TOTOONGA VALLEY, OVALAU, FIJI.
On the morning of the 11th of October we got under way from Levuka, and spent the day in steaming over to Suva, a commodious harbour, situated on the south-east side of Viti Levu, where it was our intention to coal ship from a stationary hulk which supplies the steamers plying between Sydney and the Fijian ports. It is said that Suva, from the accommodation which its harbour affords, and from its position on an easily accessible part of the largest island of the group, is destined to become the seat of government and the future capital of Fiji; but at the time of our visit the settlement was very insignificant, and looked a mere speck in the great extent of wooded land which seemed from our anchorage to spread before us in a vast semicircle.
Leaving the ship on the morning of the following day, I started for a walk on shore, taking my gun, insect bottle, and collecting boxes. I at first directed my steps inland along the main road, and for about three miles proceeded over an upland plain of undulating land, thickly covered with tall reeds, and showing here and there patches of brush in the wet hollows. In the last-mentioned localities a good many birds, chiefly parrots, were to be heard screaming shrilly, but owing to the denseness of the foliage, few were visible.
In the afternoon I returned to the settlement, and from thence proceeded along the beach towards the low point which shelters the harbour from the north-east winds. Here, as the tide fell and laid bare broad flats of mud and coral, several flocks of sandpipers, whose general plumage resembled that of the snipe, came in from seaward, settled, and commenced to feed. A brace of duck and a large grey tern were the only other birds seen.
We learned that the country in the immediate vicinity of Suva was exceedingly unproductive. The soil was very thin, and the sub-soil was a stiff pasty clay of a grey colour—in places resembling soapstone—and so impervious to drainage as to render all attempts at agriculture hitherto abortive.
We left Suva on October 13th, and sailed for Tongatabu,searching on the way for certain reefs and banks of doubtful existence, which it was desirable on proper evidence to expunge from the charts.
During the traverses which we made in sounding for these, I had a good opportunity of plying the tow-net. Among the forms thus obtained were a minute conferva, a brilliantly phosphorescent pyrosoma, measuring three inches in length, and a small shell-less pteropod, theEurybia gaudichaudi. A specimen of the latter, which I examined in a glass trough, measured one-twelfth of an inch across the body. After giving it about half-an-hour's rest, it protruded its epipodia and tentacles, and commenced to swim about vigorously. The caudal portion of the body was furnished with cilia, and the digestive organs presented the appearance of a dark-red opaque mass, surrounded by a transparent envelope of a gelatinous consistency, whose surface exhibited a reticulated structure.
Tongatabu, Friendly Islands, 8th to 18th of November.—The credit of discovering the Tonga Islands rests with Tasman, who saw them on the 20th of January, 1643, and subsequently anchored his ship on the north-west side of the large island, Tongatabu. Cook saw the islands during his second voyage in October 1773, and on his third voyage in 1777 he made a stay of three months at the group, for more than a month of which time he was anchored at Tongatabu, the principal and most southward island of the group. The islands were subsequently visited by D'Entrecasteaux, Maurelle (1781), Lieutenant Bligh of theBounty, Captain Edwards of thePandora(1791), and other explorers of the eighteenth century.
In the month of November 1806, an English privateer, thePort-au-Prince, arrived at Lifonga, one of the Hapai Islands, where the ship was seized by the natives, and most of the crew massacred. Among the few whose lives were spared was a young man named Mariner, who acquired the friendship of the chief, Finow, and lived peacefully with the natives for the space offour years, accumulating during that time a vast amount of information concerning their manners and habits. Mariner's narrative was subsequently published in a book written by Dr. John Martin, which is still regarded as the standard work on the Tonga Islands.
The Wesleyan missionaries established themselves here in the year 1822, and were well received; and some years subsequently a French Roman Catholic mission was also successfully established. At the time of our visit the entire population of the Tonga Islands, including Tongatabu, Hapai, and Vavau, amounted to 25,000, while that of Tongatabu alone was 12,000. Of the latter number, 8,000 belonged to the Wesleyan, and 4,000 to the Catholic, Church.
We anchored in the harbour of Tongatabu, off the town of Nukualofa, on the 8th of November, at about midday. The anchorage looked very bare indeed, there being only one vessel beside ours, a merchant barque belonging to Godeffroy and Co., of Hamburg, the well-known South Sea Island traders.
The most striking objects on shore, as viewed from our position in the anchorage, were the Wesleyan Church—an old dilapidated wooden building crowning the summit of a round-topped hill, about sixty feet high, and said to be the highest point on the island—and the king's palace, a very neat-looking villa-edifice abounding in plate-glass windows, and surrounded by a low wall, in which remained two breaches, intended for the reception of massive iron gates, which, through a series of untoward circumstances, are not likely to be ever placed in position. It appears that some time ago the king gave acarte blancheorder for two pairs of gates to be sent out from England, and when, after a long series of delays, owing to mistakes in the shipping arrangements, they at length reached Tongatabu, he was rather unpleasantly surprised to find that the excessive charges for freightage had run up the entire cost to the sum of £800. They were then found to be so large and massive as to be quite unsuitedfor the purpose for which they were intended, so they were thrown down on the ground in a disjointed condition, where they now lie, rusting and half-buried in weeds. Somewhat in the rear of the royal palace is seen a rather imposing private dwelling-house, the residence of Mr. Baker, formerly a Wesleyan minister, and now the political prime minister of the kingdom.
