582 GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES IN MALAYSIA AND ASIA, 



being on the east, Tagal in the centre, and Cheribon on the west. 

 These are the sites of large towns, the capitals of provinces which 

 bear the same names. Though wide in extent they ai-e not by any 

 means amongst the richest provinces of Java. Cheribon may be con- 

 sidered as a province which forms a division between the Javanese 

 and the Sundanese, the western portion of it being peopled by 

 the latter race. The name is said by Crawfurd to be derived 

 from charuban which in Javanese means a mixture. It was at one 

 time an important kingdom in Java next perhaps to Bantam. The 

 country to the south is so exceedingly rugged that it is perfectly 

 unfit for cultivation and is but little known. There is one large 

 river with many tributaries which drains from the slopes of Mount 

 Papandayang in the kingdom of Sunda, and almost on the south 

 coast. The mountain is over 8,000 feet above the level of the sea. 



Mount Papandaying. — This is the celebrated volcano which, in 

 the year 1772, was the locality of a tremendous earthquake or 

 subsidence in which many peojjle perished. It occurred at mid- 

 night between the 11th and 12th of August, beginning with the 

 emission of den>,e volumes of steam which enshrouded the moun- 

 tain in thick clouds. Shortly afterwards these clouds became 

 luminous, and the inhabitants, who thickly peopled the lower 

 slopes of the crater, were alarmed hy the violent exj)losion and 

 speedily took to flight ; not however in time to save themselves, as 

 the ground began to open and crack beneath their feet. Shortly 

 afterwards an immense subsidence took place engulphing the most 

 of tJie mountain and swallowing up the poor inhabitants into the 

 depths of the earth. This was accompanied by a feai'ful noise, 

 similar to that which happened at the subsidence of Krakatoa, 

 which was heard over 900 miles away. It is estimated that the 

 subsidence extended over an area 15 miles long by 6 wide, and it 

 was said that the old mountain, which was one of the highest if 

 not the highest in the island, had almost entirely disappeared 

 except a few fragments of the lower slopes. From the chasm into 

 which the crater collapsed, immense quantities of ashes, cinders 

 and stones were ejected to a great height red-hot or in a half 



