Murray Island, March 10, 1384 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PRODUCTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 52, 31 May 1884, Page 4

Murray Island, March 10, 1384 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PRODUCTS.

Before writing about tho natives of New Guinea, which is to me by far the most interesting topic, I may refer more especially to the physical features of the country and its products, which will probably be a more interesting subject to many of your readers. The portion of New Guinea to which my remarks will apply, and about which I can speak from personal observation, is that occupied by the London Missionary Society, which lies between the Baxter River and East Cape— that is to say, between latitude 9deg 2min S., longitude 142deg 18min E., and latitude lOdeg 45min S., longitude 150deg 40min E. It is along tins coast that our voyages and discoveries have been made since 1871 ; and as it is now divided into three districts for missionaiy purposes— the Western, Middle, and Eastern — I had better follow that order in writing about that portion of Neiv Guinea. I shall begin with the Western, which extends from the Baxter River to Bald Head, comprising the Papuan Gulf. It was in this district that our mission was commenced ; here our most valuable discoveries have been mado ; and this, I firmly believe, will be the centre ere long of active commercial enterprise. Here lie the water ways into the interior of this great country, along whose fertile banks the finest sugar-cane may be cultivated, and on whose bosom the immense logs of valuable timber from the magnificent forests and produce from the interior may be floated down to the sea at comparatively little expense. This is the great delta of the country, and the easiest way of reaching the interior. That it should have beon so long neglected by those who profess to be anxious to explore the country is as much a matter of surprise to some as it will be of regret to others. The unhealthiness of the climate and the warlike character of the natives, combined with their cannibal propensities, have doubtless preserved this part of NeW Guinea from the intrusion of the white man. The fact that the natives came out to attack the boats of fI.M.S. Ply whon cruising off the mouth of the river, to which they gave the name of their ship, and that years afterwards, when we made tho first ascent of that river in our mission steamer Ellengowin, the natives made determined and rcpoated attempts to capture our vessel, may have led those who are evidently anxious to have their names associated with the exploration of New Guinea to feel that the chances of being able to keep their heads on their shoulders are much greater on the peninsula, especially amongst the quiet tribes in the vicinity of Port Moresby, than amongst the skull-hunters and cannibals on the main body of the island. And yet, knowing both, I would rather have to do with the latter, either for trading or religious purposes. At first we are certainly in greater danger of losing our heads amongst them, but after becoming known they more readily yield theirs and their kearts too, and become very anxious to learn, also to trade and acquire European articles, both of clothing and useful utensils, and generally to improve their surroundings. In my voyages and travels amongst the Gulf tribes (and I am not only the only missionary who ha* travelled in that part of New Guinea, but almost the only white man, except those who accompanied me) I have invariably made it a rule never to make useless journeys or run unnecessary risks. A rule of this kind is of tho very last importance to a pioneer missionary. Much valuable time, and even valuable life, may be lost by its non-observance. Speaking for myself, I can say that the rule has served me well. Wherever the interests of the mission required me to make a difficult and unpleasant journey, or to visit a savage tribe, I have not hesitated, and the result has so far been most satisfactory. With kindness and forbearance, and on one or two critical occasions a little judicious intimidation, I have been able not only to visit but to establish mission stations in the Fly River and in Alexander Milne Bay, amongst those who were generally admitted to be the most savage and warlike tribes known in New Guiuea. And it should be remembered that these two dangerous places, at the opposite ends of our mission, were considered unsafe for our mission vessel, so that I had to go with my native assistants in the mission boat.

