INTRODUCTION 



A quarter of a century ago the small group of islands, Krakatau 1 , 

 Verlaten island, and Lang island, lying in the middle of the Sunda 

 Strait between Java and Sumatra, was the scene of the most violent 

 volcanic outburst of historic times. The three islands enclose an 

 almost circular basin approximately 40 square kilometres [25 sq. 

 miles] in area. Before the terrific explosion, which lasted from 

 August 26th to August 28th, 1883, the northern part of Krakatau 

 which was then 9 kilometres long and 5 kilometres broad [5^ x 3 miles] 

 was separated from the other two islands by narrow arms of the sea. 

 On the south side the peak Rakata rose in the form of a steep cone 

 to a height of 832 metres [2728 feet] ; on the slope of this, near the 

 centre of the island, was situated the many-peaked hill of Danan, 

 400 metres [1350 feet] high, the remnant of an annular crater- 

 wall. Towards the north the hilly region of the Perboewatan, 



1 The official local names are Poeloe (island) Rakata for Krakatau, P. Sertoeng 

 for Verlaten island, P. Rakata Ketjil for Lang island. Verbeek was unable to obtain 

 any definite information as to the meaning of the word Krakatau either from pub- 

 lished sources or as the result of enquiries. The official designation Rakata appears 

 to be an altered form, as the word occurs in Malay writings also as Kalkata and 

 Karkata. The last name appears as early as 1611 on a small map of the Sunda 

 Strait. Possibly the name of the island conies from the Sanskrit Karta, Karkata, 

 Kartataka, which means Crab. Junghuhn also states (Jara, seine Gestalt, Pflanzen- 

 decke iind innere Bauart, Leipzig, 1854, Vol. iv. p. 1) that Rekata or Rakata is, in 

 the old Javan language (the so-called Kawi language), the term for Crab ; hence the 

 name Poeloe Rakata would possibly assume the form Crab-island. The present form 

 Krakatau has perhaps arisen from the translation of Rakata into the language of 

 sailors. Since the eruption the name Krakatau, which had already become more 

 commonly used by the natives than Rakata, has passed into general use. Other 

 forms such as Krakataoe, Krakatoa, Krakatoea, which occur in the literature, are 

 uuknown in the Malay Archipelago. We therefore follow Verbeek in calling the 

 island Krakatau and its highest peak Rakata. 



[In the Royal Society's volume on Krakatau (see note 1, p. 2), the form Krakatoa 

 is used, and this spelling has become general in England; as, however, there appears to 

 be no sufficient reason for departing from the more widely accepted form Krakatau 

 I have followed Professor Ernst in adopting this form. A. C. S.] 



s. 1 



