204 FLOATING ISLANDS. 



six knots an hour, that we approached the coast of 

 Java, greeted by the appeai-ance of floating islands, 

 which became more frequent as we reached the road- 

 stead of Batavia. These were large masses of soil 

 covered with upright trees, ferns and grass, which 

 annually, by the rapid descent of large volumes of 

 water, become detached in the interior of the island, 

 and are swept down by the current of the river 

 Jaccatra into the sea, where they float along until 

 they come into contact with the shore of some 

 neighbouring island ; there they attach themselves, 

 and by these means many of the latter slowly change 

 their outline. Thus, by the whim of nature, the very 

 charming phenomenon of these floating islands is 

 produced ; which, however, occurs only at certain 

 periods, and after an unusually heavy downpour, 

 say towards the end of the monsoon, which in Java 

 lasts from November until March. 



