president's address. 561 



no ash or cinders falling ; wind to S.E, light. At 11.15 there was 

 a fearful explosion in the direction of Krakatoa, now over thirty 

 miles distant ; we saw a wave rush right on to the Button Island, 

 apparently sweeping right over the South part and rising halfway 

 up the North and East sides. This we saw repeated twice, but the 

 helmsman says he saw it once before we looked ; the same wave 

 seemed also to run on to the Java shore ; at the same time the sky 

 rapidly covered in, the wind came strong from the S.W. by S.; by 

 11.30 we were enclosed in a darkness that might almost be felt, 

 and at the same time commenced a downpour of mud, sand and I 

 know not what, ship going N.E. by N. seven knots per hour under 

 three lower topsails ; put out the side light, placed two men on 

 the look-out forward, while mate and second mate looked out on 

 either quarter, and one man employed in washing the mud off 

 binnacle glass ; we had seen two vessels to the North and N. W. 

 of us before the sky closed in, adding much to the anxiety of our 

 position. 



" At noon the darkness was so intense that we had,to grope our 

 way about the decks, and although speaking to each other on the 

 poop, yet could not see each other ; this horrible state and down- 

 pour of mud, &c, &c, continued until 1.30, the roarings of the 

 volcano, and lightnings being something fearful. By 2 p.m. we 

 could see some of the yards aloft and the fall of mud ceased ; by 5 

 p.m. the horizon shewed out in the North and N.E., and we saw 

 West Island bearing E. and N. just visible ; up to midnight the 

 sky hung dark and heavy, a little sand falling at times, the roarings 

 of the volcano very distinct, although in sight of the North Watcher 

 and fully sixty five or seventy miles off it. 



" Such a darkness and time of it in general few would conceive, 

 and many, I dare say, would disbelieve ; the ship from truck to 

 water line, is as if cemented, spars, sails, blocks, ropes in a terrible 

 mess, but thank God, nobody hurt or ship damaged ; on the other 

 hand how fares it with Anjer, Merak, and other villages on the 

 Java coast !" 



As to what happened on the land, I will not venture to add to 

 the graphic description by the Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, F.G.S., 



