Ixxxvi Appendix. 



height on its southern board, but to the north-east rises to about 1,200 feet, 

 and is separated by ¥ortescue Strait from Moresby Island, a noble island with 

 peaks nearly 2,000 feet high. 



" It is a curious question how it has come about that the mistake of 

 supposing New Guinea to end in a wedge-like shape should have occurred. It 

 may have been that D'Entrecasteaux and the old navigators knew of the 

 existence of the north-easfc fork, and placed their discoveries relatively coi-rect 

 with regard to it, while they knew nothing of the south-east fork. Modern 

 navigators — making the land from the south — knowing nothing of the 

 north-east fork, and seeing high land of that part of New Guinea over the low 

 land of Mourilyan Island, hastily jumped to the conclusion that it must be 

 D'Entrecasteaux Island. Thus confusion arose and the fork was shut up. It 

 is clear enough now. 



"I am strongly of opinion that the route between China and Australia will 

 eventually lead through China Strait, which is free from danger and has safe 

 anchorage everywhere. A ship leaving Sydney would follow the outside route 

 to the great north-east channel, a clear, free sea from that well-known track 

 leading to China Strait, thence to East Cape is a clear run." There the 

 " Basilisk " was brought up by reefs. Unfortunately a want of stores and 

 fuel prevented them looking for a passage to the south of Lydia Island, which 

 Captain Moresby thinks will undoubtedly be found. He examined the 

 northern shores of New Guinea for about 25 miles in a boat. " Once round 

 East Cape New Guinea is washed by a grand, clear, reefless sea. A ship 

 might literally sail with her sides rubbing against the coral wall which binds 

 the shore, and find good anchorage in any of the bays where a beach is seen. 

 How far to the westward this description would apply remains to be proved. 

 Of the beauty and fertility of these islands and shores of New Guinea it is 

 impossible to speak too highly. In its general features it strongly reminded 

 me of Jamaica. The precipitous wooded mountains are to a considerable 

 extent cleared and terraced to their very summits with taro and yam planta- 

 tions, in a way that even a Chinaman might envy, while the valleys produce 

 cocoa-nuts, sago, palms, bananas, sugar-cane, oranges, guavas, pumpkins, and 

 other tropical productions. Mountain streams abound, and contain a delicious 

 eating fish, almost identical in taste and appearance with the English trout." 

 The torrents which discharge into Sir Alexander Milne Bay are very 

 numerous and large. 



At the head of Sir Alexander Milne Bay fine specimens of steel-sand were 

 obtained. At East Cape the natives possessed large lumps of obsidian, but 

 they did not observe that it was used to barb spears or make knives of, as at 

 the Admiralty Islands. 



The whole of these coasts, except where the mountains rise too pi-ecipitously 



