428 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 



ledgo to the culminating peaks of the Owen Stanley Range 

 alone enriches onr resonrces to a far greater extent than any 

 previous or subsequent effort in the field of exploration. 

 Indeed the success of that great undertaking proclaims itself 

 aloud to the world in a b(ddne^ss of character, so conspicuous 

 that other deeds of heroic character are eclipsed by its 

 brilliancy. With no elaborate or pretentious preparation Sir 

 Wm. MacGregor, with a mere handful of followers, most of 

 whom were unacquainted with the forms of higher civilisation, 

 set out in no statelier a yacht than an ordinary whale-boat 

 for the Vanapa River, where it was thought an easiei- means 

 of access to interior regions might probably be discovered. 

 Struggling heroically with the rapid current of the Vanapa 

 they succeeded in covering a distance of 40 miles. River 

 transport from this point being no longer possible, the 

 remainder of the upvvard journey lay over dangerous creeks, 

 almost inaccessible precipices, and rugged mountains. The 

 perils of this hazardous journey are probably unequalled, and 

 certainly unsurpassed in the history of exploration and 

 discovery. It is only to a few — a very few indeed — that the 

 actual conditions under which this expedition laboured are 

 known. Few, indeed, there are who know that in the most 

 difficult positions, and at the most critical moments, when 

 Papuans and Europeans alike were unable to either advance 

 or retreat, Sir William, at the imminent peril of his own life, 

 led the way, forcing formidable obstacles to yield ; his 

 actively and skilfully wielded knife cleared the dense brush- 

 wood that almost defied penetration. Precipices and rugged 

 inclines were not sufficiently powerful barriers to his powerful 

 will ; even positions where his followers were transfixed in 

 amazement were not enough to repel him. He imposed 

 upon himself a task, and he fulfilled it with grace and 

 modesty. From the depot on the Vanapa to the top of 

 Mount' Knutsford the strength of the expedition did not 

 suffer diminution ; after this point was reached Sir William 

 was obliged to continue the journey accompanied by only a 

 few coloured followers. 



On Mount Knutsford they passed through a region of 

 dense fog, the upper limit of which was marked by a dense 

 growth of slender bamboos. Associated with the continuous 

 dampness of the fog zone was a most luxurious growth of 

 moss, which appeared to insinuate itself into and over every- 

 thing. The trees it invested with a most dismal aspect, and 

 this was rendered more intensely dismal by the entire absence 



