6z THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Maclay suddenly appearing at Astrolabe Bay, among people who seem 

 never to have had any communication with Europeans, soon established 

 friendly relations with them, although subject to great trials of temper 

 and courage at the outset. 



His experience with them is very instructive. They appeared at 

 first distrustful and suspicious of his intentions, as well they might be. 

 Sometimes they left him quite alone for days together, or kept him 

 prisoner in the little hut he had had built for himself, or tried to fright- 

 en him by shooting arrows close to his head and neck, and pressing 

 their spears against his teeth till they made him open his mouth. 

 Finding, however, that he bore all these annoyances good-humoredly, 

 and, as a medical man, took every opportunity of doing them services, 

 they concluded he was a good spirit, a man from the moon, and thence- 

 forth paid him great respect, and allowed him to go about pretty much 

 as he pleased. This reminds us of the experience of the Challenger at 

 Humboldt Bay, where it was decided not to stay, because some of the 

 natives similarly drew their bows at the officers when away in boats. 

 This was no doubt nervous work for the person threatened, but it was 

 only a threat. Savages do not commence a real attack in that theatri- 

 cal way, and, if they had been met with coolness and their threats been 

 laughed at or treated with contempt, such demonstrations would soon 

 have ceased. Of course it requires very exceptional courage and tem- 

 per, not possessed by one man in a thousand, to do this ; but the fact 

 should be remembered that in many parts of the world such attempts 

 to frighten Europeans have been adopted, but have never resulted in 

 anything serious. Had the Papuans really wanted to rob and murder, 

 they would have enticed the Challenger people on shore, where they 

 would have had them completely at their mercy, whereas those who did 

 go on shore were very civilly treated. 



One of the most curious features noticed by Dr. Miklucho Maclay 

 was the apparent absence of trade or barter among the people of As- 

 trolabe Bay. They exchange presents, however, when different tribes 

 visit each other, somewhat as among the New-Zealanders, each party 

 giving the other what they have to spare ; but no one article seems 

 ever to be exchanged for another of supposed equivalent value. On 

 the whole, the Russian doctor seems to have found these people indus- 

 trious, good-natured, and tolerably cleanly, living orderly lives, and 

 conforming themselves strictly to the laws and customs which to them 

 determine what is right. 



Captain Moresby, Signor d'Albertis, Mr. O. C. Stone, and the mis- 

 sionaries who have recently explored the southeastern extremity of 

 New Guinea, have been greatly struck by the apparently quite distinct 

 races they have found there. As far eastward as the head of the gulf 

 of Papua (on the east side of Torres Straits) the typical Papuans pre- 

 vail, the natives of the Katow River being described as nearly black, 



