The History of Java, v. 1-2Raffles, Thomas Stamford, Sir
History
The History of Java, v. 1-2
Raffles, Thomas Stamford, Sir
Java (Indonesia) -- History
"All reports concur in stating, that so violent and extensive an
eruption has not happened within the memory of the oldest inhabitant,
nor within tradition. They speak of similar effects, in a lesser
degree, when an eruption took place from the volcano of Karang Asam in
Bali, about seven years ago, and it was at first supposed that this
mountain was the seat of the eruption. The Balinese on Java attributed
the event to a recent dispute between the two Rajahs of Bali Baliling,
which terminated in the death of the younger Rajah by order of his
brother.
"The haziness and heat of the atmosphere, and occasional fall of
volcanic ashes, continued until the 14th, and in some parts of the
island until the 17th of April. They were cleared away universally
by a heavy fall of rain, after which the atmosphere became clear and
more cool; and it would seem that this seasonable relief prevented
much injury to the crops, and removed an appearance of epidemic
disease which was beginning to prevail. This was especially the case
at Batavia, where, for two or three days preceding the rain, many
persons were attacked with fever. As it was, however, no material
injury was felt beyond the districts of Banyuwángi. The cultivators
every where took precaution to shake off the ashes from the growing
paddy as they fell, and the timely rain removed an apprehension very
generally entertained, that insects would have been generated by the
long continuance of the ashes at the root of the plant. In Rembang,
where the rain did not fall till the 17th, and the ashes had been
considerable, the crops were somewhat injured; but in Banyuwángi,
the part of the island on which the cloud of ashes spent its force,
the injury was more extensive. A large quantity of paddy was totally
destroyed, and all the plantations more or less injured. One hundred
and twenty-six horses and eighty-six head of cattle also perished,
chiefly for want of forage, during a month from the time of the
eruption.
"From Sumbawa to the part of Sumatra where the sound was noticed, is
about nine hundred and seventy geographical miles in a direct line.
From Sumbawa to Ternate is a distance of about seven hundred and twenty
miles. The distance also to which the cloud of ashes was carried, so
quickly as to produce utter darkness, was clearly pointed out to have
been the island of Celebes and the districts of Grésik on Java: the
former is two hundred and seventeen nautical miles distant from the
seat of the volcano; the latter, in a direct line, more than three
hundred geographical miles."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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