THE GOVERNMENT.
Before setting foot on Samarai I may as well give you some idea of the
extent of New Guinea, and of how a portion of it became a British
possession.
Looking upon Australia as a vast continent, New Guinea, or as it is
sometimes called "Papua," is the largest island in the world, having a
total length of 1,500 miles by 450 at its widest part. It has an area
of 310,000 square miles or more than twice the size of the United
Kingdom. The coast runs as nearly as possible W.N.W., and E.S.E.
Although New Guinea is in close proximity to Queensland, being only 400
miles distant from the port of Cooktown, until recently little was
known about it, and even at the present time our information is very
scanty.
It might well be called, the "Dark Continent," as no white man has, as
yet, crossed it. The coast for a considerable distance is fairly, but
not completely, well-known.
In 1873, Captain Moresby, in H.M.S. _Basilisk_, sailed round the
islands and along part of the coast, naming numerous islands after the
ship and her officers. He discovered the splendid harbours of China
Straits on the South East, and Port Moresby ("Hanuabada") on the South
Coast, which latter is at the present time the headquarters of the
London Missionary Society and of the Government. He also made a flying
survey, which was of necessity far from correct, but which proved of
great service to later surveyors.
In the year 1883 Sir Thomas McIlwraith, then Premier of Queensland, on
behalf of his Government, annexed the whole of New Guinea, thus hoping
to exclude the Germans. He had previously urged the Home Government to
do this, but they remained inactive. Upon learning what had been done,
the Home authorities emphatically refused to sanction it, but in the
following year, 1884, on their own behalf established a Protectorate
over that portion extending from latitude 5 to 10-1/2 deg. S. and longitude
141 to 151 deg. E., comprising 89,000 square miles, the Germans having
occupied the territory to the North, containing 71,000 square miles,
whilst the Dutch territory, which lies to the N.W., and has been held
by them for upwards of 25 years, contains 150,000 square miles; an area
equal to the British and German portions combined. The Proclamation
took place on the 6th of November 1884, at Port Moresby, where the
British flag was hoisted and the British men-of-war, five in number,
saluted.
The formal declaration was then read in the following terms:--
"To all to whom these presents shall come greeting:--Whereas, it has
become essential for the lives and properties of the native inhabitants
of New Guinea, and for the purpose of preventing the occupation of
portions of that country by persons whose proceedings, unsanctioned by
any lawful authority, might tend to injustice, strife and bloodshed,
and who, under the pretence of legitimate trade and intercourse might
endanger the liberties, and possess themselves of the lands, of such
native inhabitants, that a British protectorate should be established
over a certain portion of such country, and the islands adjacent
thereto; and whereas Her Majesty, having taken into her gracious
consideration the urgent necessity of her protection to such
inhabitants, has directed me to proclaim such protection in a formal
manner, at this place, now I, James Elphinstone Erskine, Captain in the
Royal Navy, and Commodore of the Australian Station, one of Her
Majesty's naval aides-de-camp, do hereby, in the name of Her Most
Gracious Majesty, declare and proclaim the establishment of such
protectorate over such portions of the coast and the adjacent islands
as are more particularly described in the schedule hereunto annexed,
and I hereby proclaim and declare that no acquisition of land,
whensoever or howsoever acquired, within the limits of the protectorate
hereby established, will be recognized by Her Majesty; and I do hereby,
on behalf of Her Majesty, command and enjoin all persons whom it may
concern to take notice of this proclamation:
"SCHEDULE.
"All that portion of the southern shores of New Guinea, commencing
from the boundary of that portion of the country claimed by the
Government of the Netherlands on the 141st meridian of east
longitude to East Cape, with all the islands adjacent thereto south
of East Cape to Kosmann Island inclusive, together with the islands
in the Goschen Straits.
"Given on board Her Majesty's ship _Nelson_ at the harbour of
Port Moresby on the 6th day of November, 1884."
Sir Peter Scratchley, a distinguished military officer, was appointed
special commissioner. He chartered the steamer _Governor Blackall_, and
with a large staff visited his new district, travelling along the coast
for a considerable distance, touching here and there and interviewing
several of the native chiefs. His term of office was, however, fated to
be a short one, as in three months after his appointment, when off
Mitre Rock, which is the extreme northern boundary, he contracted the
dreaded malaria. He immediately ordered the steamer to return to
Queensland, and the day after the vessel left Cooktown, died on board.
The Hon. John Douglas, resident magistrate of Thursday Island, was
appointed his successor, and ruled quietly and unobtrusively for over
three years.
The country, meanwhile, was not developed in any way; the expenses of
the Protectorate were considerable, when, as luck would have it,
payable gold was discovered in July, 1888, on Sud-Est, an island in the
Louisiade Archipelago (British New Guinea). Hereby hangs a tale, of
which I shall speak in another chapter.