In the afternoon some of us walked out to see the old fortified town of Bea, which is distant from Nukualofa about four miles in a southerly direction, and is reached by a very good cart-road. This town—or, more properly speaking, village, for it is now but thinly populated—was formerly the stronghold of a party of Tongans, who objected to the introduction of Christianity, and were consequently obliged to defend themselves against the followers of the Wesleyan missionaries. The village is encircled by a rampart and moat, which have for many years past been allowed to go to decay, so that the moat is now partly obliterated with weeds and rubbish, and the strong palisades, which in former times added considerably to the defensive strength of the ramparts, have almost entirely disappeared.
As we entered the village by a cutting which pierced the ramparts on the north side, we saw the spot where Captain Croker, of H.M.S.Favourite, was shot down in 1848, when heading an armed party of bluejackets, with whom he was assisting the missionary party in an attack upon the irreconcilables. It seems to have been altogether a most disastrous and ill-advised undertaking, and of its effects some traces still remain in an assumption of physical superiority over their white fellow-creatures, which may be seen among some of the Tongans.
Nowhere have I seen the cocoa-nut trees growing in such luxuriance as at Tongatabu. Here they grow over the whole interior of the island, as well as near the seashore; a circumstance which may be attributed to the mean level of the island being only a few feet above high-water mark, and to the coral sub-soil extending over the entire island. The latter is everywhere penetrated to agreater or less degree by the sea-water, as evidenced by the brackish water which is reached on sinking a well to a depth of two or three yards.
We made shooting excursions for several miles to the eastward and westward of Nukualofa, and on one of the latter we met with an intelligent native, who excited in us hopes of obtaining some good duck-shooting, and undertook to bring us to the right place. Under his guidance we reached a series of extensive salt-water lagoons, which seemed likely places enough. However, on this occasion he proved to be a false prophet; and as he was anxious to make amends for our disappointment, he induced us to follow him into the bush in quest of pigeons. Of these, on reaching a thick part of the forest, we heard a good many; but owing to the dense foliage of the shrubs, which obscured our view aloft, we got very few glimpses of the birds, which, as a rule, keep to the summits of the tallest trees. Nevertheless, by dint of "cooing," to evoke responses from the birds and thus ascertain their whereabouts, we at length succeeded in shooting a good specimen of the great "fruit pigeon."
Our guide, "Davita," was most elaborately tattooed from the waist to the knees. He was a well-to-do man, and the chief of a district; and was also, as he informed us, a member of the "royal guard," whose duty it is to act as sentries in front of the door of the king's palace. "Davita" accompanied us back to the town, and after receiving his honorarium and bidding us good-bye, he went off to procure his military uniform, and subsequently, as we walked by the palace on our way to the boat, we saw our friend in full toggery doing sentry. He was a very fine man, but did not look half so well in a soldier's uniform as in his native garb, which consisted simply of a waistcloth, above and below which appeared the margins of his beautiful blue tattooing.
There are evidences of recent elevation of the land both to the eastward and westward of Nukualofa. I noticed above high-water mark extensive flats of almost barren land, composed of levelpatches of coral, the interstices of which were gradually getting filled up with coral detritus, and the decayed remains of stunted plants. The mangrove bushes here seemed with difficulty to eke out an existence, their roots being no longer bathed in sea water; but on the other hand a few Ivi trees (Aleuritessp.?) had gained a footing. An amazing quantity of crabs of the genusGelasimusinhabit these desolate flats, where they will have an opportunity of gradually adapting themselves to a terrestrial existence. I noticed two species, one of which was covered with a hairy brown integument, and was rather sluggish in its movements, waddling awkwardly into its burrow while it held aloft one of its hands in a most ridiculous fashion. The other was a smaller crab, with a greenish body, and having one of its pincer-claws, which was of a brilliant orange colour, of a huge size compared with its fellow. Probably, after the lapse of a few years, these flats will form part of the general forest land, when the crabs may undergo further adaptive changes.
We saw little of King George during our stay, as being now advanced in years he leads a retired life, passing his days in a small room in the rear of the palace, and only coming out of doors after sunset for a little airing. However, his grandson, "Wellington Gnu," who is governor of Nukualofa, and heir presumptive to the throne, was most civil and obliging. He is a remarkably fine-looking man, being six feet two inches in height, and stout in proportion; his face beams with amiability and intelligence; and he possesses all the manners and bearing of a polished gentleman. Although the lineal heir to the throne by direct descent, it is very doubtful whether he will succeed the present king, as Maafu, his cousin, and the son of a deceased brother of King George, is older in years, and is consequently by the Tongan laws the legitimate heir to the throne.[3]
[3]Since the above was written I have heard of the death of Maafu.
[3]Since the above was written I have heard of the death of Maafu.
Wellington entertained us most hospitably, and drove us in his buggies to various places of interest in the island. On one occasionhe took three of our officers to Moa, a native town situated near the south-east extremity of the island. From there they went on to a place eight miles to the southward, where there is a famous megalithic structure of unknown origin, which has been described and figured by Brenchley in his "Voyage of theCuraçoa." As our experience differs somewhat from Brenchley's, I may be excused for making a few remarks thereon. The monument—if such it can be called—consists of three large slabs of coral rock, two of which are planted vertically in the ground at a distance of about fifteen feet apart, while the third forms a horizontal span, resting on its edges in slots made in the summits of the vertical slabs. The height of the structure, of which the picture gives a good idea, is about fifteen feet. We were, I regret to say, unable to obtain any information—legendary or otherwise—concerning the origin of this remarkable structure.
