13

A.—3b

agreement was not understood, and was translated into a different dialect to that spoken by the people of the district. I have every reason to believe that the correspondent of the Courier is a man who thoroughly knows the country and its inhabitants, and his statements are fully confirmed by those of the special correspondent of the Melbourne Argus, Mr. Armit, a gentleman who was for many years in the service of the Government of this colony as an officer of police; as also by the letter of the Eev. James Chalmers to the Colonial Secretary (copy enclosed). It is highly undesirable that the troubles experienced in New Zealand and Fiji should be repeated in the case of New Guinea, and I have ventured to draw your Lordship's attention to these articles, because I am convinced that British rule in some form or other will have to be established in New Guinea at once, if we wish to avoid the constant trouble, expense, and bloodshed likely to arise through the contact of European traders with the Native population of the island. I have, &c. The Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies. A. H. Palmee.

Enclosures 1, 2, and 3. [Extracts from the Brisbane Courier during October, 1883.] [All the essential facts are stated in the letters of Mr. Chalmers, Mr. Lawes, and Mr. Cameron.]

Enclosure 4. My deab Sic Thomas, — New Guinea, September 24, 1883. Remembering your request, that, if we had anything to report, we should do so direct to the Colonial Secretary, who would attend to the same, I therefore beg to draw your attention to the following sale of land at Kabadi, off Eedscar Bay, one of the finest districts in New Guinea. Four years ago I visited the district, and one of my party, who knew what good land was, gave Mr. Goldie, a beche-de-mer fisher, information that the best land he had ever seen was at Kabadi. When Mr. Chester was here last April, Goldie, although he had never visited the district, spoke of trying to get land there, but was informed by Mr. Chester he could not purchase land until some responsible Government officer was here to watch over native interests, and that all land sales must be made through said officer, and not with the natives. A few weeks ago Goldie, accompanied by a Mr. Cameron from Sydney, both, I believe, representing a Sydney syndicate, went to Kabadi, and. induced the natives to part with 15,000 acres of land for a little more than a penny per acre. We followed soon after, to arrange for teachers being placed at the various villages, and found the land sold did not belong to the man called a chief by Goldie, nor to the people who got the trade ; that the real owner was Urevado, Kabadi's greatest chief, who held it as trustee for his nephew. G«ldie's chiefs and people pay tribute to Urevado in the shape of best bananas, yams, sugarcane, pigs, birds, fish, and other things, and they admit that he only can tell them where and when to plant, and he only can give orders to burn grass during hunting season. Urevado told us Goldie must not go on to his land, and he would not sell his land to any foreigner. All begged of us to tell the land-purchasers to return and get their trade. Apart from the illegality of the present sale, I think the system of buying land from natives bad, and will doubtless lead to serious trouble in the future. No native thinks he is parting with his land for ever, nor does he imagine that any other one will come on to it but he who paid the tomahawk, and that on his leaving or dying the land reverts to its original owner. These natives are like children : the glitter of the new tomahawk will draw from them their best and only treasure —their land. Again, selling land now will interfere with the government hereafter, and, instead of a responsible government to care for ousted natives, we shall have capitalists who will care for themselves and not the natives. The land at present claimed as bought by Goldie is in a district that supplies during one season of the year nearly sixty miles of coast-line with provisions, and to have their land go to foreigners will not only be a very serious affair for themselves, but will be so for several thousands of people. The present purchasers think it is a missionary dodge, and that we are merely, through spleen or something else, opposing them; but I assure you, my dear Sir Thomas, it is nothing of the kind ; it is not merely because we are missionaries that we are determined to use all our influence to upset this land scheme, but because we, as men, feel it to be an unjust act to the ignorant natives and an injustice to any Government that may come hereafter. Why begin now in New Guinea what has caused so much trouble in New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa ? Let it be distinctly understood that no native can sell land but through a Government officer and no land sales made in any other way will be recognized, and this land-lifting will be stopped. Believe me, &c. Sir Thomas Mcllraith, Brisbane. James Chalmeks.

No. 15. Geoege Palmee, Esq., M.P., to the Colonial Office. My Loed, — 58, Grosvenor Street, December 11, 1883. The enclosed letter fogm the Rev. W. G. Lawes I take the liberty to hand to your Lordship, assuring you that Mr. Lawes is a most trustworthy man. He is a missionary of the London Missionary Society)-known by myself. He is a man of more than common good sense and judgment, and therefore, I think, one whose evidence is likely to be trustworthy. I have taken a copy of this document, and leave the original with your Lordship, asking that such use may be made of it as