VOLCANO. 



alions of cotton, inJigo, and coffee in the adjacent diftriAs 

 were buried under the volcanic matter. The efforts of this 

 explolion are Hill very apparent on the remains of this 

 volcano." 



We have before ftatcd that fcveral circular lakes, of con- 

 fiderable extent, are fuppofed to iiave been formed in the 

 craters of extinft volcanoes, but it feems more probable 

 that theie lakes cover the places where former volcanic cones, 

 or R-hole mountains, have funk down. We have fcveral in- 

 ttances of the partial deftruftion of the cone of a volcano, 

 and fome traditions are preferved of the entire difappearaiice 

 of volcanic mountains, but the above is the only authentic 

 record of inch an event in modern times. 



The following narrative, extraftcd from the fame work, 

 defcribes one of the raoft aftonifhing volcanic eruptions of 

 which we have any knowledge. It took place in Sumbawa, 

 one of the Molucca iflands, in April, 1815. 



" This eruption extended perceptible evidences of its ex- 

 iftence over the whole of the Molucca iflands, over Java, a 

 confiderable portion of Celebes, Sumatra, and Borneo, to 

 a circumference of a thonfand ilatute miles from its centre, 

 by tremulous motions, and the report of explofions ; while 

 within the range of its more immediate aftivity, embracing 

 a fpace of three hundred miles around, it produced the 

 molt aftonilhing effefts, and excited the mod alarming ap- 

 prehenfions. In Java, at the diftance of thice hundred 

 miles, it feemed to be awefuUy prefent. The flvy was over- 

 call at noon-day with clouds of alhes ; the fun was enve- 

 loped in an atmofphere, whofe ' palpable' deiifity the obferver 

 was unable to penetrate ; ftiowers of aflies covered the houfes, 

 the ftreets, and the fields, to the depth of feveral inches ; 

 and amid this darknefs, explofions were heard at intervals 

 like the report of artillery, or the noife of diftant thunder. 

 So fully did the refemblance of the noifes to the report of 

 cannon imprefs the minds of fome officers, that from an ap- 

 prehenfion of pirates on the coafl, veffels were difpatchcd to 

 afford relief. Superftition, on the other hand, was bufily at 

 work on the minds of the natives, and attributed the reports 

 to an artillery of a different defcription to that of pirates. 

 All conceived that the effecfs experienced might be caufed 

 by eruptions of fome of the numerous volcanoes on the 

 ifland ; but no one could have conjeftured that the fliowers 

 of afhes wliich darkened the air and covered the ground of 

 the caftern dillrifts of Java, could have proceeded from a 

 mountain in Sumbawa, at the diftance of feveral hundred 

 miles." 



The lieutenant-governor of Java direftcd a circular to the 

 different refidents, requiring tliem to tranfmlt to the go- 

 vernment a flatemeiit of the fafts and circumltaiices con- 

 nefted with tins eruption, which occurred within their 

 own knowledge. From their replies, the narrative drawn 

 up by Mr. Affey, and printed in the ninth volume of the 

 Batavian Tranfaitions, was coUeAed : the following is an 

 cxtraft from that paper. 



" The firll explofions were heard on this ifland (Java) 

 in the evening of the 5th of April ; they were noticed in 

 every quarter, and continued at intervals until the following 

 day. The noife was, in the Aril inftance, univcrfally at- 

 tributed to diilant cannon ; fo much fo, that a detachment 

 of troops was marched from Djoejocarta, under the appre- 

 hcnfion that a neighbouring poll had been attacked : and 

 along the coall boats were in two inllanccs difpatched in quefl 

 of fuppofed fliips in diflreis. On the following morning, 

 however, a flight fall of alhes removed all doubt as to the 

 caufc of the found ; and it is worthy of remark, that as the 

 eruption continued, the found appeared to be fo clofc, that in 

 each diflriA it feemed near at haud, and was generally at- 



tributed to an eruption, eiihcr from the mountains Morapi' 

