From tltese, and all other, iaveatigatw®» -ÿeti made,. the ponsjtjlutiqjij^f
Javi appears to be exclusively, volcanic. From th.e vasl^siatic-^e^ain -of
mountains, one branch of which terminates in Ceylon, -proçègqls: a0.°t!lêr>
■which traversing Arakan, Pegu, and* the Malayan, Peninsula,^tend^to
Sumatra, Bânkq, and . Biliton. ^where i^may J?e. s.aid.. ^disappeati.. Oq Java
no granité has been discovered. In its constitution,, a$, it
may be éânèiâerêdras the first ^oP a series1 of volcanic islands, which extend
nearly',eastward fr'bm the ' Straits of Siiüdafbr about twenty-five degrees,' ' ‘
At what p e rio d ^ e islanA-asWmed its present shape, or w h ^ lïe r jt'wâs
once-joined to" Sumatra and Bali, is p a tte r for c^ji.eçture^jTBe Violent
convulsions which these: islands have' sq often..suffere,d,' justify;, a, p&jiclusjon
that ttfe'-fecd of thé’ fcôüntry has been -frefuently changed, and tradition
- '''''"irfën'tfotfs
« themselves upwards, .through apertures in the rocks, ^ wj^omfsMglence'gnd ^ffltion. ^The _
I waters are strongly impregnated vd^gea-salt,-and yiddjippç for *
“ culina^y purposes. .- (In. quantity not %s, than- two jiuQâre<Iton_s m the year.) ^ ^ ^
L « About the centre of this limestone-districti is found an extraoriWiy-^Içanm Æenome-
« nw!,' Op ^proaelâng it from a distance,
« ana SMapjyaring at intervals of a fey seconds,^ese^I^i^h&vapSurs.afismg rajm a
.< vi0ient surf; a dull nofee is heard^ like-that of^dism^'thu^^^^Aving^dvt^^^Mar^
.<< .that the/yfeion was no longer impeded by the smoke, a large^ wasofiserved,
«T consistipg of black earth; mixed with water, about sixteen feet
“ of twenty or thirty feet in a„perfectly regular manner, and as A pmsppd M Sëy^mrpe
« beneath; yhich suddenly exploded with a dull noise, jmd à^te^'d gjbut
l&mud jn every direction.. After anmteryâlpf ttyo. ^ thr^yer sometj^s^fo^or fiye^e^Ldgy
“ tt»° Ticpiiaphepeai hndy pfmud or earth rose and exploded again. In the^same^^^Wthis
„“-volcapic ebullition goes qn thtowffig' uj' 'a'g^par^dy of mu^ and
L&jdispersingfit with vivace through the neighbouring plain. T h e H « 9 hH
‘^occufS-ift.nearlygareufeff and perfectly it is covered'" only wiftfme earthy parties imgait,
water,ywbieS are thrown ûpTromEêlffw;
mated at Abput half an English mde."* In order V conduct the saltwater to^^~cgcfflife--
“ rence small-passages, of fitters, 'are ma'de 'iu thëlô^se^diÿ earè^ whïcjî.fead'hwthe
'* borders^where.it'is collected;’ in holes’dug'mtfie |
‘ * « Astrong,pungent, suiplufeoùé'smell, somewhat resembling that of earfh-oil, ifieffeived
E g™ gtandingr-near the explosion ; and, the, mud recently thrown ^possesses a'dêgWOTe at
« greater than, that of thesunpumling atmosphere. ' During the rainy season these explosions
« mud is thrown up_much higher, and Ihe ndise'isheard, at ƒ greafeTis-
'Pitance. . ÿ -l»H H H |
:<i This jpolcaniç,phenomenon is-situa^d near-the,center of H g g n B g which ilft|îfüpts
’“ the jarge-seriçs^f^olçanos.;.and>w its origin to ihe .general ca.use of the nuAhrolisyol-
« panic eruptions, which occur on thp island.!
