NEW GUINEA.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 160, 29 March 1872, Page 6

NEW GUINEA.

: Three weeks agathe Ipria left Port Jackson, having oil board, the^avatit r couriers and of* a projected colony at New Guinea. Gre.it and general interest throughoutthe Colonies must attach to the progress of this (expedition, for, if the! reports that have been brought back from these mysterious shores are' not extreme" exaggerations, there is that' ia New Giiine> which will no irieonsiderabh excifemerit in the N Colonies, ihat tIU peculiar 1 ;physicaf of indicate the probable presence ;6f gol. in targe quantities can hardly be ques tioriedi a belief that is .confirmed no; only by the traditional tales of travel lers, but even by recent as ertionsfron those who have come in contact wit! the Papuan natives. It is known thi-t the great u pheavai of the earth that has exposed gold, and made a line; of i" diggings " from Mount Maeedon, in Victoria, to'the Gilbert range, in the York Peninsula, reaches its highest altitude in New Guinea, where the mountains under a tropical sun,'ascend far away beyond the limits of perpetual snow, with table lands, and mountain spur*, and wild ravines extending throughout the length and breadth of the island.

But it is not for its golden prospects alone that this large island of the tropics is invested with interest. By its side the Fijis and Navigators, and Hawaiian Islands, and th£ Pacifir Ocean of which we hear so much, ar£ ; scarcely. to be? mentioned';for 'extent oI f surface and probableyahiety; !aud! value ; of productions . Its Jow-lyina: coast lands, and rich alluvial plain*, known to exist-in the neighborhood of fiiie navigable rivers, i an hot fail to rival the •spice islands of the Netherlands' India, .and cotton fields of Fiji; while the s ' elevated pleteaux that in K, its jlofty { ranges must afford a climate similar to that for which. Quito arid the celebrated valleys of the Andies are so favored. A tropical climate tempered by extreme elevation is known to conjstitute the most delicious of the..-fcli': j mates of the world", arid this luxury is I almost of a certainty to be had on the lofty table lands of Central New Guinea; while as the physicaljeontour of the country is so peculiar/ vre may fairly anticipate that the island is capable of yielding productions of a variety perhaps unequalled by any country in the world. ' r " "

(From the Sockhampfon Argus.)

Our readers are aware that an expedition started lately from Sydney to New Guinea, and that other parties are beihi; forrnv-d tor tHe purpose of literally prospering the cquhirj: The accounts which reached -Sydney of the soil, the variety of productions, and, above all, the gold ornaments worn by the natives, fired the imaginations of diggers, and others of an adventurous and money and stores are being readily furnished iir order- to fit out the vessels; \V> find that those who have started subscribed £ 10 each, and merchants and storekeepers provided the rations. The people of -frockhampton are exhibiting great interest in these expeditions, and are expressing their opinions that it woul 1 be advisable for this town to take an active part in the movement. Many of our leading men have stated their willingness to aid and assist, and numerous youn*

men have; already undertaken to nstart, : and to \psg, Sown .a certain sum of mbney. Before furtHer on <hVsubject, we- will to, give *as clear an account Of Papiiii, or New Guinea;-as the slender information- furnished bythose wHo'haVfe visited the 'island iviif per;Wlr:; ,o?J; turning to; the ma £~ New Guinea -mil. be"seen to be a large isknd '^ orm \ n o ? ne °f'the-' group of the Indian bet ween 8 deg. latitude; and 131 deg. 20 minutes CAst longitude. In length it is about 1500 miles from east to-west,; and its breadth from 200 to' 406 'miles. serrated: on the south, by Torres and from the Malaccas on the west by the Gololo Passk<?e; "It is directly opposite to the Gulf of Carpentaria. 'Although dissio; kithe the sixteenth century,very, little ia known of the interior of the country, or of the habits and customs of the people. ; Tht» Voasts are generally huh atid witli': : sloping down into, the ; sea; but opposite to Torres Straits the shore is. marshy and covered with vast forests. It ha* been that in 'the interior ;there firelpfty mountains continually covered with snow, and that volcanyes are lierce and numerous. But few quadrupeds are known to be in existence, !\ u vjiich are various species of thekanga•ob. Birds are plentiful,"parrots and -. he celebrated birds of paradise bear; ■sft immense numbers; The timber is afge and valuable ; amongst which we '' nay /mention the Camphor. ~.. Fruits are dentit'ul, and those kinds which are cultivated in Australia are grown in ;reat abundance by the natives. "Oa the West Coast," says an authority, " there are numerous Malay settlenents, but the "bulk of the inhabitants is composed of negroes, who are distinguished from those of Africa: by the narrowness arid laterarcbmpression of >he head, the smailness of the chin, the . xeessive thjckness of the lips, and the «>readth of the nostrils ; the nose being ■:iften curved downwards by the weight of gold oMamints attached to it. The '.habitations on the coast are built oa • piles, with.a. sort of bridge extending above high water mark; a dwelling of this kind is occupied by several families. The turniture cousists of several mats, ah earthen pot, a hearth, &c. The men appear to be employed only; in war and in the chase." Later accounts state that gold appears tb be ; plentiful, and that the perfectly uncivilised, are not unfriendly. ;

• EXTRAOBDIKARY MaBBIAOE IN Yo&KsttntE.—We copy/from the 'Edinburgh Weekly Slagazirie; ' &r f the 23rd Oct., ffs> account of a marriage in the county of'Ycirk : Sept. 23rd. At Snaith, 'in Yorkshire, John Harrison, of Oowick, aged 101, to Ann Hephonstall, aged 98 ; the bridesmaid . was 75, arid the bridegroom's man 83. They were attended by the greatest concourse-of people, to and from the church, that was ever known upon such an occasion. The lady he has now, taken to, be his bride is the fourth wife within the space of two years and a few months; and what is still more remarkable, the bridegroom was in hopes he should once more be called to that holy state, by making use of the following Speech to the clergy, man who joined this couple together, viz,, " Come, man, it is only 3s. 6d. I paid thee last; therefore don't advance upon us; I've been a uood customer, and if thou usest me well, I may be a customer to thee in *# short time.'', .;. .. .\-. '\ ""' 1573 ounces of gold, we~e obtained out.of the Caledonian claim for one week:; .Shares are at £25. The Bismarck\ claim, next the Tokatea, has*, struck heavy gold. Shares have <*one up from•6s. to j22s. •:-. ■■ , ;..,',' r- *