gravity, and those of common earth being carried away by the current.
When a sufficient quantity of ore is thus accumulated, the process of smelting commences:—this is also very minutely and accurately described by Dr. Horsefield: it is unnecessary to observe, that almost all the operations connected with the process of mining and refining of metal are performed by the Chinese.
In his botanical pursuits, Dr. Horsefield has been peculiarly successful, his descriptions comprising a collection of upwards of five hundred plants, of which sixteen appear to be of doubtful genera.
An account of the inhabitants, their mode of life and occupations, the state of agriculture, and the history of the different settlements, is introduced into this valuable report, which I hope will shortly appear in print, under the patronage of the East-India Company. In this expectation, and that I may not diminish the interest excited in its favor, or exceed the latitude with which I am invested, by more extensive drafts on the valuable information which it contains, I shall close these notices of Banca with a short account of the extent and character of the population, as it appeared to Dr. Horsefield, at an early period of the establishment of European influence.
The inhabitants of Banca consist of Malays, Chinese, and indigenes, of whom the latter are subdivided into Orang Gunung (men of the mountains) or Mountaineers; and Rayads or Orang Laut (men of the sea) or sea-people. The Malays are few in number, of a peaceable but indolent disposition, and of little importance in the affairs of the island. The Chinese in Banca preserve their original habits of industry, enterprise, and perseverance; they are the most useful among the inhabitants, and indispensable in the labors of the mines. The general character of the Orang Gunung, or Mountaineers, the original, and, perhaps, most interesting portion of the population, is rude simplicity. Dispersed over large tracts in the interior of the country, they live nearly in a state of nature, but submit without resistance to the general regulations which have been established, and willingly perform the labors required of them; although their natural timidity, and wandering habits, render them, in a considerable degree, inaccessible to Europeans. The Rayads are the remains of a peculiar people, so called, who, with their families and households, live in small prows, in the Bays of Jebus and Klabut, and obtain subsistence by fishing and adventure. Particulars of the Mountaineers and Rayads will form a separate notice.
Borneo—In Borneo, if we have not enjoyed the advantage of scientific inquiry, we have yet added considerably to our stock of information, in a more correct knowledge of the character and habits of the native population; in the collection of vocabularies of vari-
