SIK THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES. 
83 
our own times, in the smaller islands of the volcanic 
series, (for example the eruption of the Tomhero 
mountain in the island of Sumatra, in April 1815, 
which embraced a circle of a thousand miles aroxmd 
it), and view this range as it is now presented to 
us on the map of the world, a conjecture perhaps 
might be hazarded, that the whole may have once 
formed but the southern side of one large island or 
continent, within which much of the mainland has 
fallen in, and suhseq[uently disappeared in the influx 
of the sea." 
The constitution of Java is unfavourable to metals, 
and it may be laid dowm as a general position, that 
these no where occur in such a quantity, or with 
such richness of ore, as to reward the operations of 
the miner. Iron pyrites is foimd in small quantity 
in several districts, as well as red ochre, which, 
however, often contains so little iron as scarcely to 
serve for the common purpose of paint. There are no 
diamonds or other precious stones ; but many minerals 
of the schorl, quartz, potstone, feldspar, and trap 
kind. Prase and homstone are abundant in parti- 
cular situations, as well as flint, chalcedony, hyalite, 
common jasper, jasper-agate, obsidian, and por- 
phyry. The soil is for the most part rich and deep, 
resembling the finest garden-mould of Europe ; and 
wherever it can be exposed to the inundation ne- 
cessary for the rice-crop, requires no manure, and 
•will bear without impoverishment one heavy and 
one light crop in the year. The poorest, with this 
