round this place has this property that on taking up two or three inches of the surface, and applying a live coal, the part uncovered immediately takes fire, almoft before the coal touches it: the flame heats the foil, but does not confume it, nor does it affect the earth that is near it; but this earth carried to another place does not produce this effect. If a cane, or even a paper tube, be fet about two inches in the ground and closed up with earth below, on touching the top of it with a live coal, and blowing upon it, a flame immediately iffues, without burning either the cane or the paper, provided the edges be covered with clay, and this method they ufe for light in their houses, which have no other floor but the earth: three or four of thefe lighted canes will boil water in a pot, and thus they drefs their victuals. The flame may be extinguifhed in the fame manner as that of fpirits of wine. The ground is here dry and ftony, and the more ftony it is, the fronger and clearer is the flame: it has a fulphureous smell like naptha; but it is not very offenfive. It burns lime to great perfection.

Near this place brimstone is dug, and fprings of naptha are found. The chief place for the black or dark grey naptha, is the fmall island Wetoy, which is now uninhabited, except when they are taking naptha. The fprings boil up higheft when the weather is thick and hazy; and the naptha often takes fire on the furface, and runs in great quantities in a flame into the fea, to an almoft incredible diftance from the

fhore.

fhore. In clear weather the fprings do not boil up above two or three feet. This oily fubftance in boiling over, becomes of fuch a confiftance, as by degrees almoft to close the mouth of the fpring: fometimes it is quite clofed, and forms hillocks as black as pitch; but when a fpring is refifted in one place, it breaks out in another; fome that have not been long open, form a mouth of eight or ten feet diameter. It is unpleasant to the smell, and is mostly used by the poor among the Perfians and the neighbouring people, as we ufe oil in lamps, or to boil their provifions; but it gives the food a difagreeable tafte. It burns beft when mixed with a fmall quantity of ashes, as there is great plenty of it, every family is well fupplied. They keep it in earthen veffels under ground, at a fmall distance from their houfes, on account of its being very liable to take fire.

In the peninfula of Apcheron there is a white naptha of a much thinner confiftence, which the Ruffians drink as a cordial and medicine; it is also used externally, and is faid to be carried into India, where being prepared, it makes the moft beautiful and lafting varnish yet found.

The End of the Fourteenth Volume.