Ecology of Indonesian Papua Part One. Andrew J. Marshall
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d’Albertis now turned to the east. A Garibaldi veteran and in recent years viewed as one of the most notorious of adventurer-naturalists ever to visit New Guinea, he made in 1875–1877 three trips to present-day Papua New Guinea: the first with Macfarlane (see above) for some distance up the Fly River as well as staying on his own for some time on Yule Island (there meeting with the Chevert under Macleay; see also below); and his more famous second and third trips far up the Fly in the steam launch Neva, in 1876 as far as the foothills of the central ranges—the furthest stab into the dark interior hitherto made by an outsider. Substantial collections of ethnographic material as well as plants and many animals were taken back (Genoa, Florence, Melbourne); his travel book, Alla Nuova Guinea, appeared (1880, in the same year also released in English as New Guinea: what I did and what I saw). A string of species was named after him including a ring-tailed possum, Pseudochirops albertisi and the Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Epimachus albertisi.
The increasing level of activities in and around New Guinea (as well as the labor trade of Queensland) not unnaturally attracted renewed British naval attention. As a result, two final major surveying voyages were undertaken from Sydney by the steam/sail ship Basilisk under the command of Capt. John Moresby. His first voyage of six months in 1872–1873 made further detailed coastal surveys along the south and southeast coasts and the nearer Milne Bay Islands, including China Strait, which then received its name. With surer propulsion and maneuverability, he also was able to penetrate the long fringing southern reef in several places and so become the first outsider to see Fairfax Harbor (Port Moresby) on 21 February; the reef passage was (and is) named after his ship. A Congregational mission station was set up beside the bay the next year, paving the way for serious interior exploration and (from 1886) outside settlement. In early 1874 Moresby returned and continued his detailed surveying, now traversing the northeast coast and by mid-May reaching Huon Gulf (before sailing around to the north coast and on to Ambon and, finally, Britain).
On both voyages Moresby was accompanied by Peter Comrie as naturalist; he collected insects, mammals, and birds but very few plants, and published but little. As with the Sulphur in the Pacific and, to a lesser extent, the Rattlesnake, a good opportunity for significant scientific contributions in monographic form was not taken up or lost due to official opposition, parsimony, or narrowly-drawn instructions—or passed over in favor of the Challenger results. But, in any case, by 1875—the year the Challenger sailed through the northern parts of the New Guinea region—a single shipboard naturalist could not handle all the requirements demanded of the different departments of natural history, now quickly deepening and further diversifying.
"Guinea Gold": The Scramble for Specimens and Species (1875–1914)
SOUTHEASTERN NEW GUINEA
(BRITISH NEW GUINEA, 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