SALT SPRINGS. 217 



referred, there are others very numerous impregnated with petro- 

 leum, and the minerals allied to it, as bitumen, naptha, asphaltum 

 und pitch. These springs are found in all parts of the globe, but 

 tjfce most powerful yet known, are those on the river Irawadi, in 

 the Birman Empire, there being five hundred and twenty wells 

 in one locality, yielding annually 400,000 hogsheads of petroleum. 

 On both sides of the island of Trinidad, fluid bitumen is seen to 

 ooze up from the sea. In the island is a pitch lake about three 

 miles in circumference. The asphaltum is sufficiently hard to 

 support heavy weights in cold and wet weather, but during warm 

 weather it is nearly fluid. In some places it is covered by the 

 soil, and large crops of tropical productions are raised upon it, so 

 that it is difficult to ascertain the boundaries of the lake. Mr. 

 Lyell supposes that the materials for the formation of this bitu- 

 men, have been-borne down by the Oronoco into the sea; and, col- 

 lected by eddies or other causes into particular regions, have been 

 acted upon by submarine volcanic fires. The frequent occur- 

 rence of earthquakes, and other volcanic phenomena in the island, 

 lends countenance to this opinion. 



In addition to those above mentioned, we may enumerate 

 the saliferous or brine springs, which are everywhere so common 

 over the globe. The agency of these springs, in the formation 

 of rocks, is of less importance than that of the calcareous, or the 

 silicious. Often they are strong solutions of pure rock salt, or 

 muriate of soda, and furnish large quantities of that valuable ar- 

 ticle for the purposes of domestic economy. Such are the salt 

 springs in the neighborhood of Salina, and Syracuse, in the State 

 of New York. At Salina, the well is seventy feet deep, and 

 about 480 gallons of brine are raised in one minute, and Dr. 

 Beck states that 43^ gallons are required to yield a bushel of salt, 

 weighing 56 Ibs. The well at Syracuse 170 feet deep, the pumps 

 raise 62 gallons per minute, and 46 gallons are required to make 

 a bushel of salt. The water is clear and sparkling, and of a tem- 

 perature of 50 (Fahr.) at Salina, and 51 at Syracuse. These 

 salt springs are supposed to be owing to immense beds of rock 

 salt, although no borings yet made, have reached these beds. The 

 valleys of the Mississippi and the Ohio abound in salt springs. 



