202 



island was uninhabited 1 ), though Mr. Docters van Leeuwen 

 had been guided by the son of Mr. H a n d 1 (See the preceding chap- 

 ter) who was then staying on the island. In a report 2 ) published by 

 Mr. Dammerman on the congress likewise a complete silence 

 is preserved on the fire (of which fire Mr. Da mmerman was an 

 eye-witness) and on the fact that Krakatao had been inhabited *). 

 The lecture of Mr. Docters van Leeuwen having been 

 inserted by its author in extenso in a scientific paper and containing 

 the newest data published on the vegetation of Krakatao, has to be 

 discussed here. As it contains, besides these data, rather many in- 

 accuracies and a number of views and speculations that cannot 

 possibly be agreed with, a somewhat detailed account of it is 

 necessary. Therefore I give herebeneath a synopsis of it in which I 

 adhere to the English text as closely as possible. Wherever this text 

 notably differs from the original Dutch one I shall refer to the latter 

 also. At the end of each paragraph I give the necessary comments. 



^ 1. By the eruption of 1883 not only all that lived on Krakatao was absolutely 

 annihilated but, in addition, the entire surface was shrouded with a thick 

 layer of burning-hot ashes, so that 't may be said that the soil was sterilized. 

 On considering the present state of the flora, when one sees the gigantic 

 F/cus-trees, one is involuntarily inclined to wonder whether everything was 

 really destroyed or whether some individuals might not have escaped destruction. 

 We have however the statements of Verbeek and Treub, who were, 

 so to siiy, on the spot and we are bound to accept their statements as to the 

 absolute extinction of the entire vegetable life, unless facts of a serious nature 

 should be discovered which would justify doubts as to the reliability of them. 

 Such facts have not been found. 



This subject having been already sufficiently discussed in Chapter 

 III, I refer to what I have said there on the conclusions made on this 

 point by Verbeek and Treub. One should not forget that 

 Tr e u b's first visit took place in 1886, 3 years after the eruption, 



1 ) In a subsequent paper (W. Docters van Leeuwen, The Vegetation of the 

 Island of Sebesy, situated in the Sunda-Strait near the Islands of the Krakatau-group; 

 in the year 1921, Ann. |ard. Bot. Buitenzorg XXXII (1923), p. 142] Mr. Docters van 

 Leeuwen gives some information about Krakatao having been inhabited but this 

 information is far from accurate. He says: ,,since 1917 a European settled there with 

 ,,a number of coolies on the N. E. side. The original vegetation was not however 

 ,, interfered with to any extent, a small piece of forest only being felled in the 

 ,, immediate vicinity of the dwelling-house and a few plantations started. But from 1919 

 ,, onward the house has been deserted again and everything has been grown over 

 ,,once more". As a matter of fact Mr. Handl settled on Krakatao not in 1917 but 

 in 1915, not on the N. E. but on the S. E. side, and the vegetation was certainly 

 much interfered with, many trees having been felled and most probably several ruderal 

 weeds having been introduced. In this paper also Mr. Docters van Leeuwen keeps 

 silent on the great fire. 



2 ) Vakblad voor Biologen I (1920), p. 71 seq. 



3 ) With this fact Mr. Dammerman was quite well acquainted as appears from 

 his paper in Treubia III (1923), p. 65- 



