238 TRAVELS IN THE EAST IKDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



feet long. The fluid rock heated the 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 chai'acteristic of the 

 volcanoes throughout the archipelagOy that, instead 

 of pouring out molten rock, they only eject hot 

 stones, sand, and ashes^ and such materials aa are 

 thrown up where the eruptive force has abeady 

 reached its maximum and is growing weaker and 

 weaker. 



On the 2 2d 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 aiiival of Gov- 

 ernor*General Reynst. A great quantity of ashes 

 again suddenly rose from its summit, accompanied by 

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

 while a heavy thundei'ing 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 



* lloftvy enrtliqnakes, without cmptionFi, hnv& oeciirred in 1629, 

 1(J8S, TTin, 17*17, 1816, an<l 1852. 



