484 A U S T R A L A S I A ,
F ir s t D is-
* COVERYr
Jntiabltant*»
H I . N e w B r i t a i n , a n d N e w I r e l a n d , w i t h t h e
i f S o l o m o n I s l e s , f i
New Britain was firft explored and named by Dampier, that navigator
having pafled. a llrait, to wliich his name is given, between this
country and Papua. In i-767 Captain Carteret pafled through a channel
betwe.en New Britain and N ew-Ire land, which laft- is a long flip of
land ftretching from N. W . to S'. E. and it is alfo probable th a t New"
Britain may be found to be divided into , two or rnore iflands. Ip, thefe
parts the nutmeg tree is found abundant,, being perhaps the moft gemote
region, towards th e eaft, o f that valuable plant, Dampiei; vifited
a, bay in New Britain ca|.le.d.rBort Montague., A. P . 1-790;,. and found
the land mountainous and woody, but interiperfed with fertile vales
and beautiful ftreams. T h e country feemedyery pogulpus, the natives
refembling thofe o f Papua, and navigating their qanpes with great lldlL
The-chief produffc feem,ed to be cocoa nuts, h u t there_were yams, -and
other roots particularly g in g e r; and the fea and rivers, fyarmed with
fifli. In the main land, and adjacent ifles, there , are feveral volcanoes.
Captain 1 Carteret found the natives o f New Ireland very hofldie,
having lances headed with, flint. T h e ir faces were, ftreaked-with white,,
and-their hair dabbed with powder o f the fame colour. They, are black,
and faid to be woolly beaded; but without the thick lipa or. flat.nofe o f
the negro; Some of? the canoes o f New Ireland were ninety feet, in-
length, formed- out o f a Angle tree. Bougainville alfo- vifited this
country, and'-pbferved here the pepper plant, and' that Angular infed
the walking le a f; while, among- the- numerous birds,, was. ther.great,
crowned pigeon.
A more.ample;: defcription-, isyunneceffary, as thefe -.countries are far
from being completely difcovered; The • fame obfervation mull he extended
to what are called the Solomon Iflands, which! appear to" have
been difcovered by Mendana, who failed from Lima to -the wefbvard
1575. T h e name was impofed, as ufual, by ignorant mariners; who
fuppofed
A U S T R A L AS IA .
luppofed that king Solomon derived his gold from thefe iflands ; b u t
While it is'.'even doubtful whether the ifles n ow .called, thbfe Pf BoMnion
be the fame-with thofe' of Mendana-, the -appellation becomes d'oublyi
abfurd, and it would be better to impofe fome new name.“5 ■
The Solomon Iflands, as'laid down in Mr. Arrowfmith’spehart o f the
Paci^e, may be-conA'dpred' as , a large', gropp, .exte’d d k | from Lord
AnionVifle^ or the Bouka.of Bougainville; in t ^ r N i - ^ ' t o ’the rite
called Egmont by ^Carteret in the .S.-E. Some of, th e1 iflands, towards1
the centre, feem. o f Qonflderabfedflze, 'pahticulariy'hidength. 'I f t h e f e
be-the Solomon Ifles- o f the Spaniards, it isjaflertfid, that tjfoy ate,rich in
goiter' Some- o f the natives w'efe o f a copper‘|Mloftr, others $£, a, deep
black, with, a wrapper; o f linen - around the ' waift, while the neck was
ornahiented with little b e^ds-of gbld.jh* T |iie(c&hads,~w6re final!; two * \
b e i ^ commonly, faftened- together. In balkets of palm leaves they
carry a kind of bread made,of roots.1* ' Thefe: iflands are th e land of
the Arfacides d f Bougainville.
IV. .New Caledonia, and the New*.Hebude's.
TTiefe regions were difcovered. by Captain y.p>ofc in 1774-;' b u t1'
Botigainvifle in- 176'E h ad failed through the New -Hehu4e s ; and. t|re
mott., northern is'fu p p p fed to- be, the land o f th e Ho ly -Ohoft o f
Qulrsg,' ■
_ New Caledonia is a large ifland, .the fouthertf part o f w hich in par-
ticular has been little explored. - The natives are, faid to be a mufcular
race, of a deep brown complexion, :refembling‘thofe o f New Zealand-.
Future difcovery may add feveral interefting particulars concerning- this
divifipn. D ’Entrecafteaux, who. was lent im q u e ft o f ■ La. PeroalR
vifited the fouthern coaft of New Caledonia.
The north weftern part o f this large, ifland was explored by Captain
Cook, who fays that-.this diftri<3: was. called Balade; The name of'Tee,
!° ^alrymple, i. 4 7 > anc' fee De Broiles, -i. 173, Mr. Datrymple thinks, p. ,46,, that .the -
0 omon Ifles of Mendana are the New Britain of Dampier... See alfo his Diflertation prefixed 1
UUSKOKm
,S M Bnfie% i. | p f
I n h a b it - .
. Ant».
Solomon
Iflands.
which