Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-01-07

Eight Europe ans Murdered and eat
en- ut Hudson's Island--Adventure
OF a Captain ne 81. Augustino's Islana
New Guinea taf'ss
SYDNEY, Nov. 2, 1868. The British
steamer Blanche has returned from cruise
among the South Sea Islands, where 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 Renny. She arrived at the Solo
mon Group on the 5th September, and on
the 11th anchored in Rondova bay. The
natives mustered in canoes in strong force.
but abandoned the place before the crew
of the Blanche were able to get near
enough to fire at them. The village at the
head of the bay was then shelled from the
ship, and soon destroyed.
A party Of sixty men landed, and after
searching among the ruins found q hut
containing twenty-six human skulls, Eve Of
which were evidently those Of white men.
A auaritity of ship stores, such as paints,
oils, &C., were also discovered. 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 OF New Caledonia. It is
hoped that the lesson she has administered
TO the natives at Rondova Baywill produce
salutary effect among the other inhabit
ants of the Solomon group, who are by no
means so friendlyas might be desired.
Reliable information has been received
as to the fate Of the Australian schooner
Harmon, which ieiss the port of Lavuka,
Feejes Islands, for the Line Islands, about
ten months since, with the purpose of get
ting cargo of native laborers. The Har-
mon seems to have called at Hudson's Is
land, one of the Elise group, and while
there the captain and crew, numbering in
all eight men, were murdered and eaten by
the Iatives. Measures will soon be taken
to avenge this horrible crime. ~
Captain DAILY, formerly commander Of
the Spec, small vessel engaged in the
South Sea Island trade, has been brought
on to Feejee by the Nymph, the same ves-
sol 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 ad-
ventures: +eIs t
"While cruising among the islands col
lecting o cargo of coeoanut oil, we put in
towards Spelder Island, and left the ship
in boat manned by five Sandwich men in
order to land raft of oil casks at our oil
depot on the island. The mate was left in
charge of the vessel the sea was rough,
and the ship being long way from shore
darkness overlook us before making land,
and after the most strenuous exertions TO
reach the shore We were compelled TO cut
the casks adrift and try 10 regain the ship.
As, however it was by this timequite dark,
we steered in the wrong direction, and got
O long way TO 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
laid course for tho nearest
island to leeward of US, (St, Augustine's),
and reached there in Ave days, almost
starved to death, having had nothing to eat
since parting from the shipG
On making land we found large number
of natives on the beach, who would not al
low us to go ashore until they held coun-
Gil of war as to what was to be dono with
us. But we were ultimately handed ovCr
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. Un-
fell sick of the measles, and
the disease spread like wildfre among the
natives, no less than 800 of them dying
with it. Strange to say the natives brought
each corpse and laid it down in front of me
before making away with it, and from that
time until ] left tho island the natives fear
ed me as q spirit who had the power Of in
fieting disease and death upon them II
was dayof rejoicing among the people
when Captain Fuller, of the schooner
Nymph, having heard at a neighboring
island of white man being at st. Angus
tines, came and took me of with my boats
crew Of Sandwich Islanders" Atg.r.
There Is a project now on foot for an
expedition TO New 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 is small
Dutch settlement at the Eastern end of the
island ON the sea coast. The present pro-
ject may fall through, bat at no very dis
tant day it is certain that large island like
New Guinea, so near TO the Australian
Continent. must be explored. 4t