Batavian fTriés*'ÄrÄ-'
mentions the,; periods-whpn,Java was separated from those.islands; * but the
essential difference -;whipb*has- beenffopnd} ifipthe mineralogical* constitution of
Java and' Sumatra,' would segm to indicate, aAifferent origin, and to support
^h'^ p inipni-that itbos'e^two, islands-were neveP'united: Whether, at a'period
more remote, the whole Archipelago formed part of tfre$ot¥tinent of Asia,
and was divided-frotaiVand'shattered iiit£Tislands; whether they were originally
distinct' Tram the:*main land, or, 'w.nemertthey'.were formed at, the
Sam^.time;eor -subsequently, are.jquestions, we jcannbt ‘resolve. .Yet, when
we ,reflect.,on'.the violence/of jdiosei dreadful phenomenat which have occur-
’ ' red
The;traditiSi'-is as -follows rlUJflt is related} ^thaf‘in^foimer times the islands'of Sumatra,
Java,- Bali-, and Sumbawa-were United,■r'and afterwards separated into’ nine different parts; and
it is-also said, that%E'eh,thfee'thousan&lfa!myAg^asans have passed away, they will be reumted.
wn®fe$«j^arati<m of the-lands of ‘Balembang IS.umatra) and Java took place in thevJavan
year \ . 1. . , ............ ................ .......................................... ................................... I l l ’*
'Thé separation óf thelahds of. Bali and Balembangan op Java in .. . . . . . . . . . . . , , . . . . 1204
Tfte, separlnp^p^ti^^lMids' ofGilipg Trawangan and Bali in ......................................... 1260
■Stei^eparation'of th^sjm{crof'‘^Ip-'Parang and Sumbawa ih ............................ 1:280
, See Bhnnofymçal Table, under ihe head “) History o f Java."
lllT 'Ij^orcéml^give the" reader some idea of the tremendous .violence with which, najura
iWefim'es'SMihgui^^^ of theVoîçâhTm these regions, and enable.himto form
the ‘oc&M ences of^TeGent^exppriencei of the-effects they may have
in pfekages, a 'short a^OTtot"ofi the extraordinary and wide spread phenomena that
, eruption of1 the Tomhoro -mouhten; in the island of .Sumbawa,^® April
• fèlSyiha^ffoflye^mnlereWn^ Almost ev^pnCOsucqupnted with tlio intermittingÆqnvüA!
sions!“of Etna and appear in'thé desertions of the poet and the authentic
accounts of “the nàturalist; bÿjtKe^most > extraordinary of them can bear no comparison,,; in
point of duration anffMfce,' withjhat of. Tomhoro. ’ Thts eruption èxtended perceptible
evideaces of its existence over the whole' of the Molucca Islands, over ,’jaya, a considerable
portion off Celebes, Sumatra, and ‘Bgrneo; to à cir&unrfeî-encè of a thousand statute, mijés.
from- its centre, by tremulous, moiioris; and the report of explosions ;, while within *, die
range of its more immediate activity, ërhbracing, a space1 pf^ three ..hundred, miles/.around
it, it produced.-the 'nlost astonishing effects, and excited the most alarming apprehensions.
-On Javk, • at ■thA*distahe'e_ of three hundred irulesriy seemed' to" be'awfully present. jThe-
Ay ovèfd&t/at' hbon^OT ;with clouds of ^pis,. thë suti/wi«^énVenop.ed:iu.an atmos->
phere, w K ^ ^ ^ p ’alpàfile’’ de'nsity he was unable to penetrate ; ghowers of „ashes* .covered ’
the houses, îthe®streéts, and Lne^fields, to the depth of sevepal inches; and amid this darkness
explosions - were heard* at intervals, like" the report of? artillery or ‘the. noise . off.distant
thuhderlj&SoTffnlly didl the resemblance of the noises to the, report ,of cannon impress the
mindsr,of.some officers,., that from an apprehension o f'p irate s^ ^^^ ^ coast vessels were
dispatched1--to-afford relief. Superstition, on* the other hand,-on the -minds, of .the natives,
was bûsil^ at ’Work;k-àn!d 'h.ttribtite'd' thîéirÿipfM to- ah aftilïèr'y of .a different descriptic» >
to that of piratés. All xqnçèived tHat^flfé';èffects^é^’erienced 'niight. he caused by erup- -
tiens