§06 VIEW OF THE TIN MINES ON BANKA. 
4. Klabbet. 
5. Marawang 
6. Sungie-bulu 
7- Btinyu 
8. Lumut. 
I have not included in tills statement M&mpang, Tabuali and the 
mines eastward of Minto to Tampelang, as their supplies depend 
more than in the other cases on accidental circumstances. 
It appears from the annexed table, shewing the quantity of Tin 
produced on an average annually at the present period that the 
number of Ingots amounts to 21,600 yielding according to the usu¬ 
al mode of estimation 10,800 piculs of 100 Catties Chinese weight 
or 133| lbs. Troy each, or 1,440,000 lbs. It would be interesting 
in various points of view, to trace for a number of ascending years, 
the annual produce of the mines of Banka, but for these purpose, 
no records are left on the island, and we have only the verbal ac¬ 
counts and relations of the old inhabitants to supply as information : 
these are, however, confirmed by the testimony of many respectable 
persons at Plembang and at Batavia, as well as by various documents 
which remain at the latter place. They tend to prove that the for¬ 
mer produce ol B&nka exceeded that of the present time in a ma¬ 
nifold proportion. 
The most prosperous period of the Island both regarding the sup¬ 
plies obtained from the mines and the general condition of the In¬ 
habitants, was during the reign of Sultan Achmad Nadja Mudin I, 
and some time before bis accession to the throne, or between the years 
1750 and 1775. Sixty thousand piculs, or 120,000 Ingots, is but a 
moderate estimate of the aggregate produce of the mines during this 
period, and by most persons supposed to be competent to afford in¬ 
formation on the subject, it is rated much greater. 
In the year 1770, May lltli, the Governor and Council at Batavia 
published the following Resolution: “ Not to accept from Plembang, 
annually, more than 25,000 piculs of Tin: and because this year 5000 
piculs above this quantity have been sent here, no more than 20,000 
piculs shall, on any account, be accepted the following year: of which 
timely information shall be sent to the king. 99 
The operation of measures of this kind requires no comment; the 
clandestine trade to China, which was facilitated by the annual visits 
of numerous junks and already engrossed at least one half of the 
produce of the mines, received not only encouragement but sanction. 
