194 



ERUPTION OF TOMBORO, 



ashes, and several large prows thrown on shore by 

 the concussion of the sea. Quitting Sumfoawa, he 

 with difficulty sailed through a quantity of these 

 ashes floating on the sea, which he described as two 

 feet thick and several miles in extent." The captain 

 of a British vessel, cruising at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the island, thus describes the scene : 

 " At the commencement of the explosions, they so 

 closely resembled those of cannon that it was sup- 

 posed there was an engagement of pirates some- 

 where in the neighbourhood. Troops were conse- 

 quently embarked on board the Benares, and the 

 vessel stood out to sea in search of the supposed 

 pirates. On the morning of the 12th, the face of 

 the heavens to the southward and westward had 

 assumed a dark aspect, and it was much darker than 

 when the sun rose. As it came nearer it assumed 

 a dusky red appearance, and spread over every part 

 of the heavens ; by ten it was so dark that a ship 

 could hardly be seen a mile distant ; by eleven the 

 whole of the heavens was obscured, except a small 

 space towards the horizon to the eastward, the 

 quarter from which the wind came. The ashes now 

 began to fall in showers, and the appearance was 

 altogether truly awful and alarming. By noon the 

 light that remained in the eastern part of the hori- 

 zon disappeared, and complete darkness covered the 

 face of day. This continued so profound during the 

 day, that it was impossible to see the hand when 

 held close to the eyes. 



The ashes fell without intermission during the 

 night, and were so light and subtile that, notwith- 

 standing the precautions of spreading awnings fore 

 and aft as much as possible, they pervaded every 

 part of the ship. When daylight returned every 

 part of the ship was found covered with the falling 

 matter, which had the appearance of calcined pum- 

 ice-stone, and nearly the colour of wood ashes. It 

 lay in heaps of a foot in depth on many parts of the 



