discouraged this hope. A ton of the ore being 

 calcined, yielded the following result : — 



oz dwt. gr. 



Silver 5 16 8 



Gold 1 11 4 



This was considered an average sample, although slightly 

 higher precentages were obtained by another trial. 



Manganese, Cobalt and Nickel : — The first of these mine- 

 rals is found in small quantities in the Bidi mines, but is not, I 

 believe, sufficiently abundant to be of any practical value. Cobalt 

 and Nackel I have not met wiuh myself, but Mr. Low has the 

 following passage in his " Sarawak" on their occurrence : — 

 "Nickel in found over the whole Territory of Sarawak, particularly 

 in the gold and tin (sic) districts ; in the former it is very 

 .abundant, combined with iron and Cobalt :it has not yet been 

 worked " 



Iron is disseminated throughout the whole Territory^ and all 

 the clay-shales and sandstones are more or less ferruginous ; 

 those in the gold districts being often impregnated with the 

 peroxide. No dedosits of iron-ores are known in this country of 

 any commercial importance. The richest specimens come from 

 the Upper Rejang*. Tne Kayan tribes inhabiting this district 

 smelt their own iron, using charcoal only, in their own rude 

 furnaces, and the steel they manufacture is preferred to that 

 of European make. The ores I have seen brought down from 

 Balui, the right-hand branch of the Rejang, are ( 1 ) a very pure 

 oxide with metallic fracture and strongly magnetic, and (i) a 

 botroidal argillaceous ironstone, not magnetic, with dull purple 

 clayey fracture, very hard, and much worn and rolled. This 

 latter ore is said to be dug out of alluvial clays. 



A clay-ironstone having a peculiar scoriaceous appearance is 

 scattered though the alluvial clay of Upper Sarawak and is 

 especially abundant in the gold and antimony districts — indeed 