This discovery caused the Home Government to create New Guinea a
British possession, which was declared at Port Moresby on September
6th, 1888, and an administrator, now Sir Wm. Macgregor, was appointed.
A high tariff was at once imposed on all imports, which revenue came as
a godsend to the impoverished state of the New Guinea funds. Such is a
brief outline of our early administration of the country.
* * * * *
Early the next morning, having said good-bye to the genial skipper of
the _Spitfire_, I took myself and belongings on shore, as I intended to
make Samarai my headquarters.
Samarai is a small but picturesque island containing about 60 acres,
situated in China Straits, which is the loveliest and most
romantic-looking harbour I have ever seen. The island has a beautiful
grove of coco-nut trees, with curious-looking hills on the S.E. or
weather side. They look as if they had at some period subsided, leaving
their tops only visible.
There is a fine coral beach running along the north-west or lee side of
the island and facing the mainland, one and a half miles distant. There
is a swamp of seven acres in the middle, the home of malarial fever,
thus making this island one of the most unhealthy spots in New Guinea.
A government agent is located there and has charge of the customs. In
the time of the Protectorate, a large wooden bungalow was built on the
top of the highest hill by Rooney & Co., of Townsville, costing the sum
of L900. About 60 natives lived on the island, which had been their
home for many years. In August, 1888, just previous to the acquisition
of New Guinea as a British possession, they were all driven away, or
euphemistically got notice to quit. In lieu thereof, they were offered
the island of "Quato," situated in China Straits, which had been
purchased from the natives by the Protectorate some time previous. The
natives were naturally incensed at being thus rudely driven from their
island home, where they had lived for so many years, and refused to
emigrate to "Quato." Some went to their friends at Heath Island
(Loger), some to "Sariba," in China Straits. I consider their case a
hard one, and the act of the Government unwarrantable. What on earth
did the Government require "Samarai" as a station for when they had the
choice of islands in the immediate vicinity, in the same harbour,
islands far healthier, with good anchorages, well sheltered, and with
no natives, or may be only one or two, living on them?
Why, for instance, did they not select "Quato," which belonged to them
and is far healthier, or Coast Island, which is free from swamps and
has an excellent anchorage, perfectly sheltered and close to the
mainland? Verily the ways of a Government are inscrutable! As it is,
they engender bitterness and hatred in the breasts of the evicted
natives, the very thing they should study to avoid.
From conversations I have had with several of the natives on the
subject, I find that they feel very sore on the matter. They will never
forget it, and would retaliate, but know that they are powerless to
act.
How would a European feel if he were suddenly driven away from his
homestead, where his parents had died and his children been born, for
no other reason than that some foreigner required it, and by way of
compensation offered to him an alien piece of land, where he would have
to rebuild his houses and make fresh plantations? It must not be
forgotten that savages have as much love for their bit of ground as the
proudest aristocrat in England has for his lordly acres. I will give an
instance of this mistaken policy. Two months after these evictions, two
friends of mine and I had occasion to go on a vessel to the adjoining
island of Sariba, in order to get our water casks filled. We landed in
the dinghy, taking with us a couple of casks, and requested the natives
to take them to the creek and fill them. Before doing so, they had a
talk amongst themselves, when we overheard them say, "Why should we do
anything for the white men when we have been treated in such a shameful
manner?" However, some of them said, "Well, these we have known some
time, and they have always been friendly to us, have never done us any
harm, let us not be ungrateful, but fill their water casks," and so
they did. We made no remark, paid them in tobacco and got our casks on
board, but it showed us very plainly the effect of the foolish policy
of the Government. Had we not been on good terms with these natives, we
should have had to go elsewhere for our water.
To represent the beauties of China Straits in keeping with its
surroundings, requires the brush of an artist or the language of a
poet. Although I am unable to do justice to it, I will attempt to bring
the scene before the mind of the reader. There are four passages to the
harbour, one on the east, west, south-east, and north-west
respectively. The main coast is bold and rugged in outline, with a
series of high ranges covered with dense scrub, with here and there the
face of a hill cleared by the natives for yam cultivation. The shore is
lined with coco-nut palms, native houses peeping between the trees.