He also took us on a very pleasant excursion to a village called Hifo, which lies about eleven miles to the south-west of Nukualofa. The party consisted of Wellington Gnu (pronounced "Mou"), David Tonga, the principal of the native school, Captain Maclear, and myself. Our means of locomotion consisted of two buggies, in which we started on the outward journey by a circuitous route, so as to take in the village of Bea and four or five others on our way. On arriving at Hifo, we halted in the centre of the village, on an open patch of sward under the shade of several large vi trees (Spondias dulcis), on whose branches were hanging large numbers of fox bats (Pteropus keraudrenii), of which we obtained specimens. We were now formally introduced to the chief of Hifo, who at once announced that a feast would speedily be prepared in honour of our visit, and pending the necessary culinary arrangements, invited us to walk through his dominions. In an adjacent bay we were pointed out the place where Cook had formerly anchored his vessel, a matter of great interest to the Tongans, who are keenly alive to the fact that the period of Cook's visit formed the great turning-point in their history.
As we returned to the village we found that the natives had collected in great numbers under the shade of the trees before mentioned; so we squatted down on the grass, taking up our places with the chief's party, so as to occupy the base-line of a large horseshoe-shaped gathering of natives. The ceremony began with the preparation of the kava, in which respect the Tongans now differ from the Fijians in reducing the root to a pulpy condition by pounding it between stones instead of the rather disgusting process of mastication. While the national beverage was being prepared, a large procession of women, gaily dressed, and bearing garlands, shells, and similar offerings, filed solemnly into the centre of the group, and deposited their presents at the feet of Captain Maclear and myself, who were the distinguished guests on this occasion. Sometimes a frolicsome girl would place a garland round one of our necks, and then trip away, laughing merrily. When the kava was ready, a fine-looking elderly man, the second in authority in the village, acted as master of the ceremonies, and gave the orders for carrying out the various details of the function. As the cupbearer advanced with each successive bowl of liquor, this venerable functionary called out in order of precedence the names of the different persons who were to be served, beginning with the visitors, and continuing to indicate each one by name, until every one of the whole vast assemblage—men and women—had partaken. As soon as the kava drinking was over, a procession of young men advanced into the midst of the assemblage, bearing on their shoulders palm-leaf baskets which contained pigs roasted whole, large bunches of bananas, and cocoa-nuts, which they depositedseriatimat our feet. The district chief then made a short speech, informing us, through Wellington's interpretation, that these precious gifts were also at our disposal. Captain Maclear replied, to the effect that we gratefully accepted the present, and requested that it might be distributed for consumption among the villagers. Accordingly the feast was spread, and eating, drinking, and merry-makingbecame general. Occasionally one of the girls would rise from her place, and after lighting a cigarette, of which the cylinder was composed of pandanus leaf instead of paper, would give a few puffs from her own swarthy lips, and then present it courteously to one of us. The act was looked on as a delicate way of paying a compliment, and was on each occasion loudly applauded, the damsel, as she returned among her friends, seeming as if overcome with confusion at her own temerity. When the time fixed for our departure arrived, a most affectionate shaking of hands took place, and we bade good-bye to the happy little village of Hifo, delighted with the kindness, hospitality, and good nature of these far-famed Friendly Islanders.
ANCIENT STONE MONUMENT AT TONGATABU (p.173).
On the last day previous to our departure from Tongatabu, we made an excursion to the south side of the island, under the guidance of Mr. Symonds, the British Consul, and Mr. Hanslip, the consular interpreter, in order to examine some caves which were said to be of an unusually wonderful nature. They had, of course, never been thoroughly explored, and were consequently said to be of prodigious extent, forming long tunnels through the island. One story was to the effect that an adventurous woman had penetrated one branch of the cave, entering on the south side of the island, and threading its dark recesses for many days, until she finally emerged into the light of day somewhere near Nukualofa, on the north side of the island.
A pleasant drive of about ten miles brought us to the shore of a small bay exposed to the prevailing wind, and receiving on its beach the full fury of the swell of the main ocean. The foreshore was strewn with coraldébris, and above high-water mark were quantities of pumice-stone, probably washed up from the sides of the neighbouring volcanic island of Uea. On either side, the bay was hemmed in by bold projecting crags of coral rock, whose faces indicated, by parallel tide erosions, that they had been elevated by sudden upheaval into their present position. About one hundred yards from the beach, and forty feet abovethe sea-level, was the entrance to the caves, a narrow aperture in the upraised coral rock, leading by a rapid incline into a spacious vaulted chamber, from whose gloomy recesses dark and forbidding passages led in various directions. In the floor of the chamber were deep pools of water, probably communicating with the sea, and said to be tenanted by a species of blind eel, about two feet long, which we were told the natives sometimes caught with hook and line, and fed upon. I was provided with fishing-tackle for capturing a specimen of this singular creature; but as several of our party were induced to relieve themselves of the intolerable heat of the cave by bathing in these pools, the fish were probably scared away, and I was unable to obtain a single specimen.
The rock pierced by the caverns was everywhere of coral formation, and as water freely penetrated through from the soilcap above, the roof and floor were abundantly decorated with stalactites and stalagmites in all their usual fantastic splendour. I noticed that many parts of the floor of the cave were speckled with white spots resembling bird-droppings, on which drops of water were frequently falling from the roof above, and I formed the opinion that the white colour of these spots was due to the drops of water which pattered on them having traversed a portion of the ground above, from which they did not receive a charge of lime salts, and consequently washing clean the portion of the coral floor on which they fell, instead of depositing thereon a calcareous stalagmite. This surmise was strengthened by observing the absence of stalactites depending from the roof in these situations.
