LATEST FROM NEW GUINEA.

Kumara Times, Issue 597, 27 August 1878, Page 2

LATEST FROM NEW GUINEA.

The Cook Town correspondent of the 'Melbourne “Argus” telegraphed on August 12th as follows tl.M.b. Sappho has arrived from Port Moresby, which she left on the 17th inst., wanting coals. Captain

Digby reports that affairs at Port

Moresby were ; bad. Great numbers were doing nothing, and in a state of great destitution and misery, and from want of provisions. He had visited the main camp at Laloki. and f >nnd all the men either ill or recovering. He; says their state is moat pitiful, with no. work and no prospects whatever. From the character of the country, as de*‘ scribed by the diggers, there seems to be nothing but dense tropical vegetation, with continual rain. There is no open country. The worst calamity that'can befall Australia is the’ disco-

very of gold, for working in such a climate and country will kill nearly all who go to it. He considers New Guinea unfit for habitation," except along the coast. As passengers the Sappho has brought five of the Colonist party, viz.:—E. Hanran, Ferguson, J. and W. Armstrongs atfd Goethe'; also a colored man, Spraule >: belonging to the Annie, a bechede-mer and trading vessel on the coast. At Kepjwl Point, forty miles from Port’ Moresby, the natives being dissatisfied with the trade with the'whites,-, a fight, ensued, in which Spranle was severely wounded in the stomach: by a apeatvHo. and three others were. taken in; aconveyance from a boat to the hospital, being too ill to walk.

On the next day the same correspond dent sent the message subjoined :—-John 1 Hanran, one of the Colonist party, has ' arrived here, very ill. He gives particulars of several excui’Rions by members of the Colonist party into the country from Laloki Camp.without finding gold. During the trip-of the; party they saw. many villages, which contained 1000 inhabitants, whel were all friendly and appeared anxious; ; to assist and feed them .with yams and sugar-cane. At one place they found: ; a village on the fiigh bank of.a river,^• with a ladder ascending 60f1., and . houses built on platforratf in the highest branches of trees. One portion of thei party returned to camp after tbirty two days’ absence, two of them beitfg very' ill. In the.course of the, return trip , the party saw sugayctjne and yams of an immense size. •- -Hanran abd"Others - still say that good gold m nat exist, and they now propose the top of the camp, crossing a small range to N.W., from which the gold found in ' the Goldie river is supposed to‘ haye come, and then reach- another river ” . which is supposed to run under the Owen Stanley Rapge, in the direction of Red Scar Hay. . The Emily party • £ will probably join the rennant of the Colonist party in .this attempt. Tflftiea ' Hanran left the rivers were still flooded. He believes that it never stopped, raid-., ing in the Owen Stanley Range while- ; the party were out He states that the range, although but forty miles • from the; coast, was only once seen by the party, owing to continual mist. The* ‘ total distance traversed by the Colonist party is 370 miles, and not half a grain * of gold has yet been discovered.