Moresby. — Lecture on JSfew Guinea. Ixxxv 



be equally destitute of weapons. Many of tlieir canoes were of the kind 

 described by Lieut. Ynle, of H. M.S. "Bramble," in 1846, viz., double canoes 

 with a cane deck or platform passing over all and fastening the canoes 

 together. They are propelled by large mat-sails spread between two poles in 

 the shape of the letter Y, and steered with long paddles. Their length was 

 about 40 feet, and extreme beam about 8 feet. No treble or quadruple canoes 

 of this description were seen. 



In their houses these natives had rough wood spears, and occasionally stone 

 clubs, but no bows. " We roamed over the country and visited their villages 

 as freely as if they were English people. If any of our fellows got lost in the 

 bush the natives took them to their villages, fed them, and offered every 

 hospitality before bringing them back to the ship. Apparently they had never 

 before seen a white man, and their curiosity was great to see and touch our 

 white skins." From their proximity to Redscar Bay they had learnt the tise 

 of iron, and eagerly took axes in barter. Their fishing nets, made from the 

 fibre of a small nettle-like plant, are precisely similar to an English seine, 

 quite as strong, and are univer-sally used from Yiile Island to East Cape. 

 Wallabies were the only wild animals ; pigs and dogs, the domesticated ones, 

 seen. 



Commencing at Heath Point — where Captain Stanley began his running 

 survey of ISew Guinea — distant about 40 miles from the then supposed south- 

 eastern extremity, the chart shows an unbroken continuation of the Owen 

 Stanley Range to near the supposed South-East Cape. The north-east shores of 

 New Guinea had never been examined, but all the charts agree in representing 

 its eastern termination to be in the shape of a wedge, with D'Entrecasteaux 

 Island on its north-east board. " The reality we have found to be very 

 difierent, as the rough tracing will show. You will observe that New Guinea 

 finishes its enormous length to the eastward in the form of a broad fork. 

 Heath Point of Captain Stanley is a lofty island lying off the mainland. 

 Thus Captain Stanley, in reality, commenced his survey at the extreme south- 

 east point of New Guinea without being aware of it. It was probably thick 

 weather when his soundings were taken within two miles of Heath Island. 

 Under any circumstances, from the westward. Heath Island shuts out allview 

 of the strait named by me 'China Strait.' The tracing will obviate my 

 making any lengthened remarks on the unexpected configuration of the 

 land which it has been our lot to discover. I will briefly say that the south- 

 east extremity of New Guinea sweeps precipitously down from a height of 

 about 2,000 feet to the tranquil shores of China Strait." On the opposite side 

 is Hayter Island, iri-egularly shaped, rising to a height of about 800 feet. 

 Hayter Island is separated by a narrow pass (riven asunder by some mighty 

 convulsion of nature) from Mourilyan Island. The latter is of a moderate 



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