Atripto New Guinea by way of Australia.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2379, 21 August 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

Atripto New Guinea by way of Australia.

■<, (By an oiiD: MAsteutonian), Having resolved on visiting New V ; Guinea Heft Wellington March 9th, , , . . 1886, by the barque Sophia Lulling V-/Captain Forister, in ballast for New; : castle N, S, W. After a due passage ' ' of ten'days we went oil to' Sydney by one of the regular steam boats which leave Newcastle -every. evening getting ... . alongside of the wharf at Sydney at daylight'in.the morning. Willi the ... exception of some nai row, dirty streets ; : ..r -■ Sydney is a fine place, , The -Botanical ■ Gardens are lovely in the 'extreme. / • Thero you soe thousands of different t - species of plants from all parts of the world New Zealand largely included, Its terraces, gradually inclining to the „ • . . beautiful bay, its ininaturo lakes with waterfowl, Government House not far •• distant, with ils romantio ' grounds, ; makes up a picture that in all my 'travels I : never gazed on the liko; beforo, Hyde Park.is another tine.pla'ce, and a great boon to the public on a hot day, Yon can turn out of the busy thorough- ■ , fares and enjoy the breeze, it being a i-higher, elevation than its surroundings. .-Sunday is. a great day in'the Park -"-There -are'are Salvation Armies, Blue ' • Ribbon Armies'with their bauds, ' " m.ethodists; temperance lecturers, radi- ;' • c'al lecturers, urging the people to put . down the present. Government, free- , thought and other lecturers, The V . mott conspicuous talker was.- a man named Perry, a reclaimed-drunka'nl., ■' Ho is tall in person and loud in voice, and frequently in his discourse shows ; fight, in IhosH "-parks there stalks " misery hand in hand with luxury, One v •: side yon see gay equipages, on the other poverty in its worst form,' Many are the men that lay in the parks at night who have not the means to pay i- J for a bed. You need not go short jw amusement in' Sydney., There are theatres in plenty,-races every week,. cricket matches and trotting matches -every. Saturday. Randwick, where horse-racing is held, is -also- a pretty ' ■' place, There is a grand museum and ' ' Zoological garden and Paddy's Market ' , on a Saturday night is one of the most comical places I have yet seen, 'TliQ.re »re methodist preachers, quack doctors, -. merry-go-rounds, performing men and •■• women in ballet costume, performing : ' ; monkeys, punch and judy shows, sword Bwallowers, snake charmers, and many'- . others too numerous to mention, such a babe) of voices, such blowing of trumpets, and beating of drums, all lit up with the glaro of hundreds of Naptha and Parafine. I met an old •Mastertonian in Sydney. • He was " had" by one of the quack doctors with which Sydney abounds, to the ; tune of £15,. ..It was a simple case o£ indif gestion which tho quack magnified into a dangerous disease which might prove fatal at any time, Tho victim would not' spend sixpence on a oharitable purpose, yet one of the ' Sydney sharpers overreached him ilthough lie was so canny. The Sydney Geological Society was fitting up an expedition for New Guinea, I tried to join it, but having no friend in office my labours wore all in vain. From Sydney" I wont to Brisbane, a two days sail. Brisbane' is a.fine place, well laid out, with clean wide streets at right angles on the banks of a fine river, There are a number of sugar- plantations and aboriginals to be met with after leav--■ing. Brisbane. From Brisbane I went' to Maryborough, on the. Mary River, a large, well-laid-out town, doing' but little business, From thence to Rockbampton, on the Fitzroy river, another well-laid-out town, with .-a grand suspension bridge, Then on lq ; • Townsville, a hot uucoinfortable hole. fl was glad to get out of Townsville. It.must be near ..the latitude of the new diggings. There was fever all around. From Townsville I wont to 'Cooktown, where I was run in for a Russian tpy, I had gone to the top of the flagstaff. Hill, and the .keeper invited me into his verandah. He gave me&obair, and I pulled out my i .-- sketch book and commenced sketching , t .the harbor, when suddenly I had my ~ ~'sketch book snatched out of .my hand by the keeper, who asaumed a defiant : attitude, with arms at his command, ---Baying,-"J have my suspicions of you, You must stay here." Biit to show ;. : : that there was no animosity he brought out a bottle of mm and a box ot pigars, placing them on the table, me to help myself. " I 'have / " ni}V orders," he said, '■ to report all ; suspicious characters."