The record-union., 1898-12-05
THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.
Explorations Made b,
Frederick w. Christian.

THE CAROLINE T. ISLANDS.
Valuable Explorations Made by
Frederick w. Christian.
There has quite recently returned
from the Caroline Islands an accom-
plished English explorer, Frederick w.
Christian. who has very interesting
account to give Of his investigations
there, as we'll as in other island groups
of the Pacific. Mr.. Christian was edu-
Gated at Elton and Oxford; some nine
years ago he left England for Australia
and found himself in position to real
ize his ambition of exploring the area
of the so-caIled Malayo-Polynesian
tribes. \ He stayed nearly three years
in Samoa studying the language and
customs of the peoples, especially those
who are furtherest removed from the
settlements of the white man. He
bought some land in the valley of the
yaisingano River, near r. L. Steven
sons plantation at Vailma. Stevenson
proved himself the very best of neigh
bors, the kindliest of entertainers. or
his society and sympathy and hospital
ity Mr.. Christian entertains the most
pleasing recollections. On his depar-
ture for Tahiti and the Marquesas,
Stevenson took over his little planta-
ton and experimental nursery of eco
nomical plants at most generous fg-
ure The Forest Department of New
South Wales, in exchange for some
packets Of Samoan seeds, had forward
ed Mr.. Christian quantities of the seed
of valuable Australian economic trees
of the black butt, stringy bark, golden
waffle and various kinds of eucalyptus,
which throve excellentIy in the rich soil
under the care of his right hand man,
carefully trained Tongan Islander,
Tupon of Vavau.
In Tahiti and the Marquesas Mr..
Christian spent two years carefully and
minutely studying and noting down the
| language, the genealogies, folklore and
| traditions of a kindly, hospitable and
singularly interesting folk. Soon after
his return to Sydney Mr.. Christian met
that remarkable Ulysses of Pacific wa
ters, Louis Becke. On his advice he
determined single handed to visit Span
ish Micronesia and obtain some fur
| ther and minuter information upon GER
tain mysterious ruins reported to exist
upon Donate or Ponape and Lele. two
of the extensive Caroline chain. BY the
kind offices of Sir Stewart Lockhart,
| Colonial Secretary, and Sir William
Robinson the Governor of Hongkong,
Mr.. Christian received letters of intro
duction to General Blanco, the then
Spanish Governor of the Philippines,
who in turn furnished him with intro
auctions to the two deputy Governors
on Yap and Ponape-the respective
seats of government in the Western
| and Eastern Carolines. The results of
Mr.. Christians explorations were as
| follows:
A Pampanga native, since executed
| by the Spanish for joining the late
Philippine rebellion, took some 80 pho
| tographs in the districts of Xiii, q,
| Metalanim, Not and Chokach (wrongly
styled Jekoits and Jokoits in the pres
ent charts). The walled islets of Nan
Natal, the mysterious Venice Of Micro
nesia, were explored and mapped out
fairly accurately. The phonesis of very
many native names and their spelling
were changed from meaningless jar
gon to their correct native renderings
and accompanying signifcations. He
also made excavations in the central
vault of the sanctuary of Nan-Tanach,
| bringing to light a considerable num-
| Der Of curious tools, implements and
she'll ornaments of an ancient date.
Many of the odd native legends and
| fairy tales were rescued from oblivion;
| this slowly and with difficulty, for there
| is much of cross grained reticence in
| the Ponapean character to be overcome
only by mingled patience and persever-
ance. Some new information was OBJ
| tained about the flora and marine life
of the archipelago.
The former presence of an early Ne
| grito race, conquered and absorbed or
| overlapped by later waves of Polyne-
sian immigrants, was fairly establish
ed. Also evidence was collected as to
the obtrusion of many Japanese words
upon the Micronesian area This was
eIaborately demonstrated by an ex-
haustive list of 450 English key words
| nouns, verbs and adjectives-in the
various Micronesian dialects. In this
Mr.. Christian followed the example of
| Codrington, Turner and Wallace, who
published lists of keywords on a SINH
| lar plan, grouping and comparing side
| by side the languages of the Melane-
sian, Polynesian and Indonesian or Ma
| layan areas.
| Mr.. Christian spent some three
months upon Yap, in the Western Car
olires Some of the ancient platforms
and burial places-of a Japanese design
and the remarkable village council
lodges were sketched. The latter very
much recall the maloccas described by
| travellers among some Of the Indian
| tribes in South America A good many
curious traditions We're noted down.
| Mr. Christian returned home by way
of New Zealand, Honolulu and the
United States after an absence of near
| ~ nine years. After putting the re-
suits of his work on record through the
Royal Geographical Society and other
wise, 1t is his intention to revisit the
Carolines and Mariannes, taking par
| ticular notice of Ruk, Tinlan, Saipan,
Pulawat and Nuku-Oro, by no means
| forgetting that quaint and interesting
group. the Pelew Islands.-London
| Times.