NORFOLK ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11692, 29 June 1901, Page 3

NORFOLK ISLAND.

' [from OtTK OWN correspondent.] ~ June 20. The cable steamer Britannia- belonging to the Eastern Extension Telegraph and Maintenance Company, with Mr. I'eako and a staff of engineers, arrived from Brisbane on the 12th inst;., on the work, it is understood, of laying out a : track for the • new . Pacific cable. With the exception of two days, fine weather wins experienced coming across. Soundings were taken every ten miles, but one hundred miles from the Australian coast a range of mountains was met with, which caused them to make a slight detour south, in order to clear the obstruction. Two thousand eight hundred fathoms was the greatest depth met with, and the shallowest two hundred and fifty-seven on the mountain just mentioned. Since their arrival the steamer has been engaged sounding round the island, seeking a suitable place to land the cable, and the party have also been ashore inspecting, and now it is stated that Anson's Bay. on the west side, bus been selected. Here a cable house will be built, close ■to the shore, and a road made to the beach, which' will be a rather difficult job. as there is very nearly a sheer drop of something like 300 ft from the top to the water's edge, the pathway at present being; very difficult, and insecure in places. - On the''"flat on top the operating house and other.tenements will be erected, wherein to accommodate the large staff of 16 operators and attendants', who will be premanently located there. Mr. Murphy, of the Lands Office in Sydney, accompanies the expedition, and no doubt his thorough knowledge of the island was of great service to the party. The Britannia leaves for Auckland to-day, and will take soundings going over 1 , and is expected to be back here again in three weeks' time, when the voyage will be continued on to Fiji. The 45th anniversary of the landing of the Pitcairners on Norfolk Island was celebrated on the 11th inst., the day being proclaimed a publio holiday. As is usual on this day, our neighbours at the Mission Station, including His Lordship the Bishop, the white staff, and the whole of the natives, were invited by the Chief Magistrate, on behalf of the community, to join in the festivity, and with very few exceptions they all came. The day was fine and sunny, and the crowds of missionaries and country people commingling gave the old sleepy town for the nonce a gay and animated appearance. At one o'clock the tableclotns were spread on the grass in the esplanade, where a substantial dinner was provided by the community for their guests, which appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed". The cricket match Bounty v. All-comers, always an interesting and exciting part of the day's programme, was played, and was won on this, as on many other occasions, by the mutineers. The play lasted until late in the afternoon, causing not a little excitement on its termination. A ball in the evening, largely attended, finished off a. most enjoyable day. . - His Lordship the Bishop of Melanesia and Mrs. Wilson gave a large garden party at St. Barnabas' on the afternoon of the 23rd ult. The function took place on the tennis green, one of tho many pretty environs of the mission station, the refreshments being served under the clump of pines close by. A large party of Norfoikers accepted the Bishop's kind invitation and attended, and notwithstanding the weather was rather bleak they spent a very pleasant afternoon. A public meeting, the Chief Magistrate in the chair, was held on the 30th ult., to make arrangements for erecting a suitable memorial to H.M ! . the late Queen Victoria, or rather to receive the report of the committee appointed, but nothing definite was arrived at, and the meeting adjournd for two months to make inquiries, the committee continuing in office. It would appear that not much enthusiasm is shown in the matter.

The comet, whe.i not cloudy, was to oe seen in the western sky from the 3rd to the 20th of last'month. It appeared ait sunset, and set between seven and eight p.m.; for several nights it was very brilliant, and then gradually faded away. Much sympathy has been expressed by the islanders' to Bishop Wilson on the death of his mother in England. The sad news came by the last mail. Mrs. Wilson was not only a friend to the mission, but also a supporter of the island chaplain fund. At. a meeting of the Vestry Council of the Norfolk Island Church it was .unanimously resolved to present His Lordship with a letter of condolence, which has since been done. Whales are to be seen about, but the boats are not nearly ready yet, although the men are hard at work on them; another week or two, however, will see most of the boats ready for sea. There is some talk,, in the event of labour being required at Anson's Bay, of half the men going out there to work, and the others to whale it, and then divide. Although the early months of the year were very dry'indeed, the recent rains have improved matters wonderfully, both for the grazing stock and the farmers, and the outlook just now appears more hopeful. The health of the island is fairly good, although a stray case of pneumonia turns up now and then. Weather conditions for May:— highest on 27th inst., 30.050; lowest on 14th, 29.674; ther., max. 70, min., 62; ram on 11 days, 4.11 in; winds, easterly 25, westerly six days. •