238 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



feet long. The fluid rock lieated tlie sea within a 

 radius of more than half a mile, and nearer the shore 

 eggs were cooked in it. This stream of lava is the 

 more remarkable, because it is a characteristic of the 

 volcanoes throughout the archipelago, that, instead 

 of looming out molten rock, they only eject hot 

 stones, sand, and ashes, and such materials as are 

 thrown up where the eruptive force has already 

 reached its maximum and is growing weaker and 

 weaker. 



On the 22d of April, 1824, while Governor-Gen- 

 eral Van der Capellen was entering the road, an 

 eruption commenced, just as had happened two hun- 

 dred and nine years before, on the arrival of Gov- 

 ernor-General Reynst. A great quantity of ashes 

 again suddenly rose from its summit, accompanied by 

 clouds of " black smoke," in which lightnings darted, 

 while a heavy thundering rolled forth that complete- 

 ly drowned the salute from the forts on Neira. This 

 was followed, on the 9th of June, by a second erup- 

 tion, which was succeeded by a rest of fourteen 

 days, when the volcano again seemed to have re- 

 gained its strength, and once more ashes and glow- 

 ing stones were hurled into the air and fell in show- 

 ers on its sides. 



But the people of Banda have suffered quite as 

 much from earthquakes as from eruptions, though 

 the latter are usually attended by slight shocks.* 

 Almost the first objects that attract one's attention 

 on landing at the village are the ruins caused by 



* Heavy earthquakes, without eruptions, have occurred in 1629, 

 1683, 1710, 1767, 1816, and 1852. 



