430 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 



with, or a branch of, the Nufur Papuans — a tribe of con- 

 siderable importance about the region of Geelvink Bay, 

 who believe Mafur Island to have been their place of 

 origin. Nufur, or a patois of it, is largely used as a 

 lingua franca on the coasts of north-west New Guinea, 

 where it takes the place of Malay. Jobi contains four 

 different species of paradise birds. 



The Papuan islands belonging to Germany are separ- 

 ated by a wide stretch of sea from those both of the 

 Dutch and English. They are collectively known as the 

 Bismarck Archipelago, and — omitting those of no import- 

 ance — -consist of the Admiralty group. New Hanover, 

 New Ireland (Neu Mecklenburg), the Duke of York 

 group (Neu Lauenburg), New Britain (Neu Pommern), 

 and a chain of volcanic islands bordering the mainland. 



The Admiralty group is composed of one large and 

 numerous small islands ; the former is distant about 180 

 miles from Hatzfeldthafen, the nearest point of New 

 Guinea, and is about 6 miles in length by 2 in average 

 breadth, with mountains rising to the height of about 

 3000 feet. These are believed to be extinct volcanoes, 

 but the greater part of the island seems to consist of 

 raised coral rocks. The Admiralty group was first 

 visited in 1767 by Carteret, whose boats were attacked 

 by the natives, but no Europeans appear to have actually 

 landed until the visit of the Challenger in 1875. The 

 people are mop-headed Papuans of the usual type, fond 

 of ornaments, and habile carvers of wood. A peculiar 

 ornament is a circular white plate ground out of a 

 Tridacna shell, on which is cemented a plate of tortoise- 

 shell, cut out into a great variety of beautiful designs, 

 no two being alike. The islanders are ignorant of 

 tobacco and make no fermented drinks, and the metals 

 are unknown to them, their tools and weapons being of 



