oS8 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



exploration will reveal rich fields on tlie mainland. Tlie 

 only other minerals known are sulphnr, iron, plumbago, 

 and mercury, of which the first-named is alone to be 

 remuneratively worked. The mercury occurs as cinnal)ar 

 on Xormanby Island. 



5. Climate. 



The size and position of Xew Guinea are such as to 

 interfere considerably with uniformity of climate. Thus 

 in the neighbourhood of the Arfak Mountains, which lie 

 ahnost under the erpiator, the rainfall is xevj heavy, and 

 few days in the year are absolutely dry, while in parts of 

 the British territory at the other extremity of the island 

 the influence of the proximity of Australia and other 

 causes are sufficient to bring about periods of drought, 

 though these are never of the severity and regularity of 

 the dry seasons of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Eoughly 

 speaking, it may l)e said that the easterly monsoon brings 

 rain not only in the ]\Ioluccas but in Xew Guinea, except 

 in most parts of its south and west coasts, and the high 

 langes of the latter country, condensing the rain-clouds 

 of the Pacific breezes, act as a sort of umbrella to the 

 north coast of Australia and Timor at this season. Thus 

 Finschhafen, near the Huon Gulf in German New Guinea, 

 receives its greatest rainfall with the south-east trades 

 i'rom June till October, while at Port Moresby, on the 

 opposite side of the peninsula, the weather is very dry at 

 this period, and the heavy rains fall with the westerly 

 monsoon from January to April. Local peculiarities, 

 however, cause certain exceptions to this rule. Thus 

 Konstantinhafen, though distant only about 150 miles 

 westward of Finschhafen, has its rains at precisely the 

 opposite season — a result brought aliout Ijy the great 