- He- sot the, telephone to work, I laughing in my •v.-•-.sleeve-. all the. titoo." The 1 cigars were very good, but the rum was vile . Queensland stuff, sixpence a tumbler. ■• : In due time appeared on the scene, the Sergeant of .Police aud.another 16st officer. It was very hot, and the : perspiration was pouring off them. I Remarked, "I am sorry to have given ypn so-much trouble; I am not a Bljssian spy., I have been taken for a fletectjye before, but never for a ; Hußsian spy. l ' I was marched before a =•' magistrate whs examined my sketch : ]}pok. In it were miscellaneous '' " things,—drawings pf men and women ! ' and animals, also sketches of Stephens' Islands, New Zealand, where J was becalmed en route for Australiii, and -■• bays and rocks on tho Australian cpasta, All these things were suspicipps, but there not being sufficient proof fjetain me, the sergeant of police

took my height, descnpf.ioa-ftnd my The town was ; " flaiijjhli a'Rnssinn spy," the following morning's paper said, I was glad when I got safe aboard of the steam-bout again, ■ They were very much afraid of the Russians in Cooktp\vtu . IJrora Gooktown I went to Thursday Island, not far from Cape York, the extreme point of Northern '•4'usti'ahV ' Ifroiij hern I saw the Qosta lying high on Joneii Keef. She had a cargo ot horses for India, I think 150 they were all saved luit a-few, At Thurs day Island the Great' Barrier reef extends from Brisbane' to the-Torres Straits, steam lioatu sail inside of tho reef, where it is generally calm. Thursday Ifcland'is a miserable barron rodk-jfoaintitimng 4 : Magiatmfp, two or throe policemen, a large store, mid two hotels (if they deserve tliat.name). There are hlnek men of nearly all nationalities, a grex't pearl'fishing'depot and a coal depot where large steamers cortls fi'om China India and the Suez "Canal." Having now arrived at the nearest port to Mew Guinea,,the 'difficulty arose how to'get'leave to land there without a permit from the Resident Magistrate or the. Governor of Thursday Island. At last the difficulty was surmounted. One day there arrived from Now. Guinea a mau running a pearlfislury and Beche-de-Merstatiou. He agreed to be responsible for my good conduct. The terms were written in duplicate, Rather too much red tape business. He stated that I must not molest the natives, especially their women, and a lot of other nonsense, the purport of "wliich 1 have forgottun. The permit■lwas"6hly'to exist, for three months, then to be cancelled. I did not ask it to be renewed, ■ I 'left before that time and,was.glad to do so. At mid day we liilt.Tinirsclay islaiid in a small cutter, my guardian being captain and owner, his mate, two natives of New Guinea, and' myself.• composed tho, crew. The Captain was dead drunk, and tho mate took churge. I managed , the fore sheets and • the New Guinea boys the stern shoeis and the mate steered. We had to heat out into Torres Straits, our little bark crested the waves beautifully for. she was only six tons burden, When we got outside we liarl a fair wind' and we all settled down comfortable, ut bottle of whisky being produced, there . being a case on board, but ths New Guinea "boys were not allowed to touch it. About midnight wo passed an island •kiio'wfl as'Nobbies and at daylight the 'New Guinea coast burst on our vie,w, an even horizontal line as far as the eye could reach fringed with mangroves. The land appeared to Imve a slight elevation from the sea, smoke appearing all over it, which I was told was caused by the natives making their cultivations. We coasted all day with a steady breeze, sailing through narrow passages in the-reef, whore' the New Guinea boy's guided us. At dusk we arrived at our destination, not a great distance from the Fly river in the Papuan Gulf. The station consisted of a dwelling-house built of iron for the two -white men who were'running the fishing station, of very unpretentious aspect, also an iron house for drying the bgche-de-mer or sea-slug, which is parboilody cut'down tho middle and put on grates to go through a regu'ar procesa'o£-smoldng, - After this they are put in sacks and shipped to Thurs. day island, where they are exchanged at a large store for goods, and ultimately find their way to Ohina. I have partaken'of .beclie-de-'iner soup at an hotel ill