New Guinea.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2820, 27 February 1878, Page 3

New Guinea.

The Brisbane Courier is publishing a series of articles on " New Guinea: Historical and Descriptive," embracing the principal discoveries of the last century. The following brief topographical description of places Tisited will be found of interest :— The Gulf of Papua is an indentation of the coast, extending 196 miles acrossTrom Bampton Island to Cape Suckling, and is about 80 miles in width. The shores of this extensive bay are low, and, with the exception of Aird Hill and Albert Mountains, the west and northern coasts presents no objects of sufficient elevation to ■erve as marks for making them from seaward. From Bampton Point to Aird Hirer not a single eminence could be seen above the level outline of this extensive country. It is wooded to the water's edge, the tops of the trees in many parts ranging from 100 to 150 feet in height above the level of the sea. _ j The numerous fresh water openings in { this portion of the coast appear to be the delta of some vast river, forming by its deposits a continuation of mud flats, and banks of hard fine black sand extending from six to twenty-five miles off shore ; the latter extent is eastward of Prince Biver, and the former is off Cape Black* wood. A reference to a chart of. NewGuinea will show that it is quite possible for this river to have a direct course of 350 miles. The population of this great delta appeared to be immense, as villages were seen at every part visited ; but it was foucijy impossible to hold friendly communict^on with the inhabitants, in consequence of their implacable hostility. The vegetation of this country is totally different from that of Australia; the cocoanut, breadfruit, plantain, sago palm, and sugar-cane growing here in the greatest luxuriance, plainly indicating the richness of the soil. A few pigs rosembjing the wild boar were seen at one of the villages, but no other quadrupeds. Fly Biver, a broad opening in the low wooded country, is 6 miles wide at its mouth, where the water was found to be fresh. Captain Blackwood went a short distance up this river, but was obliged to return from the hostility of the nuaierqus native* residing on its banks. Ninemilea outside the estuary the water was nearly freih at the last of the ebb. There are depths of 4 and 6 fathoms at the mouth; but a bank with 3 feet on it, 7 miles eastward of Breakfast Point, and extensive flats to the southward, prevent the river from being available for ships drawing much water. On the shore was a native village, apparently long deserted, one of the buls in which, war 80 feet long and 20 feet b?oad,'raised from the ground on four idws of poits 4 feet high, the roof forming an obtuse angle. This building w»» divided by partitions in£ apartments opening into each other by doors »nd hinges; entrance was obtained into the two end rooms from the gal)leß,'and to

tho others from tho sides. The floor nnd partions were made of the exfoliations or peelings of the loddy }nl , with Iha leaves of which the roof was thatched.

A river, which has been natucd the ird, falls into the sea by a broad estuary between Risk Point aud Cape Blackwo ; but a bnr, on which were heavy rollers, extends across. The Aird was examined by Captain Blackwood for twenty miles above ifisk Point, and its average breadth seldom found to exceed a quarter of a mile, with irregular soundings of from 1 to 5 fathoms. Although the general course of the river is direct, it is in sorao parts tortuous, with numerous creeks runuiiii; off in every direction. The banks and adjacent country are flat, scarcely above tho sca-levol at high water, and covered with denso woods growing on muddy ground. For the first dozen miles above Bisk Point mangroves abound, but above that distance lofty forest trees cover thecountry. No inhabitants were metwith until the farthest point was reached, when a numerous tribe was encountered, and an immense barn-shaped house seen. The natives were so daring and hostile that they openly attacked the Prince George, a cutter of 70 tons, lent by the New South Wales Government to serve as a tender to H.M.B. Fly, and the boats with which Captain Blackwood and his exploring parly ascended the river, though the latter were well armed and quite prepared. Should a vessel enter any of the numerous rivers which here empty themselves into the sea, for the purpose of watering, refitting, or trading with the natives, she ought to be well-armed and prepared against surprise. Deception Bay, an extensive inlet 20 miles long and 9 broad, received its name from at first presenting every appearance of a good deep entrance to some large navigable river, but after a very careful examination no channel could be found through the shallows in either of the openings, which are evidently the mouths of some considerable river, as several large trees and trunks of the sago palm were seen drifting down. Off M'Clatchie Point, in 1846, Lieutenant Yule, in command of the Bramble and Castlereagh, fell in with a canoe of extraordinary dimensions and appearance. It was about sixty feet in length and twenty feet in breadth, and appeared to be a treble or quadruple canoe, with a platform covering nearly the whole; this platform was enclosed by bulwarks of cane five or six feet high, which supported another platform or sort of upper deck. It had masts and two large sails, stretched between long poles, spread like the letter V; .there were also several square sails, some suspended like studding sails. The number of the crew appeared to be between forty and fifty, most of whom were on the platform, stringing their bows and preparing for a fight. This part of the coast appeared populous and fertile, from the number of villages and cocoanut groves seen.

Freshwater Bay was so named fr©m the Bramble and Castlereagh having filled their tanks by bailing the fresh water up from the surface of the sea where the vessels were at anchor, the body of water running out of this river being so great as to be quite.fresh at least two or three miles ofr shore. It was procured in a perfectly pure state by anchoring the boats a few yards from the vessels, and filling the casks overboard- by allowing the water at the surface to run in at the bungholes. For a vessel of weak force in want of water, this will be found a very convenient place to get a supply; for, although there is an abundance of fresh water along the southern coast of .New Guinea, no water party would be secure from the attacks of the natives on shore-without the protection of a strong armed force.

The country in the neighborhood of Cape Possession was found to be thickly populated, and the inhabitants were apparently far more advanced towards civilisation and less hostile than those of the coasts to the westward; they were well made, active, and intelligent, varying in shades from nearly black to a light copper color; and they had some regard for decency, being clad with n so. '*%■s* native cloth. Lieutenant Yule landed at Cape Possession in 1846, for the purpose of obtaining surveying observations and after having taken possession of the country in .the name of Queen Victoria he attempted to re-embark, but the boat was upset in the surf; and, being without the means of defence, he and his party were at the mercy of 100 natives, armed with spears, clubs, and hatchets, but after possessing themselves of everything within their reach they suffered Yule and his companions to escape.