766 Captain Cecil G. Rawling [May 16. 



wesfc and parallel to the main range, which stretches from one end of 

 the island to the other, a distance of eleven hundred miles. The 

 western section, known as the Charles Louis Range, throws out a 

 great promontory southward to the sea. That portion lying north 

 of the Mimika district, formerly called the Snowy Range, and in 

 which are to be found the highest peaks in the island, will in future 

 be known as the Nassau Range, to the east of which again comes the 

 Orange Range with its high point of Wilhelmina Peak. 



The Nassau Range rises steadily from the Charles Louis Range 

 in the west, culminating on the east at its highest point, known as 

 Carstensz Peak, 15,1)64 feet. On our arrival the whole range lay 

 bare of cloud, the great glaciers of Carstensz clearly visible, together 

 with three other snow peaks of slightly less altitude lying directly 

 behind. To the west of Carstensz stretched a great snowfield, 

 divided by a small rift from a three-peaked snow-clad mountain 

 known as Mount Idenburg (15,879). Still falling shghtly, but to 

 the eye hardly noticeable, next came Mount Leonard Darwin (18,<S22), 

 the south side of which forms the greatest sheer fall of any precipice 

 ill the world, but of this I will speak later. The snow-line is at 

 about 14,500 feet. As the mist drifted and vanished an attempt was 

 made to locate the Mimika, always a difficult task, for the mouth of 

 one river is exactly like another, each having a group of casuarina- 

 trees on either side of the entrance. Close steaming is an impossi- 

 bility, for, on account of the extreme shallowness of the water, no 

 ship drawing over twelve feet can approach nearer than two or three 

 miles of the shore. With the assistance of natives who came off in 

 crowds to intercept the ship, and to whom the one word " Mimika" 

 was sufficient guide, we were enabled to cast anchor off the river late 

 in the afternoon of that day. The weather was fine, and the dis- 

 embarkation of the men and stores was safely carried out during the 

 three following days. This was fortunate, for the coast, on account 

 of the rapidity with which storms arise, is a particularly dangerous 

 one. From the middle of January to the middle of March, and 

 again from the first week in June to the middle of October, the 

 chances are very much against a landing being accomplished. 

 During the former period the west monsoons are blowing, and during 

 the latter period the east monsoons. In addition a powerful tide is 

 always running, and the bars across the rivers are continually 

 changing. Every river has a bar, many uncrossable except at high 

 tide, even for a launch. The Mimika always had live or more feet 

 of water available. The tides apparently followed no law. Some- 

 times there were two tides of equal height, at other periods only one 

 tide in the twenty-four hours, a great rise and a great fall often of 

 fifteen to twenty feet, though by careful watching it was observed 

 that there was a second tide of from six inches to a foot. The same 

 trouble has been found down the coast. During a stay of three 

 weeks at the mouth of the Mimika in the month of December, high 



