414 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
trees, presenting the appearance of an English park. 
The settlement itself, which is far from healthy, shows 
evidence of much care and order in its well-kept paths 
and pretty gardens. There are horses, cows, fowls, 
turkeys, pigs, and many sorts of European vegetables, 
and all produce is to be had at cheaper rates than in 
Australia. A hospital, shops, a small police force, and 
other elements of civilisation exist, and there is steam 
communication with the other stations. At one time 
the Queensland steamers ran to Finschhafen, but the 
Australian immigrants having declined to settle under 
the Company’s laws, they have been taken off. Fever is 
very prevalent here, and mosquitoes and flies are in 
some seasons almost a plague. Earthquakes, which are 
numerous, form another drawback. The natives are 
friendly, and now that the aims of the Company are 
better understood, are ready to embrace the trade 
advantages thus brought to their door. They are essen¬ 
tially an agricultural people, and great numbers of coco- 
palms are grown. North-westwards from Finschhafen 
to Cape King William, a distance of 30 or 40 miles, a 
beautiful series of terraces extend, which are specially 
suited for cultivation. These are three in number, and 
are remarkably regular in appearance. They are 
upraised coral beaches, but nevertheless run no risk of 
drought, the land being irrigated by countless streams of 
excellent water. Large native plantations of bananas 
and yams exist at Fortification Point and other places, 
and Mr. Wilfrid Powell considers that no better place for 
a settlement could be found in the tropics than Cape 
King William. The natives are very clever at irrigation, 
using bamboo tubes joined with resin, and the houses 
are built with sides of pandanus-leaf mats, which are 
rolled up to let in the air and light as the occupier 
