(595 j 
the accessibility of many places near the central line of the eclipse, 
and of which 200 copies were distributed. 
The Committee received much support from the part of the Govern- 
ment of the Dutch Indies. Not only was great pecuniary and 
other material aid provided, but the authorities also did their 
utmost to promote the interests of the expedition in every possible 
manner. Thus, to mention only the most prominent matters, the 
co-operation of several officers was granted viz.: captain WACKERS 
for making determinations of time and latitude in the eclipse-camp, 
lieutenant DE ROCHEMONT for the building of the camp, captain 
KERKHOFF for the observations of the flash-spectrum near the northern 
limit of totality; further the promise was given that a man-of-war 
would be stationed near the place of observation, so that the officers 
and crew might assist in the observations. 
Messrs. MurrLER and FrGeEE personally inspected in two voyages 
(May and September 1900) the localities which appeared suitable 
for observations generally and for the erection of a Dutch eclipse- 
camp specially. On their advice the Dutch expedition chose as 
observing station a locality near the kampong Karang Sago on 
the western coast of Sumatra. 
In January 1901 Dr. Ficee and Dr. van BEMMELEN were 
authorised to take part in the expedition at the expense of the 
Observatory at Batavia, in order to make the necessary magnetical 
and meteorological observations during the eclipse. 
In the middle of March Mr. pr RocHeMONT arrived at the 
locality which was chosen for the erection of the eclipse-camp; in 
the time of three weeks he established there a very comfortably 
arranged camp. Not to mention many coolies, the expedition disposed, 
for all kinds of preparatory work, of the services of twelve 
men of the corps of military engineers with two European and two 
Amboinese sergeants, two artisans of the same corps, a warrant- 
officer and a mandoer of the triangulation, a photographer and 
a mechanician. There also was a post, and telegraph office on 
the spot. | 
The members of the expedition appointed by the Eclipse-Committee, 
Messrs. JULIUS, WILTERDINK and NIJLAND started on their voyage 
about the beginning of March. At Genoa they met Mr. J. B. 
Huprecut phil. nat. cand., who had been permitted to assist the 
expedition as a volunteer, and on board the „Koningin Regentes’ 
they met eight American and English astronomers, who also 
intended to observe the eclipse in Sumatra. We are specially in- 
debted to the S,S. Company „Nederland” for the liberal arrange- 
