LATER PAPUA)
Pre-proclamation Years (to 1884)
The discoveries and surveys of John Moresby appeared in popular form in London in 1876 and quickly were reviewed in the Australian press. Not long before, the Challenger—which had visited the continent during the first half of its voyage—focused a good deal of attention on natural history. This coincided with the first wave of nationalism in Australia, by then relatively prosperous from wool and mining; indeed, for some time the colonies were per capita collectively among the wealthiest polities in the world. Settlement was already looking beyond Queensland, and there also was a fear of covetous outside powers with their own interests in trading and labor recruiting. The great business houses of Towns (commemorated in Townsville), Burns Philp (founded 1875, also at Townsville), and others were coming into existence, with Burns Philp early becoming interested in Pacific trade. Miklucho-Maclay’s presence in Sydney in the 1870s (and his marriage there to a socially prominent young woman) as well as his writings also attracted metropolitan attention to New Guinea.
All this was embodied in Sir William Macleay’s private natural history and marine-biological voyage in 1875 in the old sailing ship Chevert; its departure from Sydney on 18 May was a festive occasion. Natural history was at the height of its social popularity and Macleay was not only a notable scientist but also a wealthy parliamentarian and socialite—his grandfather Alexander having come out from Britain as Colonial Secretary fifty years before. A number of "scientific men" accompanied him on the voyage. Following an interest expressed by Ferdinand von Mueller in Melbourne, J. Reedy, a gardener from the Macarthur estate outside Camden, was also taken on to handle plant introductions and collecting (Melbourne; we owe to him the first collections of eucalypts from southern New Guinea). Regrettably, however, due to conflicts aboard ship as well as adverse weather (the course of the expedition largely coinciding with the southeastern monsoon) and other factors, geographical discoveries were few although the marine zoological collections would be considerable (Macleay Museum/AM). At Somerset near Cape York came a meeting with Macfarlane, who accompanied them in the Strait and along the nearby mainland coasts and mouth of the Fly. At Yule Island, d’Albertis’ simultaneous presence also had an effect. The expedition returned to Cape York by early September and the Chevert then sailed back south to Sydney; but over time only few publications resulted. Succeeding expeditions from Australia would generally be more modest undertakings.
Steamship services advanced rapidly through the 1870s to and from Australia and along the Queensland coast; by 1877 traffic through the treacherous but now relatively well-surveyed Torres Strait was such that the Queensland Government established Thursday Island as a northern station (with pilotage) in place of Cape York. This enhanced access to the Torres Strait Islands and the adjacent New Guinea mainland. Two years later the surface border was proclaimed, annexing all the Straits islands—including some very close to the mainland—to Queensland, a protocol which remains (although the seabed border is now slightly to the south). Boom-town Cooktown became a favored transfer point, especially for Samarai and the northern areas. Thus the southeastern parts of New Guinea became relatively accessible and as frequented as the Vogelkop Peninsula, albeit more by British and Australian collectors (although Italians too were notable in the early years, as we shall see).
