INDEX TO THE PACIFIC I STANDS. 115 



natives use jade in weapons and ornaments. The winter season is from December 

 15 to April 15. The north point is in 20° 45' S. 13. 



New Georgia, see Rubiana of the Solomon islands. 



New Guinea was discovered by the Portuguese Jorge de Meneses in 1524; visited by 

 Saavedra in 1528 ; Grijalva y Alvarado in 1537 ; Inigo Ortiz de Retes in 1545, and 

 the last gave the name New Guinea. The history of the discovery of New Guinea 

 is a most complicated one, each discoverer mapping but a small portion of the 

 coast, and to this day the coast line is not well surveyed, while much of the in- 

 terior remains unexplored. In 1705 a Dutch expedition explored the deep bay on 

 the north coast which was named for one of the ships of the expedition Geelvink 

 (yellow finch) , and many other Dutch explorers were sent by the East India Corn- 

 pan}* from Batavia to this portion of New Guinea which was gradually claimed by 

 Holland. The boundary of Dutch New Guinea on the east is a straight line 

 drawn from Cape Bonpland on the east side of Humboldt bay, in 140° 47' east 

 longitude to 140° E. on the south coast. In 1885 the portion not claimed by the 

 Dutch east of the 141st meridian was divided between England and Germany, the 

 former taking the south coast from the mouth of Bensbach river in latitude 

 9° °l' 35 " s -> longitude 141° oi' 48" E., this meridian forming the boundary till it 

 meets the Fly river which becomes the boundary until it crosses the 141st merid- 

 ian ; also all the north coast from the east point to Mitre rock in latitude 8° S. 

 April 4, 1883, the resident magistrate at Thursday island hoisted the British flag 

 at Port Moresby and took possession of all between 141° and 155° E. And on Sep- 

 tember 4, 1888, the Administrator proclaimed the annexation as a crown colony 

 under the name of British New Guinea. 



In its greatest length wnw.-ESE. New Guinea extends 1306 m., and its area, 

 including adjacent islands, is about 312,000 sq. m. The Owen Stanley range rises 

 to a height of 13,205 ft. Many tribes are found, but the type is Papuan, and is 

 found in purity on the northern portion. To the northeast Polynesian colonies 

 have resulted in some mixture. On the south coast the natives are enterprising 

 traders, making long voyages with the monsoons in their lakatois which are 

 clumsy, compound boats with two masts and V-shaped sails. Sago and pottery 

 are the principal cargo. Houses on the shore are built on piles, and farther in- 

 land often in trees for safety. 



For further information as to the discovery see Bougainville, Edwards, Flin- 

 ders, D'Entrecasteaux, Freycinet, D'Urville, Moresby, Owen Stanley. And for 

 the geography and general description, see D'Albertis, Lawes, Chalmers, Powell, 

 and the reports of the Administrator. 



New Hanover (Neu Hannover of the Germans) was discovered by Carteret. It is 

 37 m. E-w., 20 m. n-s. Fertile and mountainous, rising to 2000 ft. 10. 



New Hebrides. Quiros was the first to discover any of the extensive group, or rather 

 groups, which are now known by the collective name of New Hebrides. He saw but 

 one island which he fondly imagined was part of the great southern continent, then 

 the dream of navigators, and he called his discovery Australia del Espiritu Santo, 

 a name since curtailed to Santo in the Trader's vernacular. Cook discovered most 

 of the southern chain and he gave the name New Hebrides in 1773. The natives 



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