Washington sentinel., 1854-04-09
Explorations In the Pacific.

An interesting account of the explorations of
the British ship Rattlesnake, Captain Stanley,
on the southeastern shores of New Guinea and
in the Louisiade Archipelago, during the years
l846-'50, has been published in London by
Mr.. McGillivray, the naturalist of the expedi
ton. The work affords an excellent descrip-
ton of that region, which, but a brief period
since almost unknown, has, since the com
| mencement of the Australian emigration, pro.
missed to occupy for the future no insignificant
station among the countries of the earth.
| Mr.. McGillivray says, of the inhabitants of
| New Guinea and the Louisiades, that nothing
can be more singular than their appearance,
| with their long frizzled hair standing out from
their heads in mop of foot and half in
diameter. From the back of this hangs huge
plated pigtail, ornamented with the teeth of
pigs and dogs. In front is stuck a long pronged
comb, fantastically adorned with feathers. The
men wear hardly any clothing, although their
bodies are profusely ornamented, piquancy
being given to the whole costume by human
jaw, with couple of collar bones, securely
lashed together as q bracelet, but whether as
the memorial Of a deceased friend or the tro-
ply of slain foe the officers Of the Rattle
snake could not determine. The women are
attired in grass petticoat, elegantly made, and
decorated with no little taste.
tablish an intimacy with the natives on shore,
but invariably found that the moment they saw
that their numerical force was greater than that
of the whites, they began to be troublesome,
and on one occasion made an Intellectual at
tack on the ships boats. Their determined
hostility prevented him from making any ex.
plorations in the interior. We quote the fol.
lowing account of q bartering scene which oc-
cured at Bruny island, in the Louisiade Archi-
pelago: .
eve landed at the same place as before, and
this time the natives ran down prancing and
gesticulating. Many of them had garlands of
green leaves around their heads, knees, and
ankles; some wore long streamers depending
from the arms and ears and floating in the
wind as they galloped along, shaking their
spears, dprancing just boys do when playing
at horses. They soon surrounded US, shouting
Kelumia, kelumia' (their word for iron,) and
offering us all sorts of things in exchange.
One very fine athletic man, Kai-oo-why-who-ah
by name, was perfectly mad to get an axe, and
very soon comprehended the arrangements
that were made. Mr. Brady drew ten lines on
the sand, an axe down by them, giving k
Il really cannot write that long name all over
again) to understand by signs that when there
was banar (yam) on every mark he should
have the axe. He comprehended directly, and
boltcd off as fast as he could run, soon return.
ing with his hands full of yams, which he de.
posted one by one on the appropriate lines
then, fearful lest some OF the others should do
him out of the axe, he caught hold of Brady by
the arm, and would not let him 60 until yams
enough had been brought by the other to make
up the number, and the axe was handed over
to him.
"Then there was yell Of delight He
jumped up with the axe, fourshed it, passed
it to his companions, tumbled down and rolled
over, kicking up his heels in the air, and
finally, catching hold of me, we had grand
waltz, with various poses plastiqaes, for about
a quarter of mile'
The doctor exchanged names with his black
friend as mark of regard and called him by
his own appellation, Tamoo, whereupon all the
natives gathered round and patted him, evi-
IDENTITY thinking that he was q very intelligent
white fellow. The natives, both of New Guinea,
and of the smaller islands, always exhibited
great curiosity to look at the legs of the white
men, and would ask permission very gently,
but pressingly, to pull up the trowsers, spanning
the calf with their hands, drawing in their
breath and making big eyes all the while. On
one occasion, when they saw the front of the
doctors shirt blow open, exhibiting his white
breast, they set up universal shout.
The dangers to the ship during her stay
among the reefs and rocks of the Louisiade
Archipelago were often very great. On one oc-
casion, when they could not find an anchorage,
they were obliged to send some men ashore to
build fire, by the aid of which they managed
to keep the ship in the same position all night,
within very limited space, which they knew
to be free, of shoals. At another time, when
they had been for a week enveloped in fogs,
hoy ala1, IN Gpl oh
the shelter Of small island. The next morn
ing nothing was to be seen upon the land side
beyond the island but heavy clouds above and
rolling mist below, while to seaward all was as
clear as possible.
About an hour after sunset change came
over the scene, far more magical, far more
sudden than anything ever attempted on the
stage, when The dark green curtain is drawn up
to show the opening scene of some new panto-
mime. All at once the clouds began to lift, the
mist dispersed, and in the course Of half an
hour the coast of New Gainea stood before us,
clearly defined against the sky, tinged with the
rays of the setting sun.
The mountains seemed piled one above
another to an enormous height, and were of
deeper blue than have ever seen before, even
in the Straits Of Magellan. They were inter.
sected by immense gorges, and from the foot
vi Inc lowest ranges considerable tract OF low
and apparently alluvial soil reached to the
beach.
10 give an idea of this scene by descrip-
tion would be utterly impossible. The intense
blue OF the mountains contrasting strangely |
with masses Of white feecy clouds, driven rap
idly past them by the gale; the bright CLEANS
Of the setting sun on the nearer hills, covered
with the most luxurious vegetation, from which |
the most mysterious little jets of very white
smoke from time to time burst out and the |
two suryeyngships quite in the foreground,
surrounded by native canoes, completed the |
picture, which we did not enjoy very long for
in these latitudes, as you know, there is no
twilight, and in less than an hour from the
time the clouds began to rise all was dark,
and, though we saw many Of the peaks again,
we never had another chance Of seeing the
whole range so clearly" ;.
Subsequent observations showed that some
of these mountains were forty-eight miles off,
and as high as the peak of Teneriffe.
Dr. McGillivray expresses highly favorable
opinion Of the fertility and capabilities of New