96 MINERAL RESINS. 



the center, where it is boiling. The appearance of the 

 solidified bitumen is as if the whole surface had boiled up in 

 large bubbles and then suddenly cooled. The ascent to the 

 lake from the sea, a distance of three quarters of a mile, 

 is covered with the hardened pitch, on which trees and 

 vegetation flourish, and here and there about Point La 

 Braye, the masses of pitch look like black rocks among the 

 re. 



Large deposits of asphaltum occur in sandstone in Albania 

 It is also found in Derbyshire, and with quartz and fluor in 

 granite in Cornwall ; in cavities of chalcedony and calc spar 

 in Russia and other places. 



Naphtha issues from the earth in large quantities in Persia 

 and the Birman empire. At Rangoon, on one of the branches 

 of the Irawady river, there are upwards of 500 naphtha and 

 petroleum wells which afford annually 412,000 hogsheads. 

 In the peninsula of Apcheron on the western shore of the 

 Caspian, naphtha rises through a marly soil in vapor, and is 

 collected by sinking pits several yards in depth, into which 

 the naphtha flows. Near Amiano in the state of Parma, there 

 is an abundant spring. 



In the United States petroleum is common. The salines 

 of Kenawha, Va. ; Scotsville, Ky. ; Oil creek, Venango 

 county, Penn. ; Duck creek, Monroe county ; near Hinsdale 

 in Allegany county, N. Y., and Liverpool, Ohio, are among 

 its localities. It was formerly collected for sale by the Sen- 

 eca and other Indians ; the petroleum is therefore com- 

 monly called Genesee or Seneca oil, under which name it is 

 sold in market. The Rock oil of commerce is Naphtha. 



Uses. Bitumen in all its varieties was well known to the 

 ancients. It is reported to have been employed as a cement 

 in the construction of the walls of Babylon. At Agrigentum 

 it was burnt in lamps and called Sicilian oil. The Egyp . 

 tians made use of it in embalming. 



The asphaltum of Trinidad mixed with grease or common 

 pitch is used for pitching (technically, paying) the bottoms 

 of ships ; and it is supposed to protect them from the Teredo. 

 Two ship loads of the pitch were sent to England by Admi- 

 al Cochrane ; but it was found that the oil required to fit it 

 or use exceeded in expense the cost of pitch in England • 



Where is naphtha obtained? What is Seneca oil? For wrwt is 

 asphaltum used ? 



