622 



NA TURE 



{Oct. 27, 1887 



Head, an anchorage being' found 2 miles within in 15 feet of 

 sheltered water. Point Ramsay (named by Mr. Bevan) was 3 miles 

 to westward, over an unbroken stretch of water, which also ran 

 far inland to the north. This was an important discovery, as no 

 ship had before been within this opening, and the Victory had 

 again passed the confines of the known. In a little bight under 

 Bald Head a village was discovered partly hidden and sheltered 

 by a grove of cocoa-nut trees. Canoes with natives came off, 

 and though shy at first, they afterwards came near. . . . The 

 anchorage was left at 7.45 a.m., and 2\ fathoms deep was 

 taken into a channel 5 fathoms in depth midway between Bald 

 Head and Point Ramsay. For over 8 miles, with a depth of 

 from 5 to 9 fathoms, the vessel proceeded until an important 

 junction was reached. Here land traversed the horizon, and 

 broad arms coming in from north-west to north-east joined the 

 river. This junction was named after the Hon. W. Macleay, of 

 Sydney, and the sheet of water so far traversed from Bald Head 

 was named Port Romilly. 



Round the point, and at a distance of 4 miles, a second 

 junction was met with, and named after J. Beveridge, one 

 of the party. At this point the river was nearly half a mile 

 wide, and an extensive mud-flat was met with. Some very 

 fair agricultural land was now passed through, with light 

 chocolate soil, and covered with scrub that could be cleared 

 with ease. Freshwater springs were noticed flowing over the 

 banks. Numerous small deserted huts were passed, and a 

 number of alligators and flying foxes. The rule seemed to apply 

 in these deltaic rivers that the land was making on the convex 

 side, while the deepest channel and strongest current were found 

 close to the concave bank. The country now passed through 

 alluvial swampy land, in which nipa and sago palms flourished 

 amidst a thick scrub. The river narrowed to 60 yards, and at 

 low tide the water was quite fresh. It was found necessary to 

 anchor here, and some of the party, getting into the whale-boat, 

 rowed up the river, which continued to get narrow, until it broke 

 up into several deep but very narrow creeks, and further navi- 

 gation was closed. The highest point reached up this river, 

 which was named after the Hon. Edward Stanhope, was 7° 14' 

 south latitude, and 144° 28' east longitude, being 34 miles due 

 north from Aral River on the coast, or 40 miles by river courses 

 to Bald Head, Returning to Beveridge Junction, the Victory 

 was taken up an arm coming in here from the west. Several 

 openings into the arm were passed, but after proceeding 7 miles 

 up it shallowed to 1 1 feet. The river was named the Penrose, 

 after a gentleman of that name of Yulgilbar, in this colony. On 

 this river a native plantation and some natives were seen. The 

 steamer was taken to an anchorage at Macleay Junction. After 

 exploring with boats the eastern channels of this junction, and 

 meeting with natives who were of an extremely friendly disposi- 

 tion, the Victory was taken up the channel. The houses of the 

 natives were raised on piles of the hog-backed shape, open 

 in front and with protruding peaks. The village was called Piri 

 Evorra. Continuing on its way, about midday the steamer, to 

 the great satisfaction of all, ran at right angles into a fine new 

 river running north, north-east, and south. This seemed to 

 form certain proof that they were now in the one large river re- 

 ported by the coast natives. This junction, which was 1 1 miles 

 west by north of Macleay Junction, was named after Dr. 

 Llewellyn Bevan, of Melbourne, a family connexion of the 

 leader. Taking the north-east branch of the river, which is 

 300 yards wide, some fine-looking, well-timbered country was 

 passed throujih. Several deserted dwellings were noticed. After 

 passing several miles up this splendid river another junction 

 was met with, where a broad stream over half a mile in length 

 came in from the easterly direction, and bifurcated into the 

 channel, and a wide stream flowing south-south-westerly, with 

 a steady fresh-water current flowing seaward. This junction 

 was named the Bennett Junction after a friend. Three miles 

 further up, and still another junction was met with, named 

 after Mr. William Woodhouse, of Sydney. This proved to 

 be the head of the delta of the great fresh-water river up 

 which they had come, and which was named the Queen's 

 Jubilee River. At this point the river again bifurcated, throw- 

 ing off one main branch half a mile wide nmning down to 

 Bennett Junction, and the other flowing easterly and southerly. 