Numbers of small swifts, apparently the same species which is common on the island (Collocalia spodiopygia), flitted about the vaulted parts of the cave, looking in the torchlight like bats, which at first sight I felt sure they must be, until our native guide succeeded in catching one specimen, which resolved our doubts. We traversed the more open parts of the cave to adistance of about one hundred yards from the entrance; but finding further progress all but impracticable, from the narrowness of the passages, and the quantity of water of uncertain depth to be encountered, we soon gave up the attempt, and were glad to return to the cool and clear atmosphere of the upper air.
During the voyage from Tonga to Fiji, we spent a good deal of time in hunting up the reputed positions of certain doubtful "banks," viz., the "Culebras" and "La Rance" banks, with a view to clearing up the question as to their having any real existence except in the too vivid imaginations of the discoverers. On the 24th of November, when in latitude 24° 25′ S., longitude 184° 0′ W., we steamed over the position assigned by the chart to the "La Rance" bank, and here our sounding line ran out to three hundred fathoms without touching bottom, thus sufficiently establishing the non-existence of any such "bank." Our position at this time may be roughly stated as some two hundred miles to the southward of Tongatabu. During the greater portion of the day, the sea-surface exhibited large patches of discoloured water, due to the presence of a fluffy substance of a dull brown colour, which in consistency and general arrangement resembled the vegetable scum commonly seen floating on the stagnant water of ditches. This matter floated on the surface in irregularly-shaped streaky patches, and also in finely-divided particles impregnated the sea-water to a depth of several feet. Samples were obtained by "dipping" with a bucket as well as with the tow-net, and when submitted to microscopic examination it proved to be composed of multitudes of minute confervoid algæ. On slightly agitating the water in a glass jar, the fluffy masses broke up into small particles, which, under a magnifying power of sixty diameters, were seen to be composed of spindle-shaped bundles of filaments. Under a power of five hundred diameters, these filaments were further resolved into straight or slightly-curved rods, articulated but not branching, and divided by transverse septa into cylindrical cells, which contained irregularly-shaped masses of granular matter.These rods, which seemed to represent the adult plant, measured1⁄2000inch in width. On careful examination of many specimens, some filaments were observed, portions of which seemed to have undergone a sort of varicose enlargement, having a width two or three times that of the normal filaments. These propagating filaments (if I am right in so calling them) were invested by a delicate tubular membrane, and were filled with a granular semi-transparent matter, in which were imbedded a number of discoid bodies which were being discharged one by one from the ruptured extremity of the tube. These bodies measured1⁄1000of an inch in diameter: when viewed edgewise they presented a lozenge-shaped appearance, and they were devoid of cilia or striæ. A jar full of the sea-water was put by until the following day, when it was found that the confervoid matter had all risen to the surface, forming a thick scum of a dull green colour, while the underlying water was of a pale purple colour, resembling the tint produced by a weak solution of permanganate of potash.
From the 24th to the 29th of November, during which time the ship traversed a distance of three hundred miles, we were surrounded by these organisms; during the first three days the large patches were frequently in sight, and for the rest of the time the sea presented a dusty appearance, from the presence of finely-divided particles. On the evening of the 25th an unusually dense patch was sighted, and mistaken for a reef, being reported as such by the look-out man aloft.
On the 28th November I encountered among the proceeds of the tow-net another minute alga, of quite a different appearance from that just described. It was composed of vermiform rods1⁄1000inch in width, and breaking up into cylindrical segments with biconcave ends.
We returned to Levuka on the 4th of December, and stayed in harbour for ten days. At this time we had dismal wet weather, and consequently little was done in the way of exploration. I received a visit from a Mr. Boyd of Waidou, a colonist, who hasresided for the last sixteen years in Fiji, and who has spent a great deal of his time in collecting natural history specimens. He very kindly presented me with some crania, three of natives of Mallicollo, New Hebrides, and two from Merilava in Bank's Group.
We anchored at Suva for part of a day, in order to fill up with coal, and then proceeded on our voyage to Sydney.
I made frequent use of the tow-net during this cruise, obtaining thereby a great quantity and variety of surface organisms. Among these were representatives ofThalassicolla,Pyrocystis,Phyllosoma,Sagitta,Eurybia,Atlanta, etc. I obtained one specimen of a curious Annelid. It was two inches in width, had two prominent ruby-coloured eyes, and was marked along its snakelike body by a double row of conspicuous black dots.
One day, as were lying almost becalmed, a few hundred miles from the Australian coast, we passed into the midst of a great flock of brown petrels, who were sitting on the water grouped in the form of a chain, and apparently feeding. I had the tow-net out, and after dragging it for about half a mile, brought it in, and found it to contain a mass of yellow-coloured cylindrical and oval bodies belonging to the groupThalassicollidæ. The cylindrical bodies were about one inch in long diameter, by1⁄8of an inch in width, and those of an oval shape were about3⁄16inch in long diameter. They proved to be mere gelatinous sacks, without any appearance of digestive or locomotory organs. The thin membranous wall was dotted over thickly with dark cells of a spherical or oval shape, each of which contained from three to nine light-coloured nuclei. On examining one of the oval bodies under a magnifying power of forty diameters, the clear transparent nature of the interior of the organism allowed the cells on the distal side to be seen out of focus with misty outlines, while the cells on the proximal wall, which was in focus, came out sharp and clear, andvice versâ.
Weremained at Sydney, refitting ship and enjoying the unaccustomed pleasures of civilized society, from the 23rd of January, 1881, until the 16th of April, 1881, but as little of general interest occurred during this period, and as Sydney with its surroundings is a place about which so much has been written by better pens than mine, I think I shall be exercising a judicious discretion by passing over this period in silence, and resuming the narrative from the time when we started on our next surveying cruise.
