THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED. DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1531, 1 July 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED. DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1873.

It is many years since the greatest of the Alexanders wept because there were no more worlds for him to conquer. Notwithstanding the magnitude of his conquests, his geographical knowledge was incomplete ; his facilities for effecting discoveries inferior to his fighting power. Columbus, Cavendish, Cook, and a host of heroes have since followed, him and found new worlds, as it were, and yet the list is not ended. Year by year, even up to the present, new continents are* being traversed, and new nations "interviewed" by pioneers of civilisation. The latest and most interesting expedition with this result is one of which we only hear by the last mail from Melbourne. The country which not many months ago attracted the migratory miner, but which, through melancholy disaster overtaking the party of pioneers, failed to be reached— the island of New Guinea — has since been visited by her Britannic Majesty's steamship Basilisk, and a brief but very interesting account of the expedition is contained in the Australian papers to hand by the Rangitoto. According to the description given, the Basilisk has cruised along and -surveyed several parts of the coast of New Guinea which are said to have never before been visited by British ship or civilised man ; and the account given by her commander, Captain Moresby, goes to dispel many delusions which were entertained as to the character of the country and its inhabitants. His narrative is, in fact, so far favorable as to warrant the belief that, before any very long time, colonial enterprise will be directed towards this hitherto little known country, and that, if it is not settled from the Colonies, it will at least contribute considerably to their commerce. Already it is. said that Captain Moresby has formally taken possession of the island in the name of the Queen, but, whether this be confirmed or not, there is no doubt that such trade as it may present will very soon be possessed by some of our colonial merchants and shipowners, and, if there is even a hint of the country containing gold, the miner will not be slow to follow. As far as the first account goes, it leads us to infer that there is a fine country, with superior harbors, and a people well disposed, and by no , means living the life of the simple savage. The first cruise made by the Basilisk, we are told, was made on the extreme southeast coast of -New, Guinea, and there was found a very fine harbor, surrounded by an undulating beautiful country — the hills stony • and of poor soil, but fairly grassed, and timbered with scattered gum trees, the valleys and plains rich, fertile, and.extensively cultivated. And the people by whom it is possessed are described as being ail of a light copper-colored race,' and of a most friendly arid hospitable disposition— so much so that the Basilisk's officers and men were in the. habit cf moving about amongst them -with perfect confidence and mutual good feeling. They are apparently also rather advanced in the arts, some beautiful specimens of their industry having been brought by the Basilisk. The second; cruise was on the extreme eastern coast of the same island. Here again, the existence of fine harbors is mentioned— an extensive bay thirty miles in length j and sfrom ten to fifteen miles in breadth, being one of the features of the coast line, and of the country and its population it is said : — " The whole of this part of New Guinea may be described as fertile and rich in the extreme. The scenery is strikingly grand and magnificent. The natives, an active and intelligent copper-colored race, always exhibited the most friendly and quiet disposition towards the Basilisk's ship's company, and willingly supplied large quantities of yams, bananas, sugarcane, papaws, and other tropical productions for small pieces of iron hoop. We hear that Captain Moresby invariably gave the bluejackets leave to go on shore at the various native villages, and that the best results ensued." Though the ship herself was naturally or necessarily often in critical situations in these unknown seas, % she fortunately escaped without serious casualty of any kind, and it is believed that, with some further survey made, a thoroughly safe route will be found for shipping engaged in the Australian and China trade. This, of itself, will be one important result to the cruise of the Basilisk, which is otherwise spoken of in the Queensland journals, which are the media of our information, as being one of the most important which has been undertaken for many years in the way of opening country hitherto .unknown to any but its primitive inhabitants.