ERUPTIONS OF MOUNT SEMIRU, IN JANUARY 1845.* By M. ZOLLINGER. No mountain in Java has so much reminded me of the mountains of my father-land as Semiru, not that it agrees more in its form than others with the granite mountains of the Alps. This resemblance on the contrary is less than in some of its brethren, but the circumstance that it is the highest of them calls back to my memory Mont Blanc, with which it agrees in another circumstance viz. the change of colour in its light according to the position of the sun. Above all its appearance is ravishing in early morning shortly before and at the up rising of the sun. The grey land that covers the top of the mountain then shews a rose-red glow, just as in the autumn at sunset the snow covered summits of the Alps, and above all those of Mont Blanc and Mont Rosa. If we have the fortune, shortly before the rising of the sun, to see one of the smoke clouds rising, which are expelled nearly every half hour or hour, we shall never forget the glorious sight. Slowly rises the cloud, slowly it spreads itself upwards by the development of the column turning spirally round the centre, until finally it appears to form a gigantic tree which depicts itself, rosy-red and indescribably beautiful, on the firmament, and is gradually lost in golden crowned flakes. So long as I remained in Lamajang it was particularly active. It expelled very frequently these smoke columns in such large volumes that in calms they in a short time wholly covered the mountain to a great depth beneath its top. With the fall of night, when all was become still, we could plainly hear a sound in the direction of the mountain like that of dull distant thunder, which sometimes lasted without interruption from 6 to 10 minutes. In the night of the 20th January, by clear moonlight I went in a small prahu from Pugor to Nusa Baron. About midnight I saw a large column of fire rise up out of the crater of Semiru (distant from me about 16 miles N.N.W.) which elevated itself for some time and finally sunk into itself. This column must have consisted principally of glowing stones, for after it had fallen in, I saw, along the outermost slope of the mountain, sparks descending with lightning rapidity, and now disappearing and again appearing. This was certainly glowing stones rolling along the mountain, now concealed in the small isolated thickets and then again coming into view on the naked sand. How much more beautiful still would this sight have been without moonlight. It is remarkable that the Lamongan and the Bromo have for a long time remained unusually quiet. The crater of that mountain now * Translated from the Tijdschrift voor Nederlands Indie. evolves with difficulty some pillars of smoke. During an excursion to the south east foot of Semiru, I first saw that the eastern summit of this mountain, only possesses a crater, but in three deep clefts which open from its ruin, towards the south east, it has three solfataras, all of which emitted very much vapour and smoke. NOTE. It appears that some persons doubt whether Mr Clignett reached the top of Semiru but I have not the slightest doubt on the subject. One of my guides had also accompanied Mr Clignett to the south west summit. On my interrogating him he immediately shewed me a small pyramid of stones in which I found a small bottle which Clignett had left behind. It was an eau de cologne bottle with a still smaller one in it for scented oil. In the small flask there was a letter which I did not read because I did not allow the bottle to be opened, but replaced it uninjured where I had found it. The old man who accompanied Mr Clignett, and myself, has, it is said, ascended the mountain eleven times. Postscript. End of July 1845. The mountain still labours as heavily, as I am assured by credible eye witnesses who have lately visited the foot of the mountain. Even by day its roar is distinctly heard at many miles distance. The Lamongan and Bromo, on the other hand remain constantly as quiescent and inactive as when I visited it. By J. T. THOMSON, Esq. F. R. G. S., Surveyor to Government. The annexed Statement A Contains the nature of the cultivations of the various holdings, grants and allotments as shown by the reference book that accompanies the district survey executed in the years 1842, 3, 4 and 5.† Statement B Contains an estimate of all the lands of the Residency of Singapore cultivated and uncultivated, and was constructed in the following manner; viz., in the surveyed districts each of the items was extracted from the reference book and where two or three cultivations existed in one allotment, their extent was calculated from the • Continued from p. 143. +We have omitted this table as it is very voluminous, and all the facts of general interest which it contains are repeated in Statement B.