 Klut, or Bromo. From the 6th the fun became obfcured i 

 it had every where the appearance of being enveloped in a 

 iog. The weather was fultry, .-'nd the atmofphere clofe and 

 flill ; the fim feemed fhorn of its rays, and the general 

 ffillnefs and prefTure of the atmofphere feemed to forebode 

 an earthquake. This laltcd feveral days. The explofions 

 continued occafionally, but lefs violently, and lefs frequently 

 than at firll. Volcanic allies alfo began to fall, but in fmall 

 quantities, and fo llightly, as to be hardly perceptible in the 

 weflern dithiAs. This appearance of the atmofphere con- 

 tinued, witli little variation, until the loth of April ; and 

 till then it does not appear that the volcano at'.racied much 

 obfervation, or was confidered of greater importance tlian 

 thofe which had occafionally burft forth in Java. But on 

 the evening of the loth, the eruptions were heard more 

 loud and more frequent ; from Cheribon call ward the air 

 became darkened by the quantity of falling alhes ; the fun 

 was nearly darkened ; and in fome fituations many faid they 

 felt a tremulous motion of the earth. An unufual thick 

 darknefs was remarked all the following night, and the 

 greater part of the next day. At Solo, candles were lighted 

 at 4 p.m. of the 12th; at Magellan, objefts could not be 

 fecn at three hundred yards diftance. In other diftrifts 

 more eaftward, it was dark as night, and this fat urated Hate 

 of the atmofphere leffe.ied as the cloud of afhes paffcd along, 

 and difcharged itfclf on its way. Thus the afhes that were 

 eight inclies deep at Banyuwangi, were but two inches in 

 depth at Sumenap, and lefs in Grifik ; and the fun does 

 not feem to have been aftually obfcured in any diftrift weft 

 of Semarang. 



" All reports concur in Hating, that fo violent and exten- 

 five an eruption has not happened within the memory of the 

 oldeft inhabitant, nor within tradition. They fpeak of fin- 

 gular efiefts in a lefier degree, when an eruption took place 

 from the volcano of Kaiang Afam, in Bali, about fevea 

 years ago, and it was at firll fuppofed that this mountain was 

 the feat of the eruption. The Balincfe of Java attributed 

 the event to a recent difpute between the two rajahs of Bali 

 Baliling, which terminated in the death of the younger rajah 

 by order of his brother. 



" From Sumbawa to the part of Sumatra where the found 

 was noticed, is about ni:ie hundred and feventy geographical 

 miles in adireft hne. From Sumbawa toTernate is a diftance 

 of about feven hundred and twenty miles. The diftance alfo 

 to which the cloud of afhes was carried fo quickly as to pro- 

 duce utter darknefs, was clearly pointed out to have been 

 the ifland of Celebes, and the diflrifts of Grifik or Java ; 

 the former is two hundred and feventeen nautical miles dif- 

 tant from the feat of the volcano ; the latter, in a direft line, 

 more than three hundred geographical miles." On this 

 narrative we fliall remark, that tlie groalefl known diftance 

 at which volcanic eruptions had been heard before this of 

 Sumbawa, was fix hundred miles. According to Hum- 

 boldt, the reports of Cotojiaxi during fome of its mofl vio- 

 lent explofions, have been heard at a diftance equal to that 

 of Dijon in France, from Veiuvius. 



A more accurate and extended knowledge of the cffeAs 

 of fubterranean fire throughout the Afiatic illes and thofe 

 of the Pacific ocean, would probably denioiiftrate that the 

 intenfity of this powerful agent is not diininlfhed, as fome 

 philolophers have fuppofed, though its prefent effefts on 

 the old continents may be lefs extenfive than in former 

 ages. 



Volcanic Fire The qucftions which have divided the 



opinion of geologifts refpedling volcanic fire are, firft. 

 What is the intenfity of the heal ? — Secondly, Where is 



the 



