LECIIMERE GUPPY ON TERTIARY COAL. 
X1B 
in quantity may possibly lead to the opening up of a new 
branch of productive industry in the island. 
The quantity of rocks in this island yielding asphaltic and 
bituminous substances which may hereafter be valuable for 
the production of illuminating and other oils by distillation is 
very great. Tertiary coal was discovered and worked in 
Couva many years ago. The site of the beds is marked on 
the geological map, and they probably extend with more or 
less interruption all across the island to the north of the 
Tamana and Montserrat ranges. I append hereto an extract 
from a report on the Couva coal by Mr. Wall, Director of 
the Geological Survey. 
The late discoveries added to my own observations make 
it seem probable that the Nariva series of the Government 
geologists, is the equivalent on the south side of the central 
range of the Caroni carbonaceous series on the north ; and if 
this be correct, we may expect to find a series of coal beds 
extending from the Guaracara valley on the west to the 
Nariva swamp on the east. In support of this view I may 
state that the section made by the Geological Survey of the 
country between Sanfernando and Montserrat bears out the 
theory of the contemporaneity of the so-called Nariva series 
with the Miocene (Caroni) series. 
Extract from a Report by G. P. Wall, F.G.S., Director of 
the Geological Survey , on the Mineral Fuels of the Couva 
District , dated “ Trinidad , 1st May , 1857.” 
The deposits of mineral fuel in the district of Couva, con- 
sist of carbonaceous beds of a character intermediate between 
lignite and coal. A practical trial of the economic value of 
this substance was made by Mr. Maurice Rostant, who was 
