6 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap. i. 



Geological Contrasts— One of the chief volcanic belts 

 upon the globe passes through the Archipelago, and pro- 

 duces a striking contrast in the scenery of the volcanic 

 and non-volcanic islands. A curving line, marked out 

 by scores of active and hundreds of extinct volcanoes, 

 may be traced through the whole length of Sumatra and 

 Java, and thence by the islands of Bali, Lombock, Sum- 

 bawa, Flores, the Serwatty Islands, Banda, Amboyna, 

 Batchian, Makian, Tidore, Ternate, and Gilolo, to Morty 

 Island. Here there is a slight but well-marked break, or 

 shift, of about 200 miles to the westward, where the 

 volcanic belt again begins, in North Celebes, and passes 

 by Siau and Sanguir to the Philippine Islands, along the 

 eastern side of which it continues, in a curving line, to 

 their northern extremity. From the extreme eastern bend 

 of this belt at Banda, we pass onwards for 1,000 miles 

 over a non-volcanic district to the volcanoes observed by 

 Dampier, in 1699, on the north-eastern coast of New 

 Guinea, and can there trace another volcanic belt, through 

 New Britain, New Ireland, and the Solomon Islands, to 

 the eastern limits of the Archipelago. 



In the whole region occupied by this vast line of volca- 

 noes, and for a considerable breadth on each side of it, 

 earthquakes are of continual recurrence, slight shocks being 

 felt at intervals of every few weeks or months, while more 

 severe ones, shaking down whole villages, and doing more 



