with Meteoric Phenomena and prevalent Disorders. 305 



Mountain of Galoun-goung, in Java, not known before as a volcano, in 

 terrible commotion : 4000 persons killed. Ashes, stones, and lava. 



[N. B. During 1820 the volcano in the Isle of Banda was in eruption ; 

 and thus the convulsion of that district commenced earlier than 1822.1 



October 8th to 12th (contemporaneous with the eruption of Vesuvius), 

 Gounong-Gountour, in Java, in violent eruption. (Vide Bulletin de la 

 Societe de Geographic, Nov. 1829.) Dr. Daubeny says (Description, Sfc, 

 p. 316.) that the modern lavas of Java are very similar to those of Ve- 

 suvius. 



December, 1821, to June, 1822 (contemporaneous with Vesuvius), 

 Eyafialla Jokul, in Iceland, after a century's repose, in violent eruption. 



Now, this year, 1822, was striking, as being the epoch of 

 famine and pestilence in various countries, amongst which 

 Ireland was conspicuous. A singular confirmation of the 

 involved theory was the fact, that the year 1821 *, the inter- 

 mediate year between the eruptions in Banda, Java, and Su- 

 matra, was a fatal year for the inhabitants of those islands : 

 the ravages of the cholera morbus were most terrible, the 

 rice crop and that of the nutmeg failed entirely; and sick- 

 ness ensued, in 1822, from the vapours poured forth by 

 Galoung-Goung, a mountain like Gunung-Api, which is pro- 

 verbially the cause of insalubrity and disease.f 



As an illustration of this, I would refer to the eruption of 

 Skaptar Yokul in Iceland, in 1783; when so much mephitic 

 vapour was disengaged, that famine and pestilence spread 

 over the land. Disease consumed the people, and the cattle 

 were reduced to the extremity of feeding on each other. In 

 two years, 9336 human beings, 28,000 horses, 11,461 cattle, 

 and 190,488 sheep perished. (Vide Henderson's Iceland, 

 vol. i. p. 275.) 



The year 1829 J, in which, as may be seen above, there 

 were such frequent earthquakes, especially in France, was 

 celebrated in France by the occurrence of a continuance of 

 storms to which there had been no parallel. Hurricanes, of 

 almost tropical intensity, attended by thunder, hailstones of 

 enormous magnitude, and rain, stripped trees and houses, 

 and destroyed men and animals. Several leagues of land 

 were irremediably ruined. The ravages of these tempests 

 extended into Switzerland and Belgium. (For some of the 

 particulars, see the Annual Register •, July 1829.) That same 

 year was the epoch of hurricanes in Ireland, and of the awful 

 floods in Scotland, which took place in the month of August, 

 and concerning which so much has been written. Now, is it 



* The winter of 1821-2 was peculiarly mild in England, 

 f Vide Coup d'CEil sur rile de Java, p. 314. 324. 

 4: On the state of the weather during the winter of 1829-30; vide Mr. 

 Jenyns's paper, Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol. III. p. 538. 

 Vol. VI.— No. 34. x 



