The age-herald., 1898-01-09
4 GENUINE NJ MANS LAND Woman's Island Is PeopIed Only
 With Anazons. THEY DEFEND THEIR LAND Till the Soil, Are Splendid Conoeists in Sailing or Padding and Are Very Sus-
 ceptible to Beads.

Edward Tregear in Christ Church, New
 Zealand, Press.
 My attention was first drawn to the sub ject of modern Amazons by means of a Japanese picture book. It had been ex- posed for sale in a native shop at Tokio and attracted the attention of visitor, who brought the curiosity to me simply as a specimen of artistic work. The book consisted of series of pictures deiineating the adventures of the crew of a ship wrecked vessel. The boat containing the survivors arrived on the shores of an island tenanted only by women. The ar tist had depicted, with barbaric fidelity to nature and with grim humor, how the at tentions of the numerous fair ones became embarrassing to the small party of visitors, until at last the sailors had to fly to their boat and escape to the dangers of the deep rather than endure the overwhelming attentions of hostesses too fair and kind. The book and its subject would have passed from my memory as mere pleas- antry had not soon after found what one may call the 'letterpress" of the illustra- tions, circulating as a legend in the Friend ly Islands. A circumstance so remark able as this coincidence of ideas in peoples so far removed both in point of distance and of race as the Tongans and the Japan
 
 terested in the anthropology of Oceanica.
 Tillers of the soil
 The Tongan legend was heard by Mariner at the beginning of the century, long be- fore any white colonists resided in the Friendly Islands, and although l have not been able to get the story direct from FIJI or Samoa, have not the slightest doubt that voyagers, so hardy as Japanese and Polynesians are famous for having been in past centuries, must have had some foun- dation of fact on which to build so strange g. tale Its confirmation we have in tho relation of the celebrated missionary Dr. James Chalmers, of New Guinea. Here Is the modern account of the Womans Is- land:
 "At Port Moresby I had heard of wo- mans land, a land where only women perfect Amazons-lived and ruled. These ladies were reported to be excellent tillers of the soil, splendid canoeists in sailing or padding, and quite able to hold their own against attacks of the sterner sex, who sometimes tried to invade their country.
 gro find so interesting community was of great moment. As no part of the coast from the East Cape to Port Moresby would be left unvisited by us, we were cer- tain to come across the Amazonian settle ment. We heard that Mailiulxolo ,Toulon) canoes with women were more numerous, and some very large ones with women alone. In the early morning we were off the 1Slanu, ana soon ready 10 land. On crossing the reef we met two canoes, one with men and one with women. We signed to them to go to the vessel, while we pulled up to the large village on the. north side.
 Warned Away.
 "As the boat touched the fine, hard sandy beach, a man, the only being in sight, ran down and stood in front. I went forward to spring ashore, but he said I must not Finding he knew the Daunai dia- fo i'm T mn Iat Ia hat II a friend, and gave him my name, which he already knew from the cast. I gave him strip of red cloth and stepped ashore, when he ran away into the bush.
 "At our first approach could only see this one man, but now I saw hundreds of grass petticoats on women standing un- der their houses. I could not see the up- per parts of their bodies, only the pett- coats and feet. They were indeed quiet un- til I advanced nearer, when one wild scream was given that would try stronger nerves than mine, and signs to keep away. It required more inquisitiveness than pos-