had secured licences. Next day she went through the BASILISK
PASS to COCO-NUT ISLAND, where a Scotchman had recently
established a pearl-shell fishery and a model village. The
population was estimated at 150. Fresh water had to be brought,
in bamboo tubes, from Sue Island, 15 miles distant.
On 8th February, DARNLEY ISLAND was visited. This mountainous island was then the centre of the beche de mer industry. This dainty, destined for the Chinese market, was at the time worth from So to 140 per ton.[1] "This," remarks Moresby, "is the only island in Torres Straits in which SAGO PALMS GROW."
The MURRAY ISLANDS were touched at and left behind on nth February, and the " Basilisk " " stood across the Gulf of Papua for REDSCAR BAY [9 10' S.], about 200 miles distant, on the east New Guinea coast [presumably she went out by Flinders Passage, and north of Portlock and Lagoon Reefs, and thence E. 12 N. to Redscar Bay. R. L. J.], to visit the missionary station established there, where the MISSIONARIES were said to be sick and half-starving, and to glean KIDNAPPING INFORMATION. " Some large rivers," says Moresby, " were reported to exist in this neighbourhood, and we determined to explore sufficiently to make sure." This portion of the coast had been partly surveyed by CAPTAIN OWEN STANLEY in 1849, but it was reserved for CAPTAIN MORESBY to discover and survey PORT MORESBY (9 30' S. ; 147 10' E.) and the Inner or FAIRFAX HARBOUR.
On 5th March, the " Basilisk " returned to SOMERSET. On the 7th she was joined by Messrs. CONNOR AND PITT, who, with nine men, had been left at Saibai Island six weeks before. They had made a survey of SAIBAI and CORNWALLIS ISLANDS and a part of the adjacent NEW GUINEA COAST.
The barque "Springbok" was lying at Somerset, with eighty-five disappointed diggers, returning from the goldfields behind Port Darwin, and was short of provisions and stores. Moresby acted with promptitude and vigour, convened a naval court, deposed the skipper, whose incompetence for command was established, and put the barque in charge of Sub-Lieutenant Allan Waters, who navigated her to Newcastle, New South Wales.
The REV. A. W. MURRAY and his wife, from Sydney, had recently arrived at Somerset, where they were housed in quarters provided by Mr. Jardine. From this station, without even possessing a boat, Murray had essayed the impossible task of conducting, controlling and protecting the various mission stations scattered among the islands of Torres Strait and as far as Redscar Bay. Moresby addressed to him a remonstrance in the form of a report on the wretched condition of the missionaries whom he had met with. The result was that the missionary
- ↑ It rose to ^600 per ton in 1920.
