May 28, 1939. Sometime during the night we touched on the east coast of Halmahera, but rain prevented any loading of copra. About 9 AM we anchored at Tobelo where for several hours copra was loaded. A big village here, and all the coast and the lower slopes behind are planted to coconuts. An active volcano, today hidden in clouds, rises close behind the little town. Small quantities of very fine ash were falling. Two years ago a great eruption of this ash did great damage to the coconuts, and the decks of the "van Imhoff" which was in part at the time were covered 3-4 inches deep. Here Dr. Tammas left the ship to investigate a leaf mining insect which is giving trouble in the coconut groves. May 29, 1939. Yesterday's showery weather and thick low clouds over the land continued today and made our call at the old and historic town of Ternate rather unpleasant. Being two days behind schedule we left directly after load- ing the usual copra and taking on fresh water. Here the military commandant of the Moluccas, Overste [illegible] Siereveldt, joined the ship to return to his headquarters at Ambon. The cloud masses which as in New Guinea descend to regular levels on the mountains of the Moluccas seem lower and are dark and gloomy in appearance. Here the average is probably about 400 m. to the base of the clouds: in New Guinea perhaps 500 m. Van Dyck, an air pilot on board, says that whereas the New Guinea clouds are cumulus, those of the Moluccas and lesser Sundas are strato cumulus. On Ternate a large flat-topped Albizzia is very abundant on the slopes of the volcano which is the island, descending to about 250 m. alt.