EASTEflX GEOGRAPHY, 



Borneo from Cup.: 1 ii i -u tin: wc.-t oast to Mount. Tsiiiu Hutu 

 (13,008 feet t) iii the extreme north-east, which Is usually supposed to 

 be the culminating point of the whole island. But Carl ISm'k heard 

 from the Kiltei Dyaks of a great central ehain Called the Tibung, 

 which is the common source of the Kapiuts Muhukknut, and other 

 groat ri vera, and which may contain peaks hi^ki t i n n thiin Kini 

 Haiti. This explorer also heard of a Mount Tepu-Purau, 41 bo high 

 that it in said lo he within a Iriile of reaching heaven." — Ifeatl- 

 Hntttcrt uf Iloritea p. I7fi. 



Fr nil the central nm-luiia diverge other ranges, hucIi M Kaminting 

 southwards, Sakfiru and Meruit towards the south-east, enclosing 

 wide lowland plains and in some parts rUing to a height of (10W 

 feet. The prevailing rucks are limestone, elate, «indatone conglom- 

 crates, and on the mountain tops syenitic finite. Of active volca- 

 no^ there a i • j truer, although tint nuiithoni and western coasts are 

 little over 200 mi lea distant from the great volcanic belt passing 

 through Sumatra and Java. Msmy of the Eorneun peaks, however, 

 buar distinct evidence of former igneous activity, and somu of the 

 cones appear fed have been regular i r.n.T- in ivm-iie g^oln^iml imiw. 

 They wen* pmbahly nctive during (In- piilvoznie .uni parly jiiii- . .•: - -i.- 



pi-rind-, tn whii-hi Mr. T«'iii-i»u-U' i- refers ilu- vast cua! measures 



forming u leading geological feature of (lie inland. 



" Tharo are few eoun tries, in the world/' says this naturalist, " except, 

 p'rhipa t Eastern Australia, where, coed is so extensively developed as in 

 Borneo. Thick Beams erou out in innumerable places on the coast and oa 

 ih< batik* r>f tlif! rivers, la mhli-' of ill- -il.-lhi-. i>t' Norllj liorui-o L hnvi* 

 seen water-worn and roundi-d uiigEiicuts of rcwil fanning the entire shingle- 

 of th« channel. In some places, nffiini, llu-re are outcrops with seams of 

 pood coal tweuty uix feut thiek. Tho coal- format ion is tho ono prevail- 

 ing roek of the const. It farms thu principal outcrop at Sarawak ; :it 

 fismiiiTi. also, no other raek ran ha seen. All thu grand scenery of the 

 entrance to thu part of Gay a is made up of escarpment of coal rooks. At 

 Kirdut it is the same, and so \ might go on with a long list of eoaUlK.\ir- 

 inpf localities/ 1 — Na£urt> April 2:} T 18H5. In many place* tho coal fl of 

 BttOeUittt quality, Ojoitt iHtiuntnoas and not hritth:, and the minra now 

 being worked by two Scotch men in the Hrunei district aro of great value. 



Other mineral products. ar<» gold, oothm n\<j. <*.-)i ■ ially itt tin 1 w»'Ht (Sara- 

 wak, Snmbas, and l'ontiunak), uutiumuv found Ea great abundancu in 

 Sarawak, mercury And iron, thu latter m Kutei and elsewhere ; lastlv, 

 diamond 1 * in Sarawak, Poiitianak, LainLik, and Martapura, Bom«n la the 

 only island of the archipelago which has yielded thwie crystals, the largest 

 in tho world being oho of tfo7 car.it s„ if it "he n giMiuino diamond, belonging 

 to the Rajah of Mutan. Tlie doubt whk-h rests on this famous stone i* duo 

 to the fact that its owner will not have it cut, and refuses to submit it to 

 tin i-xalu:tnti«»]j uf i-xp-rh. it u.i.h fo-iuJ all mf lh>- jv.n 17-^7 in 



