164 SOME EECENT ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS. 



the renieiiibraiu'C of the inner harbor will alway.s stay with mc as the 

 type of absolute peace. Scarce a ripple stirred its surface, scarce a 

 sound came to our ears, and when a little later we heard the monot- 

 onous but sweet initive music floating over the water the feeling- of 

 quietness and repose was, if possible, augmented. 



Our reception b}'^ the consular agent of the United States, Mr. C G. 

 Veth, on ])oard ship early next morning, was most cordial, and noth- 

 ing could exceed in kindness the care and generosity and the assistance 

 which this gentleman gave us, not only on that day but upon every 

 succeeding day until we left the island. We learned from him that 

 Governor J oekes and other officials of the Dutch Government had put 

 all possible conveniences at our disposal, including the free passage 

 both for ourselves and our instruments, at an}" time during our stay, 

 all over the syst(nii of Government railroads throughout the western 

 coast of Sumatra. 



The choice of stations was of course our next care. In the publi- 

 cations of the Netherlands Eclipse Committee, a series of meteor- 

 ological observations had been recorded at many stations in Sumatra, 

 and taking into consideration these, the facility of transportation of 

 apparatus, and other matters, and after a reconnaissance of several 

 days, I determined en my part to locate at a small place in the interior 

 named Solok, and Professor Skinner of the Naval Observator}' made 

 the same choice for his principal party. Here there is a fort, not at 

 present occupied, which, with its inclosure, was placed wholh^ at our 

 disposal by the Assistant Resident of Solok, Mr. Derx. This fort was 

 admirabl}' suited for our purposes, for it has large, cool rooms and 

 smaller outbuildings, one of which was used for a photographic 

 house; while around the fort was a level inclosure surrounded by an 

 embankment and moat, and still further by a system of barb-wire 

 defences, which thoroughly protected us not only from hostile but 

 friendly invasion. Our apparatus arrived in perfect order and was 

 transported from the railroad station to the fort b}" the aid of a 

 company of prisoners. 



While walking with Mr. Derx, and seeing a company of the pris- 

 oners go l)}^ carrj^ng a load of our instruments, I asked him what 

 they had done which led to their finding themselves in this situation. 

 "Oh," said he, very coolly, "some have murdered, others stolen, and 

 the like."' 



Our stay at Solok passed quickly by, the days being spent in arrang- 

 ing the apparatus and in drilling ourselves in its use, so that we found 

 but little time to go about to view the other camps or to see the— 

 to us — strange sights which the country afforded. However, partly 

 through exchanges and partly through our own efforts, we all of us 

 secured a more or less complete record of our trip and stay, in the 

 form of photographs, two of which are here reproduced. (Plate V.) 



