THE METALLIFEROUS FORMATION OF THE 



PENINSULA. 



By D. D. Daly. 



Bead at a Meeting held on the 2nd September, 1878. 



The principal object of this paper is to direct attention 

 to and invite information abont the primary mineral deposits 

 in this Peninsula, and from personal observation, I have 

 formed a theory regarding its origin, which I would humbly 

 advance. 



We are aware that gold, tin, and galena have been a source 

 of export from the peninsula for some centuries, and that 

 the early Portuguese and Dutch settlers used to return to 

 their contries with rich cargoes of those precious metals. 

 Some of the workings that were active in the last century 

 are still yielding valuable results ; others were abandoned on 

 account of the extortion and oppression of native princes, 

 others from the alluvial washings and shallow leaders having 

 " run out." 



A different order of things exists at the present day; 

 chemistry, geology, and steam have as in other countries con- 

 verted obsolete mines into valuable properties, and if the 

 same services are applied to the Malay Peninsula the coun- 

 try might become rich and prosperous. 



It would appear that the Malay Peninsula would be a 

 vast uninhabitable jungle, were it not that the interior }ields 

 rich gold and tin alluvial deposits on either side of the range 

 of hills that form the back-bone of the country. These 

 deposits, crushed and washed down by nature from their 

 original rocky bed, have attracted large numbers of Chinese 

 miners for many years, and on their industry (for the Malay 

 miners are in a very inferior minority) the Revenue and pros- 

 perity of the Peninsula in a great measure depend. A part 

 from political and protective purposes. It would appear to 

 be a question whether the Native States were worth interfer- 

 ing about the tin not exist. 



