of his efforts to tap the Country's full potential.

Sulphur and manganese are among the potential hidden minerals which could add to the Country's wealth, the Hon. David Saul said yesterday. Oil was unlikely because of the expense of drilling in such deep water, he said.

"Preliminary tests at 3,000 to 9,000 feet indicate that there well might be something down there,'' Dr. Saul told The Royal Gazette . "A volcano by spewing out its materials sometimes leaves sediments of sulphur and all sorts of things.'' The Bermuda islands are the cap of an extinct volcano. Plans for a mineral search along the slopes of that volcano were in mind when Dr. Saul added "Natural Resources'' to the Hon. Tim Smith's title as Minister of Environment and Planning.

An avid diver, Dr. Saul is one of the backers of the Underwater Exploration Institue now under construction on East Broadway.

Finding resources on the bottom of the ocean or along the slopes of the volcano which could be mined without harming the environment would be "nothing short of a miracle'', the Premier said.

"My point is that miracles can't come unless you go and look for them,'' he said. "With the technical capabilities that are available, we just need to look at what is under the sea. I wish to have that explored. It may come to naught, but it could yield some interesting discoveries.'' Sulphur has many uses, including medicine. Manganese is used to strengthen other metals.

Manganese forms in nuggets called nodules on the bottom of the sea, where they can be simply plucked, rather than mined, Dr. Saul said. "Some say they can't be found here, but we'll look.'' Dr. Saul said the American Base lands that were returned to Bermuda today also represented untapped potential.

The 25 acres at Tudor Hill that were the US Naval Facility could be used to develop housing and a cottage colony, he said.

"Then you go to the Southampton (former US Naval) Annex, it's just manna from heaven,'' he said. "We can get kilowatts of energy, foreign currency, and jobs out of there forever.'' The Bermuda Electric Light Company has asked that land be set aside at the Annex for a new power plant that might be needed in future.

The largest Base at St. David's also represented a huge opportunity, Dr. Saul said.

On all the Base lands, "I'm awaiting Dr. Grant Gibbons' recommendations.'' The Hon. Grant Gibbons, the newly-named Finance Minister, has retained responsibility for the Bases handover from the US Navy.