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Grey River Argus, Issue 73, 30 June 1866, Page 3

"■'■'■ ;. - - ■" v ■ ■■;'.- . ■.. - ■"- - ■.'■'.■ 5 r ■ r - *We quote the exact official^ words t3ist \th^''may'Wupdpabt'>bo^t'.the:stai^ent:* ~ " Un deuxieme cpnyoi de 200 homines, choisis parmi >les. forcats astreints, paiS la nature de leur condemnation, a la resulimce ; pe^?el!Mettfl,.est p^rti de Toulon, le 20 J.|n,, : 186?, suHairiga^ Ja Sibylle, " \ T

sidering the almost proverbial bungling of the French in colonial matters, a very pretty penny may be turned by Australians in this direction. An island containing 1200 square leagues, with a very fertile soil and excel--1 lent climate, ought* to be able to support a very denßO population. But savages are never prolifiic, and by some fatality, partly from disease and partly from internecine wars, the South Sea Islanders have been steadily decreasing, and seem, according to the native traditions, to have been doing so even before the arrival of the Europeans. In all New Caledonia, even reckoning in the contiguous islands, there are at most 42,000 inhabitants divided into 27 rival tribes, which are always quarrelling among themselves. They are in general strongly built, but anything but pleasant looking. They are much darker than the Polynesians, but much lighter than the negro. The hair is woolly, forehead low, and lips rather protuberent. Father Montroxizin, who lived a long .time amongst them, thinks that they came from the south of Australia, because they entertain the distinction of castes, the taboo, practice circumcision, use a language of etiquette to the chiefs, with a multitude of other resemblances. Their origin does not much matter. Their character seems, according to the worthy father, to be something diabolical. " I have been studying these people these many years," ho writes, "and have not been able to detect in them a single virtue. They are intelligent, it is true, but lazy, thievish, cowardly, cruel, and proud beyond description." To keep these undesirable subjects who are always in insurrection, in order, the force at the disposal of the French, is certainly not too great. We turned to this portion of the report .with considerable curiosity, as it had' been currently reported that they are making a new Gibraltar of the island; as a " point d'appui " against Australia in case of a war with England.. The entire force is given at 904 men, 100 artillerymen, 30 gens d'armes, 472 mariners, 292 militia, and 3 engineers, an army with which we fancy, one-half of our volunteers single-handed could very easily deal.