On leaving Sydney we received a welcome addition to our numbers in the person of Mr. W. A. Haswell, a professional zoologist, residing at Sydney, who expressed a wish to accompany us as far as Torres Straits, in order that he might have opportunities of studying the crustacean fauna of the east coast of Australia. He was consequently enrolled as an honorary member of our mess, and Captain Maclear kindly accommodated him with a sleeping place in his cabin. I am indebted to Mr. Haswell for much valuable information concerning the marine zoology of Australia.
Steaming northwards, along the east coast of Australia, the first place at which we anchored was Port Curtis, in Queensland, where we took up a berth in the outer roads close to the Gatcombe Head lighthouse. The place bore a rather desolate appearance. Therewas no building in sight except the lighthouse. The beach was lined with a dense fringe of mangrove bushes, behind which rose a straggling forest of gums and grass trees (Xanthorrhœa), and for a long time we saw no living thing excepting several large fish-eagles (Haliæetus leucogaster), and an odd gull that hovered about our stern, picking up the garbage that drifted away from the ship.
On the following morning two of us landed and set to work to explore the mudflats, which, stretching out for a long distance from the beach, were laid bare by the ebb tide. As we ranged along in search of marine curiosities, we encountered a solitary individual attired in the light and airy costume of a pajama sleeping suit, and carrying a Westly-Richards rifle on his shoulder. We soon made his acquaintance, and found that he was in quest of wild goats, the descendants of some domestic animals originally let loose by the keeper of the lighthouse. He was an Englishman named Eastlake, and held the position of "government immigration agent" on board a ninety-ton schooner, theIsabella, which at the time was anchored just outside the lighthouse point, awaiting a favourable wind to enable her to put to sea. She was engaged in the "labour traffic" and was just then about to return to the Solomon Islands with some "time-expired" native labourers. The Queensland government compels every vessel engaged in the "labour traffic" to carry an immigration agent, who is accredited to and salaried by the government. His duty is to see that the natives who are shipped from the islands for transit to Queensland come of their own free will, and under a proper contract, and that during the voyage they are treated well and are furnished with proper accommodation, and are dieted according to a scale laid down by the government. In the afternoon I accompanied Mr. Eastlake on board. TheIsabella, a vessel of ninety tons, was allowed to carry eighty-five natives besides her crew of some half-a-dozen hands. She had now on board about a dozen natives of New Hebrides, who had completed their time as contract labourers in Queensland, and were about to be returned to their island home.The skipper of the vessel was an old Welshman, who, in the true spirit of hospitality, did the honours of the ship, and pressed me to partake of such luxuries as the stores in his cuddy afforded.
Among the articles which the New Hebrides men had purchased in Queensland with the proceeds of their labours were a number of old muskets, which they seemed to set great store by. These weapons are probably destined to be brought into action against some future "labour vessel," or "slaver," as they are commonly called by the Australians, which may violate the provision of the "Kidnapping Act" by forcible abduction of natives.
We worked the dredge from the ship as she swung round her anchor in seven fathoms of water, and also dragged it from a boat in shallower water inshore. Conspicuous by their abundance amongst the contents of the dredge, and by their curious habit of making a loud snapping noise with the large pincer-claw, were the shrimps of the genusAlpheus. When placed in water in a glass jar, the sound produced exactly resembles the snap which is heard when a tumbler is cracked from unequal expansion by hot water. We also obtained a good many whitish fleshyGorgoniæ, and among Polyzoa the generaCrisiaandEscharaafforded a good many specimens. A moderate-sized brownishAstrophytonwas generally found entangled in the swabs, but in most cases some of its brittle limbs had parted company with the disc, so that we got scarcely a single perfect specimen. A good many crabs were found on the foreshore; among others were species of the generaOzius,Gelasimus, andThalassina; the latter a lobster-like crustacean which burrows deeply in the mud about the mangrove bushes, and throws up around the aperture of its burrow a conical pile of mud.
On April 23rd we got under way, and steamed for five miles further up the bay, anchoring immediately off the settlement of "Gladstone." Nothing could exceed the hospitality shown to us by the inhabitants of this quiet little Utopia. Our stay of fivedays was occupied by an almost continuous round of festivities, during which we were driven about the country, had a cricket-match, shooting expeditions, two balls in the Town Hall, and sundry other amusements. The settlement contains a population of only 300, and seems to have been of late years rather receding than advancing in numbers, as many of the settlers had moved on to other more promising centres of industry. There was the old story of a projected railway which was to open up the country, develop its hidden resources, connect it with the neighbouring town of Rockhampton—distant about eighty miles—and give a fresh impetus to trade; but the hopes of its construction were visionary.
We made several shooting excursions in quest of bird specimens, and found the pied grallina (G. picata), the butcher bird (a species ofGrauculus), the garrulous honeyeater (Myzantha garrula), the laughing jackass (Dacelo gigas), and many doves and flycatchers abundant in the immediate vicinity of the settlement. Walking one day through the forest about two miles inland, we came upon a grove of tall eucalyptus trees, on the upper branches of which were myriads of paroquets, making an almost deafening noise as they flew hither and thither, feeding on the fragrant blossoms. Among them were three species of Trichoglossus, viz.,T. novæhollandiæ,T. rubritorquis, andT. chrysocolla. We also shot specimens of the friar bird (Tropidorhynchus corniculatus), and several honeyeaters, flycatchers, and shrikes; so that as a place for bird collecting it was exceedingly rich, both in numbers and species.
