ON ITS EXTERIOK. VOLCANOES. 281 



of the South American volcanoes being almost the height 

 of Etna above the highest volcanoes in Sumatra and Java. 

 In the latter island, the still-burning Gunung Semeru 

 is the culminating point of the whole Javanese series. 

 Junghuhn ascended it in September 1 844 ; the mean of 

 his barometric measurements gave 12,235 feet above the 

 sea, being 1 748 feet higher than Etna. At night the ther- 

 mometer sank to 43 Fahr. The more ancient Sanscrit 

 name of Grunung Semeru was Maha Meru (" the great 

 Meru"), recalling the Indian Mount Meru, which, 

 according to the Mahabharata was the mythic seat 

 of Brahma, Vishnu, and the seven Devarshi. ( 407 ) It 

 is remarkable that, as the natives of the high plain of 

 Quito had guessed antecedently to any measurement 

 that the Chimborazo surpassed in height all the other 

 snowy mountains in their country, so also the Javanese 

 knew the sacred mount Maha Meru, but a little distant 

 from Grunung Ardjuno (11,030 feet high), to be the 

 loftiest mountain in Java, although, from the less 

 height of their mountains, they had not the aid to 

 the judgment afforded by the inferior limit of perpetual 

 snow, or of a temporary snow-shower. ( 408 ) Next to 

 Grunung Semeru, which, as we have seen, is a little above 

 12,000 English feet high, come four other volcanoes of 

 from 10,727 to 11,116 English feet. These are (in 

 descending series) Grunung Slamat ( 409 ) or Mountain of 

 Tegal (11,116 feet), Gr. Ardjuno (11,030), Gr. Sumbing 

 (11,028), and Gr. Lavu (10,727). The heights of seven 

 other Javanese volcanoes fall between 9000 and 10,000 

 French feet (9591 and 10,657 English). These results 

 are the more remarkable, as it was previously supposed 

 that no mountain on the island exceeded 6000 French 

 feet.( 410 ) Of the five groups of North and South Ame- 



