REPORT ON THE ISLAND OF BANKA. 
By Thomas Horsfield, Esq. M.D. 
3V1IN ERA LOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND. 
(Continued from'p, 427.) 
I have now to relate the remarks I made in the tract which ex¬ 
tends from the bottom of the Bay of Klabbet to the eastern shores 
of the island. I pursued my route up the river of Layang, one of 
the largest rivers not only of this part, but of the island generally. 
Its course is, on the whole, from west-north*west to east-south-east. 
It pervades, for a considerable distance the southern part of the al¬ 
luvial district, and it approaches, in some of its curves, the northern 
promontories of the Gunung Marass. Its banks are covered with lu¬ 
xuriant vegetation and it receives numerous smaller rivulets. Near 
the old settlement of Pangkal-puti I perceived large rocks pro¬ 
jecting beyond the water, but the superstition of the natives prevent¬ 
ed an examination : the principal branch now takes a direction near¬ 
ly north, while a smaller continues towards the east, this leads to 
Lfiyang. Beyond the division the country in many places is clear 
and the banks are ocaasionally exposed : their colour is whitish and 
they consist of pure white sand mixed with clay. 
On landing at Layang and ascending* a gently inclining eminence 
which leads to the stockade, I remarked, dispersed on the ground, 
the usual subst inces that are found at the mines,,; on enquiry, how¬ 
ever, I was surprized to hear that no mine had been worked on that 
spot. This directed me to examine this hill and several vallies in 
the neighbourhood with more attention. I found in various places 
fragments of pure quarts and felspar on the surface or very superfi¬ 
cially covered with soil, they were bedded in the usual mixture of 
sand and clay which forms the strata of the mines. This mixture 
also covered separately extensive plains, and alternated with spots of 
pure sand. The fragments of quartz and felspar were in many in¬ 
stances of considerable size. Where the hill was exposed by verti¬ 
cal sections made by art, these substances were more distinctly ob¬ 
served in their natural situation. 
Near the banks of the river I observed large detached fragments 
of Red-Iron-stone and of Sand-stone. The clay had often a reddish 
colour. 
