VII.] SUMBAWA BAY. 133 



striking than the Peak of Tenerife, with which it has been com- 

 pared. Late in the afternoon we entered Sumbawa Bay — an 

 unimportant indentation of the coast on the north side of the 

 island of that name — and anchored off a little village at its head. 



Sumbawa, which together with the neighbouring islands of 

 Flores and Sumba is but little known to Europeans, is of consider- 

 able size. From our accepted English custom of representing the 

 whole East Indian Archipelago in one map, most of us have 

 acquired extremely erroneous notions of the extent of the Dutch 

 possessions, and have equally under-estimated their size and value. 

 Though insignificant enough by the side of Java or Borneo, Sumbawa 

 is, nevertheless, over 170 miles in length, and is tolerably 

 thickly populated, chiefly with people of Malay race. In the 

 interior there is said to be a tribe of aborigines who are most 

 probably of Papuan or Negrito stock, but no scientific account of 

 them has hitherto been published. Previous to the great eruption 

 of the Tambora volcano in 1815 there were believed to be about 

 170,000 inhabitants, but this number was very largely reduced by 

 the catastrophe. That only 25,000 of them sur\dved, as stated by 

 Mr. Van den Broek, is, however, probably an exaggeration. Some 

 years afterwards there was a large uumigration of Bugis people 

 from the south of Celebes. They established themselves cliiefly 

 on the north side of the island, and the rice is once more crrowins 

 over what, a few decades back, was a scene of desolation. There 

 are two Sultanates — Sumbawa and Bima — the latter includinsr the 

 almost unknown island of Komodo to the eastward and part of 

 Flores, and over both the Dutch exercise a certain amount of 

 authority. It is administered by a Kontroleur who resides at 

 Bima — the sole European upon the island. 



Sumbawa Bay, we foimd, afforded us tolerable protection, but 

 during the westerly monsoon it must be decidedly unsafe. The 

 surrounding country was parched to a degree, and the greater part 

 of the trees seemed as devoid of foliage as they would be during 

 an English winter. A greater difference than that existing between 



