On emerging from the Straits we found the wind still blowing fresh from the westward with a following swell, and a strong easterly set; and as our course now lay in that direction, before the following morning we were many miles on our voyage, and thereby missed seeing a large portion of the northern coast of New Guinea, a country about which there appears to be more interesting mystery than any we had visited. [Sidenote: New Guinea.] The interior of this beautiful island, 900 miles in length, is little known, and it is supposed not only to abound in minerals, but to possess fertility of soil. No country is richer in beautiful rare birds and beasts. The little we saw of the natives confirmed what we had heard: that they are a finer race than any of the islanders. On the southern side, which is protected by a coral reef, the people appear to live as much on the water as in their jungle. [Sidenote: Dec. 30.] Observed a succession of islands; and steered for one that appeared the easternmost of the Admiralty group. On nearing the land just after midnight, and obtaining no soundings with the deep-sea lead, we sent boats ahead to sound. This being observed by the natives, whom we supposed to be fishing, they started yelling. Wind having died away, the tide carried us into about fifty fathoms’ depth of water, where we held on with the kedge-anchor until daylight. If our boats had created a sensation among the savages, great indeed was their surprise at the appearance of the ship. The noise produced by blowing into a shell of the Triton species was everywhere heard; and having, I doubt not, buried or otherwise concealed a vast quantity of rubbish, they disappeared themselves; so that shortly after daylight there was not the vestige of a habitation nor a human being to be seen. It was curious to watch, when they found we took no steps to draw them out, how carefully and cautiously the savages came from their hiding-places. One emerged from the bush, naked as he was born; we thought at first that this was his way of proving to us how little we might expect to get from him, but they were all in the same undress. Then another would come forth, spear in hand; soon after, the snout of a small canoe was seen to protrude from under the bush. It would be tedious to enumerate the cunning and cautious “dodges,” the number of times they retreated and again hid themselves, on the slightest movement on our parts, before any of them ventured to approach; before ten o’clock, however, the water, for a cable’s length round the ship, was covered with grotesque canoes, and still more odd-looking people. A general barter soon commenced, accompanied by a noise and screeching that was deafening; and reciprocal confidence was soon established. These natives are fine-looking men of a dark olive colour, with long black hair, which they confine in a lump at the back of their head by a small hoop or band.