THE METALLIFEROUS FORMATION OF THE PENINSULA. 197 



progressive in developing the resources of their own coun- 

 try, I have no doubt the proper credentials from Bangkok, 

 would enable a European to enter and work these valuable 

 mines on an economical and more profitable system. 



Pursuing the same 1ST. N. W. line, the gold mines of Klian 

 Mas on the Teluphin River, and the G alena mines at Palu 

 are reached, as well as other gold deposits in Patani, and this 

 would lead to the terminus of the supposed matrix of the 

 metalliferons deposits. 



I stop at Cape Patani as the country further to the W. 

 and N. W. is not remarkable for the precious metals, al- 

 though coal has been found in the Isthmus of Kra. 



I have shewn by a red line on this plan the approximate 

 position of the main-reef which I believe to exist in the 

 Peninsula; and besides the fact of the numerous alluvial 

 mineral detrita and disconnected leaders that exist to the 

 Eastward and Westward of the same there are other geolo- 

 gical reasons that would support the theory. I need hardly 

 state that one of the first laws of Geology is that all soils 

 are disintegrated from rock, and an agriculturist coming to 

 a new country can make a very fair guess as to the nature 

 of the soil on being informed of the nature of the rocks. 

 So it is for the miner, — given the nature, set, direction and 

 dip of various strata, he will tell whether the country is 

 metalliferous or not ; and it was by means of this chain of 

 reasoning that Sir Roderick Murchison prophesied the disco- 

 very of the gold fields of Ballarat, and thence a line of rich 

 gold country to the Northward through Queensland, and 

 other islands, to the north of Australia. And it is by studying 

 and following up the wise precepts of that illustrious Geolo- 

 gist that we niay deduct similar conclusions in new countries . 



It is in examining the metamorphic rocks that the greatest 

 geological discoveries have been made ; and in the Malay 

 Peninsula, these rocks in higher elevations and in regions 

 that have been disturbed by plutonic causes, are remarkable. 



Both gold and tin belong exclusively to the older formation, 

 and both are found in veins of quartz origin imbedded gen- 

 erally between the granite on one side, and slate or micaceous 

 layers or sandstones on the other, and these places occur to 

 my knowledge in several parts in the Peninsula. 



During an exploring expedition with a view to fixing the 

 Boundaries between Perak and Siamese territory, and in 



