1890.] Geography and Travel. 657 
New Guinea.—The proceedings of the Royal Geographical So- 
ciety for April of this year contain Sir W. Macgregor’s account of his 
expedition to the culminating point of the Owen Stanley range of New 
Guinea. Ona trip to Doura, a district northwest of Port Moresby, 
he was told of a river named Vanapa. On April 20 he found an open- 
ing hidden in a bend of the inlet, and held his way up the river until 
the 27th, when the rapids became very strong, and the party were 
compelled to take the shore. Somewhere about this point was found 
a most ingenious native bridge of V-shape, at a spot where the stream 
was 70 yards in width. The structure was supported by a banyan-tree 
atone end, and by a small tree and a post at the other. The bottom 
was composed of four rattans, above which, at a height of about two 
feet six inches were two rattans on each side, and two feet three inches 
above these were three on one side and four on the other. The rat- 
tans were kept in position by split canes worked in. The distance 
between the upper rattans was about three and a half feet. Platform 
approaches were made at both ends, 
The advantages offered by the Venapa as a basis from which to as- 
cend the Owen Stanley range were evident, and Sir W. Macgregor re- 
solved to avail himself of them. Considerable trouble was, however, 
experienced with the native porters, who objected to ascend the 
heights, These difficulties were at last surmounted, and the Governor, 
with one or two companions, eventually succeeded in following the 
main ridge to its culminating eastern extremity, now known as Mount 
Victoria. The difficulty of obtaining provisions was great, and the 
woods swarmed with the scrub-itch insect and with ticks, while in 
ground ‘soaked with rain and warmed in the sun great numbers of 
leeches were encountered, of two kinds, one thin and wire-like, three- 
quarters of an inch in length, the other as thick as a goose-quill, and 
about two inches long. The mountains were found to be of slate, in- 
tersected with quartz veins. The summit called Mount Knutsford, 
11,100 feet high, was reached on June 6th, and this point proved to 
be the best from which to follow with the eye the course of the Vanapa, 
which drains the entire south side of the Owen Stanley range from 
Mount Victoria to Mount Lilley. After a descent, the next summit, 
Winter Height, was ascended (11,882), then Dickson Pass (10,844) 
was crossed, and the highest peak (13,127-13,205 feet) was climbed. 
Alpine plants were not met with until within about 570 feet of the 
summit. 
