Jan. ly, 1884] 



NATURE 



269 



remained standing when the lower and feebler part 

 dropped down, and the water found its way into the 

 fearful boiling pool. We cannot wonder therefore that 

 then a quantity of steam came forth (of which we are not 

 able to form an idea), which caused a strong explosion. 

 The movements of the sea which followed it caused tidal 

 waves, the destroying force of which was experienced in 

 such a fearful manner at the coast of Bantam and the 

 Lampongs. 



It is also worth mentioning that a change took place 

 in the figure of Verlaten Island ; the area is now triple 

 what it was before, though it is plainly visible that large 

 pieces of the beach were there knocked off a short time 

 ago. 



Lang Island, in size and formation, has remained 

 almost unaltered. The sight of these islanf s, which were 

 formerly covered by a luxurious vegetation, is now very 



melancholy. They are now buried under a mass of 

 pumice-stone, and appear like shapeless clods of burst 

 clay (i.e. covered with cracks). After a torrent of rain, 

 the coming forth of steam is sometimes so dense that 

 these islands, when seen from afar, appear like hilly 

 ground covered here and there with snow. If looking at 

 these spots with the telescopes, one can plainly see that 

 these white specks are formed by a great number of 

 clouds, which issued like steam from the fissures. 



Sebesie is also covered with ashes up to the top — 859 

 metres — which appear like a grayish-yellow cloth. But 

 it seems that the cover is already less thick here, for here 

 and there one sees the stumps of dead trees peeping out 

 from the crust. 



Sebuku shows a dreadful scene of devastation. Perhaps 

 all that lived here is not so completely destroyed as was 

 the case on the southern islands, but the sight of the bare 



Tyfo.ntchius Co.s 



Krakatoa and neighbouring islands bef.re and afu-r the eruption, from official surveys 



fields of ashes, alternating with destroyed woods, the 

 trees of which are all either dead or uprooted, gives one 

 a still better idea of the destructive powers which were 

 here at work. It is not until we come to the small islands 

 northward of Sebuku that our eyes are gladdened by 

 little specks of green. 



I do not try to describe the scene of destruction and 

 misery which we saw at Anjer and the villages along the 

 coast. The papers have already reported the full par- 

 ticulars, and therefore I do not care to repeat melancholy 

 facts which are already known. 



It w-as a dreadful narrative which was related to us by 

 a native, a lighthouse-keeper of Fourth Point, one of the 

 few men at the lighthouse, who by a wonder was saved. 



When the wave approached, all fled to the tower (the 

 light was 46 metres above the sea), which, though 

 shaking, resisted the violent waves for a long time. It 



was a terrible moment, when at last an enormous rock, 

 which was swept away by the stream, crushed the base of 

 the tower, which then fell down. The man who was 

 saved saw his wife and his children drowned before his 

 eyes. He related this fact in the very resigned way of a 

 Javanese, and considered it the most natural thing in the 

 world that he was now obliged to light the interim light, 

 which was erected as soon as possible. 



It has been almost a month that we have been in the 

 Sunda Straits, and even in this short period we could 

 observe that the coasts of Bantam commence to revive. 

 From many places from the heavy rain the ashes are 

 washed down, and a fresh green appears again. Even on 

 the beach young cocoanut trees and banana trees are 

 shooting out between the chaos of dead trees, blocks of 

 rocks, &c. 



Off Batavia, October 23, 18S3 



