318 TRINIDAD. 



Trinidad. I may mention asphaltic deposits as existing at 

 Montserrat, on the southern side of the hills, at Naparima, 

 Oropuche, especially on the Aripero estate and Pointe d'Or : it 

 abounds everywhere in the wards of La Brea and Guapo, where 

 springs of semi-liquid asphaltum or petroleum occur in the high 

 woods. We meet with bitumen at Quemada, Moruga, Guaya- 

 guayare, where the tourist will do well to pay a visit to Lagon 

 Bouff. There are also at times regular eruptions of liquid 

 bitumen in the Gulf, opposite Guapo, at Guayaguayare, and even 

 in the bay of Mayaro, on the eastern coast. The places where 

 it issues are indicated by the oily part floating on the surface 

 of the water, and a very strong odour of asphaltum. After 

 such eruptions, lumps or cakes of this substance are washed on 

 to the beach. It is highly probable that bitumen is disseminated 

 in seams or veins throughout the whole southern division of the 

 island. 



Now, what is the origin of the asphaltic deposits at Trinidad ? 

 The same as that of coal and peat. It has been remarked that, 

 where exist lignite and brown coal, there the sources of asphalte 

 are more abundant. Such is the case in Trinidad. Vegetable 

 debris are the only substances containing carbon and hydrogen 

 in sufficient quantity to form asphalte ; and this formation takes 

 place by a process of conversion. " The first department of the 

 process," say Messrs. Wall and Sawkins, " consists in the forma- 

 tion of a black oily substance, and has been termed asphaltic 

 oil. . . The residue, after the separation of this material, 

 consists of the ordinary asphalte, usually containing the oils in 

 sufficient quantity to render it highly plastic. The purer 

 varieties — such as approach, or are identical with, asphaltum 

 glance — have been observed in isolated masses. In this case no 

 displacement from the original position has ensued, and conse- 

 quently the material is free from earthy impurities/'' 



Three principal varieties of asphaltum are found here — 

 asphaltum glance, the purest of all, hard and brittle ; ordinary 

 asphaltum, by far the most common ; and asphaltic oil or petro- 

 leum. This is not so common as the ordinary asphaltum ; it 

 generally rises to the surface through cones having orifices in 

 centre. 



The Pitch lake, however, ought not to be regarded solely 

 curiosity ; it may turn out a permanent source of profit to 



