Rev. Canon C. E. Groser, B.D., Beverley. The Commonwealth Public Service Commissioner's Diocesan Registrar, Hon. J. W. Hackett, M.L.C., Diocesan Treasurer, Major T. Sherwood." Diocese of Bunbury. Bishop of Bunbury, Right Rev. Frederick Goldsmith, D.D. Canons. Venerable Archdeacon T. Louch, Albany. Rev. Canon H. Darling, B.A., Bunbury. Deputy Diocesan Registrar, Mr. W. P. Morrisby, Roebourne. Diocesan Secretary, Mr. W. S. Hales. Diocesan Treasurer, Mr. T. W. Paisley, Bunbury. Church Advocate, Mr. J. L. Walker, Solicitor, Bunbury. Diocesan Trustees: The Bishop; Archdeacon Louch; Hon. F. H. Piesse, M.L.A.; Mr. W. L. Owen, R.M.; Mr. K. M. Eastman; Mr. Arnold Piesse, J.P. Examining Chaplains, Ven. Archdeacon Louch, and Rev. W. J. Parish, LL.D. Fremantle. Fremantle; Norway, R. S. Haynes, K.C. (Consul), Perth; PAPUA. Situation and Area. Papua (formerly called British New Guinea) is composed of a portion of the island of New Guinea, and of a number of islands, most of which lie to the south-east of New Guinea. The boundaries of the Territory are as follows:-"The S. and S. E. shores of New Guinea, from 141° E. long. eastward as far as East Cape, thence N. W. to 8° S. lat. in the neighbourhood of Mitre Rock, together with the territory lying south of a line from Mitre Rock, proceeding along the said 8° S. parallel to 147 E. long., then in a straight line N.W. to the intersection of 6° S. lat. and 144 E. long., and continuing W.N. W. to the intersection of 5° S. lat. and 141° E. long. together with the Trobriand, Woodlark, d'Entrecasteaux, and Louisiade groups of islands, and all other islands lying between 8° and 12 S. lat. and between 141° and 155° E. long., and not forming part of Queensland; and including all islands and reefs lying in the Gulf of Papua to the north of 8° S. lat.' New Guinea, the largest island in the world if Australia is excluded, lies some 80 miles to the north of Queensland, between 0° 0′ and 12° 0′ S. lat., and between 130° 50′ and 154° 30′ E. long. Its greatest length is 1,490 miles, and its maximum breadth 430 miles; its area being about 234,768 square miles. The islands which lie near Papua, and which form part of the Territory, number, great and small, about two hundred. Of these the principal ones are: Kiriwina (in the Trobriand group of D'Entrecasteaux), Woodlark, Normanby, Goodenough, Fergusson, St. Aignan, Rossel and Sudest. History. The island of New Guinea was discovered in 1511 by Antonio de Abrea, and it was touched at by several of the early navigators. The Archipelagos lying to the south-east of New Guinea were discovered by French navigators towards the close of the eighteenth century. The waters that are adjacent to the Archipelagos, and to the south-eastern coasts of New Guinea, have at different periods been partly surveyed and mapped by British ships of war. The whole island to the west of 141° E. long. is claimed by the Dutch as suzerains of the Sultan of Tidore. The Dutch have established a post on the south coast of New Guinea, known as Merauké, which is in charge of a Resident. It is a little to the West of the S. W. extreme of the AngloDutch boundary. That portion of the island which lies to the eastward of 141° E. long. and to the north of British New Guinea belongs to the German Empire. A Government has been established and several industries are being started there. The acquisition by the British Crown of the portion of the island not claimed by Holland was long advocated by Australian statesmen, and the growing influence of France and Germany in the Pacific Ocean, coupled with the establishment of a penal settlement in the French island of New Caledonia, created some alarm in Australia lest a country lying so near to Australia as New Guinea should pass into the hands of a foreign Power. To prevent this from taking place as regards the eastern part of New Guinea, the Government of Queensland annexed it to the Empire on the 4th of April, 1883, but this proceeding was not ratified by the Imperial Government. The Intercolonial Convention held at Sydney in Nov. and Dec., 1883, passed resolutions urging the annexation of Eastern New Guinea, and undertook to recommend their respective Legislatures to provide for defraying a part of the cost of a Protectorate if one were established by the Imperial Government. On the Australasian colonies agreeing to guarantee 15,000Z. a year to meet the cost, a Protectorate was proclaimed by Commodore Erskine on the 6th November, 1884, over the south-east coast of New Guinea and the adjacent islands. General Sir Peter Scratchley was appointed Special Commissioner for the Protectorate, and arrived in 1885, but he succumbed, in the Protectorate, to malarial fever in November of the same year. He was succeeded by the Hon. John Douglas, C. M. G., formerly Premier of Queensland. At the Colonial Conference held in 1887, the Colonies of Queensland, N.S. Wales and Victoria undertook to guarantee 15,000. a year for ten years, for defraying the cost of administering the territory now forming the Possession, on the understanding that Her Majesty's Sovereignty would be proclaimed over it. By the Queensland British New Guinea Act, 1887, that colony undertook to be responsible for the payment of the 15,0007. a year. The territory was annexed to the Crown by the newly appointed Administrator, Dr. (now Sir W.) Macgregor, on 4th September, 1888. The Imperial