or ASPHALTUM, Earth-pitch; a fluid, opaque, mineral body, of a thick consistence, strong smell, readily inflammable, but leaving a residuum of grayish ashes after burning. It arises out of the cracks of the rocks, in several places in the island of Sumatra, and some other places in the East Indies, where it is much esteemed in paralytic disorders. There is a remarkable mine of it in the island of Bua, (see BUA), of which the following curious description is given by the abbe Fortis. "The island is divided into two promontories between the north and west. Crossing over the top of the latter, which is not half a mile broad, and descending in a right line towards the sea, one is conducted to a hole well known to the inhabitants. This hole extends not much above 12 feet, and from its bottom above 25 feet perpendicular, arise the marble strata which sustain the irregular masses that pinnacles surround the top of the mountain.

This pissasphaltum is of the most perfect quality, black and shining, very pure, odorous, and cohesive; and it comes out almost liquid, but hardens in large drops when the sun sets. On breaking many of these drops on the spot, I found that almost every one of them had an inner cavity full of very clear water.

"The greatest breadth of the tears that I saw was two inches, and the common breadth is half an inch. The chinks and fissures of the marble, from whence this bituminous pitch transudes, are not more than the thickness of a thread; and for the most part are so imperceptible, that were it not for the pitch itself, whereby they are blackened, they could not by any means be distinguished by the naked eye. To the narrowness of these passages is, no doubt, in part owing the small quantity of pissasphaltum that transpires."

After some conjectures about the origin of this mine, our author proceeds to inform us that the pissasphaltum of Bua is correspondent to that fossil production which by Hasselquist, in his Travels, is called mumia minera, and mumia nativa Persiana by Kempfer, which the Egyptians made use of to embalm their kings (A). It is found in a cave of Mount Caucasus, which is kept shut, and carefully guarded by order of the king of Persia. One of the qualities assigned by Linnæus to the finest bitumen is to smoke when laid on the fire, as ours does, emitting a smell of pitch not disagreeable. He believes it would be very good for wounds, as the oriental mummia is, and like the pitch of Castro, which is frequently used by the Roman chirurgeons for fractures, contusions, and in many external applications. See ASPHALTUM, MINERALOGY Index.

PISELÆUM INDICUM, Barbados Tar; a mineral fluid of the nature of the thicker bitumens, and of all others the most approaching, in appearance, colour, and consistence, to the true pissasphaltum, but differing from it in other respects. It is very frequent in many parts of America, where it is found trickling down the sides of mountains in large quantities, and sometimes floating on the surface of the waters. It has been greatly recommended internally in coughs and other disorders of the breast and lungs.