Section IV.—Papua Races in the Countries immediately to
the eastward o f New Guinea.
Paragraph 1.-—New Britain and New Ireland.
New Guinea and the adjacent islands of New Britain and
New Ireland-were supposed to form one great country; till
Dampier in 1700 discovered the strait which separates thP
two former from each other. St. George’fc Channel, - which
divides New Britain from New Ireland, was discovered by
Carteret in 1767. More exact information has been obtained
by D’Entrecasteaux and D’Urville. Their description of
these countries resembles that of, New Guinea; they are
elevated mountainous lands, and hoovered with -vast primeval
forests.
Dampier says that the country called by him Nova Britannia
is well inhabited by;M strong well-limbed Negroe^®#^;-
New Ireland was discovered by Sehouten in 1616i,; He
described the inhabitants as strong and well made, black and
woolly-haired. They were all naked; only a few had girdles
made of the bark of a tree. They had rings in their noses
and ears, and a sort of bonnets made of pieces of bark,
painted and joined together. They had the, custom, which
seems to be characteristic of all the black woolly-haired
tribes of these regions, of chewing the areca or betel-nut.
Carteret sailed towards the north-west through the channel
which separated New Britain from New Ireland. Here he
fell in with several clusters of islands, and had frequent communication
with the natives.
On Sandwich Island, near the north-western extremity of
New Ireland, he says the people are black and woolly-haired
like Negroes, but have not flat noses and thick lips. “ We
thought them much the same sort of people as the inhabitants
of Egmont’s Island. Like them, they were all stark
naked, except a few ornaments made of shells upon their
arms and legs.”
New Ireland is along and narrow island,consisting principally
of a chain of mountains which takes its course from north-west
to south-east. This chain is,, continued and forms groupes or
rather chains of islands running out .in*.the same direction
from both extremities,,of New Ireland. Towards the northwest
we find New Hanover and the Admiralty Islands;
towards the south-east the Isje^ of Bouka and Bougainville s
Island, which are succeeded by the long and extensive chain
of Solomon’s Islands. ,,
At the Admiralty Islands, further to the westward, were
seen, says Carteret, “ the same kind qf; people we had found
before on the coast of New Ireland and $gjnqpt Island. They
were cf a-yery dark copper cqleynv.nearly; black, with woolly
heads. They chew bfitel7nut and.goquite naked
Labillardière describes- the same^people,.He ^uys their
hair is crisped -and black,fybuf ^ theyffrequently render it red
by a mixture of ochre and qjl. .Their skin is jx light blach,
which they sometimes adorn with red; figures m different
parts sof theirr'h<#y? Tfieir j^sipgqomy ^ ^ q p ^ b l e , and
not very different from that,of Europeans,*,
Another cluster £,%ther to the .northward, is termed the
Hermit Islands,,, “ composed,’’. ^.ays, Labijlardi©re,(4 ‘* like the
Admiralty Islands, of one elevated central isle and‘;a number
of islote;-” the whole probably of volcanic origin. The people
resembled those. of the Admiralty Islands, but appeared
more r o b u s t . ,, ■§j ^ , h
Steering northwards from the Pacific Ocean, Carteret came
to an island 60 minutes northward of the linef. which he
named Free-will Island. “ The people here are of the Indian
copper colour, the first of that comple^iqn we hafi seen in
these parts, with fine long black h a i r .j j^ M g M ÉB
We shall now trace the series of islands whipfirun towards
the south-east from the south-eastern extremity ojf ,Hcw
Ireland.
At no great distance from that pojnt are several grpupes of
islands, the principal of which is Bougainville’s Island,. conT
taining lofty mountains covered with wpods: the shores abound
in plantation^ of coco-nut frees. A narrow channel separates
Carteret’s 'Voyage, p . 379..