142 GEOLOGY OF THE WEST INDIES. [Nov. 



St. Lucia I passed, and only observed it from the sea. 

 It has the appearance of being rugged and steep, with few 

 vaHies, and perhaps not the same proportion of cinders as 

 the other islands. It has an extensive soufriere at the 

 foot of two sharp conical hills. 



Martinico, On the south side of the Bay of Port 

 Royal, at Lamentine and point De Bourg, there is a com- 

 pact rock, dividing like trap, and decomposing into balls, 

 which fall into a strong red clay, making an excellent 

 soil; it rests upon a bed of cinders, and assumes in some 

 places the form of Basaltic columns. 



About Port I^oyal, and the hill to the north of it, there 

 is a current of solid lava, which has formed the north side 

 of the bay, decomposing into balls, and forming a strong 

 soil. 



From point Negro to St, Peters the coast consists 

 principally of cinders, mixed with lava rocks. Under 

 the fort at the south end of St. Peters, and near the Bo- 

 tanic Garden on the north side, there appears a mass of 

 the same rock as occurs at Port Royal, approaching the 

 Basaltic form, and is full of vitreous crystals of Feldspar. 



The region lying across the island from St. Peters to 

 Bass-point, is composed, wholly to the summit of the land, 

 of cinders and pumice, with vegetable earth lying between 

 the beds of cinders, alternating two or three times. De- 

 scending to the windward part of the island, the cinders 

 are found mixed with detached pieces of compact lava, 

 and other rocks, with large blocks of pumice, till you 

 come to the flat country, whicli is covered with cinders. 

 It is natural to suppose that the greatest part of the light 

 substances, such as cinders, pumice stones, &c. should go 

 to leeward; yet in the irruption of St. Vincent, in 1812. 