Between the steep and lofty mountains small creeks work their way. A
coral reef extends some distance from the shore, making it impossible
to anchor close in, as you have the full force of the south-east trade
winds, save abreast of a creek opposite Coast Island, the mouth of
which is almost hidden by mangrove bushes. On the western side the
harbour is protected by the island of "Loger," a large island, thickly
populated, running south-east and north-west, and extending to within a
mile of the mainland. Close to "Loger" is the island of Quato of 200
acres, for the most part flat, but with rising ground to the
south-east. There is a good channel between these islands where vessels
of any tonnage could anchor, but a little exposed to the south-east
winds. On the eastern side is the Island of Sariba, strikingly
picturesque. On it rises a very high hill with a conical summit and
covered with patches of long grass. There are numerous villages, and
the natives living here are first-rate workers in clearing scrub and
building houses. The south-eastern side is bounded by the Island of
Samarai, so that the harbour is enclosed, as it were, by four walls.
There is plenty of deep water all over the harbour, and vessels of any
draught are able to anchor within a hundred yards of the shore. There
is a small island in the middle of the harbour, known as Middle Island,
and close to the coast is Coast Island, both covered with the coco palm
and very fertile. In the far distance, to the north-east, 50 miles
away, the lofty mountains of Normanby Island ("Duau") are visible, and
on a clear day they appear quite close; when this is so, you may expect
the wind from the north-east. Opposite Coast Island a creek runs for
about a mile inland, where there is a small village. The creek is
navigable for small boats only. The land beyond the village is thickly
timbered and of good quality, and in my opinion would be suitable for
cultivation. The rainfall, however, is very great, owing to the
numerous ranges of hills in the neighbourhood. The harbour extends for
five miles as far as South Foreland, after rounding which you enter the
splendid bay named Milne Bay. I have seen the Harbour of Sydney and
also of Cork, but whether its own beauty is considered or its
environment of mountain, hill, dale and sea, dotted with the most
romantic-looking coral isles, China Straits must take the palm. No
artist could paint it in nature's colours. The scene is ideal. The
purple haze of the distant mountains, the delicate blendings of colour
in the tropical bush, the bright coral sparkling in the sun, the sombre
colour of the natives, all are in perfect harmony, and notwithstanding
the rugged appearance of the coast the whole scene inspires a deep
sense of rest. I have so often, in company with my pipe, sat on my
verandah in the silvery moonlight and gazed on that picture of tropical
peace and plenty, that the impressions of it are indelibly imprinted on
my memory.
* * * * *
I took up my abode with a trader named K----, who had been settled in
the district nearly two years. As the house in which we lived was very
hot, and by no means healthy, the idea suggested itself to us to build
a native house in the sea. In some parts of New Guinea, as at "Hula,"
for instance, on the south coast, the whole town is built in the sea as
a safeguard against their enemies, the bush tribes, of whom the coastal
natives are in mortal dread. Having decided to emulate their example,
we interviewed two chiefs of Sariba, Peter and Silliweddo.
We told them that we required a native house built in the sea,
instructed them to get plenty of natives and start the work at once.
Before going further we had to settle the price that was to be paid.
The house, I may say, cost about L4 10_s._, paid for in articles of
"trade." The two chiefs received a little more than the labourers and
did not work, merely superintending the erection, that is to say,
smoked clay pipes and chewed betel-nuts. As a proof of the native
intelligence, the following facts will speak for themselves:
I drew on the beach a rough ground-plan of the house, showing the
length and breadth, the divisions of rooms and the two verandahs.
Peter, the native chief of Sariba, who was present, measured the plan
with a piece of cane, marking the length and breadth, rolled it up and
put it in his "pocket"--I mean in his "dilly-bag"--for of course
natives are not provided with pockets. He went home to his island, and
in a few days came back with several large canoes with all the
necessary logs, timber, &c., lashed to them, also the sago palm-leaves
for the roofing, cane for splitting into laths, and when the house was
finished there was very little material left. How he managed to
calculate it so nicely I cannot say, but of course he had had
considerable experience in building native houses. The roof of our
house was loftier than the ordinary native one, but built of the same
material. There was not a single nail used in the building. It was
built in the sea in about four feet of water at low tide on the sea
side, and on the shore side connected with the beach by a gangway. They
have a curious way of driving the piles. We gave them a rope, which
they fixed round the head of the pile, leaving two ends dangling.
Several natives get hold of one end and several of the other, pulling
alternately, until the pile is worked down to the required depth. The
piles are made of white mangrove--a strong wood, and not too heavy. In
order to prevent the ravages of the cobra insect, which in salt water
will work its way into blood-wood even, it is best to tar the piles
well, and better still--though very expensive--to copper them all over.
The flooring is made of "matu," a kind of cane which is plentiful on
the mainland, the walls of the bark or skin of the palm, and the roof
of the leaves of the sago palm, which have to be put on separately, the
leaves over-lapping a little, and on the outside some branches of the
coco-nut palm are placed. A house of this kind is quite rain-proof, and
if well-constructed will keep in good condition for at least two years.
For health and coolness, a house built of native material cannot be
beaten, and it has the additional advantage of cheapness.