48 Records of the Geological Survey of India. [vol. iv. 
On the supposed occurrence of Native Antimony in the Straits Settlements, by 
T. Oldham, Supdt., Geological Survey of India. 
About tbe middle of December last, a specimen of a beautiful silvery metallic substance 
was forwarded to this office from the Home Department, with a request that it might be 
analysed and reported on. It was stated to have been discovered in the Straits Settlements, 
but no locality was given. 
On examination it proved to be Native Antimony, of great purity, yielding no trace of 
arsenic or of silver, and only a slight trace of iron and also of sulphur. This was reported to 
Government, and it was stated that if it occurred in any quantity, the discovery was a very 
valuable one. A nearly pure mineral like that forwarded would always command a market, 
and would realize about seventy-five pounds (£75) per ton in England. Enquiry was made 
as to the locality where found, &c., and a more recent letter from the Secretary to the Straits 
Government, states, “ that. it. was found on Pulo Obin or Ubin, an island lying at the east, end 
of Silat Tambran, the strait dividing Singapore from the mainland; that a careful search had 
been made, and a reward offered to any person finding more of the same, but that up to tbe 
present time (loth February 1871) no more had been discovered, and that, it seemed probable 
that the specimen received by the Government must have been introduced into the island 
from some other place as yet unknown.” 
Native Antimony also occurs in Borneo, Sarawak, &c. 
On the composition of a deposit in the boilers of Steam Engines at Ranigunj, 
by T. Oldham, Supdt., Geological Survey of India. 
During a recent, visit, to the Ranigunj collieries, I was struck with the amount and 
character of the deposit in some of the boilers of the Engines in use there : and was desirous 
of ascertaining the true composition. By the kindness of A. Stuart, Esq., the General Manager 
of the Bengal Coal Company, I obtained specimens. The specimen examined by Mr. Tween, 
Curator of the Geological Museum, was taken from the boiler at a deep pit near Ranigunj 
known as No. 36. The water, which feeds the boilers here, is all derived from the mine 
itself, passing from the pump heads through a filtering wall of fine sand, and received in a 
masonry tank, where a certain amount of fine matter is deposited on settling. This water, 
as it passes to the boilers, looks bright, clear and pure, has no taste, is hard, but not un¬ 
pleasant, and altogether looks clear good water. From its use, however, a large amount 
of deposit results. This is thrown down in a line almost impalpable powder, which, when 
dried in the air, is of a light ash-grey tint. Some of this was carefully dried by exposure 
for five hours at a temperature of 212° Ft., and the dried powder then analysed. 
It gave a percentage composition as follows :— 
Water ... ... ... ... ... ... 72 
Organic matter ... ... ... ... ... 2‘1 
Insoluble clay ... ... ... ... ... 8’8 
Iron and alumina ... ... ... ... ... 1*23 
Carbonate of lime ... ... ... ... ... 47‘67 
„ of magnesia ... ... ... ... 33 00 
100-00 
This shows that the deposit consists chiefly of carbonates of lime and magnesia, which, 
doubtless, have been taken up from the calcareous and dolomitic sandstones, so frequent 
in the upper series of the Ranigunj field, by the surface water when passing through 
these rocks to the bottom of the mine. 
The organic matter showed as a slim}- dark substance separated on the filtering paper. 