We got under way on the 30th of April, in the morning, and on the following day anchored off the largest and most northern of the Percy Islands. I landed with Haswell in the afternoon, and after exploring the beach in search of marine specimens, we directed our steps towards the interior of the island. We followed a narrow winding foot track, which led us to a rudely-built hut, in which dwelt an old Australian colonist named Captain Allen, to whom the island virtually belongs. He had a small kitchengarden in the bed of a valley, through which ran a tiny stream; and his live stock consisted of a herd of goats and a number of poultry. We understood that he intended eventually to undertake regular farming operations, but that he at present merelyoccupiedthe land in order to retain the "pre-emptive" right until the Queensland government should be in a position to sell or let it. It appeared that as yet it was not certain whether the colonial government had a clear title to the group of islands, or whether—being on the Great Barrier Reef, and detached from the mainland by a considerable distance—it was still under the control and jurisdiction of the imperial government.
We noticed very few birds: among these were aPtilotis, a flycatcher, a crow, and a heron; but we were told that in the less frequented parts of the island there were brush turkeys, native pheasants, and black cockatoos.
Among the rocks bordering the shore, a large white-tailed rat—probably of the genusHydromys—was said to be abundant. The only other mammal recorded was a large fox-bat, a skeleton of which was found hanging on a mangrove bush.
We left our anchorage at the Percy Islands on the morning of the 2nd of May, and on the forenoon of the 3rd steamed into the sheltered waters of Port Molle,i.e., into the strait which separates Long Island from the main shore of Queensland; and we finally came to an anchor in a shallow bay on the west side of Long Island, where we lay at a distance of about half-a-mile from the shore.
The island presented the appearance of undulating hills, covered for the most part with a thick growth of tropical forms of vegetation, but exhibiting a few patches of land devoid of trees, and bearing a rich crop of long tangled grasses. On landing, we found that there was no soil, properly so-called, but that the forest trees, scrub, and grass sprung from a surface layer of shingle, which on close inspection contrasted strangely with the rich and verdant flora which it nourished. Small flocks of great whitecockatoos flew around and above the summits of the tallest trees, and by the incessant screaming which they maintained, gave one the idea that the avifauna was more abundant than we eventually found it to be. On the beach we collected shells of the generaNerita,Terebra,Siliquaria, andOstræa, and among the dry hot stones above high-water mark we found in great numbers anIsopod Crustacean, and as the females were bearing ova, Haswell took the opportunity to make some researches into the mode of development of the embryo.
I spent another day accompanying Navigating-Lieutenant Petley, who was then cruising from point to point in one of our whale-boats, determining on the positions for main triangulation. In the course of the day we visited the lighthouse on Dean Island, and on arriving there found a large concourse of blacks on the hill above, looking on our intrusion with great consternation. The lighthouse people told us that the natives, from their different camps on the island, had observed our approach while we were yet a long distance off, and hastily concluding that we were a party of black police coming to disperse (i.e., shoot) them, had fled with precipitation from all parts of the island, to seek the protection of the white inhabitants of the lighthouse. It appeared that some few years previously the natives of Port Molle had treacherously attacked and murdered the shipwrecked crew of a schooner, and in requital for this the Queensland Government had made an example of them by letting loose a party of "black police," who, with their rifles, had made fearful havoc among the comparatively unarmed natives. The "black police," or "black troopers," as they are more commonly called, are a gang of half-reclaimed aborigines, enrolled and armed as policemen, who are distributed over various parts of the colony, and are under the immediate direction of the white police inspectors. Their skill as bush "trackers" is too well known to need description, and the peculiar ferocity with which they behave towards their own countrymen is due to the fact that they are drawn from a partof the continent remote from the scene of their future labours, and from tribes hostile to those against which they are intended to act. Through their instrumentality the aborigines of Queensland are being gradually exterminated. In the official reports of their proceedings, when sent to operate against a troublesome party of natives, the verb "to disperse" is playfully substituted for the harsher term "to shoot."
But to return to our friends at Dean Island. Our peaceful aspect, and a satisfactory explanation on the part of the white people in charge of the lighthouse, soon set matters right, and the wretched blacks were now so delighted at finding their fears to be groundless, that they crowded about us—male and female—to the number of forty or fifty, brought us some boomerangs for barter, and finally shared our lunch of preserved meat and coffee, of which we partook on the rocks near where the boat was moored. I was surprised at noticing a large proportion of children, a circumstance which does not support one of the views put forward to account for the rapid decrease in numbers of the race.
Most of the men had a certain amount of clothing, scanty and ragged though it was, but the children were all stark naked, and some of the women were so scantily attired that the requirements of decency were not at all provided for. They seemed to be fairly well nourished, and from their cheerful disposition I should imagine that they were not undergoing any privations which to them would be irksome.
On re-embarking, we sailed along the western shore of the island, and again landed in a small bay about a mile to the northward of the lighthouse. We then proceeded to ascend a hill, on which Petley wished to erect a mark for surveying purposes. The natives, although quick enough about following us along the seashore, showed no inclination to follow us up the hillside, and before we had gone a few hundred yards they had all dropped off. Possibly the fear of snakes was the deterring influence.
