[Illustration: _Frontispiece._] IN AN UNKNOWN PRISON LAND AN ACCOUNT OF CONVICTS AND COLONISTS IN NEW CALEDONIA WITH JOTTINGS OUT AND HOME BY GEORGE GRIFFITH AUTHOR OF “MEN WHO HAVE MADE THE EMPIRE,” “THE VIRGIN OF THE SUN,” A TALE OF THE CONQUEST OF PERU, “BRITON OR BOER?” A STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR AFRICA, ETC., ETC. WITH A PORTRAIT AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS London: HUTCHINSON _&_ CO Paternoster Row [Illustration] 1901 PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON, AND VINEY, LD. LONDON AND AYLESBURY To THE EARL OF DUNMORE WHOSE KINDNESS AND HOSPITALITY MADE MY SOJOURN IN PRISON-LAND MUCH MORE PLEASANT THAN IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. CONTENTS PAGE Part I _A STREAK THROUGH THE STATES_ I. DUTIES AND DOLLARS 3 II. CONCERNING CITIES, WITH A PARENTHESIS ON MANNERS 17 III. THE QUEEN OF THE GOLDEN STATE 34 A SEA-INTERLUDE 51 Part II _PRISON LAND_ A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON CONVICTS AND COLONISTS 83 I. SOME FIRST IMPRESSIONS 96 II. SOME SOCIAL SIDELIGHTS 109 III. ILE NOU 128 IV. MEASUREMENT AND MANIA 143 V. A CONVICT ARCADIA 160 VI. SOME HUMAN DOCUMENTS 176 VII. THE PLACE OF EXILES 194 VIII. A PARADISE OF KNAVES 202 IX. USE FOR THE USELESS 219 X. A LAND OF WOOD AND IRON 236 XI. MOSTLY MOSQUITOS AND MICROBES 262 Part III _HOMEWARD BOUND_ I. “TWENTY YEARS AFTER” 279 II. DEMOS AND DEAR MONEY 290 III. A COSMOPOLITAN COLONY 303 NOTE The last sentence on p. 137 should read: