operations, have given a certain degree of accuracy to the development of oil territory that it never possessed before. On the other hand, they have led to very exaggerated views, some enthusiasts affirming their belief that the line north 16° east, upon which Angell achieved his first success, governed the direction and extent of territory containing oil from Canada to Tennessee.'

Canada and South America.

The oil territory of Canada lies in the county of Lamberton, in the western part of the province of Ontario, and principally in the township of Enneskillen. Indications of surface oil had there been observed by the earliest settlers, but instead of adding any value to the land in the township, seriously detracted from it. The dark oily liquid with its disagreeable odor was not then a marketable product. The streams of water were polluted with its nauseous taste, and where wells were dug, the same manifestations were observed to such a degree as often to condemn them. In 1857, these surface marks attracted the attention of more skillful and better informed men, and a man by the name of Shaw, who dug an ordinary well, as for water, struck, after several days digging, a tremendous flow of oil, which ran in a stream into the creek. The usual phenomena attending such a discovery followed; land was bought, and more wells were dug, and oil flowed; they gathered what they could and wasted the remainder; fortunes were made and lost, and after a time, in 1864, the town of Oil Springs contained 3,000 inhabitants. The territory in which oil in paying quantities is found contains about 200 square miles, and within this range, Petrolia, Bothwell and Oil Springs have produced nearly all the oil. The latter has the largest wells, though Petrolia now produces more than nine-tenths of the amount at present obtained. The petroleum of Canada contains sulphur, and is difficult to refine; but the refining process has been so much. improved, that at present Canadian oil supplies a large demand throughout the British possessions.

1S. F. Peckham, Report on Petroleum.

Argentine Republic.

In this country petroleum springs and bituminous slate have long been known to exist in the province Selta, near Mendoza. Towards the end of 1889, there were in operation in this neighborhood five productive wells, and it is intended to erect a large refinery. At the present time, the oil is used for the manufacture of gas. In the province Selta, about 23 miles above Mendoza, a field stretches up-hill, which from the volcanic mountains is known as Cachenta. According to Stelzner, the crude oil found here belongs to the rhetian formation, a rare occurrence, known at the present time only in the clay of Sehnde, Hanover. Four wells were drilled here, and oil was struck at a depth of 656 feet.

The first well yielded little oil, in the last years 5 barrels per day; the second well scarcely anything; the third 60 barrels per day of a slightly thick oil, at a depth of 252 feet, and the fourth a greater quantity of good oil, with a yield of 300 barrels per day, at a depth of 377 feet. The oil has a peculiar, though not disagreeable odor, which may perhaps be due to a small content of combinations of sulphuretted hydrocarbon. With the light falling upon it, it shows a slight greenish fluorescence, while with transmitted light its color is dark brown. At 70.25° F. it is viscous. It freezes at 320 F., acquiring the consistency of butter without separating paraffin, nor could a separation of paraffin be observed at a lower temperature. In petroleum ether the oil is soluble without residue; its flashing point lies at 113° F., and its burning point at 194° F. Its specific gravity at 62.6° F. is 0.9032. The boiling point is the same as the flashing point. Subjected to a normal distillation in Engler's apparatus, the oil yielded:

The fractions boiling at over 590° F. consisted of:

The heavy oils showed an ointment-like consistency, the paraffin appearing in crystalline scales in the receivers. As regards the chemical nature of the Argentine oil, Engler and Otten found hydrocarbons of the series CH +2 and CH2.

2n

2

Refined in the ordinary manner, an illuminating oil equal to the best Pennsylvania oil was obtained. The railroads of the Argentine Republic use the crude oil as fuel.

The petroleum residuum is very rich in paraffin and cannot be worked for lubricating oil.

On the other hand, from the residuum are obtained a soft paraffin with a melting point of 95° F. and a hard paraffin melting between 136° and 139° F. The total content of paraffin, determined by Zaloziecki's method, amounts to 55.75 per cent., calculated to residuum, and to 25.7 per cent. calculated to crude oil.

