NEWS FROM THE NEW GUINEA ISLANDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 1900, 1 December 1877, Page 4

NEWS FROM THE NEW GUINEA ISLANDS.

The Rev. George Brown, of the New Guinea Mission, sends the following interesting letter : — " Port Hunter, Duke of York Group, "September 6, 1877. " A few lines with a few items of news from this out of the way place is all I shall be able to send you by return of the mission brig. We arrived here on August 21st, after a long and tedious passage from Rotuma. No one had ever known, such weather before in these latitudes, and no one wanted to seo such again. We had nothing but thick, heavy, dirty weather all the way, with strong southerly winds and a very strong current setting to the westward, especially on the New Ireland coast. As we hear that the winds have been very strong in other parts of the world lately, I may as well mention here that the Natives in this group assert that they have never known such a succession of heavy gales as they have had for the past five months, and this is confirmed by the appearance of the vegetation, and the great number of fallen trees in the bush. On our arrival we found that the teachers were, many of them, living together at Port Hunter, though there was no valid reason for their doing so, as the Natives had never interfered with them or injured them in any way. Two women, one man, and two children, had died during the year ; many of the others had been ill, but they were all well again. "The German barques Johan Caesar and Etienne, were both at Port Weber or New Britain, when Jamieson was murdered by the Natives of that place. Messrs Godeffroy appears to be very successful in their attempts to open up these places for trade. Captain Lewson, who came down in the Etienne last year, has remained on the stations ever since, and succeeded in getting a good quantity of copra, which was sent to Samoa in the Johan Caesar some months ago. This vessel has now returned from Sydney with a number of traders, who are now being located on the different stations on New Britain. I believe that a great part of her return cargo is already in hand. In addition to the firm of Messrs Godeffroy, there is also another German firm established here, Messrs Hernsheim and Co., of Hamburg. Besides their central station on Duke of York Island, they have two stations also on New Britain, and employ a small schooner in the group. I need net remind you, I trust, that, this development of trade has followed immediately the establishment of our mission here, as on our arrival here there was not a single white man, or a single pound of copra in the group. Many of your readers well remember what I said when in New Zealand about the effects which missionary operations have upon such sublunary things as imports and exports, and on the trade and commeace of the colonies, and will feel that this group affords another illustration in addition to those I then gave. "Idonot, however, wishanyof our New Zealand merchants to get any exaggerated notions from my letters about the capabilities of these islands, and the quantity of copra to be obtained here. I am free to confess that I never thought that any large quantities would be obtained, or that any at all would have been made by the Natives in so short a time. They have, however, begun to make it near here, and I suppose it will soon be made in other places where there are cocoanuts to make it from. For some time, however, at all events, the firms at present here, can easily take up all that can be made, though I have little doubt that others also may wish to share in it. "It is very difficult to find out exactly why poor Jamieson was murdered. All that is known with certainty is, that he was killed about sunset as he was sitting in front of his house. A Solomon Islands woman who was in the house was killed at the same time, but Jamieson's Samoan wife escaped into the bush, from which she saw the Natives mutilating the bodies and preparing them for the oven. She was afterwards caught, but was not kilUd, and another of the traders from Blanche Bay sent over some trade, and redeemed her. She was insane when first taken on board the ship, but has since recovered. A Samoan wife of another trader wa3 poisoned — so it is said— and died soon afterwards. This led to some collision with the Natives, and that station had to be abandoned. "H.M.S. Confiict, Captain Musters, left this port for Blanche Bay, New Britain, a few days ago. She called in here on her first anival from the Solomon Islands, and then went on to Kabair, to inquire into the facts connected with the murder. The Natives, however, as usual, took to the bush, and beyond firing a few shells and burning some huts, nothing could be done. " We are now engaged in building our

house at Port Hunter, and shall be glad enough when it is finished. As soon as possible the teachers here, and those now brought down, will be located at the different villages, and when I have another opportunity of doing so I will let you know how we succeed, and what other events take place in this uncivilised land of oxtrs."