SECOND CRUISE OF THE "BASILISK" 361 



a line of steamers running between BRISBANE AND SINGAPORE. A 

 survey of such portions of the mail route as lay in her way, therefore, 

 became a part of the " Basilisk's " objective, and it was with much 

 satisfaction that NAVIGATING LIEUTENANT CONNOR, R.N., was 

 added to the surveying staff. 



Reaching CARD WELL (SEE MAP K) on 2nd January, 1873, 

 MORESBY went ashore to see MR. BRINSLEY SHERIDAN, the Police 

 Magistrate, by whom he was informed that " the pearl-shellers 

 had received warning that the new Kidnapping Act, which rendered 

 the employment of natives illegal, without licence, had come into 

 force, and that they knew of the ' Basilisk's ' coming, and were 

 clearing out of the straits as fast as possible," " on which," says 

 Moresby, " I determined to make all haste north." 



On 5th January, the two schooners, the "Melanie" with fifty- five, 

 and the " Challenge'' with thirty-three South Sea Islanders on 

 board, were captured and taken to FITZROY ISLAND.* As the result 

 of an investigation held there, it appeared that the islanders, who 

 had been employed as divers in Torres Strait, had, in many cases, 

 understood that their service was to be of limited duration, whereas 

 some of them had served for six years, for nothing more than food, 

 clothing and tobacco. Others stated that they had shipped 

 voluntarily ; some were on the ships' books as having been legally 

 engaged at Sydney ; seven alleged that they had been " kidnapped " ; 

 others, according to their own account, had been run down in 

 their canoe by a schooner named the " Maria Renny" and taken 

 on board ; while another had been " seized from a reef." There 

 is nothing to show that the officers of the schooners were given 

 an opportunity of presenting their side of the story, beyond the 

 statement that " to secure themselves from the penalties of the new 

 Act, the pearl-shellers had induced these natives to sign an agree- 

 ment to serve them for five months from August, and had fixed 

 wages for them." " After the investigation," says Moresby, " we 

 sent the vessels as prizes to Sydney, where they were condemned ; 

 but on a subsequent appeal to the Privy Council, the highest appeal 

 court for the colonies, the vessels were restored, on paying all 

 costs connected with the case, on the grounds that retrospective 

 evidence could not be entertained and that an intention to procure 

 a licence had been proved." 



While the " Basilisk " lay at anchor off Fitzroy Island, and 

 the investigation was in progress, the poor " slaves " had a merry 

 time diving and scrubbing her copper sheathing. As " some 

 eighty " of them (out of a possible eighty-eight) were engaged 

 at once in this pastime, it was evidently a very popular 

 amusement. 



On 8th January, the barque " Woodbine " was taken as a prize. 

 She had on board 20 tons of pearl-shell, gathered by coloured 



. 4 Ofi Cape Grafton. See Map G. 



