Note 4 — Coal—Gold—Iron—Copper—Sulphur, Etc.

Sulphur exists in many islands, sometimes pure, in unlimited quantities, and often mixed with copper, iron, and arsenic. The crater peak of the Taal Volcano in the Bómbon Lake burst in 1749 (vide p. 18), and from that date, until the eruption of 1754, sulphur was extracted by the natives. These deposits were again worked in 1780, and during a few years following. Bowring states4 that a well-known naturalist once offered a good sum of money for the monopoly of working the sulphur mines in the Taal district.