From William Lawes   21 September 1887

Port Moresby,

New Guinea

Sept. 21st 1887.

Baron Von Mueller, K.C.M.G. &c &c

President of the Victorian Branch of the Australasian Royal Geograph. Society,

 

My dear Baron,

Allow me very sincerely to congratulate your Council on the complete success of Mr Cuthbertson's expedition to the Owen Stanley Range. I have often pointed out to you the difficulties of travel in New Guinea. These difficulties are intensified when it is mountain-travel, for the natives everywhere look upon the unknown heights with superstitious awe. Where superstitious fear blocks the way, nothing can remove the obstruction. The expedition of the R. C. Yathers and Mr Edelfelt1 to Mount Yule last month had to return from the base of the mountain, because no native could be induced to accompany them. I doubt, if Mr Cuthbertson could have got any, had it not been for the valuable assistance of Mr Geo. Hunter. It is dissapointing, that the mountain is not higher, but no one can help that; 8000 feet is almost double the height reached by any previous traveller.2 Mr Sayer has not a large collection; but I am sure you will value highly, what he has. In a first and exploring ascent, such as this now made, it is impossible to collect much. To make a fair collection, it will be necessary, to make a considerable stay at each station. A whole season would not be too long for the road traversed by Mr Cuthbertson. You have reliable information now, upon which to make any future arrangements for a purely scientific expedition. All of us here look upon this expedition as a decided success. Only those, who have tried it, can understand the difficulties and troubles of New Guinean exploration. We must be content to do, what we can, without attaining all, we wish. This ascent of Mt Obree has cleared the way for Mount Owen Stanley, but the season is now too far advanced, to attempt it; this seems to be an unusually wet year. All parties, who have travelled inland, report incessant rain. We are daily expecting Mr Chalmers return.

With kind regards to yourself

I am

Your very sincerely

W. G. Lawes

1
E. G. Edelfelt.
2
Murray (1912), p. 273 reports that 'Hunter and some of the natives who were on the expedition say that the summit of the mountain was never reached' and that 'Hunter said that he had a glimpse of a peak 1,500 feet higher than the one ascended some distance to the north of it', which would account for the difference between the expected height of 10,246 feet and the ascertained height of 8,000 feet.

Please cite as “FVM-87-09-21,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/87-09-21