 Past Woodhouse Junction the river maintained its width of 

 fully half a mile, and a range of hills 20CK) feet high, a few 

 miles distant, was named after Sir Saul Samuel. Mountain 

 peaks of great altitude were visible some 40 miles to the north. 

 Still proceeding up the river, a rapid some miles further on 



was passed, and soon afterwards it was found necessary to 

 stop, but for one day over 30 miles had been travelled. The 

 highest position reached was south latitude "]' 18', and east lon- 

 gitude 144° 59^', and distant 45 miles from Bald Head, and 

 over 100 miles by the remarkably tortuous courses. As the river 

 had now become unsafe, and only two days' coal were left for 

 river work, it was found necessary to return to Bennett's Junc- 

 tion, from which it was hoped that the broad channel leading to 

 the sea would be taken ; but the master of the Victory de- 

 murred to this step, owing to the strong current running. The 

 same objection had to be taken to the opposite, the southerly 

 stream, at Llewellyn's Junction. The course was therefore 

 taken by the one whereby the Victory had been brought in, and 

 on Thursday, April 28, Bald Head was passed through again, 

 and after putting in at Orokolo, a course was steered for Motu 

 Motu, which was reached shortly before noon on the following 

 day. York Island was reached on May i, and Thursday Island 

 on the following day, and on May 3 the Victory once more 

 steamed to an anchorage at Thursday Island after an eventful 

 and most successful journey into the interior of New Guinea. 



THE WHEAT CROP OF 1887. 

 CIR J. B. LA WES forwards to us the following information : — 

 '~-' " The very low prices during the last few years have, it is 

 supposed, induced farmers to use a not inconsiderable quantity of 

 their wheat as food for stock. The amount so withdrawn from 

 human consumption is quite unknown. It has been estimated by 

 some to be considerably less than one million, and by others to 

 be even as much as two million quarters within the harvest year. 

 Whatever the amount may be, it is evident that a new element 

 of uncertainty is thus introduced into our estimates of the quantity 

 of imported wheat required to supply the deficiency of the home- 

 grown crop. 



" The 'Agricultural Produce Statistics ' published at the begin- 

 ning of the year give, as the result of inquiries in fourteen 

 thousand parishes in Great Britain, and many in Ireland, an 

 average yield of 26 '89 bushels per acre for the wheat crop of the 

 United Kingdom in 1886. If we deduct from this amount 2\ 

 bushels per acre for seed, as we did in the case of our own 

 estimate, it leaves only 7^ million quarters available for con- 

 sumption by the population and for stock feeding. The 

 imports less exports for the harvest year ending August 31, 

 1887, amounted to 17^ million quarters, making altogether a 

 total of little over 24^ million quarters. But assuming the 

 consumption per head of the population to be 5 "65 bushels, 

 which is the figure we have adopted for the last ten years, thp 

 amount so required would, independently of the quantity con 

 sumed by stock, be 26^ million quarters, or two million quarter- 

 more than the estimated available home produce and imports 

 taken together. By the kindness of Messrs. Beerbohm I have 

 been furnished with a statement of the amount of wheat, and of 

 flour reckoned as wheat, in warehouse on July i, 1886, and 

 July I, 1887, from which it appears that the stocks were slightly 

 the higher in 1887, whilst it is estimated that subsequently to 

 that date they somewhat increased. 



" Our own estimate of the yield of the wheat crop of 1886 was 

 29^ bushels. This is considerably higher than that of the 

 Government above quoted ; and it is also higher than the 

 estimates of others. According to our figure, the available supply 

 of home produce was nearly 8 million quarters. Even with 

 our higher estimate of the home crop, there is still a deficiency 

 in the imports for the estimated requirements for human con- 

 sumption, to say nothing of the amount consumed by stock. The 

 evidence so far would thus seem to suggest the question whether 

 there has not been some decline in the consumption per head of 

 the population. At the same time it should be stated that if we 

 take our own estimates of the available home produce and the 

 recorded imports for the whole period of the eleven harvest 

 years 1876-77 to 1886-87 inclusive, for which we have adopted a 

 consumption of 5-65 bushels per head, the result shows precisely 

 that amount available, if no allowance be made for consumption 

 by stock. It is obviously desirable, however, that those who are 

 engaged in forming the estimates of the yield of the wheat crop 

 should also endeavour to ascertain the facts as to the quantity of 

 wheat consumed by stock." 



Sir John Lawes next exhibits tables proving his estimate as to 

 the average yield of wheat at Rothamsted, and explains the 

 peculiarities of the late season with regard to the growth «^ 

 wheat. 



