New Guinea.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 67, 18 August 1885, Page 2

New Guinea.

An ex-convict, Humbert by name, a condemned cPinmunist, who was sent to New Caledoriia and lived'there for eight years, giv.is his opinion of the prospects of that colony? as follows :— ♦' The agriCiiltural resources are nil, absolutely nil. Such crops of sutrar and coffee as the - free colonists have b«en able to raise have hitherto invariably been destroyed every other year, if not more frequently, by swarms of locusts, against which there is no remedy. As for raising cereals, I must suppose that .the.. {hing has beentried and failed, because everything m the shape of farinaceous and animal food has to be .-imported* from Brisbane, Sydney, qndjßkewhlre, which leads me to the conclusion- :^t the same time ;that the land will not 'do for even grazing purposes. "With, regard .- 'to the mirierakp/oducts, great strews^rlaidiupon , the^existen^Bi of the only one 'ihe^engin. eers' have; 'f ouqd up till • now^namely, nickel. But 'there is no demand 'for nickel m the European markets, at least not to the extent that would make mining for it, we will nojt day prpfftable^but merely 'sufficient to pay"- bare bxpenjies. Belgium usss it instead of copper, Money; , the rest of the. utilised for ■ planting purposes. vßut seeing- liuit one can plate I do not: know how many dozens of spoons and : f arks for less than a penny, the revenue aerJLyed from nickel is already pitiful smaU^-that" is, when the ,si|p^.dpeSinotexC9^;^.^nan|[. I lefcve you tp^ guess what it i iwfillw $er^heni it is produced, m enormous' quaniitiesV'