160 GONUNG SARI. 



half without news from home is a period which few 

 persons are now compelled to pass in this age of 

 rapid transmission of intelligence. 



On January 8th, I drove out with Dr. Muirhead 

 and Mr. Boyd to a place called Gonung Sari, about 

 five miles south of Sourabaya, where there are some 

 petroleum springs. Here, close on the left bank of 

 the Kali mas, is a small tract of undulating country, 

 like that at the back of Gresik in appearance, but 

 not rising more than 100 feet above the sea. It is 

 composed of the same recent limestone as that of 

 Gresik and Madura, but contains beds of fossil- 

 shells, chiefly, if not entirely marine, but rather 

 resembling those of an estuary. It contains nodules 

 of chert also. At several places in this patch of 

 limestone rise springs, impregnated with petroleum, 

 which in the one we saw was a mere scum on the 

 water, but in one of the others was said to be very 

 abundant, and to be gathered or skimmed off in 

 large quantities every morning. It was used for 

 every purpose that cocoa-nut oil is put to, even for 

 frying cakes and confectionary in, to which, how- 

 ever, it communicates a tarry or smoky flavour. 

 This patch of limestone, which appeared not much 

 more than a mile across, is surrounded by the low 

 land of the delta of the Kediri, and was probably 

 once an island off its mouth. 



On January 9th, the Resident, M. Pietermatz, gave 

 us a very handsome dinner, which he apologised 

 (quite unnecessarily) for not having done before, in 



