476 TRAVELS IS THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO, 



is a -well-built road along tlie eastern side of tlie lake 

 to the kampoug of Sinkara on the southern shore. The 

 lake is ten miles Ions; and ahout three miles wide. It 

 is parallel to the Barizan chain in this place, and ex- 

 tends in a northwest and southeast direction. Its 

 suiface is about seventeen hundi^ed feet above 

 the sea. Its most remarkable character is its great 

 depth at one place, near the cleft of Paninguhanj 

 where the plummet runs down eleven hundi'cd 

 and eighty-two feet, nearly a quarter of a mile, so 

 that its bottom, at that spot, is only about five hun- 

 dred feet above the level of the sea. West of the 

 Sinkai'a is the great Barizan chain, with its acclivities 

 rismg immediately from the mai'gin of the lake, and 

 its peaks generally attainmg an elevation of fifteen 

 hundred feet above the lake, or thi*ee thousand two 

 hundred feet above the sea. On the ea^^tern side, an<l 

 on the northern end of the lake^ are hills of less than 

 half that height, mostly composed of syenite. The 

 Barizan chain, as shown in the cleft of Paningahan, 

 is composed of chloritic schists interstratified with 

 marble, and overlaid in most places with lava, pum- 

 ice-stone, and volcanic sand or ashes. These strata 

 of schists and limestone undoubtedly rest on gigan- 

 tic rocks, for such are found outcropping on the op- 

 posite or coast side of the range. The l)asin of Lake 

 Sinkara, therefore, occurs where a great fault has 

 taken place. Five niHes east of the lake, and a short 

 distance south of the kampong Pasilian, is Moimt 

 Sibumbun, which, as 'well as the cleft of Paningahan, 

 has been carefolly examined by Jlr. Van Dijk, of 

 the Government Mining Coi'ps, ou account of the 



