NEW GUINEA.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 236, 12 March 1875, Page 4

NEW GUINEA.

(From the London Mail.) The acquisitive instinct which was once so strong in the English nature, and which called into being the Colonial Empire of England, has been tamed, or at least curbed, in the present generation of Englishmen by the mingled influence of satiety and responsibility. The fame and the rewards of colonisation have been reaped in abundance by this country, and the difficulty of doing our duty with impartial justice within the whole circle of our Imperial Bway often weighs heavily upon the consciences of men who think, and still more of those who act, in politics, But the ambition of which we would willinglj decline the burden, if we might do so with honor, is seemingly springing up, fresh, vigorous, and unsatisfied, among the younger populations of our colonies. They are conscious of great and unemployed energies; they are not sobered by the complicated and embarrasbing relations to which every Old World State has to adapt its policy; they are inspired by the history of their mother country with a passion to emulate her splendid and fruitful enterprises. It is hardly to be wondered at, then, if they sometimes chafe at the restraints which their connection with the Imperial system necessarily imposes; nor is it anything more than natural that they should strive to force the Empire into the paths which are tempting to theirj|individual visions of glory or profit. Jt.»ip highjy therefore, that the

results of the exploration which Her Majesty's ship Basilisk has brought to a successful conclusion in the Papuan Archipelago may give an impetus to schemes concocted in the Australian colonies for the annexation of New Guinea to the dominions of Great Britain in the South Seas. Such an agitation would derive encouragement from the success with which the incorporation of Fiji as a colony of the Crown has been carried through, in spite of severe criticism and powerful opposition. It has reasons in its favor much more solid and striking than any that could be adduced in support of the brilliant possibilities with which Mr Julius Vogel has lately dazzled the colonists of New Zealand; yet it involves an extension of empire so vast that we may well shrink from even the inevitable discussion. Whatever may be the fate of the proposal when it comes to be seriously raised, we are justified in saying that it cannot be settled as lightly and quickly as was the annexation of Fiji. The Basilisk has been for nearly four years absent from England on her mission of exploration. Within that period her crew explored, and her scientific staff surveyed, about 1290 miles of coast-line in the Archipelago, of which New Guinea is the centre, and added "at least twelve first-class harbours, several navigable rivers, and more than 100 islands, large and small, to the chart," But this is not all, nor the best part of the work. The Admiralty is able to announce that the discoveries of the Basilisk have revealed " the existence of a new and shorter route between Australia and China." It will, perhaps, be surprising to learn that, after all the commercial activity and the passion for scientific research which has distinguished the history of the last century, it should remain for our own time to make these discoveries in and around an island second only in size to Australia, and separated from our vast insular possession by a channel only eighty miles across. But the history and natural characteristics of Papua explain, at least in part, an isolation so singular. Something has been vaguely known of the dimensions of Papua, though the irregularity of its form, indented with deep bays, of which the coasts were unexplored, and extend eastward in a straggling, mountainous peninsula, rendered all previous calculations of its extent uncertain. Its area was estimated to be considerably greater than that of France; its length was calculated to be not less than 1200 miles. But neither the Portuguese, who discovered New Guinea three centuries and a-half ago, nor the Dutch, who attempted to explore it a hundred years later, and who fifty years since made a feeble effort to establish forts on Papuan soil, were able to convey to the outer world any assured and satisfactory information respecting the real state of the island. Holland has claimed for a long time a suzerainty over the western half of the island, extending to the east as far as the 141st meridian. This claim, which is founded upon a traditional authority enjoyed by the Sultans of Tidore, and is practically exercised through thosesubsidised Mussulman rulers by the Dutch resident at Ternate, is f ormallyadmitted bysomeof thetributary Princes on the coast of New Guinea, though it is ignored or denied by the Papuans in general. The pretension has been so far productive of good that it led to a survey of the coasts of the western half of the island by a scientific commission, which was sent out under the orders of the Government of the Netherlands in 1858. The labors of this Commission, however, ended with the boundary line of the 141st meridian, and the eastern and more interesting portion of Papua remained unexplored, except for some very partial surveys made by English naval officers in 1845 and 1848. The swampy parts of New Guinea have a terrible reputation for deadliness; but where malarious marshes are not met with the balmy air, the rich vegetation, and the fertility of the alluvial soil make "the land of the bird of paradise" worthy of its bright and graceful feathered denizens. The natives have had an ill name for ferocity, yet the most recent trustworthy accounts go to prove that they are well disposed to intercourse with Europeans, and, if fairly treated, are mild and generous, not devoid of intelligence nor of a capacity for development, which is the most promising feature in the character of an uncivilised race. The commercial world will await the particulars of the discoveries made by the Basilisk with even more interest than men of science. Statesmen will probably tolerate with considerable equanimity delays which postpone the necessity of dealing with difficult problems ; but that a work has been accomplished worthy to rank in point alike of scientific and of practical value with much more sensational performances will not be contested. The undertaking was not without its perils. Apart from the risks from disease and from the hostility of the nations which have done so much to fence in New Guinea from intercourse with the outer world, the character of the seas explored was peculiarly trying to the explorers. The safety of the vessel and of the boats in,which the coast surveys had to be made was perpetually endangered by coral reefs, and the conclusion of the enterprise without a single serious disaster deserves to be noted as a proof of signally good seamanship. Of the commercial utility of the new route between Australia and China opened up by the cruise of the Basilisk no opinion can be formed until we learn how far it is free from the special dangers to which we have alluded. The new discoveries are of various degrees of geographical importance. The complete survey of the coast line is of the highest value ; the navigation of the Archipelago of densely peopled islands is not less so. The information, also, that Eastern New Guinea is rich and fertile and intersected by navigable rivers, that the climate is by no means dangerous to Europeans, and that friendly relations have been established with the natives is of the highest significance. The possibility of civilising Papua, of colonising it, of trading with its people, has hitherto been denied on grounds that may be pronounced at least imperfect. The condition of the country and the character of the population have been judged from the unfortunate experience of the Dutch in the western section of the island, though the early Portuguese navigators gave a very different account of the country. It is probable that we shall have to revise our opinions respecting Papua, and perhaps, in consequence, to alter our line of conduct towards that vast and unknown land.