The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

246 THE ]\IALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.to the island of Motir, which is so surrounded with coral-reefsthat it is dangerous to approach. These are perfectly flat, andare only covered at high water, ending in craggy vertical wallsof coral in very deep water. "When there is a little wind, it isdangerous to come near these rocks ; but luckily it was quitesmooth, so we moored to their edge, while the men crawled overthe reef to the land, to make a fire and cook our dinner—theboat having no accommodation for more than heating water formy morning and evening coftee. We then rowed along the edgeof the reef to the end of the island, and were glad to get a nicewesterly breeze, which carried us over the strait to the island of!Makian, where we arrived about 8 P.M. The sky was quite clear,and though the moon shone brightlj'^, the comet appeared withquite as much splendour as when we first saw it.The coasts of these small islands are very difi'erent accordingto their geological formation. The volcanoes, active or extinct,have steep black beaches of volcanic sand, or are fringed witlirugged masses of lava and basalt. Coral is generally absent,occurring only in small patches in quiet bays, and rarely ornever forming reefs. Teruate, Tidore, and Makian belong totliis class. Islands of volcanic oi'igin, not tliemselves volcanoes,but which have been probably recently upraised, are generallj''more or less completely surrounded by fringing reefs of coral,and have beaches of shining white coral sand. Their coastspresent volcanic conglomerates, basalt, and in some places afoundation of stratified rocks, with patches of upraised coral.March and Motir are of this character, the outline of the lattergi%T.ng it the appeai'ance of having been a true volcano, and it issaid by Forrest to have thrown out stones in 1778. The nextday (Oct. 12th), we coasted along the island of Makian, whichconsists of a single grand volcano. It was now quiescent, butabout two centuries ago (in 1646) there was a terrible eruption,which blew up the whole toj) of the mountain, leaving thetruncated jagged summit and vast gloomy crater valley whichat this time distinguished it. It was said to have been as loftyas Tidore before this catastrophe.^I stayed some time at a place where I saw a new clearing ona very steep part of the mountain, and obtained a few interestinginsects. In the evening we went on to the extreme southernpoint, to be ready to pass across the fifteen-mile strait to theisland of Kaida. At five the next morning we started, but thewind, which had hitherto been westerly, now got to the southand soutli-west, and we had to row almost all the way with aburning sun overhead. As we approached land a fine breezesprang up, and we went along at a great pace; yet after an1 Soon after I left tlie Archipelago, on the 29th of December, 1862, another eruptionof this mountain suddenly took place, which caused great devastation in the island.All the villages and crops were destroyed, and numbers of the inhabitants killed. Thesand and ashes fell so thick that the crops were partially destroyed fifty miles off, atTemate, where it was so dark the following day that lamps had to be lighted at noon.For the position of this and the adjacent islands, see the map in Chapter XXXVII.