LECTURE ON NEW GUINEA.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2470, 7 March 1882, Page 3

LECTURE ON NEW GUINEA.

A lecture on New Guinea, its resources, people, and prospects, was delivered last evening at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Lichfield street, which was crowded from door to platform. His Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon, K. 0.8., Governor of the colony, occupied the chair. The platform was filled by a large number of ministers and gentlemen of various denominations.

The appearance of his Excellency was the signal for prolonged applause. After singing a hymn, the Rev. T. E. Oairns engaged in prayer. His Excellency then rose and said —Ladies and Gentlemen, —The chairman of a public meeting best discharges his duty by facilitating the object for which that meeting is called together. We have come here to hear the Rev. 8. Macfarlane lecture, and I shall not detain you many minutes. Mr Macfarlane went to New Guinea in 1871, and from his residence there is more able than anyone else, except Signor D’Alberti and Dr. Meckie, to give us information about that great island ; and knowing the men who have gone there as missionaries, I know them as men of largo intellect, and as one of them ha will not only give us an account of their work but of New Guinea generally, and from what I know of him it gives me great pleasure to introduce Mr Macfarlane to you. [Applause.] The Rev. S. Macfarlane said it gave him great pleasure to lecture on one of the largest and darkest islands in the world, and he wae glad that Sir Arthur Gordon was in the chair, who had gained great popularity from tho manner in.which he had governed the Native population in the Fiji Islands. In the past both missionaries and Governments had made the mistake of trying to thrust their own ideas down the Native* throats—whilst bij Excellency had tried to govern Fiji after Native ideas, bringing them up by degrees to ideas of civilisation. The same mistake had occurred in trying to govern Scotland and Ireland by English ideas, and had failed, having to be substituted by another method. He stood before them to represent the Loudon Missionary Society, whose influence for good was known all over the world, whose creed was no ism, but simply the Gospel. If tho audience before him could go to the mission field, they would see at one time tbs class teaching, as with Methodists —the influence of the missionary, a* of an Anglican Bishop—the planting of churches with independent government, es the Oongregationaliste, —or when saw him baptising ninety-five Natives at one time, they might think him a Baptist," but for the scarcity of water. He need not tell them, a* ho bed to tell bis friends in Manchester, where New Guinea was. Its native name was Papua, signifying curly hair, but wee called Now Guinea by a Spanish settler, from a fancied resemblance

of the natives to those on the Guinea Coast in Africa. In 1528, it was called the Isle of Gold, Many accounts were given them, but none very reliable. Captain Lawson wrote a book, but, unfortunately for himself, he made hia starting point a mission station, describing his ascent ot a mountain 35,000 feet high after breakfast, and his subsequent return to tea. But his ideas of latitude and longitude were sadly out, as hia figures placed the Starting point miles out at sea. The speaker thought an island 1500 miles long by 500 miles wide, as is Now Guinea, must come to the front. Its importance was recognised by some in Australia, who wished to annex it thereto. All kinds of tales wore told of it. There would be found the lost ton tribes, and also the missing link. [Laughter.] And, as the interior was a perfect terra incognita, they might yet be found there. If people, anxious to open up that big country, came, they (the missionaries) would welcome them, as they did not want to keep it to themselves. Still, he believed that missionaries wore the great pioneers of commerce. Its grand mountain i-augeo contained gold, and some eighty men came there eome time ago, but they failed, as the specks of gold found were further than they calculated from the reefs. There were also indications of iron and coal, and the flora and fauna wore the same as in Northern Australia. Cedar, ironwood and other timber abounded, ■whilst pearl shells and beoho da mer were also lo bo obtained in large quantities ; indeed, one man had boasted that ha cleared £3OOO by the latter alone in one year. He warned those who were told that land was easily acquired in New Guinea, as it passed by a sort of entail from father to son. He would remind them who thought of New Guinea to take two important factors into account, viz., fever and ague, and the easily provoked hostility of the Natives. The lecturer then proceeded to trace the people of New Guinea as some of those who came from India at the time of the Aryan invasion. Soma of them turned their attention to agriculture, which was such os to show they had other ideas than those usually attributed to savages; and they observed a day of rest, only unlike us they rested one day oat of every three. Their houses and implements were then described, and the manner in which they wielded their stone axes gave him a reverence for the stone age. Their cannibalism was next dwelt upon, but the religion of Jesus Christ was driving it away, which preached to them works its way, and as the Gospel lays hold of them and they awake to its truths, so that they drop their bad practices one by ora. The lecturer then spoke iu feeling terms of tbs late Bishop Palteson, from whom he received a letter a few weeks before the latier’a death. An eloquent description of the mission work in New Guinea and Torres Strait followed, by which it appeared the Gospel was planted along a oosot 600 miles in length ; they had thirty mission stations ; the Bible had been translated into several dialects ; and people had burnt their idols ; and their influence for good was such that at ony ot these thirty stations white men would be safe so long as they conducted themselves properly. This •was good work for eight years. The lecturer concluded by asking them not to think ho was begging, but ho wanted them to give him s, small bout to help to Like the Gospel up some of the rivers of Now Guinea, where he should be pleased to see any of them if they came. At this stage of the proceedings the collection was made.

Tho Very Rev, the Dean of Christchurch proposed, and Mr J. P. Jameson seconded, a hearty vote of thanks to tho lecturer tor his very lucid and valuable address, which was carried by acclamation. The Bev. J. Elmslie begged to move a hearty vote of thanks to his Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon for presiding at the meeting, and for his valuable address. He felt sure the representative of her Most Gracious Majesty held a very warm place in the hearts of her loyal subjects, [Hera the vast meeting rose to its feet and gave three hearty cheers, and one more for the Queen.] He would also mention that he had spent many years in that part of Scotland from which Sir A. Gordon came. Mr John Inglis seconded tho motion which was enthusiastically responded to. His Excellency thanked them for the hearty manner in which they hr.d received tho motion, and at that late hour would not say much. They would all agree that the lecture was an interesting and able one, and by it t .;oy learnt: —First —That Now Guinea possessed vost resources. Second—That residents in New Zealand would do well to think twice before they exchanged a home in Now Zealand for Now Guinea. Thirdly— That tho lecturer and his colleagues understood what they were about, and he was certain that the impression produced upon the audience was that those missionaries had no namby pamby nonsense about them, but that they wore clear-headed, able men. It had given him peculiar pleasure to listen to the lecturer, and whilst Mr Macfarlane spoke of Now Guinea he thought of Fiji, and ho could trace little points of affinity between tho natives of both places. The ways in which they preached the truth were in accord with his views. He would now refer to the words that had fallen from Mr Blmalie about the attempt on the life of the Queen, and at this; the first public meeting, he wished to state he would take upon himself to convey to her Majesty the feeling of gratitude of the colony for her deliverance from assassination, and he would call upon them to give throe hearty cheers for the Queen. [The audience again most heartily responded.] Tho doxology was then sung, and the meeting was closed by the Very Rsr. the Doan pronouncing the benediction.