MANILLA. 
317 
foliage have so disguised them, that it is difficult to determine exactly 
their true character. 
I regretted exceedingly that the party that set out for the Lake de 
Taal was not able to reach it, as, from the accounts I had, it must be 
one of the most interesting portions of the country. It lies nearly south¬ 
west from Manilla, and occupies an area of about one hundred and 
twenty square miles. The Volcano de Taal is situated on an island 
near the centre of it, and is now in action. The cone which rises from 
its centre is remarkably regular, and consists for the most part of 
cinders and scoria. It has been found to be nine hundred feet in eleva¬ 
tion above the lake. The crater has a diameter of two miles, and its 
depth is equal to the elevation: the walls of the crater are nearly per¬ 
pendicular, so much so that the descent cannot be made without the 
assistance of ropes. At the bottom there are two small cones. Much 
steam issues from the many fissures, accompanied by sulphurous acid 
gas. The waters of the lake are impregnated with sulphur, and there 
are said to be also large beds of sulphur. In the opinion of those who 
have visited this spot, the whole lake once formed an immense crater; 
and this does not appear very improbable, if we are to credit the 
accounts we received of the many craters on this island that are now 
filled with water; for instance, in the neighbourhood of San Pablo there 
are said to be eight or nine. 
The hot springs of Banos are numerous, and in their vicinity large 
quantities of steam are seen to issue from the shore of the lake. There 
are about a dozen which give out a copious supply of water. The 
principal one has been enclosed, and made to flow through a stone 
aqueduct, which discharges a considerable stream. The temperature 
of the water as it leaves the aqueduct is 178°. The villagers use it for 
cooking and washing: the signs of the former employment are evident 
enough from the quantities of feathers from the poultry that have been 
scalded and plucked preparatory to cooking. The baths are formed by 
a small circular building six feet in diameter, erected over the point of 
discharge for the purpose of securing a steam-bath : the temperature of 
these is 160° and 140°. A change of temperature is said to have 
occurred in the latter. 
The rocks in the vicinity are all tufa, and some of the springs break 
out close to the cold water of the lake. Near the aqueduct, a stone 
wall surrounds one of the principal outlets. Two-thirds of the area thus 
enclosed is occupied by a pond of warm water, and the other third is 
divided into two stone reservoirs, built for baths. These baths had at 
one time a high reputation, and were a very fashionable resort for the 
society of Manilla; but their celebrity gradually diminished, and the 
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