The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-09-06
Later from New Zealand and Australia

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By the favor of Capt. Couch, of the brig Magel
Ian Cloud, which vessel arrived last Sunday 80
days from Auckland, we have dates to July &c
For memoranda and market reports, see CONNER
cial column.
AT the Bay of Islands, July 10, two seameni
named Joseph Eppright and William Fisher,
were tried for the murder at that place, on the 18th
of May last, of Henry Garretty, mate of the Amer
lean whaleship Rainbo,c. The prisoners were
found guilty, and sentenced to be hung.
An attempt was being made to procure capital
from New Zealand to start a bank in FIJI. The
merchants of Auckland appear to be anxious to Sc
cure a share of the FIJI trade.
The Order of Good Templars was making great
progress in New Zealand, and some towns had
elected members of the Legislature in favor of a
Permissive Law, ii was said. through the influence
of the Order.
The most interesting item of news by this arrival,
is the report from Sydney by telegram, that Cap
tain Moresby of II. b. MS S. Basilisk, has taken
possession of New Guinea, in the Queens name. -
Commenting on this. the n. Il. Herald of July 8,
says:
Reverting. however. to the Rockhamploa tele-
gram, never. perhaps, in the history OF adventure,
has there been q parallel TO il. Here is the an
nouncement of the annexation TO Her Majesty's do
minions of the largest island in the world, TEEN
ing with every variety of mineral and vegetable
products with every graduation Of climate, from
the region of eternal snow TO the sweltering heat OF
the swamp Jungle; indented with bays and har-
bors, intersected by naVigable rivers, ana occupied
by at least three distinct races of men, numbering
several millions and it is packed, in the most bus
iness-like way possible, between n Sydney telegram
announcing that Joseph Ward IL Co., have been APP
pointed colliery agents, and that the Victoria
would sail for Auckland the same day, and an AIDE
lo;In +o1anroYn p,,otipr tho 1apiaa nf Nylnet and m
nouncing that the old pensioners propose forming
q body-guard to the Governor" We live in a mat
ter-Of-fact age. but this is the broadest illustration
Of the truth that we have yet stumbled across.
The only touch OF romance abont il is the expiring
flame of the Adelaide veterans. Long may they
live to guard their Governor, who represents their
Queen. But it wi. take Younger men to form II
body-guard to the FIRST Governor of New Guinea.
The Norman conquest of England will be a joke to
the English conquest of Papua. il we try il with
steel and rife, although the field of Hastings is re-
garded as one of the decisive battles of the
world" and has somehow got intermingled with
the British Constitution. like the Protestant sue
c~ession," and the fortunate descendants of the
Princess Sophia.
Why, as a matter of fact, New Guinea could spare
a decent principality, and yet be several times
larger than the British Isles. As for resources"
the comparison is altogether against the mother
country but that is just the reason why it should
utilize them for the good of mankind. An idea
may be formed of the extent of Papua, when we
state that it commences ut the equator in l3l deg.
E. longitude, and terminates in $50 deg. L. longi-
tude and 10 deg. S. latitude. On the north. almost
in the position of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the
Australian Continent, but relatively larger. is Geel-
vinck Bay, between Point D'Urville and Cape Mar
mort. It's entrance is marked by several islands.
On the south, separated from the mainland by the
Strait of Dourga, is Frederick Henry Island, which
stands in the same relation to Papua that Tasmania
does to Australia. 1t has also its great Southern
Blight, and the Gulf of Papua. On the northwest,
there is a great inlet but little is known of the
generally topography Of the country. That il will
be one of the most valuable possessions of the
British Crown. in the not distant future, there can
be no reason to doubt. The only European Power
that has a foothold between its Northern seaboard
and China and Japan, is Spain, which holds the
PHILIPPINES. The possession of Papua gives to Eng
land the undisputed command OF the South Pacific
and China seas.