CHAPTER LXXXIX 

 MISSIONARY EXPLORATIONS 



BIcHE DE MER AND PEARL " FISHERIES." NATIVE LABOUR. FRICTION. THE HON. 

 JOHN DOUGLAS. His SCHEME FOR CONTROL AND PROTECTION OF THE ABORIGINES. 

 A CHAIN OF MISSION STATIONS. LUTHERAN, PRESBYTERIAN, MORAVIAN AND 

 CHURCH OF ENGLAND MISSIONS. THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO GEOGRAPHICAL 

 KNOWLEDGE ARCHER-BATAVIA REGION WEST OF THE JARDINE BROTHERS' ROUTE. 

 NICHOLAS HEY AND JAMES G. WARD ESTABLISH MAPOON MISSION STATION, 1891. 

 BOATING UP BATAVIA RIVER. SEARCH FOR NEW SITES. THE MISNAMED COEN 

 RIVER. PENNEFATHER RIVER. NOMENADE CREEK. SKARDON AND CARPENTIER 

 RIVERS. DALHUNTY AND NORTH ALICE CREEKS. THE NATIVES. MURDERS AND 

 REPRISALS. DEATH OF WARD. HEY VISITS YORK DOWNS. MYALL CREEK. 

 EMBLEY JOINS IN EXPLORATION. BROWNSTONE CREEK. EMBLEY RIVER. SITE 

 FOR WEIPA STATION SELECTED. DOWN BATAVIA RIVER TO MAPOON. EMBLEY'S 

 PREVIOUS TRIP UP EMBLEY RIVER BY BOAT. POLICE INSPECTOR URQUHART HAD 

 SEEN ITS MOUTH. HEY SAILS UP A NEW RIVER, OF WHICH MYALL CREEK is THE 

 HEAD. NAMES IT THE MISSION RIVER. DOWN TO ALBATROSS BAY AND UP EMBLEY 

 AND HEY RIVERS. BACK TO MAPOON. ARRIVAL OF POLICE INSPECTOR FITZGERALD. 

 PROCLAMATION OF NATIVE RESERVES. INSPECTION BY MESTON AND PARRY-OKEDEN, 

 1896. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEIPA STATION, 1898. AURUKUN STATION ESTABLISHED, 

 1904. WATSON RIVER. MOUTH OF ARCHER RIVER. WARD RIVER. INA AND 

 JANIE CREEKS. NAMALATA RIVER. DUCIE RIVER. PORT MUSGRAVE. DUCIE 

 AND BATAVIA RIVERS. MESTON'S REPORT. PARRY-OKEDEN'S REPORT. CIVILISA- 

 TION OF THE NATIVES BY THE MISSIONS. ARE THEIR NUMBERS INCREASING ? 

 MORNINGTON ISLAND MURDER IN 1917. IDENTIFICATION OF CARSTENSZOON^S 

 COEN RIVER. 



THE demands of Chinese epicures for the toothsome 

 trepang, of the whole world for buttons, and of wealthy 

 individuals for ropes of pearls, in due time brought 

 a fleet of " fishers " (very unscientifically so-called) 

 of beche de mer and pearl oysters to the shores of Queensland. 

 In addition to Australian craft, the schooners, luggers and cutters 

 of eastern nations descended on the Cape York Peninsula, and the 

 manning of the ships for the dangerous work soon became an acute 

 problem. The maritime population of Japan, China, the South 

 Sea Islands and the Malay Archipelago furnished many of the crews. 

 For a time, while the treasure was still to be obtained at shallow 

 depths, the labour employed was not necessarily " skilled," but 

 when deep diving became an essential the skilled labour mostly 

 fell to the Japanese. 



For the comparatively unskilled labour required in the early 

 stages of the industry, a tempting recruiting ground presented 



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