720 MINERALOGICAL DESCRIPTION OP THE ISLAND OF BANKA. 
At the shore near the discharge of the river of Messu I observed 
at a distance the extremity of the hill Ladi (south of Mangkul) 
forming point Ujong Gunung: the island Pulo Panjang lies al¬ 
most directly east and numerous projecting rocks are seen in that 
direction. Some were situated near the shore, those which I exa¬ 
mined consisted of sandstone of different degrees of hardness ; the 
compact were intersected by lines, one resembled in a great degree 
the siliceous rock at Kampak, others were of a spongy texture, and 
possessed a very small degree of compactness. 
The other mines which I examined at Messu were situated about 
one mile distant from the sea-shore, the workmen were at this time 
employed in two different places. In one of the mines I noticed 
the strata as follows : 
1. Soil six inches. 
2. Black-clay, an irregular stratum with a small admixture of 
sand, 12 inches. 
3. Layer of ore thinly disseminated through siliceous fragments, 
18 inches. 
4. Sand bedded in white and in reddish clay, about 2 feet con¬ 
taining a small admixture of ore. 
Lastly , a layer of very pure white clay. 
In another mine; 
1. Soil. 
2. Fine sand mixed with soil, containing indications of ore. 
3. Coarse sand mixed w ith fragments of quartz, the ore thinly 
dispersed. 
4. Coarse particles of quartz containing the chief stratum of ore, 
18 inches. 
5. White clay. 
Near this mine I observed in one place, numerous particles of 
quartz immediately under the soil, and in another place a large sili¬ 
ceous rock under the stratum from which the ore had been extract¬ 
ed. Upon the whole the appearances at these tw r o mines showed 
very clearly and distinctly the manner in which the ore is arranged 
in, and distributed through, the strata and were very instructive and 
satisfactory. 
The fragments collected at the aqueducts, comprized all the va¬ 
rieties already described of the siliceous kind, the Breccias w r ere 
mixed only in a small propotion. Among the peculiarities is to be 
noticed, that the felspar often had a red colour, that regular rock- 
