The coal beds of Tenasserim are not traceable continuously over any extensive area. The most important are at Thathay-kyoung and Hein-lap, on t he Great Tenasserirn river, the workable seam at the former place being 7 feet, and at the latter 171. and 181 feet thick, the quality fair ; and at Kau-ma-pying, nearly a mile N. of Hein-lap, is a seam 8 feet thick. A seam 3 feet thick occurs on the Little Tenasserim.
Deposits of coal have been found along the Siamese coast from Penang to t-he vicinity of Junk Ceylon. In 1836, specimens of coal were brought from Trang, one of the lower provinces of Siam ; and subsequently a deposit was discovered at Tama, not Gurbie. Coal was found at Sungei Kamuning, about 16 miles above Trang, and at a place also nearly east of Pulo Mutiara, or Pearl Island, about 12 miles to the southward of Sungei Kamuning. It was also found at the Pulo Tiga island, lying off Purlis, on the coast of Keddah. Another coal was found in the bay north of Tan jong Bumbong, on the coast of Trang, betwixt the last place and Kamuuing.
The coal in Ligor and Kedah, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, is identical in com position, in the proportion of volatile matter to charcoal, with some kinds of cannel coal,—sp. gr. 1-245; volatile matter, 46.746 ; charcoal, 52-071; ash, 1.183 = 100. That found on the southern coast of the island of Junk-Ceylon (well known for its tin), and which occurs near the bank of a river, and about two or three hundred feet from its mouth, was reported by Professor Ansted as adapted for every purpose to which coal is econo mically applied.
A position indicated as a deposit of coal, is in lat. 7° 44' N., and long. 99° 15' E., the southern point of Pulo Lontar bearing S.W. by S., Telebon S.S.E., and Tanjong Cotton N.E. by N. Some of it takes on the polish of fine jet. The Ligor specimens of this jet are the best.
In the coal of Ligor and Kedah, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, one portion of jet had a beautiful lustre and high polish. The frac ture shows a fine velvet black or brownish-black.
On the Malay Peninsula, along the western coast at Katani, Ayer Ramni, and Bencoolen, at the entrance of the river Retch, and along the banks in the Batang Gausal and the Ingragiri, with, it is supposed, the Kampar, coal occurs.
Coal has been found in Sumatra, Java, and Luzon, and in Borneo, of good quality, suited tc economical uses. Coal found at Rettie, on tin south-east coast of Sumatra, bears a strong re. semblance to that from Junk-Ceylon,—sp. gr 1.23 ; volatile tnatter, 51-43 ; charcoal, 48.57 ash not determined. Coal of serviceable qualit: exists also in Banka and Madura (New Rotterdan Courant, Sept. 23, 1851), in Borneo proper (Low Sarawak, p. 12) on Pulo Keng Arang, near th north end of L'abuan, at various places on t west, south-west, and south-east coasts of Borne at the Bunut, on Pontianak, the country of Batt jarmassim, where immense deposits are found Pagattan, and on the Koti river mines are workec A small field has been found' near Macassar i Celebes, but the coal is of a worthless descriptiol (Singapore Free Press, July 19, 1850, which de scribes the coal treasures of the Archipelao.o). is said that fine specirnens have been attune from the Philippine province of Alley (MOW Les i. p. 122), but the existing notice of them are slight.
In Borneo, coal was first discovered in one the islands in the river of Brunai, afterwards nea the banks of the river, and subsequently in th island of Labuan. In the,se places it is mined b
European skill and capital, and has been found on ample trial, superior to any Asiatic coal hithert tried. The coal on the left bank of the Borne river has been traced for several miles into th interior, and on the southern coast of the islan in the territory of Banjurrnasin, and mined b the Dutch. These may be continuations of th same field, which would make the Borneo coal fields the largest in the world, after those o North Atnerica. Steam navigation has given value to the coals of Borneo, which without it, i a country ioliabited by rude people and covers with forest, might have lain for ages as useless a the lime and sandstones in which it is imbedded.
In Borneo, coal is associated at Pulo Chirmiti which is about 200 feet high, with a ferruginou sandstone, and overlaid by a mass of red sail, and clay. At Pulo Kang Arang, again, the cor is overlaid by white sandstone. Borneo, as mineral conntry, is perhaps the richest in th East, producing gold, coal, antimony, and iron while caoutchouc and gutta-percha are amongs its vegetable products. The coal and iron field of the Balawi or Rajang are more extensive thai any yet discovered on the island. From the rive Bararn, coal is traced to the upper parts of th, Bintulu, and thence southward to the Rajam river, on the left bank of which, at Tujo-Nang there is a seam exposed upwards of 13 feet ii thickness. At different other parts of the river and also in several of its branches, coal is fowl( in abundance.
In China, coal is largely_used for fuel. Th boats ou the not th river, below Nan-Itiung, lie near the mouth of it horizontal drift worked into the 'Mite, above which the cliffs are scraped down as t he shaft advances. The mountains of Shatt-si and Chilt-li supply large quantities of this valuable mineral ; and many boats .find conatant employ ment in bringing a coarse anthracite front Kai-ellen it) Lia-tuttg to Tien-tain. , One locality of the tnine it) Liau-tung is about 397 10' N., and 121° 25' E. Anthracite and bituminous coal have been seeu in marts at the north ; and coal-dust and refuse is mixed with a little moistened clay at Pekin, and made into cakes for the fires of the poor. That which is brought t,o Canton is hard, and leaves a large proportion of ashes after combustibu ; during ignition, it throws off a suffocating sulphureous smoke, which prevents the natives using it for cooking. It is employed in the manufacture of copperas from hepatic iron pyrites, according to Du Ilalde, but is less-frequently employed in the arts than it would be if the people knew better how to use it.
Coal is found abundantly at Ke-Lung in For mosa ; also in the districts around Negata in Japan, The Russians, under the command of a Russian officer, Irave opened coal- tnines mther lower than Tonquin Bay.—Sinynpore Free Press, April 2, 1852; Si. John's Indian Archipelago, ii. p. 319 ; Colone 1 .Lotv, No. 3, Aura. Ind. Arch. ; Williams' Middle Kingdom, p. 242; Hodgson's Nagasaki, p. .227 ; 111‘Culloch's Dict. p. 287 ; Journ. Ind. Archip. iii. pp. 153, 161, 738 ; Eng. Cyc. ; Cak. Rev. ; Annals, Ind. Admin. ; Mason ; Geology of India, by Messrs. Medlicott, Blandford, and Ball; Dr. Oldham in Yule's Embassy, p. 335 ; Hook. Him. Jo. ; Powell ; Craufurd's Dict. p. 105 ; Ball on Dianionds, Coal, and Gold, pp. 58-,04.