202 DIFFERENT KINDS OF COUNTRY. 



peculiar kind of configuration of country. Java, 

 Bali, and Lombock consist of sloping plains, from 

 which rise single detached conical mountains, or 

 groups of such mountains more or less thickly clus- 

 tered. The sea shore of these islands is almost 

 invariably low and flat. Sumbawa, on the contrary, 

 rises into broad rugged hills, directly from the sea, 

 and seems to consist principally of high land, tra- 

 versed by narrow valleys and ravines, and similar 

 features characterised Sandalwood Island and Timor 

 and the other islands we had seen to the eastward. 

 How little, however, is really known of all these 

 magnificent islands, and how much better do they 

 deserve exploration than many parts of the earth 

 that receive it. 



In June, 1845, we again visited Alass strait, on 

 our way from Port Essington to Singapore, with the 

 wrecked crews and passengers of the Hyderabad 

 and Coringa packet. On this occasion we entered 

 the southern end of Alass strait at night, and 

 anchored on the Lombock shore, near a bight where 

 there is a place called in the chart Pejar. At day- 

 light the next morning we saw a ship at anchor a 

 few miles to the northward, where we concluded Bali 

 Labbajee to be situated, and some prahus in the 

 bight to the southward, which -we concluded was 

 Pejar. Two boats were manned, and one sent to 

 each place for the purpose of procuring refresh- 

 ments, of which both ourselves and passengers 

 were greatly in need. Messrs. Ince, Evans, Bell, 



