S. f. Peckham—Pitch Lake of Trinidad. 35 
boiling pitch. In standing for some time on the lake near the 
center, the surface gradually sinks until it forms a great bow], 
as it were; and when the shoulders are level with the general 
surface of the lake, it is high time to get out. The flow of 
pitch from the lake has been immense, the whole country 
round, except near the Bay of Guapo, being covered with it; 
and it seems singular that no eruption has taken place within 
the memory of man, although the principle of motion still 
exists in the center of the lake.” 
Speaking of Point Cedros, he says, ‘‘ what renders this point 
so interesting to the stranger is an assemblage of mud volcanoes, 
of which the largest may be about one hundred and fifty feet 
in diameter. At times the old craters cease to act, but when 
that is the case new ones invariably appear in the vicinity. 
The mud is fathomless, yet does not overflow, but remains 
within the circumference of the crater. From what I recollect 
of the Crimea, I should say that there is a remarkable similarity 
between it and Trinidad ;—geologically speaking, in both there 
are mud volcanoes, in both there are bituminous lakes, and 
both have been frequently visited with earthquakes.” 
The next observer was Mr. N. S. Manross, who visited the 
lake in 1855, and has been widely quoted. He says, “the vil- 
lage of La Brea stands on a projecting tongue of land which 
owes its preservation from the inroads of the sea to the fact 
that it consists entirely of hardened pitch, which withstands 
the waves far better than the loose materials of the accompany- 
ing formations. The shore for miles, both north and south, 
consists mainly of the same material, and juts boldly out into 
the sea wherever it is thus pitch-bound. A road leads up from 
the landing to some sugar estates beyond the lake. It ascends 
a gentle slope of hardened pitch, which, where left to itself is 
covered with a dense growth of reeds and bushes. The road 
itself is a fine illustration of the adaptation of pitch to the pur- 
pose of paving. Where too much mixed with earth it has 
become pulverized to a depth of a few inches, but in many 
places it is still so pure and solid that the wheels of heavily 
loaded sugar wagons and the hoofs of horses make but a slight, 
and even that, a transient impression. In no part of the ascent 
to the shore of the lake does the stream of pitch appear to be 
covered by more than one or two feet of soil, while in most 
places it is entirely bare. In places where the surface is not 
protected by vegetation it becomes so far softened by the sun 
as to be still making progress downward. 
“On nearing the lake the ascent becomes steeper. Here 
the pitch is bare, or but slightly covered with grass. Its appear- 
ance isnot that of a sudden simultaneous overflow in a single 
