fluence enough to establish such a share of confidence and security as to stimulate enterprise where the natural wealth of the land made a very little sufficient. Under the commanding protection of that genius, the industry and the labour of the more industrious nations of Asia frequenting the Archipelago, particularly the Chinese, has been put in motion; and it is chiefly through them that the gold and tin mines of the Archipelago, before little known, or of little value, have been rendered productive.
The mineral products which particularly deserve notice, in a commercial point of view, and of which I propose giving an account in succession, are the following : tin — gold — copper — iron — salt — sulphur, and the diamond.
Tin is called, in every language of the Archipelago, by the name Timah, a word, it is presumed, of the Malay language. In geographical distribution, tin is confined to the island of Banca, the Malayan Peninsula, and the islets on its coasts, with Junkceylon. Tin, wherever found, it has been remarked, has a limited geographical distribution; but where it does exist, it is always in great abundance. The tin of the Indian islands has, however, a much wider range of distribution than that of any other country, being found in considerable quantity from the 98° to the 107° of East longitude, and from the 8° North, to 3° South latitude.
