NEW GUINEA AND ITS RESOURCES.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 799, 8 April 1871, Page 2

NEW GUINEA AND ITS RESOURCES.

The following glowing account of New Guinea is from a correspondent of a Queensland journal:— " New Guinea is the largest island in the world, next to New Holland, its nearest point being only about 70 miles from Cape York. Did it never strike you as being something wonderful that such a narrow strait should separate so barren a country as this from the lovliest gems of ocean? Amongst its mineral resources New Guinea is known to be prolific of gold. Sir Roderick Murchison, seme time about 1845, stated that gold would be found at every 00 degrees of a circle. The two then best known fields were those of the Ural Mountains and Africa. This prediction was verified three years after by the discovery of gold in California, and four years after that by the opening of the Aus. tralian diggings. Sir R. Murchison further says that the Cordilleras of New Guinea will eventually be found to be so teaurinsj with gold as in all probability to affect its future standard value. I believe the Kev. W. B. Clarke coincides in this. It is well known also that New Guinea produces diamonds, rubies, and other precious atones. There is any amount of anti» mony ore, and copper has been seen cropping out within a mile of the sea beach. Then there are vast quantities of mahogany far superior to that of Honduras, ebony, camphor wood, and dozens of different woods valuable for cabinet, pianoforte, and billiard, table makers; sandal wood, large pines, making the finest spars in the world, rosanela, a most beautifully scented wood, bought at great prices by the wealthy celestials for furnishing the finest incense for the josshouses of the flowery land, rosin, honey, beeswar, dye stuffs including logwood, cam. wood, <&c.; sago, fuugue, edible birds' nests, cocoanut and palm oils, cocoa, nut fibre, nutmegs, mace, cinnamon) cloves, pepper, and a vast variety of spices. The treasures of the seas consist of bech-de-mer, tripang, pearl shells, tortoise shell, ambergris. The fruit is unlimited in quantity and quality. Amongst a few of its vegetable treasures there and kumeras, cassava, breadfruit, bananas, plantain, pine apples, shaddocks, citrons,oranges, lemons, limes, guavas, pomegranates, mangosteins (the king of all fruits), mangos, jack tVuit, durvan. cumquats, papaws, custard apples, arocaea pear*, chirimoyas, soursops, date plums, and a great selection of othor plums and figs, besides a host of others not jet named by botanists.