A RIVAL TO MOUNT COOK.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7382, 7 August 1889, Page 3

A RIVAL TO MOUNT COOK.

Sir William McGregor's expedition to Mount Owen Stanley returned to Port Moresby on June 25th, having made a successful ascent of the highest peak of the Owen Stanley Range, named Mount Victoria, 13,121 ft. The Administrator of New Guinea was accompanied to the sumsalt only by George Belford, Joe, a Fijian, tftd three New Guinea men. The climate was perfect. Above 8000 ft it was clear and cold, and on the summit were daisies, buttercups, forget-me-nots, grasses, hftath*, larks, icicles, and white frosts. No natives were met with above 4000 ft. sir William left Port Moresby on the 19th- April in an open boat, with a party of fourteen, for the Vanupa river, thirty miles westward. They arrived there safely, and pushed the boat up the river for eight days. They encountered •*J*ny difficulties in crossing the rapids and dragging the boat over the rocks. It ****** not until the 17th May that the party, of which only four were whites, made a •tart after getting additional provisions hum Port Moresby. They crossed Mount Weeson, and at a height of 1700 ft Mount ■wffibar. They saw the first native house *t Goodwin's Village, Mount Musgrave. *aey then descended Mount Musgrave, *nich" Ib over 7000 ft high, to the Vanupa fiver, mounted the Knutsford range '**« rough country, and followed a 3JM leading westward for three days. *_»J* descended the spur and began «M ascent of Mount Owen Stanley ??»_ * 9ln ' reaching the top on the Alto. Oa the 12th June they returned to Jiount Musgrave. On the 16th all hands ?* ar _ed homewards. Tbe country traTJ* i°y the party was very mountainous. "o table land was discovered. The geoformation of the country was ;!J* U " T decomposed slate, granite and Qttutr. There was no sign of gold. The ""nate to a height of tSoOft was moist, T}~! e 'hat dry and bracing. In the higher «tjtuue_ natives were met with ou two s£asions «>__.__ The _. wwee _ c extr emely ifmll y *_ at superstitious. The men were «ottt and well built, with short legs, women were never seen. The culti- •■*-? were fenced in, and t^;!L potatoes ' ? aiu *. sugar-cane and Z*** 0 . w «e plentiful. The natives SJ CT oid of warlike implements, raxucular attention was paid to the _r-T n l r i 5 , 3es ' whl ch were made of shells iw^,lj om K tbeeaßternco «t of German Uto,-™?h? howi **X friend! v communica- & °„~l!^t d man y Wimeus of new Mb*- riZ? X T it A otbere 80me beautiful SnTor h -.^ I l dr S ns ' Mof wt »<* have S n_^. ed t0 f Baroa yon Mueller. A St?L. r oi ™* *rasses iv large Ww bW, o r^ Good,Tm secured several H-T a nd K one aalmal something httL th-™\ e _* ar * but w »th a lonl &\_s C hw t beng a dßßk r brown, •ad th. _SSL, 11 . "J? extremities, M£ t ™ * s « •*ore «i.' Ud _? are the sam « as those *? a - ne !T Paradise bird S__««to the preat epinachus. Tne party male birtiof that B P eci e« »«_|r^ e T Seumatßerun - TheGo*^o__u*vS d * Ter *i l Dew small bird * to r a ".x_ imon « St the Dird 3 *^pSw^ y ' the y were -*«*n by one of 5iS_S fe 7 etiological amongst w_ich '^KnT bl _*# batterflies * Many were —«*. sut only a few were captured