473 
181 K] Geological Society. 
liard stone, with a concholdal fracture, 
some degree of lustre, and is perfectly 
opake even at the edges ; in some places, 
from the action of the air, it was of a 
reddish or yellowish-brown, and an earthy 
appearance. I wished to have devoted 
more time tp the investigation of what 
in the laneua«;e of the Werneriarb school 
13 tern^d the geognostic relations of tins 
spot, but my companions were anxious to 
proceed. We ascended tlie hill, which 
was entirely compoised of this rock, to 
the plantation, wjiere we proci »?d a 
negro guide, ivho conducted us through 
a w'ood about three quarters of a mile. 
We now perceived a strong sulphureous 
and pitchy smell,, like that of burning 
cnai, and soon after had a view of the 
lake, vvliich at (irst sight appeared to be 
an expanse of still water, frequently in¬ 
terrupted by clumps of dwarf trees, or 
islets of rushes and shrubs: but on a 
nearer approach we found it to he in 
reality an extensive plain of mineral 
pitcii, with frequent crevices and chasms 
filled with water. The singularity of the 
scene was altogether so great, that it was 
some time before I could recover from 
my surprise so as to investigate it mi¬ 
nutely. The surface of the lake is of the 
colour of ashes, and at this season was 
not polished or smooth so as to be slip- 
j-*ety; tlse hardness or consistence was 
such as to bear any weight; and it was 
not adhesive, thougli it partially received 
the impression of the foot; it bore us 
without any tremulous motion whatever, 
and several head of cattle were browsing 
on it in perfect security. In the dry 
season, however, the surface is much 
more yielding, and must be in a state 
afiproaching to fluidity, as is sliown bv 
pieces of recent wood and other sub¬ 
stances being enveloped in it. Even 
large branches of trees, which were a foot 
above the level, had in some way become 
enveloped in the bituminous matter. 
3'lie interstices or chasms are very nu¬ 
merous., ramifying and joining in every 
direction, and in the wet season, being 
filled with water, present the only ob¬ 
stacle to walking over the surface: these 
cavities are generally deep in proportion 
to their width, sr^re being only a few 
inches in depth, otiiers several feet, and 
many almost unfathomable: the water 
in tliem is good, and uncontaminated by 
the pitch; the.people of the neiglibour- 
hood derive their supply from this source, 
and refresh themselves by bathiiicr in it: 
n^h are caught in it, and particularly a 
i^ery good spccieS of iiiullet. 
. The arrangement of the chasms is very 
singular: the sides, which of course aie 
formed of the pitch, are invariably shelv¬ 
ing from the surface, so as nearly to meet 
at the bottom, but then they bulge out 
towards each other with a considerable 
degree of convexity. Tliis may be sup¬ 
posed to arise from the tencieiicy in the 
pitch slowly to coalesce, whenever sof¬ 
tened by the intensity of the sun’s rays. 
These crevices are known occasionally to 
close up entirely, and we savv many 
marks or seams from this cause. Jiow 
these crevices originate, it may not be so 
easy to explain. One of our party sug¬ 
gested that the whole mass of pitch might 
be supported by the water which made 
its way througli accidental rents; but in 
the solid, state it is of greater specific; 
gravity than water, for several bits thrown 
into one of the pools immediately sank. 
Tlie lake (I call it so, because 1 think 
the common name appropriate enough) 
contains many islets covered with long 
grass and shrubs, which are the haunts of 
birds of the most exquisite plumage, as 
the pools are of snipe and plover. Al¬ 
ligators are also said to abound liere; but 
it was not our lot to encounter any of 
these animals. It is not easy to state 
precisely the extent of this great collec- 
tion of pitch; the line between it and 
the neiglibouring soil is not always well 
(iefined, and indeed it appears to form 
the substratum of the surroumling tract 
of land. We may say, however, that it 
is bounded on the north and west sides 
by the sea, on tlie south by. the rocky 
eminence of porcelain jasper before- 
mentioned, and on tlic east by the usnai 
argillaceous soil of tiiecountry ; the main 
hmiy may perhaps be estimated at three 
miles in circumference; the depth can¬ 
not be ascertained, and no subjacent 
rock or soil can be discovered. Where 
the bitumen is slightly covered by .soil, 
there are plantations of cassa,<a, plan¬ 
tains and pine-apples, the last of wliich 
grow with luxuriance and attain to great 
perfection. There are three or four 
French and one English sugar estates in 
the immediate nei<ghbourhood; our opi¬ 
nion of the soil did not, however, coin¬ 
cide with that of Mr. Anderson, who, in 
the account 'he 'gave some year.s ago, 
tl'iought it very fertile. It is w-otliy of 
remark, that the main body of the 
which may properly be called the lake, 
is situated higher than the adjoinirvg 
land, and tiiat yoti descend by a gentle 
slope to the sra, where the pitch is mneh 
coutatr.inated by the .sand of the ’ne.ocn. 
DiOii.w 
