( 2^5 ) 



riiiiiicI-sli;i|)C(l \vi(leiii)i|ü,' lo\v;ii<Is llic crt'st and a slrai^lillv (lescciidiiiu' 

 ötripiiig a graiul remiiüscem'c. 



The c'üinmnnicationy aboiil llie volcanic pliciioinciia dl" li)()l in 

 the East-Indiaii Arcliipola^o (Nat. 'I'ijdscln'. y. Ncd.-IndiC', xol. LXIl, 

 [). J7()) conlaiii Iwo re|)(H'ls alxtiil Sopoelaii. In one ol' llicni, daled 

 14 FehiMiarv, Uv tlio disli-icl-(»riiccr of 'I'ondano, llic |)lienoinon{)M is 

 in tho main correctly stated. ()!' a second nind-sprinu mentioned 

 lliei-e I liaxe however not discovei'ed any trace on tlic spot, its 

 existence is in fact contradicted by the other eommnnication, issued 

 by Ml'. Li.MiUK(;, in which oidy one new hole is recorded. 



'I'liis hole mnst have been formed before 4 Febrnary, the date ot 

 this latter eommnnication. 1 conld no loiiuer ascei-tain whetlier, as is 

 mentioned in the report, in the be^iiiniiiij; an eruption of ash had 

 taken plac(\ which would ha\e given to the outbreak of the solfatarc 

 in reality the character cd" a little volcanic eruption. Koi' the I'est 

 it is charactei'istic to the nature of the phenomenon, tiiat in the 

 lu^ginning sand and gravel may, as it were, have been blown 

 up, — though we need not yet think of a real ash-ei'uplion, 

 uidess the mud immediately made its api)earauce at the initial 

 explosion. 



The reports published about the earth-(piakes, (1. c. p. 188 el se(|.) 

 do not give a complete |)icture of the seismic disturl)ance prexailing 

 in the Minahassa from '2 Februaiy as late as Marcdi, po.ssibly even 

 in x\pril. lu February haidly a day passed without earth-cpiakes, 

 which es|)eeially in the lirst half of the month almost constantly 

 were felt in swarms so as to make it rather arduous to notice the 

 separate shocks. In a sense the i-eporls may be regarded as rather 

 signalling the critical days. None of the movements was of excessive 

 intensity; most of them remained between degrees III and VI of 

 the scale of llossi — Forki.. In the southern part of the plateau of 

 Tondauo a few shocks seem to have reached the intensity \\\ (or 

 Mil Mercalli). In the Soi)Octan nu)unlains the crevices indicate a 

 greater intensity, especially in the southern Sempoe-atrio, less on 

 Sopoetan itself, where the relief nnist have facilitated their formation. 

 In the wdiole district uo accidents have occurred, and during my 

 investigation I did not hear of any damage. It was not so mncli 

 the violence as the tVeipiencv of the slnxd-cs, that, connected with 

 ihe phenomena near Sopoetan, troubled the natives, and even caused 

 the beginning of a panic in Ihe southern settlements of the plateau. 

 The fact of our investigation next induced the fugitives to return to 

 their homes and to show' them.selves more or less ashamed of their 

 anxiety. It was curious for us Europeans to hear by way of excuse 



