Copper, lead, zinc, and antimony, are also found
in Siam, which, from the list now given, will ap-
pear to be no less distinguished for the variety
and abundance of its mineral, than it is acknow-
ledged to be for its vegetable productions. Cop-
per mines were attempted to be worked by the
French in the time of Louis XIV., and lately to
a small extent by ttie Chinese. The mineral is



172 EMBASSY TO 8IAM

found in a low range of primitive mountains near
Louvo or Nuk-bu-ri, in about the fifteenth de-
gree of North latitude. Lead appears to be found
more abundantly. The mines exist at a place
called Pak-prek, in the mountains of the barba-
rous tribe of Lawd. They are worked only by
this people, who produce yearly about two thou-
sand piculs of the metal. This fact would seem
to prove satisfactorily that the mines must be
both fertile and accessible ; for had the case been
otherwise, the metal would not have been pro-
curable at all, through the unskilful labour of so
rude a people. Zinc and antimony are found in
the district of Rap-ri, to the eastward of the
Men am. The mines of the first have not hither-
to been wrought, but the ore of antimony is
smelted in small quantities, and, it is said, al-
though the fact appears very doubtful, used by
the Chinese manufacturers of cast-iron utensils^
to assist the fusion of the iron. Of the ores of
the different metals now mentioned, we obtained
no specimens, and therefore I am unable to give
any description of them.
