SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES. 79 



in the driest, the innumerable rills and rivulets pre- 

 serve much of their water ; this the mountain farmer 

 directs, in endless conduits and canals, to irrigate 

 the land, which he had laid out in terraces for its 

 reception ; it then descends to the plains and spreads 

 fertility wherever it flows, till at last, by numerous 

 outlets, it discharges itself into the sea." 



To strangers, the bold outline and prominent fea- 

 tures of the scenery are peculiarly striking. An 

 uninterrupted series of huge mountains, varying in 

 their elevation above the sea from five to eleven or 

 twelve thousand feet, and exhibiting by their round 

 base, or pointed tops, their volcanic origin, traverse 

 the whole length of the island. Some of these are 

 seen from the roads of Batavia, and from their ap- 

 pearance are usually termed by mariners the " Blue 

 Mountains." From the eastern parts of the Gede, 

 the volcanic series separates into two independent 

 branches, one of which inclines to the south; the 

 other proceeds almost due east, slightly verging to 

 the north. The former breaks into an irregular 

 transverse range, which extends across the island 

 till it approaches the northern branch, from whence 

 the general series is continued in an easterly direc- 

 tion as far as the Sindoro, the western of the two 

 mountains known by the name of the Two Brothers. 

 There are various others running in different direc- 

 tions, but all agreeing in the general attribute of 

 volcanoes, having a broad base gradually verging 

 towards the summit in the form of a cone. Most 