Government has contributed some 52,000l. towards the founding of the Possession. The local revenue raised in the Possession was formerly paid over to Queensland, for distribution amongst the guaranteeing colonies, in reduction of their contribution of 15,0007. a year, but is now kept and expended by the Government of the Possession. At the end of 1901 the Government of the Commonwealth agreed to take over the Possession as a territory of the Commonwealth, and brought proposals before the Federal Parliament (which were adopted) for providing towards the expenses of administration a sum not exceeding 20,000Z. a year. The provision ran from 1st July, 1901, and was subject to revision at the end of five years. On the 1st Sept., 1906, a Proclamation was issued by the Govenor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, under the provisions of the Papua Act, 1905, declaring British New Guinea a Territory of the Commonwealth, under the name of "Papua." The above Act provides that a sum of £20,000 shall be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Commonwealth towards the revenue of the Territory in each financial year, up to and including 30th June, 1906, and thereafter such sums, if any, as the Parliament appropriates for that purpose. In 1906-7, 20,2057. was paid by the Commonwealth towards Administration. The estimate for 1907-8 is 20,000., with an additional 5,000l. towards development. Description and Formation. It extends from east to west upwards of 800 miles, and about 200 from north to south towards either end, but is only about 50 miles deep behind Freshwater Bay, near the middle of the portion of the colony that is situated on the island of New Guinea. The total coast line of the Possession has been computed at 3,664 statute miles, 1,728 on the mainland and 1,936 on the islands. The total superficial area is about 90,540 square miles, of which about 87,786 are on the mainland of New Guinea, and 2,754 made up of many islands. With the exception of the low coral islands of Kiriwina, Nada, part of Murua, and a few others of small dimensions, the islands are mountainous and principally of schistose formation, the highest, Goodenough, 8,000 feet. The eastern end of the Territory is also mountainous, and as the mountains extend westward they rise and coalesce to form a great central chain, which attains its greatest altitudes in the Owen Stanley range, the highest point of which is Mount Victoria, 13,200 feet, and in Mount Scratchley, the Wharton Range, and Mount Albert Edward, the latter about the same height as Mount Victoria. Further west the main range becomes more broken and lower, while pursuing nearly the same general trend towards the north-west as it had in the more eastern part of the colony. The western end of the Territory is for nearly 300 miles generally low and swampy until a long distance from the coast is reached. The mountains near the east end, on the mainland, are of igneous origin; the great masses of the central part of the main range are all schistose, while in the west sandstone predominates, but there are outcrops of igneous formation, such as Mount Yule, upwards of 10,000 feet high. On the Fly River, near the point of junction of British, Dutch, and German territory, there are limestones with fossil corals, and these are also met with at many other places in the low and swampy regions of the western end of the colony and elsewhere. The whole Territory is remarkably well watered. The great mountains, and by far the larger portion of the lower country, are all covered by forest. Rivers. The majority of the principal rivers open into the Gulf of Papua. They have a general direction towards a point near the middle of the Gulf. The two largest are the Fly and the Purari. The Fly spreads out its head branches over a large area in the centre of the island, comprising considerable portions of the three different territories. Its course is about 620 miles from the sea to the British-German boundary. The influence of the tide is felt for six or seven score of miles up the Fly. It is navigable by a steam launch for over 500 miles. The Purari River is the second in point of size, and seems to start from the southern side of the Bismarck range of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland. It is navigable by steam launch for 120 miles. The Bailala and Lakekamu rise in undetermined mountains in the central main range. The Angabunga River has its origin from the western spurs of Mount Albert Edward; the Vanapa from the Owen Stanley Range, the Wharton Chain and the southern slopes of Mount Albert Edward; the Brown from the Owen Stanley Range east of Mount Victoria. On the northeast coast the rivers are all small, except four that open into the sea between Cape Nelson and the British-German boundary. These are, proceeding northwards, the Musa, Kumusi, Mambare, and Gira. Each of them pursues a course from the central main range towards the north-east until it enters the sea. The Gira rises from the eastern spurs of Mount Albert Edward, and is smaller than the other three, all of which are nearly of the same size. Climate and Natural Resources. As Papua lies between five and eleven and a half degrees of south latitude, the climate of the lower part of the country is warm. It is outside the range of the hurricanes that pervade the southern part of the Western Pacific. At Port