THE ERUPTTOX OF BANDAT-SAX. 133 



Square kilometres. Square miles. 



Cultivated land 0*82 032 



Plains 22-60 8-73 



Mountains and forests 41*93 16*19 



Rocky slopes and glens 5-36 2*07 



Total 70-71 27-31 



It is highly probable that, though at present the new land ap- 

 pears like a desert waste, the growth of vegetation will take place in 

 a comparatively short time favoured by the admixture of the fertile 

 volcanic products. 



One of the most striking secondary effects of the eruption is the 

 formation of new lakes, due to the damming up of the river Nagase and 

 its tributaries by the débris of the shattered mountain. These lakes 

 are four in number, and are shown on Plate XV. They may b3 con- 

 veniently called Osuzawa, Hibara, Onogawa, and Xakatsu (or Akimoto) 

 lakes, after the tributaries of the Xagase to which they are respectively 

 due. The largest of them is Hibara lake, measuring nearly 4 kilometres 

 or 2.5 miles from north to south, the breadth being nearly 1 / 3 of the 

 length. These lakes continued for many months to increase in size, 

 through the gradual accumulation of water within the newly formed 

 barriers of debris. Thus it was not till fifteen days after the eruption 

 that the village of Onogawa became coverd with water. The inhabi- 

 tants then fled to Hibara; but were subsequently driven out from that 

 village also as the waters gradually rose. 



Beside these four large lakes, there are scattered among the mud- 

 field smaller patches of water caused by the accumulation of rain 

 water, or formed by the smaller streams on the mountain-sides. These 

 lakes will continue to increase in size until the water comes to the 

 level of the lowest possible outlet from the hemmed-in basin. The 



