The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-01-22
POLYNESIA AND THE SOUTH PA.
ClFIC.
Smelling OF Native Village In the Sol
onion Group by n British steamer
en- az Hudaon's Iainnd-Adventures
o 4 Captain nj So. Augustine's Island
New Gulnen

ONION Group by n British steamer
Eight Europeans and eat
en- az Hudson's Isiand-Adventure
of a Captain Rt So. Augustine's Island
New Guinea
SYDNEY, Nov. 2, 1sGs.-The British
steamer Blanche hos returned from n cruise
among the South Sea Islands, whore 2 she
WAS dispatched from this port on the 18th
Of August last, TO punish the natives OF
| Rondova bay for the murder and eating OF
the master and crew Of the Sydney bark,
Marian Kenny. She arrived at the Solo.
mon Group on the 9Th September, and on
tho 18th anchored in Rondova bay. The
natives mustered in canoes in strong force.
but abandoned the place before tho crew
Of the Blanche we're able TO get near
enough TO FIRE at them. The village ut the
head Of the bay wal then shelled from the
ship, and soon destroyed.
A party of sixty men landed, and after
searching among the ruins found q hut,
containing tgenty-six human skulls, five OF
which were evidently those Of white men.
A quantity of ship stores, such as paints,
oils, &c, we're also discovered. A number
of very fine canoes were necessarily left by
the natives on the beach, and these were
also destroyed. The Blanche then returned
TO Sydney, calling ut New Caledonia. IL Is
hoped that the lesson she has administered
TO the natives at Rondova Bay will produce
a salutary effect among the other inhabit
ants of the solomon group, who are by no
means so friendly as might be desired.
Reliable information has been received
AZ to the fate Of the Australian schooner
Harmon, which left the port Of Lavuka,
Feeiee Islands, for The Line Islands, about
ten months since, with the purpose of get
a.. 49,. - n.Ns.a 1aIarawa TI. H.
mon seems 10 nave called at Hudson's Is
land, one of the Elise group, aud while
there the captain and crew, numbering in
all eight men, were murdered and eaten by
the natives. Measures will soon be taken
to avenge this horrible crime.
Captain DAILY, formerly commander OF
the Spec, q small vessel engaged in the
South Sea Island trade, has been brought
on TO Feeioo by the Nymph, the same yes.
sci which brought ON the news of the muir
der Of the crew Of the Harmon. The cap
tain got separated from his ship, and gives
the following interesting account of his adj.
ventures:
"While cruising among the islands col
lecting a cargo OF c%ocoanut oil, we put in
towards Spelden Island, and / left the shin
in n boat manned by five Sandwich men in
order to land n raft of oil casks at our oil
depot on the island. The mate was left in
charge of tho vessel; tho sea was rough,
aud the ship being a long way from shore
darkness overlook us before making land,
and after the most strenuous exertions 10
reach the shore we were compelled 10 cut
tho casks adrift and try to regain the ship.
As, however, il was by this time quite dark,
we stored in the wrong direction, and got
a long way 10 leeward of both vessel and
island, and after beating about all night
we found, when the daylight came, that
our boat was fairly out at sea, with neither
ship nor land in sight. Under these cir
cumstances / laid a course for the nearest
island to leeward of us, (St. Augustine's),
and reached there in five days, almost
starved 10 death, having had nothing to eat
since parting nom the ship.
On making land wo found a large number
of natives on tine beach, who would not al
low us TO go ashore until they held o coun.
Gil of wal as to what was TO DO donO with
rs. But we were ultimately handed over
TO an old chief who had first sighted our
boat, and who had generously declared TO
his countrymen that If they killed us, as
they wanted to do, they must first kill him
This old chief behaved nobly, and provid-
ed for us during the whole time of our
nine months stay on st. Augustine's. I'M
fortunately l fell sick Of the measles, aud
the disease spread like wildfre among the
natives, no less than 300 Of them dying
with it. Strange to say, the natives brought
each corpse and laid 1t down in front of me
before making away with il, and from that
time until l left the island the natives fear
ed me as a spirit who had tho power of in
hioting disease and death upon them. 1t
was a day Of rejoicing among the people
when Captain Fuller, Of the schooner
Nymph, having heard at a neighboring
island Of a white man being at st. Angus
tines, came and took me OF with my boats
crew of Sandwich Islanders"
There is a project now on foot for an
exploring expedition TO Now Guinea. The
natives are known to wear bracelets and
other ornaments of gold, but their ferocity
has hitherto deferred Europeans from en-
tering the country, though there il a small
Dutch settlement at the Eastern end Of the
island on the sea coast. The present pro-
ject may fall through, but at no very dis
tant day it is certain that a large island like
New Guinea, so near TO the Australian
Continent. must be eXDlored.