Moresby, the seat of Government, and situated near the middle of the colony, the average temperature for the year 1905-6 at 9 a.m. was 83°6. The average maximum readings for the same period, 85°5; the average minimum readings, 75°5. The extreme range of temperature was from 89°6 to 71°9 F. at 9 a.m. The hot season is from November to May; the hottest months are January and February; the cold season is from June to October, the coldest month is August. During the hot season winds on the south coast are from the north and west, and are unsteady; during the cold season they are from the southeast, and are much more regular. At Port Moresby the rainfall for the year 1905-6 was 27 059 inches. It is much greater, but undetermined, on the central mountain ranges. On the south coast the climate is rather comfortable than oppressive during the cold season. It is generally agreeable at an altitude of 2,000 feet, a height that can be reached on foot in one day from Port Moresby. At 5,000 to 6,000 feet it becomes distinctly cold at night, the thermometer sometimes reading 55° F.; at 10,000 feet ice is met with in the early morning. Above that the grass is often covered with hoar frost, and the cold is severe. Malarial fever, of a type that is as a rule comparatively mild, is not rare in the low parts of the country. About the time of the change of seasons inflammatory diseases of the chest frequently occur among natives. There exists there the obstinate scaly ringworm, common in many parts of the Pacific. A mild form of Yaws, not nearly so severe as it is in the Pacific Islands, is indigenous. Sporadic cases of elephantiasis and leprosy are met with, but these have not affected any European. Lupus and simple ulcers are common, and rheumatism is not unknown. Beriberi is also met with in some districts. There is no scarlet fever, croup or diphtheria. Typhoid fever, smallpox, and Asiatic cholera have not appeared, but unfortunately dysentery has been introduced. Cases of cancer have been seen in the country. Such diseases as tape-worm and guinea-worm are unknown. The climate is favourable to the cultivation of all tropical products. The cocoanut palm bears well everywhere, and is common any where along the coast line, but in the far interior it is not met with. Cotton would be specially suited to the dry climate of the central district. Tobacco, in certain localities, of superior quality, and sugar cane seem to be indigenous or to be long domesticated; there are several native trees and plants that yield good classes of rubber. There are some good varieties of timber, including sandal wood, ebony, and cedar. Tea, cocoa, and coffee thrive well, but are not indigenous; the latter has been introduced and propagated. The climate is very congenial to rice and maize and all kinds of tropical fruit. The mineral deposits comprise gold, which exist over a large area; osmiridium, which has been found from the Gira River to the Owen Stanley Range; and in the Purari sandstone district there is coal. The marine resources comprise pearl-shell and such diversities of dialect that people living only pearls, trepang, sponges, and turtle shell. Fauna and Flora. There are no dangerous wild beasts in the Territory; wild swine are common. There are several varieties of wallaby, phalanger, and echidna. There are no deer, hares, or rabbits. The most dangerous creature is the crocodile; many lives are lost each year through these amphibians and by snake-bite. The snakes are nearly related to those of Australia. The birds include the cassowary, many birds of paradise, a great variety of pigeons, the hornbill, the black and the white cockatoo, geese, many species of ducks, quails, and on the mountain tops snipe and woodcock. The flora is as varied as the climate. On the tops of the highest mountain chains there are many species of grasses: several kinds of buttercup, forget-me-nots, daisies, rhododendrons, heaths, and other flowers of temperate climates. The forest there is principally cypress. From seven to ten thousand feet it is chiefly myrtaceous, often covered by trailing bamboo or mixed with pandanus. From two to five thousand feet the evergreen oaks are common. On the low lands there are several varieties of hardwood trees, afzelic bijuga, calophyllum, &c. Native cloth is made by beating out the bark of the paper mulberry, of the bread fruit tree, or of certain trees of the nettle family. Fibre is obtained from the banana, the cocoanut, from the bark of many saplings, and the best of all from the aerial roots of certain species of pandanus. Most of the trees and flowers that are met with in the tropical islands of the Pacific, or in North Queensland, occur also in Papua. The People. All the native tribes of the Territory that have up to now been met with seem to belong to the same race; they present, however, well-marked differences in physical appearance, disposition, language and customs, but not greater than the circumstances would lead one to expect. No clear trace of an older or earlier race than the existing one has been discovered. The present inhabitants doubtless arrived in the country when it was already covered by dense forest; this must have had its effect in separating the people into secluded, shy, and suspicious communities. To this is due the notable diversities so common between the communities of even adjacent districts, each being