The Land in the Gulf Distriot. The country of the Gulf district is all low land as far as we know, with the exception of a hill at the mouth of the Mabidauan River, 100 ft high, on which we are erecting a mission house, and a similar one about twenty miles up the Fly River, on the western side. lam acquainted with four of the Gulf rivers, which I have the honour of being the first European to ascend — the Baxter, Babidauan, Katau, and Fly — from the banks of which I have made journeys inland, varying in distance up to six miles, visiting villages and forming mission 3tations. The land though generally low (a large portion of it being under water during the rainy season), is a rich alluvial, in some places 10ft deep. About eight miles up the Baxter and Fly Rivers I noticed the banks in some places 20ft high, the country undulating, patches well wooded, others being covered with merely a thick scrub, all good land, and no signs of population near ; indeed, for several hundreds of miles along th 9 banks of the Fly River no trace of natives can be seen, although we found them very numerous for the first hundred miles up the river. The country abounds in the sago palm, wild nutmeg, betel nut, banana, and cocoanut trees. Immense logs of timber are obtained from the eastern side of the Fly River, from which the large war canoes are made. In my last trip up the Fly I proved what was hitherto only conjecture— that is, that one of the mouths of that great river empties itself into the gulf to the eastward of Kiwai, making what was supposed to be the eastern side of the river an island thirty miles long, and the mouth of the Fly River as many miles wide, with an island in the middle. We have not yet visited the places and people in the gulf to the east of the Fly River, but are working in that direction as well as into the interior. This district is by far the most important part of New Guinea not claimed by the Dutch either for governmental, commercial, or religious purposes. The interior is easily reached from this point. A dep6t should be formed on one of the islands in Torres Strait near the Fly River— say Bramble Cay or Darnley Island. The latter we find most convenient for missionary oper tions. It is central, healthy, has good wa^er, good anchorage, and is unquestionably the most fertile and beautiful island in Torres Strait. A Government station here would command the strait and be an excellent depdt and sanatorium for operations in the gulf.

The South-East Peninsula, We now come'to the S.E. Peninsula, the central district of our mission, which extends

from Bald Head to Orangerie Bay, and is now under the superintendence of Messrs Lawes and Chalmers, who are settled at Port Moresby. I have not yet visited the Great Bight of New Guinea, or, as it 'is more generally called, the Papuan Gulf, east of the Fly River ; nor yet the Peninsula west of Freshwater Bay ; and at the latter place I did not land, as I was merely looking for a safe harbour as a base for mission work west of Yule Island, not finding which I established a mission there. But the east side of the gulf is said to have " a bold and rocky shore, with extensive coral reefs." The Peninsula is exceedingly mountainous. When visiting the hill tribes about Munikaili, twenty-five or thirty miles inland from port Moresby, I was surprised and disappointed to find, from the summit of a mountain 3,000ft high, the country looking so mountainous. We were then supposed to be about twenty-five miles from Mount Owen Stanley, and as far as we could see in every direction the hills seemed to rise tier upon tier in the wildest confusion. The highest mountains on the Peninsula are Mount Owen Stanley, which is 13,205ft ; Mount Suckling, 11,226ft; and Mount Yule, 10,046ft. There are also numerous others of great altitude. " There is a back range of very lofty mountains not shown on the chart, running east and west on the other side of the Owen Stanley llange, with a great deep gorge dividing the two ranges. The Owen Stanley Range runs out about ten miles to the west of Mount Yule, the back range continuing to the west as far as the oye can reach, right into the heart of New Guinea, with numerous lofty mountains hitherto not observed by travellers." The healthiest part of the Peninsula is doubtless the vicinity of Port Moresby, which is a dry, barren locality compared with the country to the east and west. In the latter districts there is more rain, richer land, and altogether much finer and more fruitful country. Probably the finest tracts of land on the whole peninsula are to be found in the vicinity of Yule Island ; and the splendid harbour there between that island and the main land makes Hall Sound the most valuable port on the peninsula, it being the one nearest the rich country of the Gulf. Yule Island itself is a beautiful and fertile country. I have been there many times and travelled all over it. M. D'Albertis has lived on it for about a year ; and we both, as well as others, consider that Hall Sound is the best place on the peninsula for a settle ment, with a view to govern or open up the country. If the Government — Imperial or Colonial— is going to form a few stations on the New Guinea Coast, one should be on Darnley Island, for the west side of the Gulf, and another on Yule Island, for the east side. Communication between these two point** is easily accomplished, their being a fair wind both ways during both monsoons ; and this is a very important point, as Thursday Island (where the mail steamers call) is within boating distance from Darnley, to which port there will soon be telegraphic communication

Abortive Attempts at Exploration. The fact of our having a mission station at Port Moresby has led to several fruitless and disastrous attempts to explore the country. Being situated about 200 miles from the main body of the island, there has been, and always will be, trouble about carriers. No one has crossed the peninsula yet, although it is only ninety mile* broad ; nor even reached Mount Owen Stanley, which is but tifty miles from the coast. So that to attempt to explore the interior of the country from Port Moresby is a useless waste of time, energy, money, and even life. A party might take their tent and supplies in a boat, and going with the tide up the Fly River, reach, with comparative ease, safety, and little expense, the very heart ot New Guinea, and there form a depot and commence their travels.

