308 
REPORT ON THE ISLAND OF BANKA. 
sistanee numerous disappointments were experienced ; Sultan Anom 
and Raden Klip were enabled to escape, but their establishments 
were destroyed, and the island of Banka, being freed from the insur¬ 
gents, was restored to rest and peace. After remaining some time 
in Billiton, Sultan Anom, being deserted by his adherents, returned 
secretly to Plembang where he was apprehended, eonveyed to the 
upper provinces and put to death ; his son Raden Klip escaped to 
the island of Madura and after long eluding detection by his shrewd¬ 
ness and agility was finally surprised and killed on this island. 
The reign of the Sultan Badur-Udin was shortly preceded by two 
important events in the history of Banka, the discovery of the tin 
and the establishment of the town of Minto. The former is the re¬ 
sult of accident and was made by natives in preparing a ground for 
a rice plantation. The ore of this metal is in many districts of the 
island superficially disposed ; a small quantity that Ivad adhered to 
the mould, was converted into metal by the heat of the burning 
woods, which covered a 'plantation. The discovery was communicated 
without reserve to the sovereign at the capital, according to the na¬ 
tural disposition of the natives, which is characterised by simplicity 
and honesty, where it was duly appreciated. This happened during 
the reign of Susunau Rafcu Tshancli Walang, above mentioned, short¬ 
ly before tlie contentions in the Royal family. The accounts which 
I procured at Batavia date the period of the discovery in 1711 and 
mav therefore he considered as a confirmation of the tradition pre- 
V 
served at Plembang; but the attempt to prepare the metal were very 
rude; before the interference of the Chinese the ingots were small 
and not cost into regular forms. 
The establishment of Minto at this period contributed greatly to 
give a proper direction to the mining operations on Banka, and to 
introduce persons of means and enterprize. The occasion to this 
establishment has already been mentioned; it served as a retreat for 
the wife of Raden Lambu and her relations, at his return from 
Sidnten. This island, a dependency of the princes of Johore is si¬ 
tuated near the southern extremity of the peninsula of Malacca I 
have not been able to determine the denomination which it receives 