As already noted, the establishment of a London Missionary Society (Congregational) station at Port Moresby—initially under the leadership of W. G. Lawes—was crucial for the beginnings of inland exploration and potential settlement. First into the field were Kendall Broadbent (1873–1879; collections, Pittsburgh) and Andrew Goldie (mainly from 1876–1882, before becoming largely a storekeeper and so remaining until 1890 when he sold out to Burns Philp). The Sogeri Plateau was reached first by O. C. Stone in 1875 and then by Goldie in 1877. Goldie was in 1875–1877 joined by Morton from the Australian Museum (with in late 1877 a visit to the Louisiades, not long before the first discoveries there of gold) and in 1878 by the German collector Carl Hunstein. Over the next half-decade Hunstein, as Goldie’s assistant, traveled extensively in the difficult ranges beyond the Sogeri Plateau (east and northeast of Port Moresby) and therein discovered several new birds of paradise, so establishing his reputation. Goldie himself obtained many animals (Sydney) and plants (Melbourne). Although outside interest soon fell (as settlement prospects proved disappointing), in the years leading up to 1884 collecting by the residents continued, for plants (Melbourne) with much encouragement from von Mueller (who from their collections published many new species and records). In addition to Goldie and Hunstein, major contributors were Lawes, another missionary, James Chalmers (from 1877), and their assistants (particularly Jakoba). Over the years 1879–1885 all made sometimes lengthy tours, Chalmers for a time from a base at Suau (South Cape, Milne Bay) but later from Port Moresby. In 1882 Goldie went once more to the east, visiting the D’Entrecasteaux Islands; in 1884 Chalmers accompanied the annexation squadron (and with Cyprian Bridge ascended the Cloudy Mountains); and in 1885 he sailed with Scratch-ley (see below) on an extensive familiarization cruise, also making some further inland explorations—in part as a "mediator," he being held in high regard—before proceeding on furlough in 1886.
The attempted annexation in 1883 of all eastern New Guinea by Queensland (under then-Premier McIlwraith) proved a sensation—and in short order was disowned by Britain. W. E. Armit, a tough former policeman (and naturalist) then on assignment for a Melbourne newspaper, came in mid-year with three Dentons, all from Massachusetts, U.S.: father William (who died in the field) and sons S. W. and S. F. They traveled across the Astrolabe Range through Sogeri to the Moroka (Meroka) district (northeast of Iawarere, in the upper Musgrave River basin, an area earlier visited by Hunstein and to this day still remote, without road access); Armit collected some plants (Melbourne). The next season, Armit continued collecting in the Kabadi district (inland from Yule Island), penetrating into the foothills (and discovering, among other plants, Buddleja asiatica), and also in the Milne Bay region; and likewise in 1884 E. G. Edelfelt visited the Astrolabe Range and environs (plants, Melbourne) while J. Strachan, C. Stewart, and George Bel-ford (the last still early in a long New Guinea career, although he had already accompanied Armit and the Dentons)—again sponsored by leading newspapers in Australia—made a "gentlemen’s" trip to the Trans-Fly mainland north of Torres Strait (as well as offshore islands including Saibai), returning therein in 1885 and 1886 (plants, Melbourne).
British New Guinea (1884–1898)
While Britain in 1883 may have rebuffed annexation, in the following year it could no longer be avoided. At the famous "intergovernmental conference" of 1884–1885 in Berlin, western Melanesia was included along with Africa as part of a world program to delimit metropolitan "spheres of influence." Developing commercial and, finally, official interest thus propelled Germany into raising their flag in November 1884 over northeastern New Guinea (renamed Kaiser-Wilhelms-land), the newly named Bismarck Archipelago (and Sea), and the western Solomons (with much of Micronesia added in 1885). Partly to placate the Australian colonies, Britain almost simultaneously followed suit, Commodore Erskine on 6 November reading out the proclamation of British New Guinea—initially as a protectorate.
The first administrator of the new territory was Sir Peter Scratchley, who arrived in August 1885 but—after an energetic start—served but a few months, passing away near the end of the year. He did, however, lend considerable support (including provision of passage with him to New Guinea) to the first major exploring expedition, that of H. O. Forbes. Forbes and his team were active northeast of Port Moresby from their arrival until May the following year, with an attempt on Mt Victoria in the main Owen Stanley Range their primary goal. Though this was not successful, he spent (with one short break) a full wet season in the foothills between the Sogeri Plateau and the upper Iawarere River, collecting many animals and plants (BMNH, Melbourne, etc.). Twice he was joined by Chalmers and once by Scratchley. Unfortunately due to arguments—particularly at BMNH—many of Forbes’ plants remained unstudied until the early 1920s although the monocotyledons were worked up by H. N. Ridley within a few months of their receipt in London, the results appearing in print in 1886.
The 1880s also saw the continued formation of geographical societies—many, if not most, of them also advocates for colonial
