68 MORTON ON THE PITCH LAKE OF TRINIDAD. 



dence of the lake, the land floating upon it would subside "with it, 

 without altering the appearance on the surface. Whereas on the 

 western side, the solid formation adjoining the lake would hold its 

 position, and thus indicate the subsidence of the lake in a shore 

 such as that to which we have referred. 



From the western side of the lake, the land descends without 

 interruption to the Gulf of Paria. In this slope there is a very 

 gentle depression, beginning where the shore of the lake is least 

 elevated, and where it appears even now almost ready to overflow, 

 and traceable to the Gulf, where the pitch is found exposed along 

 the shore, and forms a point that stretches into the Gulf about 400 

 yards. Here the appearances are of a nature not to be misunderstood. 

 The pitch is exposed for about a quarter of a mile along the shore, 

 and in some places for several rods above high water mark. And it 

 is clear that it has not been thrown up by the tide, as some have 

 asserted, but has flowed from inland. The flo wings are as distinctly 

 marked as if they had occurred but yesterday. The manner in 

 which they have been turned aside by obstructions and their uniform 

 slant, together with the clearly marked edge where the flowing 

 has cooled, admit of no doubt in this matter. In the bight formed 

 by the point of pitch which juts out into the Gulf, the beach is 

 wholly of pitch ; it is very steep and has the rounded contour of the 

 edge of a large pitch wave, as if it had been here arrested in its 

 progress and cooled by the tide. Southerly from the point of pitch 

 the beach becomes more level, and is covered Avith black pebbles, in 

 some places to the depth of a foot. These on examination prove 

 to be pitch and scoria rounded by the action of the tide. 

 Passing on we find a well defined flowing that seems to have hard- 

 ened before it reached the tide. Here the land rises abruptly, the 

 beach becomes sandy, and we lose all traces of the pitch. 



A public road enables us to trace the formation up the depression 

 of which we have spoken, the whole way to the lake. In some 

 places several feet of soil overlie it, but as you approach the lake 

 the soil becomes shallow and has been washed from the road 

 by summer rains, leaving the pitch quite exposed for a considerable 

 distance. All along the road and particularly where the j^itch is 

 thus extensively exposed, the hardened overflowings are as well de- 

 fined as on the shore. Their appearance is well illustrated by what 



