TRADE AND COMMUNICATIONS. 22/ 



Fig C means the first described thunder-stone ; see pag. 208, marginal note: "N°. 1". 



Fig. D means a thunder-spade : see p. 215, marginal note: "N°. 4", etc. 



After taking the trouble to find this out, Rumphius's Thésaurus Imaginum Piscium Testaceorum, 

 came to my hands. This book [1711, ri], containing the plates of the "Rariteitkamer", with a short 

 enumeration of the figures, gives the meaning of the figs. A — D exactly as I indicated above. 



Worsaae [187S — 83, 196] gives in his figs. 4, 3 and 2, the figures A, C and D respectively, ail three 

 as bronze axes ! Worsaae, however, has modified the original illustrations, supplying them ail with clearly 

 visible sockets. This, of course, causes confusion. The thunder-stone C, of which Rumphius [1740, 208] 

 purposely mentions, that one end looks as if it were transversely eut off, has now artificially the exterior 

 of a hollow, copper axe and is demonstrated as such ! ! 



Both figs. A and D of Rumphius, show on the part of the socket 3 chevrons, not mentioned in the text. 

 Where Rumphius speaks of "veins" and "ribs" on his thunder-spades, he apparently means the concave sides 

 along the fiât surfaces of the métal thunder-spades, diverging falcatedly towards the extremities of the 

 sharpened edge. So he writes (p. 213) about the spade of fig. A: "ter weerszijden van den steel liepeii3of4 

 uitbuilende aderen naar de kanten van 't Schopje toe;" — about N 2 . 2 (p. 215): "van de steel liepen 00k ter 

 weerszijden twee kromme en verheven aderen zikkels wijze naar de kanten toe*'; — about N = . 3 (pi, 215): 

 "diergelijke verhevene aderen van den steel afkomende, en naar de kanten loopende"; — about N 3 . 4 

 (p. 215): "den steel, die zeer plat (en) gedrukt en hol was, met scherpe kanten aan de zijden, hebbende 

 aan ieder zijde maar een ader of ribbe". It seems to me, that the signification of those terms was not 

 understood by the people who, at Amsterdam, prepared Rumphius's "Rariteitkamer" for the printer (probably 

 Simon Schynyoet took a great part in this; see Rouffaer and Muller [1902, 171]), and that they, eager 

 to show in the figures, something that would correspond with the above mentioned terms, put on the 

 original figures the chevrons, which figs. A and D show. 



It is very interesting, that ail the thunder-spades of Rumphius were obtained from the east coast of 

 Celebes or from the island of Banggai, situated in the neighbourhood. They were in his time considered 

 as products from thunder-storms ; evidently ail remembrance of a bronze period had then already vanished. 

 Rumphius also reports the rumours, that, both in Luwu and before the king's résidence in Bontuala, 

 objects were found like fig. A oi PI. L; they were also said to hâve been seen in Demak on Java. Rum- 

 phius himself, also believing that ceraunia metallica were formed by thunder-storms, does not give any 

 information about a possible other origin. 



They hâve never been found in New Guinea before. It is true, Malte — Brun [1856, V, 635] men- 

 tions "épées de cuivre", used by the natives of the south-west coast, but probably modem objects, imported 

 by Ceram traders are meant. 



Kûhn and Ribbe (Meyer und Richter [1902 — 03, 80, fig. 8]), brought to Europe two bronze axes 

 from Banggai, lost alas since that time; but according to the illustrations, they were of a type, resembling 

 both fig. A of Rumphius and the spécimens from New Guinea. Especially the trapezium-shape of the 

 transverse section of the socket-part, may very well be recognized on thèse figures, and also the ribs 

 terminating the fiât sides falcatedly. They were also provided with low-relief ornaments. 



Kruyt [1898, 63], on his journey from Paloppo to Posso, saw among the amulets of the Luwu 

 people an axe of wrought copper, already seriously weather-beaten, long, 11 cm., broad, near the edge 

 8 c.m.; the handle is put in at the top. It had been found in a small river, and it was said to be the 

 incisive tooth of the spirit of Longga; every now and then this spirit loses a copper tooth, and when the 

 fortunate finder wears the object round his waist in time of war, he is protected against ail blows and stabs. 

 A drawing of that axe, made from memory by Mr. Kruyt, and kindly placed at my disposai, shows a 

 striking resemblance to fig. D of Rumphius. 



On their journey from Posso to Mori, Adriani and Kruyt [1900, 242] learnt from the Petasia 