Cook'town, which I thought delicious; it was made by a Chinese cook. The bdach-de-mor or sea-slug before prepared for shipment has the appearance of those thick large grubs, much larger, yon find in decayed'. New Zealand wood. AtThursday Island we also saw a party pearl-fishing and the divers at work. There • was also a cedar party getting cedar for shipmont to Sydney and Melbourne. The natives were nearly all naked, -They, are a mixed breed of Arabs and Malays who have tradod with them for some time, The native dwellings are built three or four feet high from the ground. The floor is made with transverse saplings fixed to uprights that distance from the grouud covered with mats, This is done for a protection from the damp and insects. They generally build with bamboo covered in with native grasses, The bush teems with birds, and lizards are plentiful. There are also plenty of snftkes, J shot several pigeons; they a/e the'same in their habits as the New Zealand birds but smaller, with a blue body and hronze head and neck. There is ,a large bird like the Emu, named the Cassawary, which is also a native of Northern Queensland, with out any feathers ,on its head. I shot one of them, and it- took two negros to carry it home,-. < I -was disappointed in not getting *fche skin of the .Uassa wary, but my host, who said the Natives were getting sulky, gave them the noble bird, the feathers of which they puze for war dress. ■■ The bush appeared to teem with animal life; such shrieking and jabbering of different species of birds being a striking contrast to the New Zealand bush, which is generally bo quiot ' This was a beautiful forest, with fruit in abundance, There were cocoanuts, bananas, and plenty of other fruit that I had never seen before,. There is also ginger and sago trees, the' principal food of the Natives. The natives go about quite nude, their hair is curly, and they are well formed, but are not so large in statue as the

Maoris, although more symmetrica]. Their canoes" wTOlowetl.out■•trees generally two lashed together,.nnd tliev uso outriggers, the ends decorated.with, feathers. In thu centre is a platform fenced for the safety of their wives andchildren. They also cook in it,-having stones to keep' the fire from the wood. They travel many miles along' the coast, an<J. to. the adjacent islands. Many of them have the lobes of their ears,split and [lagging, down to • their shoulders, also holes in their noses. Their ears are cut when young, and have weights attached. Many' of the males have scars all over their bodies. Their faces are not disfigured by tattoo marks. It is very hot out of the shade, and fever is,very prevalent amongst the whiteij, especially near the mangrove swamps, There are' large mountain ranges covered with snow. No white man has yet been able to get far inland, : tho natives being so hostile. A Mr Forbes, sent out by the English Geographical Society, was trying to j penetrate . ti).'the- : -' ranges, but was ke.pt back by sickness, few of his men could stand the climate, water appears to be more plentiful and better than in Queensland. There are some very large rivers f tho Bonit, wassentuptbeFlyriverandwassnpposed to have penetrated six hundred miles or as llr as was navigable for a small f boat, the other branch is not yet explored. The expedition is supposed to have reached the 6th degree of latitude the German boundry. I took the first opportunity of returning to Thursday Island, my host taking ovor a Btnall schooner load of Beche-de-Mer and Pearl • shels. . Wo. deft the coast of New i Guinea about noon and roached Thursday Island about 10 on the following morning. We werfe in sight of land nearly all the way, but what, was our surprise on being followed in by the s.s. Bonito, which had been reported all over the world as lost and the members of the expedition imisacred. O.f course it was ■only a fajse alarm as they all turned np well again, They only lost one man, a Lascar, though several of them had been unwell, the doctor'of the expedition being completely prostrated, but they all improved as they neared Sydney, The expedition had with them a doctor, a botanist, a taxidermist, and a photographer. They had' very few bird skins, having seen but few birds in their route.