Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/480

 464 SUMAROKOFF SUMATRA rhua semialata, of northern India, China, and Japan ; the galls are very irregular in shape, 1 to 2 in. long, mostly egg-shaped, with various knotty protuberances, and often lobed, velvety with a gray down ; they are mere brittle shells about 2^ in. thick, breaking with a shining fracture, and containing about 70 per cent, of tannin. In 1872, 8,621 cwt. of these galls were imported into Great Britain alone. SUMAROKOFF, Alexel PetroTltch, a Russian dramatist, born in Moscow in November, 1727, died there in October, 1777. He was educated at St. Petersburg, and the empress Elizabeth placed him in the school of cadets. In 1756 he founded the first national theatre at St. Petersburg, and became its director with the rank of brigadier general. Catharine II. made him councillor of state. He modelled his plays after Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire. Among his tragedies are Khoreff and Sinaff i Truvor. He also wrote prose works, satires, and oth- er poetry. His complete writings (10 vols., 1787) have passed through several editions. SUMATRA (Sans. Samudra, the ocean), an island of the Indian archipelago, in the Indo- Malay group, lying directly under the equator, S. W. of the Malay peninsula and parallel to it, between lat. 5 40' N. and 5 55' S., and Ion. 95 20' and 100 5' E. ; bounded N. by the bay of Bengal, N. E. by the strait of Malacca, E. by the China sea, the strait of Banca, and the Java sea, S. by the strait of Sunda, and S. W. by the Indian ocean; extreme length 1,050 m., greatest breadth 250 m.; area, 160,000 sq. m. ; pop. estimated at from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. About three fourths of the island is subject to the Netherlands, a portion direct- ly, and the rest through dependent native rulers. To the first class belong four colonial establishments, which include the adjoining islands : 1. The government officially known as Sumatra's "West Coast, comprising the west- ern seaboard from lat. 2 30' N. to 1 55' S., and including the residencies of Tapanuli and Padang ; aggregate area, about 47,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1872, 1,620,979. 2. Bencoolen, on the S. W. coast, described under its own title. 3. Lampong, at the S. extremity of the island; area, 10,000 sq. m. ; pop. 112,271. 4. Palem- bang, on the S. E. coast opposite Banca. (See PALEMBANO.) The principal native state in Sumatra is Acheen, which embraces the north- ern end of the island from coast to coast, and is wholly independent of the Dutch. (See ACIIEEN.) The territory of the cannibal Ba- taks extends southward from Acheen, along the interior, to the border of the colonial dis- tricts of the W. coast. The largest native countries in the east are Siak, opposite the S. extremity of Malacca, and Jambi, between Siak and the Dutch residency of Palembang. The physical conformation of Sumatra resembles that of Java in the long volcanic range which extends throughout the island, although the active volcanoes are not nearly so numerous, and probably do not exceed five. The range is near the W. coast, from which it is separated by a strip of lowlands from less than 20 to 30 m. wide, above which the mountains rise abrupt- ly to a height of from 2,500 to 5,000 ft., with many lofty peaks. They form four or five parallel ridges with elevated plateaus between them. There are four summits over 10,000 ft. high, and six others over 5,000 ft. Mt. Berapi, just S. of the equator (12,000 ft.), is the centre of a volcanic district containing numerous hot springs, and continually emits vapor. The al- titude of Mt. Ophir (or Passaman peak), at the equator, and Mt. Indrapura, in lat. 1 30' S., is estimated at upward of 12,000 ft., and a height of 11,000 ft. is assigned to the Abong-Abong mountain, which rises from the very centre of the unexplored interior of Acheen. The por- tion of Sumatra which lies eastward of the great linear volcanic range is a vast low and comparatively level forest region, watered by numerous and extensive rivers, and subject to frequent inundation near the coast. The for- mation of this great plain is alluvial, and com- paratively recent in geological time, while the W. coast is believed to be gradually wearing away. According to Wallace, Sumatra was formerly connected with the Malay penin- sula, and also with Borneo. In western Su- matra the underlying formation consists of granite and syenite, overspread with mud and coral, sandstone, and lava and other vol- canic products. Limestone and marble occur in Padang, and there are extensive coal beds in the island, but of very recent origin. Sumatra has long been noted for its yield of gold, which is still considerable, being de- rived from the beds of the rivers, particularly the Indragiri, the Jambi, and their tributa- ries. Iron, copper, tin, sulphur, and petro- leum are also found. The coast is about 2,500 m. in circuit. The island terminates on the northwest in Acheen head and on the north- east in Diamond point. Between these points stretches the N. coast of Acheen, formerly known as the Pedir coast, on which is the town of Passier, believed to be the first place to which the name Samuthrah (Sumatra) was applied. The shore is high and bold, and the anchorage is mostly in open roadsteads. The N. E. coast is low, and from the narrowest part of the strait of Malacca southward to the strait of Sunda it is bordered by extensive banks of mud and sand, making navigation intricate and dangerous. The entire W. coast is exposed to a very heavy surf, and more especially that portion which lies S. of the equator. It is indented by several excellent harbors, that of Tapanuli being considered one of the finest in the world. Parallel to it and about 60 m. dis- tant is a chain of islands, between lat. 3 N". and 5 30' S., comprising several of consid- erable size, including Pulo Babi or Hog island (50 m. long), Pulo Nias (70 m.), Sibiru, Si- pora, the Poggi islands, and Engano. Most of them are high, well wooded, and thickly inhabited. The chief islands off the E. coast