' NEW GUINEA AND THE PAPUANS 
435 
dirty, and, unlike most Papuans, unskilled in carving and 
the making of pottery; but fair agriculturists, holding 
markets at the German stations, to which the people of 
the interior come. They have a fixed monetary system, 
the currency consisting of strings of cowries ( dewarra ), 
plates of shell ground thin, and tobacco. The principal 
weapons are slings, which are used with great accuracy 
and force, and spears. The natives are exceedingly 
clever fishermen, constructing basket and other traps of 
considerable ingenuity. 
In addition to the volcanoes already mentioned and two 
other active craters to the south of Open Bay—the Father 
(4000 feet) and South Son (3000 feet)—the greater 
number of the outlying islands on the north side of New 
Britain, such as Gicquel, Baoul, Du Faure, Willaumez, 
and others, are believed to be volcanic, and Duportail is 
known to be partly active. Cape Gloucester, the extreme 
west point of New Britain, is a complete nest of volcanoes, 
which were found by Mr. Wilfrid Powell to be in a state 
of violent eruption in 1877 ; a hundred or more craters, 
large and small, vomiting fire and smoke and fine ashes, 
the light produced by the eruption at night being 
sufficient to enable a book to be read. Tupinier Island 
was at the same time in eruption. From the western end 
of New Britain extends a series of islands for a distance 
of about 400 miles along the coast of the mainland, and 
these also are volcanic. On the 13th March, 1888, 
Volcano Island was almost engulfed by the’sea, producing 
a tidal wave which caused great damage, and killed the 
two German explorers Herr von Below and Herr 
Hunstein, who were at the time on an expedition to the 
west coast of New Britain. 
Although the natural history of the New Britain 
group shows a close affinity to that of New Guinea, no 
