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Art. XXIII . — Description of' a Volcanic Druption in the Is^ 
land Sumhazva. By Mr G. A. Stewart 
In April 1815, there occurred on the island of Sumbawa a 
volcanic eruption, as tremendous, perhaps, in its nature, and as 
destructive in its effects, as any on record. 
The mountain from which this took place is called Tanbora. 
-Its summit is calculated to be in lat. 80° 20' S. and in long. 118° 
E. Its base is of great extent ; but its summit did not to me 
appear higher than from 5000 to 7000 feet above the sea, which 
washes the base of the hill for three- fourths of its extent. 
From the 5th to the 11th of April 1815, the mountain emit- 
ted dust and frequent loud sounds every day. The dust cau- 
sed a haziness of the atmosphere at places many degrees distant 
from Tanbora ; and the noises which were heard equally far off, 
sounded at Beema, (a town about sixty miles east of the hill), 
generally like the firing of the largest cannon close to the ear ; 
at other times the noises were of a rumbling kind. 
On the night of the 10th, and morning of the 11th of April, 
the loudness and frequency of the reports increased. The 
showers of greyish black dust which had been falling at Beema 
increased so much by 7 A. M. on the 11th, as to produce there 
a total darkness. This complete darkness continued until 
7 A. M. on the 12th, after which the dust fell in less and less 
quantity, and at noon it entirely ceased. 
Pumice-stone of a bro^^m colour was thrown out in immense 
quantity at the crater of the mountain. Great fields of it, with 
scorched trunks and branches of trees, were afterwards found 
floating in the neighbouring sea; and much of these were 
thrown up on the shores of Bally Java, Madura, Celebes, &c. 
These shoals were troublesome, and even somewhat dangerous, 
to ships passing near them. The country ship Dispatch fell in 
with many fields of this pumice-stone and wood, and was obli- 
ged to steer clear of them ; some of the pieces of wood were 
noted in its log-book as being about six feet in diameter, and 
of a very great length.” 
Abridged from the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, voJ. 
