red ia öuf own times in the smaller islands of the Volcanic séries, and vie#
this range} as it is now presented to us oft the map of thé World, a conjec-
^ :tiïrê
tions of some of the numerous volcanos on the island ; but no one could havé conjectured
that thé showers of ashes which darkened- the. air, and covered the: ground of the eastern
districts of Java, could haye proceeded from a mountain in Sumbawa, at the distance of several
hundred miles. -'“Göncèivmg (hat it might be interesting and curious to preserve an authentic
ftnd detailed account of the information that could be gained of this wonderful phenomenon,
while the event was still recent and fully remembered, I directed a citfiulaf to the different
residents, requiring them to transmit to the Government a statement of the facts and circumstances
connected with it, which occurred within their own knowledge. From their replies, the
narrative drawn up by Mr. Assey, and printed in the ninth volume of the Batavian Transactions,
faas collected ; the following is an extract from that paper.
“ The first explosions were hoard on this Island (Java) in the evening of the .5th of April:
they were noticed in every quarter, and continued at intervals until the.following Jay.. The
“ noise W&s, in the first instance, universally attributed sto distant cannon; so much sp, that a
“ detachment of troops was marched from Sjocjocarta, under the apprehension thqta Ptif&bojir- '
** ing post had been attacked; and along the coast boats were m two instances dispaffched ir ^»est
“ of supposed ships in'distress. On the following 'morning, however, a slight fall of’ashes r^^J^sd
“ all doubt as to the cause of the sound; and'it is'worthy of remark, that as the' eruption
“ continued, the sound appeared to be so close, that in "each district it seemed near at hand,
“ and was generally attributed to an eruption either from the mountains Merapi, Klut,' or
" Bromo. From the 6th the sun became obscured; ithadevery'where the appearance of being
“ enveloped in a fog. The weather was sultry and the atmosphere close, and still the sun seemed
" shorn of its rays, and the general stillness and pressure of the atmosphere seemed to forebode
“ an earthquake. This lasted several days. The explosions continued Occasionally, „but less
“ violently, and less frequently than at first. Volcanic ashes also began to fall, butin.small.quan.-
“ tities, and so slightly as to be hardly perceptible in the western districts. This appearance;of
** the atmosphere continued, with littie variation, until the 10th of April; and till 'tKen.it doés not
“ appear that the volcano attracted much observation, or was considered of greater importance'
“ than those which have occasionally burst forth in Java. But on the evening of. thé 10th,‘ the.
“ eruptions were heard more loud and more frequent; from Cheribon eastward the air hecame
" darkened by the quantity of falling ashes; the sun was nearly darkened ; and in. some,
“ •situations, particularly at Solo and Rembang, many said that they felt a tremulous motion of;
the earth: • It was universally remarked in the moré eastern districts, that the explosions were
“ tremendous, continuing frequently during the llth, and of such violence,as to shake the
“ houses perceptibly. An Unusual thick darkness was remarked all the following night, and
“ the greater part of the next day. At Solo candles were lighted at 4. p. m. of the 12th; at
Mdgelan in Kddu, objects could not Be seen at three hundred yards distance. At Grésik,.
,r and other districts more eastward, it was dark as night in the greater part of the 12th April,
and this saturated state of the atmosphere lessened as the cloud of ashes passed along and
.“ •discharged itself on its way. Thus the ashes that were, eight inohes deep at Banyuwangi
“ vrere but two in depth at Sfimenap, and less, in Grésik, and the sun does not seem to have
“ • been actually obscured in any district west of Semarang.
AH reports concur' in stating, that so violent and extensive an eruption has not happened
,*ƒ within
tax's might perhaps,be Ji^ard.ed,, ithat. the whole may Jaaye onjce.lbirmed but
f ie southern side o f one large island or continent, within which, .much of
" ■ E &■ ■ , ' ■■■.(■ the
.»‘'-falthm, the memory of tha>Ql^f$. inhabitant, within tradition. They speak of similar
“ effects, in a lesser degre&jjwbep an eruption took.place, fropi .the volcano of Karang Asam.in
“ B&lijVabaur seven years ago, mid it was at first supposed that this ’mountain was the seat of
Sip' eruptibnlf The 'Balinese on Java btmbubed'tne event* to a rebent 'dispute between the two
'Rajahs • of; Bali Baliling, which terminated in<the-death of the-younger- Rajah-by orcfer of
,“,his brother.
