BRITISH iNEW GUINEA. 43 1 



the momitain, which was reached on Christmas Day. For- 

 mei-]y it was thought that Mount Yule held the same relation 

 to the Kovio Range that Mount Victoria does to the great 

 mountain mass bearing- the name of Owen Stanley. It appears 

 now, however, that former views require modification, to the 

 extent of recognising this great physical feature as an inde- 

 pendent isolated mass shot upwards from the lowlands of the 

 St. Joseph district. This circumstance may be accounted for 

 by the volcanic character of the mountain. The expedition in 

 passing through a schistose country met with traces of gold. 

 The Kovio range is forested to its summit, and on its slopes 

 and outhers numerous native tracks and villages exist. From 

 these and other indications of hfe it was supposed that the 

 country is occupied by a numerous population. The expe- 

 dition experienced wet weather, and met with few forms of 

 animal life. 



About the end of 1 889 Sir William MacGregor commenced 

 the ascent of the Fly River in a steam launch and two 

 whaleboats. In this he was accompanied by a party of 18, 

 including Europeans, Papuans, and other coloured men. 

 The influence of the tide at ] 50 miles from the river's mouth 

 api^eared to altogether cease. After passing through low% 

 swampy, and uninteresting country, the junction of the Fly 

 and the Strickland Rivers was reached ; this was named 

 after Captain Everill, who commanded the expedition sent 

 out by the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia in 1885. 

 Stones aud pebbles of quartz were met with for the first 

 time at 486 miles from the mouth of the river. At a place 

 called Lario Bank, so named after one of the members of 

 the expedition, who received an arrow wound from a party 

 of aggressive natives, good indications of gold were obtained 

 by washing the gravel in a tin dish. Some 523 miles up 

 the Fly long and dangerous rapids were encountered, the 

 river bed was found occu[)ied by sandspits, islands of small 

 stones, })el)bles of granite, limestone, conglomerate, quartz, slate, 

 basalt, flint, petrified wood, coral, and shells. In latitude 5deg. 

 58min. south, some 535 miles from the river's mouth, the limit 

 of steam navigation was reached. From this point the journey 

 was continued in the whaleljoat, which was dragged through 

 the rapids by a rojie. I'wo new sti-eams were discoveretl and 

 named the Palmer and the Black Rivers res])ectively ,in honour 

 of Sir A. H. Palmer and the Hon. M. H. Black, of Queens- 

 land. After traversing some 590 miles of the river, a splendid 

 view of the Victor Emmanuel Range was obtained about from 