- 'lhey had a large collection of butterflies and beetles of beautiful colours, a few stones, but no indication of gold,- They had also a large collection, of .botanical specimens, many tho same . as. the N(-r h Queensland. The tobacco plant was found in a wild state, At One part of the river the natives showed fight. In turning a bend of the river, about a hundred' of them let fly a volley of arrows. No one was hit, although there were narrow escapes', One of the arrows-penetrated through the outer platik of the Bonito showing the force with which it was sent and the hardness of the point of thei&rrow which was hard black wood. The steerman's shelter was protected by a sheet of iron, They gave the 'savages the contents of their Win che's for rifles', which made them scamper off without, again trying to ktip their course. The men were nude, the women had a short petticoat made of the native grass. Some of the natiyes.had honest looking eyes and a fine mild expression, but others again were very repulsive looking. Some of the natives wore a tuft of long grass iu front and behind the body fixed to a waist-belt. /The men also wore a large marine 'shell, round their waist. I could not but admire some of them with their fine, lithe;, symmetrical forms standing erect. As their dark naked skins shone in the sun, I could not but think that clothing would rob them of their ; beauty. The women carry- the children astride on the tops of their shoulders, their legs hanging down on the mother's breast, I saw ohildren carried in Cooktown, in the fame way, It is supposed that Australia has at one time been joined-to New Guinea. , It is true the Natives are. a superior race. The Malay and Arab blood has been diffused largely amongst them. The flora and the fernia is in many cases the same as in Northern Australia. The Guinea Natives are very neat in the making of tlinir arms; 1 have one of .-their bows and arrows, the bow is made of bamboo, with which the island abounds, and the arrow is a reed with a point of hard black wood "let into it, and neatly plaited over at the join with a species of grass. uOme of their arrows are barbed and poisoned at the tips. They are very dexterous with the bow and arrow. As the American Indian glories in his number of scalps so does; the native of New Guinea glory in the number of skulls of his enemies which he hangs in his dwelling as trophies, The other day a chief gloried in the number of white men's; skulls' he had until a German man-of-war nearly exterminated him and his tiibe. They drove him from village to village and his tribe got such a 1 thrashing that they will not forget for a -while. l Some of the natives had guns and some of the German sailois were hit. The island is very fertile, everything grows spontaniouslv for the use of man, but it is also unhealthy. The rivers abound with alligators, aud the land with serpents and snakes. The beautiful birds of Paradise are plentiful in some parts. Germany has the northern part of the Island, but they are likely to open their part tip before the British, There is too much red tape .. business about i the British, The Germans assume a

more decisive, attitude towards the natives. The natives are treacherous in'the extreme. In drawing to a conclusion I regret I had not the. means to stay longer in New .Guinea to get,,, i> collection.of birds skins, The part'T was at' abounded in numberless varieties and lam a taxidermist as far as skinning and preserving goes. Fish is plentiful and easily caught with the hook and line. I had turtle for dinner every day. • It is not unlike beef stake and is cooked in the same way. I assisted to work the Bonito to Sydney from Thursday island. Her cr,ew of Lascars was discharged at Thursday island. The working of her consisted of pumping (for we. had sprung a leak in the Fly river by getting on a bank) and steering. We were towed by a steamer all the way to Sydney.- JBaokto beautiful Sydney, such rejoicing ! The Sydney Geographical Society chartered a boat ,fo come out and meet us, -The 'New -'Zealand 'Upion Go-.'s boat Wiihbra sailed round us and blew her whistle loud and often. No one •ever expejted this; baud of scientists to return, for it was fully confirmed -that they wore massacred hy the savages of New Guinea. I myself heard a chief and his ijien describing (I whs not far froui the Fly river at. the time) how the white people struck-a, boy," and thenatives for revenge stole on ;them at night aiid tomahawked them. A missionary believed this, hence the false alarm. Parents were mourning the loss; of their sons, iiu'd wives their husbands, and the return of the' Bonito was .like a return from the grave. ,

(To be mtinvd;)