270 STORY OF A LOST ARCHIPELAGO. 



We are indebted to him for much information concerning this part 

 of the group.^ About 1847, Monsignor Epalle, a French Roman 

 Catholic Bishop, was landed, with eighteen priests, on the island of 

 Isabel, for the purpose of founding a mission. On first landing, the 

 bishop strayed from the rest of the party and received his death-blow 

 at the hands of the natives, who are supposed to have been tempted 

 by his dress and ornaments. In April of 1847, three French mission- 

 aries, living at ]\Iakira, were murdered by the hill-tribes of St. Chris- 

 toval; and in March of the following year, M. Dutaillis.^ in command 

 of the French corvette " L'Ariane," anchored at Makira, and sent an 

 expedition into the interior by which the villages of the murderers 

 were destroyed and many of the natives killed and wounded. 



In September, 1851, the ill-fated yacht "Wanderer,"^ with her 

 owner, Mr. Benjamin Boyd, on board, visited the Solomon Group. 

 Cruising along the south coast of St. Christoval, the yacht put into 

 Makira, where she lay at anchor nearly three weeks. Friendly 

 intercourse was established with the inhabitants and frequent shoot- 

 ing excursions were made into the interior. Mr. Boyd thought so 

 highly of the advantages of Makira and its harbour, that he intended 

 to return there with the intention of entering into a treaty with the 

 principal natives of the locality for the purpose of acquiring it for 

 future commercial purposes. However, the careers, both of the 

 yacht and of its owner, were drawing to a close. From Makira, 

 they proceeded to Guadalcanal Leaving his vessel anchored in 

 Wanderer Bay, as it has since been named, Mr. Boyd landed with 

 his gun, accompanied by a native of Panapa. Neither of them were 

 ever seen again ; and they appear to have met with their deaths at 

 the hands of the natives soon after landing. A great number of the 

 natives attacked the yacht, but they were repulsed by the crew of 

 the "Wanderer" with grape-shot and musketry. An ineffectual 

 search was made for Mr. Boyd and his companion : and before the 

 yacht left the locality, round and grape-shot were poured into the 

 villages, canoes and houses were burned, and probably a large 

 number of natives were killed and injured. The " Wanderer " now 

 left the group ; and in tlie^ following month she was totally lost on 

 the bar of Port Macquarie on the Australian coast. 



1 "A Description of Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean." London, 1852. 

 - " Annalcs Hydrographiques ; " tome I. 1848-49. "Last Cruise of the 'Wanderer,'" 

 by John Webster, p. 73. 



^ " Last Cruise of the ' Wanderer.'" By John Webster. 



