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Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 4393, 25 February 1884, Page 4

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coast, appears to bo intersected with rivers and arms from the sea. Wo went forty mile a up the river boforo thosnlinometer bognn to indicate fresher water, and for the next thirty miles it gradually became fresher, becoming at seventy miles from the mouth perfectly fresh, and tho country quite changed in appearance. The banks of tho river became higher and lined with stemless palms ; the trees covered with creepers ; tho air filled with sweet odours ; and tho forest resounded with tho noise of birds—l cannot say music or song, for most of the sounds wero far from agreeable. At tho highest point reached wo were delighted to find tlio boautiful birds of paradise (Paradisea regiana), a species that was then very rare, there being only three imperfect specimens in Europe. Somo of our party succeeded iv shooting three beautiful male birds. I sont one to the British Museum; but, unfortunately it never reached its destination. Tho bodios of thoso birds are a rich coffee-brown, their heads yellow, their throats emerald green. Tho long feathers which form their most conspicuous ornament spring from the sides from beneath oaoh wing, and aro of a deep red at tho haso, fading away into the palo brown of tho body. Some of our party caused considor.-blo,excitement in scientific circles by publishing a description of a very large bird ; also, tho hoof prints of an animal which thoy supposed to be the buffalo, seen during one of their excursions at the head of tho river; and as my name lias been mixed up with these supposed discoveries, I beg to state that, although responsible for the expedition, I am not responsible for all that was written about it.

I took specimens of mud and gravel from the bed of tlio river, also of the rocks, soil, etc., for microscopic purposes. Amongst the sand and gravel from the river bed there wero a few grains of gold. This information, however, 1 did not publish at the time in my public report., feeling that it would probably lead to disappointment and disaster, which was the unhappy result, a few years later, of a similar discovery on the S.E. Peninsula, published in Sydney. Wo landed every day whilst tho crew wore cutting wood for fuel, and generally found traces of natives, who had been there the night before. Evidently wc wore watched on our v ay up the river, and it was equally evident that the native inhabitants wore concealed. We only saw a few temporary dwellings, except at one place about seventy miles up the river, where we found two houses and about six acres of land enclosed by a very good fence of a kind of basket-work, 4ft high, inside of which wore sugar-cane, bananas, and tobacco growing. At another place, still higher, wo wero astonished to find, in a grove of bamboos, unmistakeablo evidence of the uso of an axe or large knife. Torres Strait wares had evidently found their way far into tho interior, We did not, at the highest point, see any mountains or even hilly conntry ; so that, as far as our mission was concerned, our discovery was useless.

Voyage of the Ellongowan. On this our first voyage of discovery in tho Ellongowan, I was accompanied by my friends Mr James Orkney, M.L.A., of Melbourne, and Mr Octavius Stone, F.R.G.S., of Leicester, both of which gentlemen wore travelling for pleasure, and were delighted to have arrived in time for this trip. Before wc commenced our return journey from tho head of tho river we all went on shore, faced a large and prominent tree, on which we painted the name of our steamer, with the dato of our visit; cut a neat frame in the trunk just abovo, into which we inserted a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen ; suspended from the tree an axe, a jackknife, and a looking-glass to show our friendly feeling to any natives passing that way ; then fired a royal salute, and gave three hearty British cheers, which made the forest ring. It was amusing to see the enthusiasm with which our native crew entered into this ceremony. '

Although wo were disappointed in not finding high land, healthy localities, and populous villages for mission stations, we succeeded in discovering some very fine country on both sides of the river. It is composed of a rich alluvial and vegetable soil, exceedingly fertile, with a dense, tropical looking vegetation. Hero and there it is swampy, but generally from ten to twenty fc _t abovo the level of the river ;

and if cleared and drained, and plenty of the eucali/ftns globulus planted, might become tolerably healthy and splendid country.

Failing to accomplish my object by the Maicassar, to which, being the first explorers, wo gave a European name, in honour of tho lady who presented us with the steamer Ellongowan, calling it the Baxter Rivor, I determined to attempt a passage into tho interior by the Fly River. Like t ho Baxter, this river had not been entered by any foreigner, so far as we know. Captun Evans, hydrographertothe Adim>aity, told me that ho was midshipman on board 11.M.5. Fly when thoy visited and surveyed that part of tho New '^Guinea coast, Thoy sailed past the rooutl\ of this large river, to which they gave tho name of their *hlp. While surveying in tho pinnace, the natives camo oil" in largo numbers to attack them, and wishing to avoid a collisior, they returned to the ship. Captain Evans said that he considered " it would require two of Her Majesty's gunboats to open up that river." And when my report of our voyage of 1(10 miles up the river was read before the Royal Geographical Society, Captain Evans described it as "ono of the best pioneer expeditions of modern times." We found the navigation, both at the entrance and'upthe river, exceedingly difficult, and the natives numerous and hostile.

