" 1 



34 P A P U A S L A N D. 



vering ; the men go almoft naked, and are very fivilful in 

 ftriking fifli ; they have great boats in which they often vifit 

 Nezv Guinea, where they procure flaves, beautiful parrots, See. 

 which they carry to Coram., and exchange for caUicoes. They 

 keep many of the i)oor Papuans for their own ufe to do the 

 laborious work. This ifland has the fame birds as the main 

 land, and bats of an enormous fize. 



I CANNOT quit this part of the coaft without mentioning a 

 fingular communication made to Captain Forrejl (p. 149.) by 

 the natives of jG^-/i'^ in the ifland of Mixoal, that on the coaft 

 of New Guinea, not far from a gulph about a day's fail from 

 Waiiim or Onin, a place about twenty leagues from the north- 

 eafl: of the ifle of Goram, was a fet of people who wore large 

 turbans. He imagines them to have been the pofterity of a 



Arabs. colony of Arabs. If this is true, their difcovery will be jutt 



as important to the world as that of the race of Owen Gwynedd, 

 long loft to the Britons, till it has been lately credited that they 

 ftill exift in America, under the title of Padoucas or TFe/Jb In- 

 dians. 



Plenty OF THAT the weftern fide of Nezv Guinea (probably all parts, 



u iMEcs. ,^ properly examined) abound with nutmeg trees, is very certain. 

 A Portuguefe fliip, which was forced by a ftorm from its anchor- 

 age at Timor, was driven to this coaft, and there anchored in 

 order to repair the damage flie had received. The captain, during 

 the interval, procured a fufticient loading of nutmegs, with which 

 he failed diredlly to Macao, and fold them, without ever return- 

 ing to his former place of deftination. 



From 



