TO THE COURT OF AVA. 95 
discern the bottom. The liquid seemed as if 
boiling; but whether from the emission of gas¬ 
eous fluids, or simply from the escape of the 
oil itself from the ground, we had no means 
of determining. The formation, where the 
wells are sunk, consisted of sand, loose sand¬ 
stone, and blue clay. When a well is dug to 
a considerable extent, the labourers informed 
us that brown coal was occasionally found. 
Unfortunately we could obtain no specimens 
of this mineral on the spot, but I afterwards 
obtained some good ones in the village. The 
petroleum itself, when first taken out of the 
well, is of a thin watery consistence, but thick¬ 
ens by keeping, and in the cold weather it co¬ 
agulates. Its colour, at all times, is a dirty 
green, not much unlike that of stagnant water. 
It has a pungent aromatic odour, offensive to 
most people. The wells are worked by the 
simplest contrivance imaginable. There is over 
each well a cross-beam, supported by two rude 
stanchions. At the centre of the cross-beam, 
and embracing it, is a hollow revolving cylin¬ 
der, with a channel to receive a drag-rope, to 
which is appended a common earthen pot that 
is let down into the well, and brought up full 
by the assistance of two persons pulling the 
rope down an inclined plane by the side of the 
