﻿142 
  M. 
  Treub 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  able 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  island, 
  nearly 
  three 
  years 
  after 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  

   the 
  theatre 
  of 
  the 
  terrible 
  calamity. 
  

  

  The 
  information 
  concerning 
  Krakatao 
  obtained 
  from 
  navi- 
  

   gators 
  about 
  this 
  period 
  left 
  doubts 
  existing 
  on 
  the 
  question 
  

   essentially 
  interesting 
  to 
  botanists, 
  namely 
  whether 
  the 
  island 
  

   again 
  showed 
  a 
  commencement 
  of 
  vegetation. 
  Some 
  main- 
  

   tained 
  that 
  the 
  thick 
  layer 
  of 
  pumice-stone 
  which 
  covers 
  it 
  

   was 
  bare 
  and 
  everywhere 
  barren. 
  Others 
  affirmed, 
  on 
  the 
  

   contrary, 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  distinctly 
  recognized 
  plants 
  of 
  some 
  

   height, 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  telescopes. 
  

  

  When 
  we 
  drew 
  near 
  to 
  Krakatao 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  

   19th 
  of 
  June, 
  1886, 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  long 
  in 
  distinguishing 
  a 
  fair 
  

   number 
  of 
  plants 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  not 
  only 
  near 
  the 
  sea-level, 
  but 
  

   likewise 
  ou 
  the 
  heights 
  and 
  even 
  towards 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  

   island. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  say 
  in 
  this 
  place 
  that 
  the 
  existing 
  island 
  

   — 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  part 
  which 
  has 
  remained 
  after 
  the 
  erup- 
  

   tion 
  * 
  — 
  has 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  mountain 
  standing 
  by 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  

   sea, 
  rising 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  almost 
  perpendicularly 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   about 
  2500 
  feet. 
  The 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  are 
  much 
  

   more 
  inclined, 
  but 
  nevertheless 
  fairly 
  precipitous. 
  The 
  beach 
  

   is 
  very 
  narrow 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  huge, 
  almost 
  perpendicular 
  

   wall 
  there 
  is 
  none 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  Before 
  enumerating 
  the 
  plants 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  at 
  Kra- 
  

   katao, 
  and 
  before 
  entering 
  into 
  any 
  discussion 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  

   of 
  this 
  new 
  flora, 
  we 
  must 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  briefly 
  consider 
  two 
  

   points. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  it 
  is 
  indispensable 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  exist- 
  

   ing 
  flora 
  must 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  new 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  arisen 
  

   from 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  luxuriant 
  vegetation 
  which 
  covered 
  

   the 
  island 
  before 
  the 
  eruption. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  easier, 
  however, 
  

   than 
  to 
  furnish 
  this 
  proof. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  eruption 
  the 
  

   trees, 
  thrown 
  down 
  or 
  broken 
  by 
  the 
  violent 
  gusts 
  of 
  wind, 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  half 
  carbonized, 
  considering 
  the 
  extremely 
  

   high 
  temperature 
  which 
  undoubtedly 
  prevailed 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  

   island. 
  

  

  Afterwards 
  Krakatao 
  was 
  covered 
  from 
  the 
  summit 
  to 
  well 
  

   below 
  the 
  sea-level 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  ashes 
  and 
  of 
  burning- 
  

   pumice. 
  This 
  layer 
  has 
  a 
  thickness 
  varying 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  60 
  

   metres. 
  Under 
  such 
  conditions 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  no 
  vestige 
  of 
  

   the 
  flora 
  could 
  have 
  existed 
  after 
  the 
  cataclysm. 
  The 
  most 
  

   persistent 
  seed 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  protected 
  rhizome 
  must 
  have 
  for 
  

   ever 
  lost 
  all 
  vitality. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  great 
  eruption 
  of 
  Krakatao 
  took 
  place 
  from 
  the 
  26th 
  to 
  28th 
  of 
  

  

  August, 
  1883. 
  

  

  