494 



NEff aUWEA. [C3I1AP, xxiir. 



from shore. The people were Papuam, much resembling 

 the natives of Aru. 



When we had got out of the Straits, and were fairly in 

 the great Pacilic Ocean, we had a steady wind for the first 

 time since leaving Ternate, hut unfortunately it was dead 

 ahead, and we had to beat against it, tacking on and olT 

 the coast of New Guinea I looked with intense interest 

 on those nigged niouutaing, retreating ridge behind ridge 

 into the interior, where the foot of ci\'ilized[ man had 

 never trod. There was the countiy of tlie cassowary and 

 the tree-kangaroo, and those dark forests produced the 

 most extraordinary and the most beautiful of the feathered 

 inhabitants of the earth — the varied species of Birds of 

 Paradise, A few days more and 1 hoped to be in pursuit 

 of these, and of the scarcely less beautiful insects which 

 accompany them. We had still, however, for several days 

 only calms and light head-winds, and it was not till the 

 loth of April that a fine westerly breeze set in, followed 

 by a squally night, which kept us otf the entrance of 

 iJorey harbour. The next morning we entered, and came 

 to anchor off the small island of Mansinam, on which 

 dwelt two German missionaries, Messrs. Otto and Geisler. 

 The former immediately came on board to give us welcome, 

 and invited ns to go on shore and breakhist with hira. 

 We were then introduced to his companion — who was 

 siiffcring dreadfully from an abscess on the heel, which 

 had contined him to the house for six months — ^and to his 

 wife, a young German %vonian, who had been out only 

 three months. Un fortunately she could speak no Malay 

 or English, and had to guess at our compliments on her 

 excellent breakfast by the justice we did it 



These ndssionarius were working men, and had been sent 

 out, aa being more useful among savages than persons of a 

 higher clasa They had been here about two years, and 

 Mr. Otto had already learnt to speak the Papuan language 

 with fluency, and had begun translating some portions of 

 the Bible. The language, however, is so poor that a con- 

 siderable number of Malay words have to be used ; and it 

 is very questionable whether it is possible to convey any 

 idea of such a book, to a people in so low a state of 

 civilization. The only nominal converts yet made are a 



