Total Solar Eclipse of 1901, May 17-18. 211 



On arrival at Padang on Saturday, April 6, we made the acquaint- 

 ance of the Governor of the West Coast of Sumatra and of Major 

 Muller, head of the Survey Department, and Mr. Delprat, the head of 

 the State Railways. The Governor received us on the following 

 Monday morning, and we recall with great pleasure the personal 

 courtesy and friendly helpfulness which he at once extended to us. 

 Nothing could exceed the kindness and consideration which we 

 experienced throughout our stay in the island from the Dutch 

 authorities with whom it was our good fortune to come in contact. I 

 may here add that I took the opportunity, which was afforded me by a 

 visit to Java after the eclipse, to express to the Governor-General of 

 the Dutch Indies the informal thanks of the English observers for 

 the generous assistance which had been given to them in their 

 expedition. 



We were indebted to Professor Bakhuysen, the President of the 

 Dutch Committee, for several sets of maps of the admirable survey of 

 the West Coast of Sumatra. The local authorities at Padang added to 

 our obligations by presenting us with free passes for ourselves and 

 freight over all the railway system on the West Coast. 



The Governor of the West Coast arranged that Mr. Dyson and 

 Mr. Atkinson should make use of his steam launch to inspect possible 

 sites for a camp on the coast in Trusan Bay, and also on an island 

 6 miles from the coast opposite Painan. Mr. Delprat was able to give 

 me information and much kind assistance in the matter of sites inland 

 near the Oembilien coalfield, and I at once set off to Sawah Loento 

 with introductions to Mr. van Lessen, the Chief Engineer of the 

 mines. 



Thus it came about that when Mr. Dyson and I met again at Padang 

 on the following Thursday, April 11, we had gained such information 

 that we were able to decide at once that we should occupy separate 

 camps (i) Mr. Dyson, together with Mr. Atkinson, on the island Aoer 

 Gadang, assisted by H.M.S. " Pigmy," a gunboat commanded by 

 Lieutenant^Commander Oldham, R.N., which, in response to an appli- 

 cation from the Royal Society, had been told off by the Admiralty to 

 render assistance to the observers ; and (ii) myself inland, on tolerably 

 high ground, not far from Sawah Loento, the last station on the rail- 

 way, at the mouth of the Oembilien coal mines, and thus quite on the 

 east side of the Barisan Range. Our stations were thus the most 

 widely separated in Sumatra, Mr. Dyson being at the west end of the 

 line, and the first of the Sumatran observers to be immersed in the 

 moon's shadow, whilst I was furthest inland at the east end of 

 the line. 



The rest of this report deals with my own experiences and observa- 

 tions. 



It was with regret that I had to decline the invitation of the Boston 



Q 2 



