Harbours.
WtiRASABA, stretching-inland -ifrom . S e m a r a n g to* S u r a b a y a , were cfeded-to
the. British government: in-the year-1 1
i The c a p i t a l s themorthern: districts«bear their same.- name with the
districts, themselves,', and are generally situated' on - small riverS f-at: no - great
distance from the.-sea.'ici
The . N a t iv e P r o v in c e s - are- divided between;two:native* sovereigns1: the
Susuhundn, or Emperor-of Java, who --resides; at! Sura-kerta, * on.the': Solo
River; .and thejSultan, whoiresides &t^Yugya-kerta,t - near the south coast,
in.the pro.vincp of,JhTaÄarewt. ,.These provinces chqiprise »severahof:the. richest,
districts, of . the. island,. among 1 which are • Banyumqsi Römo, Bägat&nl- and
Matärem, to the .west;. and Mddion, Jagaraga, Sukawati, Pranarqga, Kerta-
sana, BUtar, and: Kediri, to the east; and with the exgeptiomof the small
district of. Pachitan, . which., has: been, recently ceded to. the European
vernment;.occupy the whole of the southern coast from:Cheribon to -Malang,
a distance .of not,.less.than two hundred and fifty miles,, and ‘form, about- a
fourth.part of. the .whole island. , - ' ; r ‘ v - .
The districts near the coasts are generally separated from .each Pbmr. by
rivers; those in.the interior often by ranges^-of.hills andi_mountains.. xThe
districts; are..again, divided, each subdivision including-numerous-vd1agek-ilj|g
- The -principal harbour of the. island is that of.- Sur.abdya in-thej- eastern»
districts, formed by the approaching extremities of Java'kihd Madura. -. It
iSrbroad and spacious, secure against the violence* pf the sea and wind, and
may be-rendered , impregnable to any-hostile1 attack. .
The next, .in, importance is-that o f Batavia, . more-.-property,- perhaps,
called the:roads, of Batavia, which" are-sheltered-by>several -islands-lying
in .the-., outer, part .of, the bay. --These broads, however, .hot, ad mi fling
of any means ,of permanent defence.from the attack ,of a‘,superior naval
force,. the .Dutch government, during the late-war, wererinduced_to, fortify
the small.harbour of Merak Bay, on- the north-west coast of. Bantam,
Along
* Sura-kerta, or Sura-Tcerta di,ning’rat, is the name given to the seat of empire; but as the
eapital was only removed to-its present site about themiddle of the last century, iff Is' still fire*
quently called Solo, the name of the village in or near which this capital was established.
■f-This capital is indifferently turned'Yb%a, JoJcya, Juju, ’jNg’yug’yaf or■ Yug’ya-kerta, and
is the DjojorCarta, according to the Dutch orthography. The turn Yug’ya has been selected
*n accoulit of .its nearer approximation to. die supposed derivation of the word from the
Ma-yud-ya of the Rainayän.
' Along-the northern coaSf“there-are-pe'phaps*othcr positions which admit o f
bfting.impmvedanto-convenien^harbours; hut’ where the'whbleicoa'st affords
excellent anchorage at nearly all seasdns o f the year, and where vessels-of
any burthen can approach all'the principal*'stations, at a ■convenient'distance
for the.bartertof'their-mercharidize,' th e fP't&P'o'sesa6f<ctfmm?£fce are in that
respect alreadylrsdfficicnriy^pYovided for.1' The sea'being ‘ tishally smooth,
arid^theTiweather3m0derate, '<the-1?riatjv’6c,^ s !ers <and‘ sift all-craft always “find
sufficient .shelter at> themhange-6f, -the'tabrfso'dn*nfnriing under some o f
the numerous .islandsScattered'-albn'g this 'coa^V'or-'passing1 up^the rivers,
which,-‘.thdagH in g en e ra l difficult o f entrance edhl,‘a‘cCQ'unt -of their bars,
aredfor: topm o st pa'rt navigable to such-vessels, as far up as the maritime
capitals,~through-which'they run.
j. iTbersoufo cohst, Jon -account of-'its exposure to the open ocean, the consequent
highLswell-or surf which'brekks onrif,' and its'general want o f good
anchorage,‘ds s^eldonfr'risitbel5 by- shipping. But eVem-here’ harbours may be
found ; . and-those o f -Cheldchap and Pachitan might,"nordoubt,’ be frequented
with-Safety,- were it considered desirable to attract'commercial adventurers
to thisjrideibf the island.
Passing from, ’theicoast to theinteriOT'of-the'coifhlj'riy;- thd- stranger cannot Mountains an*
faikto.b'e.struc^^ith the bold outline-and'prSrhinehtfeaturesmf its-scenery. <M‘
.An ^uninterrupted sferiSsmr range o f large mountains, «varying in-their ele-
vatiomahoveisthe'.sea from' five ■.tcHelevfeJV andmven' twelve thousand feet,*
.aha'-e^mitin'^^by their round-'base* o r ‘pointed-tops,; their 'volcanic. orig in»
exfierid;through"fhmwh’ole' length o f the island.
The»first io f ithisifseries;I’cdmmencingTrom- the westward, is :in'-Bantam.
This, mountain ^(Gunung-kar'angJ , -»-though - ofimoderate-elevatiomcompared
with .others on the: island,+-is;seemat-*a considerable distance-from sea, and
is aiwell-iknoWni landmark to mariners. Itr:lies|-due .south o f the town o f
•Bantam, at a considerable distance'from 'the ’sea.
- .The .next mountain" of'the series i^theSalaJc, the »eastern foot-of-which
is connected-nvith the Gede or Panarang’o, situated »about ’fifty »miles -‘sou th |
o f
* The height of the mountain 'Apunaf. in the eastern part of the island, has been ^de^ter-
mined at 10,614 feet above the level of the sea; and this mountain is by no means so lofty as
those of Semiru and Teg&l,‘ the exact h'ei|jht,of which has hot yet been ascertained.
j:, y Th® height of this mountain has been ascertained to be 5,263 English feet above the level
of the sea.
C 2