Port Molle proved to be an excellent place for obtainingexamples of the marine fauna of this part of the coast. A great extent of reefs was exposed at low spring tides, exhibiting Corals of the groupsAstræa,Meandrina,Porites,Tubipora,Orbicella, andCaryophyllia, besides a profusion of soft Alcyonarian Polyps. Holothurians were abundant, as were also some large Tubicolous Annelids, with very long gelatinous thread-like tentacles. We also got a fewPolynæ, and several other annelids of the familyAmphinomidæ. ASquilla, with variegated greenish markings on the test, made itself remarkable by the vigour with which it resented one's attempts, for the most part unintentional, to invade the privacy of its retreat. An active blackGoniograpsuswas a common object on the reefs, and the widely distributedGrapsus variegatuswas also met with. Haswell obtained from the interior of the largePinnashells examples of a curious small lobster-like crustacean, which is of parasitic—or perhaps rather commensal—habit, likePinnotheres. Not uncommon in the rock pools was a bivalve shell of the genusLima, which on being disturbed swims about in a most lively manner by flapping its elongated valves, exhibiting at the same time a scarlet mantle fringed with a row of long prehensile tentacles. Shells of the generaArca,Tridacna, andHippopuswere common, and three or four species ofCypræawere seen.
We dredged several times with one of the steam-cutters in depths varying from twelve to twenty fathoms, obtaining several species of Comatulas, two or three Astrophytons, Starfishes, Ophiurids, Echini of the generaSalmacisandGoniocidaris, small Holothurians, many species of Annelids, two or three Sponges, a great variety of handsome Gorgoniæ, Hydroids of the groupSertulariaandPlumularia, Polyzoa of the generaEschara,Retepora,Myriozoum,Cellepora,Biflustra,Salicornaria,Crisia,Scrupocellaria,Amathia, etc., and Crustaceans of the generaMyra,Hiastemis,Lambrus,Alpheus,Huenia, and many others. Among the Annelids was one with long glassy opalescent bristles surrounding the oral aperture, and projecting forwards to a distance of one and a halfinches from the prostomium. Another Annelid (species unknown) was peculiar in having two long barb-like tentacles projecting backwards from the under part of the head. On examining the proboscis of the latter, while it was resting in sea-water in a glass trough, Haswell noticed a number of singular bodies being extruded from the mouth, which he eventually ascertained, to his great astonishment, were the partially developed young of the worm.
One of the large Astrophytons which came up with the dredge was seen to exhibit nodular swellings on several parts of the arms, but principally at the points of bifurcation. Each of these swellings was provided with one or more small apertures, and had the general appearance of being a morbid growth. On incising the dense cyst-wall a cavity was exposed, containing a tiny red gastropodous mollusc (of the genusStilifer), enveloped in a mass of cheesy matter, which contained moreover one or two spherical white pellets of (probably) fæcal matter. Haswell obtained about a dozen specimens of the shell from a single astrophyton.
Port Denison is only forty miles to the northward of Port Molle, so that we accomplished the passage in about six hours, and before dusk took up a berth in the shallow bay about a mile and a half from the shore, and three-quarters from the end of a long wooden pier, which was built some years ago in the vain hope of developing the shipping trade of the port. The township of "Bowen" is built on a larger scale than "Gladstone"—of which we had such pleasant reminiscences—but did not appear to be in a more flourishing condition, a "gold-rush" further to the northward having drawn off part of the population, and some of the trade which had previously gone through the port. On the outskirts of the town were some large encampments of the blacks, who lived in a primitive condition, and afforded an interesting study for an ethnologist. Like most of the Australian aborigines, their huts were little better than shelter screens to protect them from the wind and sun. In some instances the twigs on the lee side of a bush, rudely interlaced with a few leafy boughs torn fromthe neighbouring trees, afforded all the shelter that was required. Both men and women, especially the latter, seemed to be in a filthy, degraded state. They had just received their yearly gifts of blankets from the Queensland Government—I believe the only return which they receive for the appropriation of their land. It appears, however, that they do not much appreciate the donation, for soon after the general issue many of the blankets are bartered with the whites for tobacco and grog. Some of the young men are really fine-looking fellows, and seemed to feel all the pride of life and liberty as they strutted about encumbered with a variety of their native weapons, among which I saw thenulla,waddy, shield, huge wooden sword, spear without throwing-stick, and different patterns of boomerangs. They are very expert in the use of the latter. It was the first time that I had seen the boomerang thrown, and I can safely say that its performances, when manipulated by a skilful hand, fully realized my expectations. I noticed that whatever gyrations it was intended to execute, it was always delivered from the hand of the thrower with its concave side foremost—a circumstance I was not previously aware of. Some of the children were amusing themselves in practising the art, using instead of the regular boomerang short pieces of rounded stick bent to about the usual angle of the finished weapon; and I was surprised at noticing that even these rude substitutes could be made to dart forward, wheel in the air, and return to near the feet of the thrower. I had always imagined up to this time that the flat surface was an essential feature in the boomerang.
The foreshore at low-water afforded us examples of a great many flat Echinoderms of the genusPeronella, Starfishes of the genusAsteracanthus, and Crustaceans of the generaMacrophthalmus,Matuta,Mycteris, etc. We made several hauls of the dredge in four to five fathoms of water, obtaining a quantity of large Starfishes and Gorgonias, and Crustaceans of the familyPorcellanidæ.
We left Port Denison on the 24th of May, and continued ourcoasting voyage northward, anchoring successive nights off Cape Bowling Green, Hinchinbrock Island, Fitzroy Island, Cooktown, and Lizard Island. We landed at the island last mentioned for a few hours. On the shore of the bay in which we anchored was a "Beche-de-mer" establishment, belonging to a Cooktown firm, and worked by a party of two white men, three Chinese, and six Kanakas. The buildings consisted of two or three rudely-built dwelling huts, and a couple of sheds for curing and storing the trepangs. We learned from the "Boss" that his men had been working the district for the previous twelve months, and having now cleared off the trepangs from all the neighbouring reefs, he expected soon to move on to some other location further north.
