49 



begin with the easternmost extremity, the island 

 of Trinidad ; which, as we have said above, 

 seems rather to belong to the shore of the con- 

 tinent, than to the system of the mountains of 

 the West India islands. 



The pit which throws up asphaltum in the 

 bay of Mayaro, on the eastern coast of the island 

 of Trinidad, to the South of Point Guataro. 

 This is the Mine of Chapapole or mineral tar of 

 the country. I was assured, that in the months 

 of March and June the eruptions are often at- 

 tended with violent explosions, smoke, and 

 flames. Almost on the same parallel, and also 

 in the sea, but to the West of the island (near 

 Punta de la Brea, to the South of the port of 

 Naparaimo), we found a similar vent. On the 

 neighbouring coast, in a clayey ground, appears 

 the celebrated lake of asphaltum (La gun a de la 

 Brea), a marsh, the waters of which have the 

 same temperature as the atmosphere. The 

 small cones situate at the South-West extremity 

 of the island, between point Icacos and the Rio 

 Erin, appear to have some analogy with the 

 volcanoes of air and mud, which I met with at 

 Turbaco in the kingdom of New Grenada*. I 

 mention these situations of asphaltum on ac- 

 count of the remarkable circumstances, which 

 are peculiar to them in these regions ; for I am 



* Dauxion-Lavaysse, Voyage cL la Trinity p» 25, 30, and 33. 

 VOL. IV. E 



