334 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY IN 1875. 



all seas. On the west coast of Australia, where 

 they anchored first by Dirk Hartog Island, then 

 in the neighboring Shark Bay, and then in the 

 Dampierre Archipelago to the northwest, they 

 prosecuted a close and thorough study of the 

 boundary between the animal and vegetable 

 worlds of Australia and those of Asia; they 

 made also hydrographical observations with 

 reference to the accessibility of this shore to 

 large vessels. In their naturalistic examina- 

 tions they remarked the uniformity of vegeta- 

 tion on all the shores, the singular fact that the 

 hilltops are more fruitful than the valleys, and 

 the singular lack of alimentary plants in the 

 indigenous flora ; among the naturally growing 

 plants there is none which would substantially 

 contribute to the sustenance of a population 

 but moderately numerous. Animal life also 

 is monotonous and scanty. They visited next 

 the island of Timor, which offered abundant 

 material for the study of the differences be- 

 tween the natural productions of Australia and 

 Asia. Timor, which is the southeast ernmost 

 of the small Sunda Islands, is on the border, as 

 it were, between the two continents. From 

 the Sunda Islands they directed their course to 

 the Moluccas, anchoring in the road of Am- 

 boyna, by the island of the same name, the seat 

 of the Governor of the Moluccas. For their 

 course to the Auckland Isles, which are the final 

 goal of their expedition, the commander chose 

 the route around the northern extremity of 

 New Guinea. They thus had an opportunity 

 for an interesting intercourse with the child- 

 like and impulsive natives of that almost un- 

 known land. These savages belong to the 

 Oceanian race, differing from the black Papuans 

 and Alfurus, and resembling in their light-yel- 

 low hue, their bodily build, their language, and 

 their arts and customs, the Malayans and Hin- 

 doos. It has been calculated that the num- 

 ber of inhabitants in the district claimed by 

 the Dutch, taking up about half the island, and 

 embracing over 50,000 square miles, is some- 

 where near 200,000. All attempts have totally 

 failed which have been made to instruct and 

 cultivate them, and none of them have even 

 been induced to settle on one spot and till the 

 soil. The German explorers entered McCluer 

 Inlet and anchored in Segaar Bay. The inhabi- 

 tants here are a little more advanced than in 

 other parts of the island, owing to the influence 

 of the Chinese and Malay traders, who furnish 

 them with clothing, weapons, and household 

 implements, from Tidore and other islands, and 

 to their dependence on the Sultan of Tidore, 

 who stands under the protection of the Dutch. 

 The natives follow fishery chiefly, and many 

 pale-villages were seen in this bay and other 

 parts of McCluer Gulf. They made an ex- 

 amination of the coral-island Pinon, instead of 

 attempting to penetrate the mangrove-marsh 

 and dense thickets of the mainland. Sailing 

 thence they passed through the dangerous and 

 almost unknown Galevo Strait, Their next sta- 

 tion was the islands of New Hanover, New Ire- 



land, and New Britain. They had some commu- 

 nication with the wild and shy inhabitants of 

 all three. The natives of Northwest New Ire- 

 land came out in canoes, and, after their first 

 fears were overcome, entered into a barter with 

 the ship's people; even the women and maidens, 

 moved by curiosity, swam out to the ship's side ; 

 but neither men nor women could be per- 

 suaded to trust themselves on deck. The na- 

 tives of the southern shore of this island were 

 still more shy ; and they behaved as though 

 they had never seen white men before, stealing 

 clothing which was hung out to dry under the 

 very eyes of the crew, and attacking a boat 

 which was sent out after them ; and when the 

 commanding officer with a detachment landed 

 in order to inspire fear and regain the stolen 

 goods, they came together in hundreds, and 

 from every hill and village the alarm of war 

 was sounded upon their martial instruments. 

 They were speedily cowed, however, by an ex- 

 ample of the effect of gunpowder, and yielded 

 up the pilfered articles without bloodshed. 

 The geographical configuration of the island 

 of New Britain, as well as the organic forms, 

 differs entirely from that of the other two isl- 

 ands : instead of a central mountain-region, a 

 single volcanic peak mounts steeply upward, 

 with a lower mountain standing on either side. 

 The coasts and bights lack the marshes which 

 are a distinguishing feature of the other Poly- 

 nesian islands. The interior is a wooded, hilly 

 country, with here and there a plantation bor- 

 dered with fertile lowlands around the shores. 

 The Gazelle had here a little diplomatic mis- 

 sion to fulfill, to wit, to obtain satisfaction for 

 a wrong which the natives had done to Ger- 

 man traders two years before, or at least to 

 impress upon them a sufficient fear of the con- 

 sequences of a repetition of such an injury. 

 The ship sailed thence through the Solomon 

 Archipelago, spending several days in measure- 

 ments and observations of the water-marks on 

 the island of Bougainville. The vegetation here 

 is rich and luxurant; the islanders are Pap- 

 uans, sly and treacherous in their dealings with 

 Europeans, and brave and spirited in battle. 

 They have been often transported to the Aus- 

 tralian colonies, especially Queensland, as la- 

 borers, of late, and when well treated perform 

 better service than the coolies. On October 

 29th the Gazelle reached the Auckland Islands 

 safely, intending to extend her expedition from 

 there to Samoan and the Feejee Islands. 



NOETH AMERICA. From the report of Com- 

 modore Ammen, Chief of the Bureau of Navi- 

 gation, it appears that the steamer Fortune has 

 this last year been superseded by the Gettys- 

 burg in the coast-survey of Central America 

 and the "West Indies. The longitude of Pana- 

 ma, Aspinwall, Santiago de Cuba, and Havana, 

 has been determined by means of the tele- 

 graph. The work will include points on the 

 Windward Islands and the north coast of South 

 America. The outer coast of Lower Califor- 

 nia and the Gulf of California have been sur- 