The Beche-de-mer industry seems simple enough to conduct. The sluggish animals are picked off the reefs at low tide, and at the close of each day the produce as soon as landed is transferred to a huge iron tank, propped up on stones, in which it is boiled. The trepangs are then slit open, cleaned, and spread out on gratings in a smoke-house until dry, when they are ready for shipping to the Chinese market. The best trepangs are the short stiff black ones with prominent tubercles.
Since the above notes were written, a horrible catastrophe occurred at Lizard Island. The bulk of the party had gone on a cruise among the islands to the northward, leaving the station in charge of a white woman—wife of one of the proprietors—and two Chinamen. A party of Queensland blacks came over from the mainland, massacred these three wretched people, and destroyed all the property on the station.
On the evening of the 29th of May we anchored off Flinders Island, in latitude 14° 8′ S., and before darkness came on we spent a few hours in exploring. The shore on which we landed was covered with large blocks of quartzite stained with oxide of iron, and disseminated among them were many large irregularly-shaped masses of hæmatite. Immediately above the beach, andamong the familiar screw-pines, we saw a few fan palms, the first met with on our northern voyage.
Groping among the rocks of the foreshore, I encountered a multitude of crabs of the generaPorcellanaandGrapsus, and caught after much trouble a large and uncommonly fierce specimen of theParampelia saxicola. On anchoring, the dredge had been lowered from the ship, and when hauled up after the ship had swung somewhat with the tide, a curious species ofSpatangus, aLeucosia, and a somewhat mutilatedPhlyxia, were obtained.
Early on the following morning I accompanied Captain Maclear and Mr. Haswell on a boat trip to Clack Island (five miles from our anchorage). We were anxious to see and examine some drawings by the Australian aborigines, which were discovered in the year 1821 by Mr. Cunningham, of theBeagle, (see "King's Australia," vol. ii., p. 25), and since probably unvisited. After about an hour's sailing we reached the island—a bold mass of dark rock resembling in shape a gunner's quoin; but we now found it no easy matter to find a landing-place. On the south-east extremity was a precipitous rocky bluff about eighty feet in height, against whose base the sea broke heavily, while the rest of the island—low and fringed with mangroves—was fenced in by a broad zone of shallow water, strewn with boulders and coral knolls, over which the sea rose and fell in a manner dangerous to the integrity of the boat. After many trials and much risk to the boat, we at length succeeded in jumping ashore near the south-east or weather extremity of the island. Here we found abundant traces of its having been frequently visited by natives, but it did not appear as if they had been there during at least half-a-dozen years prior to the time of our visit. We saw the drawings, as described by Cunningham, covering the sides and roofs of galleries and grottoes, which seemed to have been excavated by atmospheric influences in a black fissile shale. This shale, which gave a banded appearance to the cliff, was disposed in strata of about five feet in thickness, and was interbedded with strata ofpebbly conglomerate—the common rock of the islet. In these excavations, almost every available surface of smooth shale was covered with drawings, even including the roofs of low crevices where the artist must have worked lying prone on his back, and with his nose almost touching his work. Most of the drawings were executed in red ochre, and had their outlines accentuated by rows of white dots, which seemed to be composed of a sort of pipe-clay. Some, however, were executed in pale yellow on a brick-red ground, and in many instances the objects depicted were banded with rows of white dots crossing each other irregularly, and perhaps intended in a rudimentary way to convey the idea of light and shade. The objects delineated (of which I made such sketches as I was able) were sharks, dolphins, dugong, turtle, boomerangs, waddies, shields, woomerahs, pigs, dogs, birds, jelly-fish, etc. There was one well-defined sketch of a medusa, showing the position of the radiating canals and eight marginal tentacles.Trochusshells in great profusion were strewn about the old camping places, as well as bones of the dugong and turtle, the pursuit of the latter having been probably the main inducement to visit the island.
A careful hunting of the holes and crevices in the face of the cliff resulted in the acquisition of some portable specimens of native art in the shape of drawings on old pieces of driftwood, onMeloshells, turtle skulls, and tortoise shell. These luckily afforded us good examples of the style of art, and were accordingly, and without many conscientious scruples as to the sacred rights of ownership, carried off in triumph and deposited on board.
After leaving Flinders Island, we continued our voyage northward, anchoring each of the three following nights successively at Clairmont Island No. 6, Clairmont Island No. 10, and Bird Island. On each occasion we dredged to a small extent, and collected specimens from the reefs and beaches. On the evening of the 2nd of June we entered the narrow strait which separatesAlbany Island from the mainland of north-east Australia, having the small settlement of Somerset on our port hand, and on our starboard side a pearl-shell station known as Port Albany. The anchorage at Somerset being of bad repute on account of the strong currents which sweep through it, we steamed on to the northern extremity of Albany Island, where at about 4 o'clock in the evening we dropped our anchor in six fathoms. A party of officers landed at once on the shore of the mainland, and while some wandered through the woods in search of birds, the boat was employed in dredging over the bottom of mud and sand in depths varying from three to five fathoms. Among the contents of several hauls were a large number of Comatulas, a few Ophiurids, several examples of aPentaceros, aGoniocidaris, a spider-crab of the genus "Egeria," anAlpheus, aGalatheaclinging to the feathered arms of a purpleComatula, and many specimens of an Isopod adhering to the oral surfaces of the comatula discs. There were also a few shrimps, two species ofMurex, and a volute. Some small fishes were also brought up—apparently a species ofPlatycephalus.