JAVA 109 



portion having been blown away in some giant convulsion 

 of Nature. On a small plateau, half within it, is the 

 unduly celebrated Guwa Upas, or " Poison Valley," a 

 small depression whence carbonic acid gas escapes, in no 

 way more remarkable than the Grotto del Cane. Far 

 more interesting are the numerous Hindu temples around, 

 of which more than twenty remain tolerably entire, 

 though many others have fallen into ruin. They are all 

 Brahminical, and show no admixture of Buddhism as do 

 those of Boro-bodor. Inscriptions have been found, but 

 none bearing dates, although it is probable that the 

 buildings were erected about the 12th century. Although 

 Merbabu is inactive and cultivated nearly to its summit, 

 its sister cone Merapi emits a constant jet of smoke, but 

 an eruption seldom occurs. Lawu, and Wilis, "' the green 

 mountain," are quiescent, only showing signs of their 

 former activity by the hot springs and solfataras of their 

 slopes. The first -named is chiefly noteworthy for the 

 extraordinary phallic Hindu temples whose ruins occupy 

 its slopes. Arjuna shows many remains of a similar cult, 

 and with Kawi appears to be now nearly extinct. Not 

 so Kelut, which, though of insignificant height, is much 

 dreaded from the nature of its eruptions. In that of 

 1848 its terrific detonations were heard over the greater 

 part of the Malay Archipelago. 



Semeru and Tenger are perhaps the most remarkable 

 of all the Javanese volcanoes, the former as being the 

 highest peak in the island, the latter as possessing the 

 largest crater. There is little doubt that Tenger was at 

 one time higher than its neighbour, and that some Titanic 

 convulsion blew away the upper part of the mountain, 

 leaving the base only to serve as the walls of a crater 

 which is at the present time about six miles in its largest 

 and four and a half in its smallest diameter. The floor 



