The Natives Say They Find It In The Bed Of A Ravine, And Many Years
Ago A Captain Of A Vessel Is Said To Have Got Some Hundreds-Weight Of
It.
Now, however, it is evidently very scarce, as during the two years
Mr. Geach resided in the country, none was found.
I was shown one
piece several pounds' weight, having much the appearance of one of the
larger Australian nuggets, but of pure copper instead of gold. The
natives and the Portuguese have very naturally imagined that where
these fragments come from there must be more; and they have a report
or tradition, that a mountain at the head of the ravine is almost pure
copper, and of course of immense value.
After much difficulty a company was at length formed to work the
copper mountain, a Portuguese merchant of Singapore supplying most of
the capital. So confident were they of the existence of the copper,
that they thought it would be waste of time and money to have any
exploration made first; and accordingly, sent to England for a mining
engineer, who was to bring out all necessary tools, machinery,
laboratory, utensils, a number of mechanics, and stores of all kinds
for two years, in order to commence work on a copper-mine which he was
told was already discovered. On reaching Singapore a ship was
freighted to take the men and stores to Timor, where they at length
arrived after much delay, a long voyage, and very great expense.
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