69 



under dilFcrent modiiicaiions^ dispersed tluougli' 

 out the country. 



Sect. IX. Bitumens. The Andes, heated by 

 subterraneous fires^ produce in many places white 

 and red naphtha^ petroleum, asphallos, and mi- 

 neral pitch of two kinds, the common, and 

 another of a bluish blacky which when burnt ex- 

 hales an agreeable odour like amber. This bi- 

 tumen, which I believe to be condensed naphtha^ 

 I have named bitumen andinumj and it is perhaps 

 only a variety of the Persian mummy. It is not 

 uncommon, and is discovered in larg-e quantities 

 in those places that produce it. Jet is very plen- 

 tiful in the Araucaniau provinces ; and near the 

 city of Conception, and in various other parts of 

 Chili, pit-coal is found in great abundance.^ 



Considerable quantities of ambergris arc thrown 

 up by the sea upon the Araucanian coa=t and the 

 islands of Chiloe. The Indians call it mciienc 

 (the cxcrementf of whales ) and pretend that when 



* The mountains in the neighbourhood of the Puelches af- 

 ford mines of sulphur and of salt; aiid in Talcaguano, Iro 

 'juin, and even in the city of Cf)nrcpti()n, several good mines 

 ')f coal have hecu discovered at \\\n df'|)th (f one or two feet 

 iVoui the surface. F7a.r,RT'5 Foyagc, vol. i. 



t Tlie Bra/ihan Indians helievcd it to be the food of 

 the wluile, whirh had been vomited. These opinions ter.d 

 .-trongly to ronliini the received theor\ that it is the il!-di'je>tcd 

 food uf tiii^ auiaial. E. E. 