-ED. VOL. V. MAY, 1850. A 1 topographical map of the districts. In the other parts of the island which have not been surveyed in detail the first item gambier was estimated by the ratio which the gambier cultivation of Amokiah, Toah Pyoh and Toah Pyoh Lye, which have been surveyed, bore to the remaining quantity of land in those districts. This proportion being found, the extent of the remaining part of the island, which is occupied entirely by gambier plantations, exclusive of a space all round of 1 miles adjoining the coast, was then calculated, and the above proportion applied for finding the number of acres under gambier cultivation. The other small items were estimated by the number of trees in the various kampongs or villages and plantations. The item of pepper is found by the general ratio that it is found to bear to the gambier cultivation, in the surveyed districts, which it always accompanies. On the small islands that depend on Singapore the estimate was easily obtained from sketch maps made while prosecuting the survey of the general map. In the town of Singapore the items were calculated from the large survey of it. After all the smaller items were obtained, the remaining and largest portion under jungle was calculated by subtracting these from the whole area of the Residency. The details of these items have not a pretension to the accuracy of an actual survey, but can only be offered as close approximations in order to obtain a general view of the topographical statistics of the Residency. Statement C Containing an estimate of the extent of cultivated lands together with their annual gross produce and value, is drawn up by the following means viz. the extent of nutmeg cultivation is obtained mostly from the plan of the districts surveyed. Those that do not come within the limits of that survey are estimated by the number of trees grown, allowing 60 trees to an acre, on an average. How the number of trees have been found, together with their produce and value, has been already stated under the head of nutmegs. The extent of clove cultivation has been obtained from the land surveys, and as these trees are generally planted at 15 feet apart, this gives 196 trees to the acre, from which the number is calculated; the produce and value is merely nominal. The extent of cocoanut cultivation has been taken from the land surveys, and where they do not come within this limit one acre has been assigned to each kampong in the various parts af the Residency. In estimating the number of trees 49 trees has been placed to an acre on European plantations, of which there are 1,200 acres, the trees being between 30 to 40 feet apart, partly planted in equilateral triangles; the native plantations have their trees planted in squares 15 feet apart or 196 trees to the acre-the estimate of the produce has been obtained by reckoning 30 nuts per tree per annum for the plantations of Europeans, who have 14,000 in bearing, and 20 nuts per The tree per annum to those of natives of which it is reckoned there are 33,000 trees in bearing. The extent of betelnut cultivation is obtained from the land surveys, and in those parts to which the survey has not extended, of an acre has been assigned to each gambier plantation (where only they are to be found in any extent), which I found to be a fair average. They are very irregularly planted, but 12 feet may be taken as the general distance of one tree from another; there will therefore be 289 trees to the acre, from this the number of trees in the Residency has been obtained. The produce of a tree in a year has already been stated in calculating that of the Residency; half the trees have been reckoned not to be. in bearing and the remainder estimated to give 80 nuts per tree. The extent of the fruit has been obtained from the land surveys, and 100 trees are reckoned to the acre on the average of the whole, though there is much variety in the distances at which the various kinds of trees are planted. The produce in money is obtained from Mr Charles Scott's data which gives 36 dollars 90 c. per acre. mode of obtaining the extent of gambier plantations has been already stated and the produce and value has been estimated by Mr Uchin, a Chinese merchant already mentioned, who is intimately connected with this cultivation. The mode of obtaining the extent of pepper has been already stated. The vines are planted at 8 feet apart, giving 676 to the acre, from which the number of vines in the residency is obtained; one vine is calculated to bear 1 catties which gives the produce. Mr Uchin estimates 3,000 plants to a gambier bangsal, of which he says there are 600 in full operation, this gives 1,800,000 bearing vines whose produce he estimates at 30,000 piculs and value at 3 Spanish dollars per picul which nearly agrees with my estimate. I am indebted to Mr Whampoa, another Chinese gentleman, for the estimate of the consumption of vegetables; the sum can be relied on as he has great facilities in knowing the exact quantity consumed, and he took the trouble of making out a list of each kind consumed, with their weight and value (vegetables are sold by weight in the markets.) Of seree or pawn there are 3,000 vines to the acre, which at 10 bundles per vine gives 660,000 bundles as the produce of Singa pore, which at $1-60 per 100 bundles, the price paid to the grower gives the produce in value. Mr Uchin values the produce at 10,800 Spanish dollars. Of sugar cane cultivation 160 acres are estimated to be under cane and 50 under fallow, the former giving an average of 10 piculs per acre which gives the produce of the settlement in sugar; 32 acres are estimated to be cultivated for consumption in the bazaar, which at 15,300 stalks to the acre gives the quantity consumed in this way, and 1 cent per stalk, which is the price paid to the grower, gives the value. The estimate of the production of rum is by Mr William Montgomerie. The quantity of pine-apples consumed in Singapore is estimated by Mr Whampoa as also their value to the grower. Mr Uchin estimates the same |