“ The harness and heat of the atmosphere, and occasional fall\of vol'canle ashes, continued
“ until the 14th, and in some parts j^the island uml &hT7.th’ of April. They were clearM,
“ afaaymfiiversally' by a'Keavy' ’fall; of rain' „after "whiojr the atmosphere became .clear and"
“r more ~eooT; and 'it would^seeni -that 4tWs seasonable ’ reliqXTpr’evenfe'd lAuch injury ‘to 'the
‘V crops,,.-..and removed* an appearance ^WMegidetnic disease which wasrjbej^miipg'-'to prevail.
“ .This was especially ,th,e ease. atlBatavia, where for, two. or thre&’.day&.preceding.the rain,
“ many persons were, attacked with.feypr.^ As it^vjas, however, no material injui^wasifislt*
“ b ey on A thmdfe.trictsjjSRany uwi|ngi.. The cultivators every where took, precaution to„shake
“ off the ashes from .the. growing paddy as they fell,, and the timely rain removed an appre-
‘Oiensipn verymS l'y entertained, that insects,, would have been generated, by the long
‘■Continuance of,,the,%she^n.t,the„TO0t;,Qfithe. plant. In Remh.ang,. where the rain.idich got
“ fall tiUphe-,17th, andhthe ashes had been considerable, the crops were somgwhatiinjured;
f-Cbut in Banyuwangi!, the,part„of the island on which the cloud .of ashesisgent.its .forpe^-tbe
*!{mjiny. t^a4jn3re„.extensiye.„ A large quantity of. paddy.was totally destroyed, and all.the
“ plantations more or less injured. „Qnejipndred and twenty-six. horses and eighty-six head
“r of. cattle ^aJso,peririiod, .chiefly for want of forage, during ,a month from, the time, pf. the
'efeptShi^!,rH
t From Sumbawa, to the part of Sumatra where the, sound wasinqliced^.is., about,nine
hundred, and seyenty. geographical, milesin.a,direet„line. .From .Sumbawa. to,Teipateis a
“ distance of about seyegi hundred and, twenty, mile^.„ The.distance also to, which .the,,cloudof
“ ashes wasc^riedivackdui^f}yras to, produce utter darkness, was clearly,,pointed out to have
'Ybeen theg^^mef Celehes.and,the,.districts of Gresik on Java,:. tbe„form£rjsstSEo hundred
“ and seventeen.nayjicpl utiles. distant,.from the seat,..of the .volcano.; the..latter,. in a direct
“ ..line, more than.three hundred geographical miles.I’ .. -.
The foljhwingj is.,an extrapt 'from.tim. reports of Lieutenant O.wenPhilEps,„.dated, a t Bima*
on the^island_o£f S.unj.haj^a.,. “ ,'Qn.rny, .tripi .towards the .western.part of.the island,, I passed
“ through nearly,, the wh.ole,.of„,E!oinpo, and a considerable., part L of.. Kuia» :^he,, extreme
“ misery,tto5 which, the inhabitants have, been xeduced„is ’shocking to behold., There jvere still
“ on.the road side . th.e;remains, of .severai^eprpses, and the marks:of where many .otherachad
“ .l^eeminterred :rthp villages,almost.((md;ire]y; deserted and. the housesfallen.down, the suryiv-
“ ing, inhabitants having dispersed, in search of.food. The^Rajah.of Sang’ir came, to wait'
?4‘j ^ |ng, a(; !Qpmplo,_Miithn3djnstant. , T.he^ suffering, ,of- the ppople there appears, from, his -
“ account, ? tp. bplstill-greater, than in Hompo. The famine has been so,.seyere tiiat eve»,one of
“ his. own daughters died^-fiiom. hunger, represented hjm with three coyangs of rice in your*
* name, for which.he. appeared most .truly thankfuL
A*