PHOTOGRAPHS OF INTEREST.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LX, Issue LX, 31 December 1910, Page 6

PHOTOGRAPHS OF INTEREST.

GIFT FOR AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, Dec. 29 The Auckland Museum will shortly be in possession of an interesting set of photographs of rocks in the Island of New Caledonia, showing carvings which are supposed to be the work of prehistoric man. The rocks were first discovered by M. Glaumont— an officer in the penitentiary— in 1895, but little notice was taken of them till 1898, when M. Harms Archambault visited them, and took photographs, which he showed at a recent art exhibition at Noumea. Copies of the photographs were given by M. Archambault to Mr T Mfinning, British Vice-Consul at New Caledonia, who happened to be leaving for Auckland, and who will ]»and them over to the museum authorities. A large number of carved stones have been discovered at Diabot, i» the north of the island. In one locality alone there # are 100 stones, and the crosses and circles on them are said to be witnesses of art of an ancient date of which the natives are ignorant. The most qualified natives know nothing about the carvings, or by whom they were done. They are found exclusively on the harder rocks, and there is clear evidence that the work was done with chisel and hammer. The cross is present in all the carvings, and is continually multiplied. It is shown in its simplest form, and m the more elaborate form of six and eight branches, the Maltese Cross, and the Gross of Lorraine. The spiral is also largely employed, and there are representations of a strange instrument, somewhat like a pick, trident, fern leaves, ovals, etc. There is also one figure very like the Greek Alpha.