Bolivia and Peru. The occurrence of petroleum in Peru and Bolivia has been known since the sixties. According to a report by the mining engineer, F. Hurss,' in Bolivia petroleum occurs in as great an abundance as in Pennsylvania. The three principal wells are at Cuarazuti, Plata and Signiracada (between Oran and Pilcomayo) in a circuit of about 58 miles, and form, it is said, an oil-creek 6 inches deep and 7 feet wide. The mass of oil issuing from these wells is so great that Hurss considers boring superfluous. Besides the three wells above mentioned there are, in the same region, eight others which are claimed to have been just as productive as those of Cuarazuti.

The oil fields of Peru are said to have been known for many centuries. They are located in the coast region of the ocean and stretch from Cape Blanco to the Tumbez river, a distance of about 120 miles.

In the year 1867 oil was for the first time struck near Zoritas, by boring to a depth of 130 feet, and since that time petroleum has been obtained on a larger scale. According to a report, the first shipment of 30,000 boxes of petroleum has recently been made to Japan, and as the export trade is growing, several refineries for the production of illuminating oil have been established.1

Venezuela. From the reports of the Consuls of the United States the occurrence of considerable petroleum springs in Venezuela has for some time been known. The springs are located in the neighborhood of the Maracaibo Lake, in the northern part of Venezuela. The occurrence of oil is said to be very extensive, stretching over a surface of about 600 miles. One of the largest springs recently discovered yields, according to E. H. Plumacher, the commercial agent of the United States, 4 gallons per minute, or 240 gallons per hour, or 5,760 gallons during the 24 hours of the day. The petroleum is said to be a very good quality, being of 0.083°, which is the required density in the British markets of the petroleum imported from the United States. If such be the case this petroleum find should be of great future value, it being located in the immediate neighborhood of the sea so that it can be directly shipped.

The government has granted to the National Petroleum Company the sole right for twenty-five years of working the wells. The Company owns over 100 shafts, and machinery for boring and refining purposes. The drills are driven by waterpower, and in the refinery 2,500 gallons of petroleum per month were at first produced.

To assist the domestic industry the Government has placed a high duty upon importations of Russian and American illuminating oils.

Africa.

In Egypt petroleum occurs, according to Robert Irvine, in the neighborhood of Gemsah and Djabel-Said, a region in

1 Chemiker- und Techniker-Zeitung, 1891, No. 10.

which the occurrence of oil has for some time been known. The crude oil obtained by boring is of a dark brown color and has an odor evidently due to combinations of sulphuretted hydrocarbon. Its specific gravity at 60° F. is 0.934. The oil is thick, possesses great lubricating power, and remains fluid at a low temperature, from which it may be supposed not to contain any hard paraffin. Mixed with chemicals a product of 0.850 to 0.950 specific gravity is obtained.

The loss from washing with acid amounts to more than 50 per cent. From this fact and the absence of illuminating oil, the purification does not seem to be profitable. On the other hand, the crude oil by itself possesses a high value as a lubricant, and might also be suitable for fuel. Kast and Kunkler1 have recently subjected the oil to a thorough examination and confirm the fact that, in consequence of its slight content of volatile oil, it is not suitable for the fabrication of illuminating oil, but furnishes an excellent material for lubricating oils. Oil in large quantities is also said to occur in South Africa. L. Campbell Johnston2 reports having found in the Orange Free State infallible indications of the presence of heavy oils.

Australia.

In the year 1889, the discovery in South Australia of petroleum springs supposed to be of great value created quite a sensation, the wells, according to the Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter of May 15, 1889, being located in the neighborhood of Yorktown on the extreme point of the peninsula of York, between the Spencer and St. Vincent Gulf, and were discovered by A. Tocchi, who had for some time examined the region in the hope of finding oil. The Government of South Australia granted him the exclusive right of 90,000 acres of land to search for oil. Nothing more has, however, been heard of these discoveries.

'Dingler's polyt. Jour., 278. 2 Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter, 1889, April 3.