Missionary Discoveries. In the earlier years of the mission Mr Lawes and I made some important discoveries of harbours, rivers, and islands along the southern side of the peninsula, the most valuable of which are the fine harbours on the eastern side of Hood and Orangeiie Bays, and the one between Stacey Island (supposed to be South Cape) and the mainland. About Hood Bay there is some good land. In a walk round that large bay, from Hula to Kerepunu, I saw the most extensive and best-made plantations I have seen in New Guinea. Up the rivers on each side of the bay I have also seen good country, although we had to pass through a nasty mangrove swamp before reaching that at the head of Hood Lagoon. Aroma is a thickly-populated, sandy peninsula. Entering McFarlane Harbour, sailing across Marshall Lagoon, and up the Devitt River, we passed through many miles of low country, but there appeared to be very good land beyond. Cloudy Bay is true to its name, for, although I have passed it many times, I have never seen it clear. The high mountains which are near the coast are generally enveloped in clouds, and the country thereabouts has the appearance of getting far more than its share of rain. From Orangerie Bay to East Cape is the eastern branch of our mission, to which two missionaries are about to be appointed from England. When Mr Chalmers joined our mission he chose as his district that portion of the peninsula between Orangerie Bay and the Leocadie Islands, settling at a small village on Stacey Island on account of the harbour there, the only place where there is now a mission station in that district. I, at the same time, established mission stations on both sides of Aloxander Milne Bay, on two of the islands in China Straits, and on Teste Island. These stations are still occupied, and our Loyalty Island teachers have been wonderfully successful in their work amongst the natives. All around Milne Bay, and along both sides of East Cape, the natives are anxious to obtain teachers to instruct them. During my last visit I formed several new stations in that district. There is not much, however, to tempt a foreigner (unless he be a missionary) in this eastern branch. The only piece of good country anything like level lies between Mullens Harbour and Milne Bay. The natives are numerous, and require nearly the whole of the land for their plantations.

Mineral Wealth. There may be, and probably is, mineral wealth amonget the mountains of the peninsula ; but the ore must be very rich to make it payable, as the expenses would be great. That gold exists in New Guinea has been long known. I myself obtained from the bed of the Baxter River ample proof of this fact two years before traces of it were discovered on the peninsula. The fact is that notwithstanding all the writing about it and searching for it nothing more has yet been discovered that might not be obtained in almost any river in Queensland. The locale of payable gold has yet to be discovered in New Guinea. That it is found amongst the sand and mud of rivers in almost imperceptible quantities is a fact of little value, seeing that gold is the most widely distributed of all metals, and that these small grains may have travelled hundreds of miles from the parent stock.

Fine Sugar Growing Country. Although we may not know where payable gold exists in New Guinea, we do know where there is plenty of fine sugar-growing country and plenty of splendid timber, and

with these valuable birds in the hand, the others had better for a time be left in the bush. Our recent discovery of Port Spicer, in the Fly River, which can be reached at all seasons by vessels of 200 or 300 tons burden, and the establishment of mission stations on both sides of the river, will greatly facilitate the acquisition of both land and timber, of which there is an abundance not required by the natives. Vessels of any size can always find shelter at any season in the Missionary Passage, under the Warrior Reef, near Bristow Island, whence the Fly can be reached in comparatively smooth water, even in the S.E. season, by what I call the back entrance, viz., behind Bri&tow and Bampton Islands, which is the way I generally go in our small craft, the Venture, but is only suitable for boats of ten or fifteen tons. The proximity of Thursday Island, where supplies of every kind can be got at the extensive stores of Burns, Philp. and Co., seems to point to the Fly River as decidedly the best point from which to reach the treasures of the country. Nature has made it the ThameB of New Guinea.