it.
The coasts of these small islands are very different according to their
geological formation. The volcanoes, active or extinct, have steep black beaches
of volcanic sand, or are fringed with rugged masses of lava and basalt. Coral is
generally absent, occurring only in small patches in quiet bays, and rarely or
never forming reefs. Ternate, Tidore, and Makian belong to this class. Islands of
volcanic origin, not themselves volcanoes, but which have been probably
recently upraised, are generally more or less completely surrounded by fringing
reefs of coral, and have beaches of shining white coral sand. Their coasts present
volcanic conglomerates, basalt, and in some places a foundation of stratified
rocks, with patches of upraised coral. Mareh and Motir are of this character, the
outline of the latter giving it the appearance of having been a true volcano, and it
is said by Forrest to have thrown out stones in 1778. The next day (Oct. 12th),
we coasted along the island of Makian, which consists of a single grand volcano.
It was now quiescent, but about two centuries ago (in 1646) there was a terrible
eruption, which blew up the whole top of the mountain, leaving the truncated
jagged summit and vast gloomy crater valley which at this time distinguished it.
It was said to have been as lofty as Tidore before this catastrophe. [Soon after I'
left the Archipelago, on the 29th of December, 1862, another eruption of 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. The
sand and ashes fell so thick that the crops were partially destroyed fifty miles
off, at Ternate, 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.]
I stayed some time at a place where I saw a new clearing on a very steep part
of the mountain, and obtained a few interesting insects. In the evening we went
on to the extreme southern point, to be ready to pass across the fifteen-mile strait
to the island of Kaióa. At five the next morning we started, but the wind, which
had hitherto been westerly, now got to the south and southwest, and we had to
row almost all the way with a burning sun overhead. As we approached land a
fine breeze sprang up, and we went along at a great pace; yet after an hour we
were no nearer, and found we were in a violent current carrying us out to sea. At
length we overcame it, and got on shore just as the sun set, having been exactly
thirteen hours coming fifteen miles. We landed on a beach of hard coralline
rock, with rugged cliffs of the same, resembling those of the Ke Islands (Chap.
XXIX.) It was accompanied by a brilliancy and luxuriance of the vegetation,
very like what I had observed at those islands, which so much pleased me that I