confined strictly to its own small territory, subject to circumscribed local influences. Thus, for example, the tribes on the Fly and other estuaries have, for generations, had only brackish water; others water running over calcareous formation, or over slate, lava, granite, &c., a circumstance that would perhaps differentiate quite as much as the great variety of food. Some tribes live almost exclusively on sago, others on yams and taro, some on bananas, others principally on sweet potatoes. Many tribes live continuously in a heavy, moist, warm atmosphere near the coast line; others in the light and bracing climate of the mountains at an altitude of 4,000 to 6,000 feet. The average size of a Papuan is less than that of an average European. The race affinities with the Pacific are strong; on the coast line there is a small percentage of a smooth-haired Malay-like element that is absent in the interior. The isolation of the different communities has led to a few miles apart cannot understand each other's speech. There is a well-marked relationship to the languages of Polynesia, and this extends, especially in place names, right across the colony, but it becomes weaker in ordinary language as one proceeds towards the west. The dialects are easy to acquire, containing as they do few or no sounds that cannot be represented by the English alphabet, or easily pronounced by an Englishspeaking person. English is now making considerable progress. The European population is 828 and other aliens number some 400 persons; the native population is estimated at about 400,000. There has been, however, no census. The country and people have no history, and but few current well-defined traditions. These refer to only local movements and actions of tribes within the last four or five generations. Mode of Government. Papua had formerly the constitution of a Crown colony, regulated by Royal letters patent of 8th June, 1888, under which the Government was carried on by an Administrator, with the advice and assistance of an executive and a legislative council. The correspondence of the Administrator of British New Guinea with the Secretary of State passed first through the Governor of Queensland, and afterwards through the Governor-General of Australia. By Letters Patent, of 18th March, 1902, provision was made for placing the Possession under the authority of the Commonwealth, and for the revocation of the Letters Patent governing the Constitution as soon as the Commonwealth Parliament had provided by law for the future government. Provision was made by the Papua Act, 1905, proclaimed on the 1st September, 1906, as above stated. There was no form of Government among the native population, the Polynesian system of chiefs being practically unknown; patriarchal authority did not extend beyond near family relatives, and even then was only loose. A certain measure of chiefly influence is being created now by a few men under Government authority, but control over the natives is being best acquired by the gradual creation of a force of village policemen. The Administration has at its disposal an armed constabulary, consisting of about 150 natives, enrolled from many different districts. Special laws have been passed for the protection of the native population, and for dealing with lands. A code consisting of a series of simple regulations, which are from time to time being added to, has also been passed for the benefit of the native population. The general law of the Territory is the same as that of Queensland. The courts of the Possession consist of the Central, Petty Sessions, and Native Magistrates' Courts. Manufactures and Industries. There are no European manufactories in the Possession. The chief industry worked by Europeans is gold mining. The number of miners has varied at different times from 100 to 800 men. Gold to the value of over 55,6867, in 1903-4, 56,3627. in 1904-5, 58,4967. in 1905-6, 39,7097. in 1906-7, was declared at the custom house for export. It was nearly all obtained by alluvial mining. The goldbearing country is extensive, but it is for various reasons very difficult to prospect. There are also indications of auriferous reefs, and three crushing Political Divisions. The Territory is divided into seven magisterial divisions, in each of which there is a resident magistrate, who is also invested with the executive authority of dealing in the first instance with any administrative matter that may arise. Besides these there are assistant resident magistrates with limited judicial powers in certain more populous districts. The Central Court, which possesses the jurisdiction of an ordinary Supreme Court, sits wherever there is occasion. The principal seat of Government is at Port Moresby. This place is centrally situated. It is easy to approach the harbour, and the latter is large, commodious, and sheltered from all winds. The population of Port Moresby consists of about 1,600 natives and some three score of Europeans. It is not well-watered, but is very picturesque, and comparatively healthy. The immediate neighbourhood is not well suited for ordinary cultivation on account of the rather scanty rainfall. Port Moresby is a port of entry. plants have been established on Woodland Island. | Yule Island, where there is no barrier reef; but Pearls, 1905-6, 2,4787., 1906-7, 1,700. The pearl- east of that the coast is largely protected. East