MINERAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES. 728 
Second locality visited. Tha-ban-Iiek, on the little Tenasserim. 
Greatest production in the bed of the stream the produce of a day’s 
labor of two men ascertained: 5 lbs., 2. oz : 383 grs. of pure tin, at 
a cost of 12 annas, exclusive of the expences of reduction to the 
metallic state. 
From the trial of the produce of one man’s labor in a given time, 
there appears to be sufficient to justify every expectation of a 
profitable employment of labor on an extensive scale : the result 
can only “ be considered rough approximations to the probably 
outturn of tin with an establishment properly superintended.” 
Kalian, a small hill on the right bank of the Great Tenasserim, 
4 miles from Mergui. “ The tin occurs here differing much from 
that of the localities above mentioned ; the hill is composed of a soft 
friable white sandstone rock, the ore is found in the crystallized form 
interspersed in decomposed granite, forming a vein about 3 feet wide 
enclosed by the sandstone rock. 
“ In about a quarter of an hour a few baskets of the decomposed 
granite were removed, which produced an amount of crystallized 
per-oxide of tin equal to 63,176 grs. of pure tin. 
“ This locality appears to be of a very promising description, and 
I have little doubt that if the work were aided with ordinary skill 
and means, a tin mine here would be exceedingly productive. 
A vein of tin is in fact exposed to the day, and would only require 
for a considerable period of work, the precaution of well supported 
galleries and shafts to allow of its contents being easily extracted. 
“The Kalian hill is I conceive an indication of a valuable repository 
of tin. It is but a quarter of a mile from the creek communicating 
with the river, which is accessible to any boats. Its proximity to 
Mergui offers also great facility for procuring labor and supplies. 
“ The localities therefore which appear to hold out the best pros¬ 
pect for tin are, for stream tin the Tha-ban liek and Thengdau, and 
for mine tin Kahan hill. They all produce tin of the same nature 
and quality, viz, crystals of native peroxide, being a combination of 
oxygen and tin only. 
“ The crystallized form in which the ore has been found renders 
its separation extremely easy, and the whole process of stamping 
and dressing, which in England are tedious and expensive opera¬ 
tions can thus be dispensed with—no arsenic or sulphur being mix¬ 
ed with the ore, it need not be roasted before it is placed in the 
furnace. 
It will thus be seen that the tin of Mergui offers no ordinary 
inducement to the outlay of capital, without much of the risk, un¬ 
certainty and large previous outlay usually attending mining 
adventures.” 
Extract from Captain Tremenheere’s second report to the Military 
Board on the tin of Mergui, October 1842. After noticing the rich 
deposits of « Kahan” Captain T. proceeds as follows : 
i( Experimental operations have been in progress there by the 
