CRUISE OF H.M.S. WALLAROO

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 207, 6 September 1897, Page 4

CRUISE OF H.M.S. WALLAROO

ANNEXATION OF TWO ISLANDS.

VISIT TO NEW T GUINEA AND THE

WOODLARK ISLANDS.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE GOLD

FIELDS.

The cruiser Wallaroo returned to Sydney on Monday last after an absence ot over three months. This is the hrst trip of the Wallaroo since being recomniissioned. She left Sydney and proceeded to Townsville, where she arrived on June 10th, and anchored three miles oil the shore. Coal was there put into the bunkers, and the Wallaroo left on the 12th for the Solomon Islands. On June 1/th Bellona Island was made, and at 8 a.m. a party from the man-o-war landed on the island. The natives came out and yelled at the intruders, but quietened down upon seeing the bluejackets, and became more friendly. The Union Jack was then hoisted, v royal salute fired, and the island was thus annexed. Remtel Island was similarly placed under Her Majesty's protection.'and the cruiser proceeded "to the Stewart Islands, winch are live in number, the largest being Sikiana. She arrived at the group on June 20th. In the afternoon the annexing party went ashore, and were surprised to find that the natives spoke English and were very friendly. The Island of Sikiana, which is the largest of the five, was landed at, and the proceeded to the king's house. The party men were lined upon the beach, a L nion Jack was hoisted, and a salute fired. The king visited the ship later, and thorugh an interpreter said that he was proud to be under the British flag. The warship left the group on the 21st, and proceeded back to the Solomon Islands, making Gera Island on the evening of the 22nd. The island visited was Gavtitu, where the ship coaled, and the cruiser crossed to Townsville. From there she made a special visit to Samarai and the Woodlark Island—the scenes of the recent gold rushes.^ A splendid harbour was found at the Woodlark. The officers describe it in terms of unqualified praise, oneremarkingthatit was one of the most beautiful basins on the face of the globe. At Samarai the prisoners appear to be made generally useful, and their number seems only to be limited by the prison accommodation and the trouble of fetching them from the mainland. The rush or the gold-seekers overtaxed the local accommodation, and at the time of the ship's visit, when the gold boom had cooled down considerably, there were about a score of miners whose only sleeping place was a boatshed, or under the floor of some house raised off the .ground. The

miners were as a rule despondent. Most of them admitted the presence of gold in the Woodlarks and New Guinea goldfields, such as the Mambare, in quantities which would be payable if it were not for the difficulties and expense of transport and living. From all accounts the Mambare River will be the scene of the best gold finds when the difficulties of transporthave been overcome, says the " Sj-diiey Morning Herald."' Forty miles up the Mambare River places one within touch of the gold. The amount of sickness among the goldseekers has been very high, and deaths proportionate. Want of proper food and exposure seem mostly accountable for the sickness, and for these things there seems no remedy at present. Great difficulty has lately been experienced by the goldseekers, i especially in the Woodlarks, in obtaining i native earners.

Woodlark Island is about 40 miles in length and seven in width, densely wooded, hilly, and for the most part fringed with mangroves. Gold appears to have been found there about three years ago, and a rush in consequence took place, the number of miners there just now being estimated at 300. The harbour of Mapasa, in which the Wallaroo was anchored, was surveyed and found suitable for vessels of a good draught. There is an inner harbour to Mapasa, suitable for schooners. The cost of a miner's right is 10s a year for a claim 50 feet square. A prospector's license is £3, entitling him to a claim 150 feet each way. The largest camp was about five miles from the sea. The miners had gradually worked their way up the stream to that distance, and were finding the best paying gold there. The islanS undoubtedly contains iron and copper, but in what quantity it was not possible to determine.