CRUISE OF THE SANDFLY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1676, 17 December 1873, Page 2

CRUISE OF THE SANDFLY.

[SYDNEY MORNING, HERALD, DEC. 2.] • The second schooner built by Mr Cuthhert for the Imperial Navy, for the suppression of the slave trade, arrived yesterday evening, after an absence of nearly six months. The voyage is full of incident that will doubtless prove interesting, and by the courtesy of her commander, Lieutenant Nowell, we glean the following particulars of her trip :— The Sandfly left Sydney on the 22nd June, her mission being to cruise around the various islands forming the Solomon Group. She arrived at Makaira on 4th July. The first case of importance occurred on the 30th August, on which date the British brig Aurora was fallen in with, and there beiyig.. 11 natives on board under suspicious circumstancesi the ship was taken possession of, and being placed in charge of an officer, was despatched to this port for adjudication. The particulars of this seizure have already appeared. The Saudfly then proceeded to the Duke of York Island, to institute inquiries respecting the seizure of the schooner Lavinia, and it was found that the vessel was destroyed the day after being captured. At Duke of York Island the Kate Kearney, of Sydney, was fallen in with, and Lieutenant No well gave Captain Fergusson, of the Kate Kearney, permission to capture, if possible, the chief or king named King Tom, who had been the leading man in the seizure of the Lavinia, but cautioning him that no aggressive measures should be used ; and in the event of his being taken, he was to be placed on board one of her Majesty's ships. The cruise was continued round the various islands forming the Solomon Group, and scientific information obtained as to . the outlying reefs, &c. At one part of the coast off which the Sandfly anchored, the following incident occurred : — The natives of the hill, or as they are designated, bush tribes, are at deadly enmity with the beach or shore natives. The daughter of a bush man had married one of the beach tribe ; the father, anxious to see his child, ventured from his hills, and by stratagem an interview was effected with his daughter, but during this interview the husband suddenly came'on the scene, and at once tomahawked the parent in the presence of the daughter. The m urcl er took place on the 19th September, on which date the Sandfly put in an appearance. The custom of the natives in this locality" is simply to roast and eat the bodies of their enemies, and this was being actually carried out but for the timely advent of the cruiser. Lieutenant No well learning the particulars

at once took prompt measures, communicating by means of an interpreter his intention of burning the village unless the dead body was given up. His threats had the desired effect, and the chief was compelled not only to bring the corpse alongside, but afterwards to tow it to sea and sink it. This being accomplished, presents were given to the chief. On October 4, the schooner arrived at Port Praslin, where it was found that some 80 canoes, fully manned, from a neighboring ■island, were busily employed in skull?hifiiting and slave-catching. The practice jppears to be that when a strong tribe makes a foray, the older branches of the weaker lot are at once killed and eaten, the skulls being alone retained, while the children are seized and' taken into slavery j but the sudden appearance of one of H.M.s schooners in this instance brought affairs to a very different termination. Lieutenant Nowell on the following day, manned and armed the boats, himself proceeding in the whaler, and placing Me Bourd, the gunner, in charge of the gig, in which was fixed a rocket-tube. The party started at half-past one p.m. The gig was anchored 800 yards from the shore, and the rockettube brought to bear on the village. Lieutenant Nowell then pulled in, and by means of the interpreter gave the aggressive tribe to understand that within ah hour the slaves must be liberated and the heads given up; or he would fire the village. The effect is described as electrical. The cauoes were at once launched, and all the alive and dead spoil left on the beach, but to teach a lesson, and as a wholesome warning of what might be the result, as soon as the canoes were well clear of the gig a rocket was fired across their stern 3, which effected a complete stampede. On Lieutenant Nowell and his party landing, they found fourteen children whose parents had been killed, and a number of skulls', some of them being on the fire for the purpose of removing the flesh. That night the liberated captives were left in charge of the principal chief, and the next day were sent 'rejoicing to their homes, with presents of tobacco, pipes, and biscuit. The chief was also compelled to bring all the skulls alongside the schooner, and then take them out to sea and sink them, and on his return was presented with some presents of tobacco, &c. When at Rubi- ! ana, on the twelfth of Optober, the Traveller, schooner, of Sydney, was boarded, she hid obtained a large' quantity of beche-de-mer and ' tortoiseshell, but the vessel was in a fearfully leaky condition. The Kate Kearney had also a fair cargo on board when spoken at Duke of York's Island. The Hobarfc Town whaler Victoria was communicated with at St. Cris- ' toval, and, again at sea on twelfth of September, all well, but with a poor take.