shell fishery is of some importance; pearl-shell of Yule Island harbours and good anchorages are was exported in 1904-5 to the value of 1,1217. ; numerous. In the interior travelling is done 1905-6, 5027., 1906-7, 7281. The shell is widely always on foot, but in the central district horses distributed over the eastern seas of the colony, but can be used on many tracks. large areas of water are difficult to work on account of their depth. Beche-de-mer is found on most of the reefs, and will always figure as a small industry, 1904-5, 1,5427.; 1905-6, 3,0271.; 1906-7, 1,9597. Sandal-wood to the value of 7,8731. was exported in 1904-5; 1905-6, 2,5227.; 1906-7, 3,9321. It is sometimes found in the form of large trees, so far only in the central district on the mainland. It commands a fair price in the market. The rubber industry (1905-6, 1,145.; 1906-7, 1,3847.) is already important, but promises to become greatly more So. The indigenous trees alone yield this article at the present time, but both soil and climate would no doubt be favourable to the better sorts of foreign rubber. The indigenous rubber commands a comparatively high price in the London market. Up to the last few years no systematic efforts had been made to plant cocoanuts. The old trees are only in small clumps, except in a few instances, and in those exceptional cases the groves are the property of large communities, who make extensive use of the cocoanut as an article of food. Many nuts are now being planted, but the amount available for copra-making (1904-5, 521 tons, 5,6717., 1905-6, 829 tons, 9,315., 1906-7, 7,4677.) is not likely to reach a high figure for some time. There are large sago fields in the colony, but this article has not yet been worked for export. There can be no reasonable doubt that the sugar cane, which is indigenous and present in a great many varieties, and cotton, coffee, tea, vanilla, and tobacco, which is domesticated, and of exceptionally fine quality, will eventually be made into great industries. Coffee, 1905-6, 9157.; 1906-7, 7007. Three coffee plantations and one rubber and sisal hemp plantation have been established. External Trade. The customs tariff is comparatively a light one; ad valorem duties do not exceed 10 per cent. The external trade is chiefly with Queensland and New South Wales. There are no direct shipments to or from Great Britain. The external trade, imports and exports, as entered at the customs, amounted in 1904-5 to 143,6237., 1905-6, 160,0517., 1906-7, 151,5327. Two steamers belonging to Messrs. Bleons, Philp & Co. are under contract for the conveyance every five weeks of mails and passengers to and from the Territory. There are also trading schooners from Cooktown and Thursday Island. The coasting and general inter-island trade is carried on by means of four small steamers and some small cutters or luggers, many of which are manned exclusively by Papuans. There are suitable substantial wharves for working cargo at Port Moresby and Samarai, at which places all manner of supplies are obtainable at reasonable prices. Macadamised roads are in course of construction. Much of the internal communication will be made by the rivers. Tracks have been cut in many directions, and the natives are becoming accustomed to travel alone or with Europeans over great areas. During the south-east trades travelling by small boat is uncomfortable and difficult west of Samarai, the next place in importance, is an island of some sixty acres two miles from the south-east end of the mainland. There is no native village on that island. It is a port of entry, and the headquarters of the Resident Magistrate of the district. The European population is always greater than at Port Moresby. There is good anchorage there, but no convenient water supply. It is the port from which miners, pearl fishers, &c., generally obtain their supplies. Like Port Moresby, the neighbourhood of Samarai is very picturesque. Its rainfall is nearly three times as great as at the former place. The third port of entry is the island of Daru, the headquarters of the Resident Magistrate for the Western Division. It has a good and safe harbour, with an approach that presents no difficulty. It is the only harbour Papua possesses in the west, and the island supplies the best building sites obtainable in that part of the country. It is visited by many boats engaged in the pearl-shell fishery of Torres Straits. The fourth port of entry is Bonagai, in Woodlark Island. Summary. Papua differs from all other countries in its newness. A large part of the interior is still in the stone age, much of it is in a stage of transition in which the stone axe and the steel tomahawk are used side by side. The aboriginal methods of house-building, of canoe-making, of pottery manufacture, of cultivation, are still generally maintained. About half of the coast line has been brought under missionary influence, and there are two or three stations on the larger rivers. Four missionary societies are established in the Territory. They are the London Missionary Society, which has for its field the south coast of New Guinea; the Society of the Sacred Heart, which is established at Yule Island, and along the banks of the St. Joseph River; the Methodist Missionary Society of Australasia, which extends its influence over all the archipelagos; and the Church of England Mission, which |