162 Proceedings, &c, for 1885. 



Krakatau. The height which these ashes attained at the time of 

 the last terrific explosions was immense. A steam cloud, which 

 rose from the crater on the 20th of May, at the time of the first 

 eruption, was observed on board the German corvette ' Elizabeth' 

 —which left Anjer on that day at nine o'clock in the morning — 

 and had attained a height which was estimated at about 11,000 

 metres. As the explosions on the 26 th and 27th of August were 

 of a much grander nature, it is possible, should the above calcu- 

 lation be correct, that the ashes reached a height of 15 to 20 

 kilometers. 



" A most remarkable phenomenon at the time of the eruption 

 was the immense sea-waves which submerged the low-lying coasts 

 of the Sunda Straits, and destroyed a large number of kampongs, 

 resulting in the loss of the lives of 35,000 people. It is strange 

 that the largest wave — the only one that ran along the north coast 

 of Java and in the direction of the south-west at great distances, 

 and was higher than all others — was hardly seen at any of the 

 places. At Tjaringui alone the wave was observed before darkness 

 set in, and that was about ten o'clock in the morning (?) of the 

 27th August. Anjer was destroyed at six o'clock in the morning, 

 and deserted. This wave happening during the night little was seen 

 of it. The gigantic wave which arose round Krakatau at about 

 ten minutes to ten travelled over an immense area ; for instance, 

 to Ceylon, Aden, Mauritius, Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and 

 even to the coast of France. As to the rapidity of the wave little 

 is known, as it varies with the depth of the sea. When all the 

 reports from the tide-gauges have been received, Mr. Verbeek 

 will recur to this subject. However, the speed on its way to 

 Mauritius and the Cape was enormous — namely, 500 minute 

 miles per hour — a speed which equals that of the lunar tidal wave, 

 and of the waves of the earthquakes of Simoda, in Japan, on the 

 23rd December, 1854, and of Tacna, in Peru, on the 13th of 

 August, 1868. 



" The height of the great wave of ten o'clock varied greatly at 

 some places — Vlakke Hoek, 15 meters ; south side of the island 

 Dwars in den eveg, 35 meters; south side island Toppenhoedge, 

 30 ; north side, 24 meters ; north of Anjer, opposite Brabands- 

 hoedge, 36 meters. The height varies with the situation of the 

 places, the distance from Krakatau, and the nature of the coast. 



"Extraordinary objects have been ejected during the eruptions 

 — viz., very small, round, little bullets, resembling marbles, of a 

 diameter of 1 J to 6 centimeters. These bullets are found on the 

 bottom of the Sunda Straits, in the vicinity of Krakatau, and 

 were ejected through the crater." 