Expedition up tho f^y Rivor,

On my expedition up the Fly River.l was accompanied by Mr Chester (Police Magistrate nt Thursday Island, then resident at Somerset), also Signor d'Albertis (the Italian naturalist), both of these gentlemen being anxious to embrace so lavourable an opportunity of visiting the interior of this great, terra incognita. Having taken on board the chief of Katau as pilot and interpreter, we started for the mouth of the river. The Katau people informed us that the Fly River natives were numerous and great warriors, and that they wero more afraid of them than of white men, notwithstanding the puns j end we certainly had not long to wait for evidence confirming this description. For the first thirty miles we were amongst onr interpreter's friends j and beyond that point ho did not wish to go, First, ho repre-1 sented further progress as impossible, there beinj* little water ; then, finding that would not do, he declared that we should all be eaten up if we persisted in golpg further ; and it was certainly with fear and trembling that he left his friends behind. The events of tho following day proved that thore was some cause for his fears, for we had not gone far when nine large war canoes, filled with • armed men in fighting costume, bire down upon us. A harmless exhibition of our power, however, led them to retreat. On two other* occasions we were obliged to frighten tho natives in a harmless way to prevent a collision. Before wo returned, however, we succeeded in making friends with some of them, and even getting them on board our steamer, where they were gieatly astonished at all they saw, and went away delighted with a small present.

Having gone 100 miles up the rivor without seeing any signs of hilly country, and without even seeing any signs of natives for the last fifty or sixty miles—our crew getting sick, and provisions running short, it seemed useless to go further in pursuit of tho object I had in view. Even supposing wo found thickly-inhabited hilly country a hundred miles further up the river, it would bo impracticable to establish a mission there until wo knew move about the navigation of the river, and became friendly with tho savage tribes occupying numerous villages for the first 100 miles i go we decided to return, loaving tho river still broad and deep, feeling that we might probably find it i meandering for several hundreds of miles amongst thelowlands of New Guinea, which Signor d'Albertis proved to be the case during the following year, ho having gone 500 miles up the river in a steam launch. Before returning we pulled in the ship's boat to tho next bend in the river, and there landed on both banks and on an island in the middle of it. To penetrate even a short distanceinto the interior proved exceedingly difficult. Hearing a waterfall, we determined to reach it, although we knew that the fall could not be very deep. In order to accomplish our object we had literally to cut our way through tangled Cftno, reeds, and dense scrub. "During our return voyago down the river we had the misfortune tcj stick on a bank and broak tho shaft of our steamer. Our prospects at that time were far from pleasant. Soventy-five miles up tho river, hard and fast on a bank, our steamer disabled, surrounded by savage and hostile natives, who were coming off in their canoes, our position waa certainly not an enviable ono. However, there was no time to sit down and mourn over it, and, believing that "I'rovidenco helps those who help themselves," wo set to work to do the best we could under the circumstances, and wero rewarded by getting safely out of tho river after a few days' hard work and anxiety.

From my last letter you will see that we are gradually and quietly becoming acquainted both with the deep channels in tfc'a river and with the savages who live on its banks, amongst WJhoip we liaye how several mission stations; sqft^t tujsgrea<j water-

way to the interior is being effectually opened up te commerce, and the nativebrought under the influence of Christianity which is the best civiliscr and handmaid to commerce. We havo not yet explored the gulf between the Fly and Aird Rivers. It is quite possible thoro may be another large river in that locality bearing more to the north and east, but it is a dangerous coastlino ; whereas we have proved that there is a passage into the Fly for large vessels, and a good harbour fifteen miles up, plenty of good and unoccupied land along its banks and, according to Signor d'Albertis, probably gold to be discovered near the head of the river. My own conviction is that this Thames of New Guinea is destined to bear on its bosom a large proportion of the vegetable and mineral wealth of New Guinea. Two Othor Rivers. The Katau and Mabidaunn rivers Ho between tho Baxter and the Fly, and are much smaller. Still, thoy lead through somo good land, and aro largo enough lor small steamers, and so may become of some importance in the development of New Guinea. My first visit to theso rivers was made about nino years ago, and I am not aware that any white man had been there before. I know that somo of the pearlshellers in Torres Strait had visited tlio village of Katau ; but no one as far as I can learn, ever made any attempt to ascend tho river before I did. Tlio Katau River is of much moro commercial importance than tho Mabidauan, although the latter is the larger and longer of the two. Katau is about twenty miles to tlio west of tho Fly River and moreoasily approached than Mabidauan, which is situated opposite tho east end of Saibai, between which island and mainland there are numerous reefs and sandbanks not marked on tlio chart. The Katau River leads in a north-easterly direction ; whilst the Mabidauan boars to tho north-west, in tlio direction of the head of the Baxter River. On both of these rivers wo have now got mission stations, as well as in tho Fly ; one on a hill at the mouth of the Mabidauan, two on the Katau (one at the mouth and another twelve miles up the river), and five in tho Fly—tho furthest inland being at Sumanut, which is twentyfive miles up the river. From my last letter you would get a very fair idea of tho country in this part of New Guinea, and in my next I shall give you some account of the natives.—Yours, etc.,

S. McFarlaot, Murray Island, December 20.