BY THE REV. J. E. TENI80N-W00DS. 



131 



Volcanic eruptions. — The history of terrible eruptions and 

 volcanic catastrophes in Java would make a book in itself, while the 

 destruction of life and property on a large scale in different parts 

 of the island have been awfully frequent. In October, 1822, a 

 crater close to Papandayang burst out with such suddenness into 

 eruption that deep night seemed to come without warning upon 

 the midst of a hot summer's day. The darkness was accompanied 

 with a deluge of hot water and mud which spouted out, sweeping 

 all before it, and causing fearful devastation amid animal and 

 vegetable life for miles around. The ashes and stones covered the 

 ground even 40 miles away. But strange to say the eruption only 

 lasted a few hours and then all was still for four days. Just as 

 the people were recovering from their terror the mountain burst 

 forth into activity again, beginning witn a violent earthquake 

 which broke down the mountain, leaving in its place an enormous 

 incomplete crater. The deluges of mud and stone reappeared, 

 but this time with great blocks of basalt which were carried many 

 miles away. The whole face of nature was changed in consequence, 

 for there was no record of any previous activity in this crater, and 

 a dense jungle forest covered the whole area. Over 100 villages 

 were destroyed, and about 4,000 persons are supposed to have 

 perished. 



Equally terrible earthquakes are recorded; as, for instance, 

 one in Batavia in 1G99, and another quite recently in Jokiakarta 

 and the neighbourhood, sacrificing thousands of lives. This was in 

 1867. But probably the most awful catastrophe of which there 

 is any record in J ava is that of Krakatoa, in the Straits of Sunda, 

 -which took place on August 27th, 1833. I was in Java at this 

 time, though not in the immediate neighbourhood of the volcano ; 

 yet I saw many of the terrible evidences of its disastrous effects. 



The crater of Krakatoa, which is on an island about 25 miles 

 from the west end of Java, and 14 from the south of Sumatra, 

 has been in a kind of smouldering activity as long as the island 

 has been known to Europeans. In May, 1883, it broke out into 

 activity, sending forth showers of ashes, stones, and mud, accom- 

 panied with violent explosions. These phenomena gradually 



