About 20 percent of the world’s tin deposits occur as primary hard-rock veins or lodes which commonly occur in close association with silicic granites. About 80 percent of the world’s tin deposits occur as unconsolidated secondary or placer deposits in river beds and valleys or on the sea floor. The largest concentration of both offshore placers is in the extensive tin belt of South-East Asia, which stretches from China in the north, through Thailand, Burma and Malaysia, to the islands of Indonesia in the south. The exploitation of these alluvial tin deposits in South-East Asia by bucket dredge and gravel pump mining from the beginning of the twentieth century helped to hasten the slow decline of the Cornish tin industry.

The chance to to earn riches from the tin deposits, the new industry of rubber, the marine trade and the colonial civil service attracted Cornish expatriates to South East Asia. Malaysia ( often found in the historic records as the Straits Settlements) was perhaps the focal point of a Cornish presence .in this part of the world. We are still vigorously investing the Cornish relationship with Malaysia. However, we have some references on our data base and these are included in our South East Asia Index.                                        Please let us know if you have any information of your ancestors activities !