84 MEMOIR OF 



advantage, will yield a liberal return to the hus- 

 bandinan. The seasons depend upon the perio- 

 dical winds; the westerly, which are always attend- 

 ed with rain, are generally felt in October, become 

 more steady in November and December, and 

 gradually subside till March or April, when they 

 are succeeded by the easterly winds and fair weather, 

 which continue for the remaining half-year. The 

 heaviest rains are in the months of December and 

 January, and the driest weather in July and August ; 

 at which latter period, also, the nights are coldest 

 and the days hottest. Thunder storms are frequent, 

 and the lightning extremely vivid. 



Java is distinguished not only for the abundance 

 of its vegetation, but for its extraordinary variety. 

 Dr. Horsfield, who directed his sole attention many 

 years to the natural history of the island, had col- 

 lected in his herbaria, in the year 1816, upwards 

 of a thousand plants, of which a large proportion 

 were new to the science of botany. Between the 

 tops of the mountains and the sea-shore, Java may 

 be said to possess at least six different climates, 

 each furnishing a copious indigenous botany, while 

 the productions of every region in the world may 

 find a congenial spot somewhere in the island. 

 Vegetable productions, which contribute to the food 

 and sustenance of man, are found in great variety. 

 Of these the most important is rice, which forms 

 the staple grain of the country. Maize, or Indian 

 corn, ranks next, and is principally cultivated in 



