Moresby. — Lecture on New Guinea. Ixxxix 



out its brains on tlie quarter-deck, looking upon the rite as a ratification or 

 sealing of friendship — at least so we understood it. 



" The natives appeared to be subject to a kind of leprosy and other skin 

 diseases, but elephantiasis — so common in Torres Strait as a cause of 

 malformation — ^was scarcely ever seen. 



" The meteorology of the coast of New Guinea, from Yule Island to the 

 eastward, was found — during the months of February, March, April, and 

 May — to differ materially from that of Torres Strait. Leaving Torres Strait 

 the first week in Eebruary, when heavy rains and occasional stormy breezes 

 with dirty weather from the north-west prevailed, we remained in the 

 neighbourhood of Redscar Bay until the first week in March, during which 

 time we only had one day's wet weather and stit)ng breeze; all the rest were 

 fine with calms and light variable winds. At Cape York, again, in March, 

 we had a constant succession of heavy rains and dirty weather. On March 

 30th we were again at New Guinea, with lovely weather, and thus it 

 continued, excepting two days' rain (27th and 28th Api'il), until we finally 

 left China Strait, on 7th May. On 10th May, off Mount Suckling, the south- 

 east monsoon set in strong, with rain. This was immediately following after 

 three days dead calm. At Cape York the south-east monsoon had been 

 blowing steadily since the end of March. 



"The barometer had been steady at 29-80, or thereabouts, and the 

 thermometer has ranged between 82° and 88°, but the heat was rarely felt 

 oppressive, and our ship's company — although they have served almost 

 continuously for the last eighteen months in tropical climates, and our boats' 

 crews have been much exposed in surveying the rivers and creeks — have 

 enjoyed general good health. 



" Referring again to the natives, I think you will now agree with me that 

 the ferocious character assigned, on no authoi'ity, to these poor New Guinea 

 savages may be dropped. Wandering through their peaceful, luxuriantly- 

 planted villages, it often made me sad to think that our discoveries must 

 inevitably, sooner or later, bring white men among these contented creatures, 

 with sin, disease, and misery in their train." 



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