From William Fitzgerald   13 March 1896

Yule Island

British New Guinea

March 13th 1896.

We left Cooktown¹ on February 23th and reached Port Moresby² on the 5th ist.³ Sir W. MacGregor was away West. Whilst in Port-Moresby I heard som disquitening reports concerning the tribes who inhabit the belt of country between the Albert Victor Range and the coast. The⁴ are termed by many the KOVKOV tribes and are fierce cannibals. A few weeks go they made an attack on two coastal tribes capturing a number of them which they ate. The coastal tribes regard them with superstitious dread and I believe I will have some difficulty in getting carriers to go through, but it is quite easy as a rule to get them to carry from village to village, and as they very often have villagers⁵ for considerable distances up the spurs I anticipate no difficulty. The native will live whereever yams, taro or sugarcane will grow. Should I find it impossible for my party to get through to the Albert-Victor Range I intend climbing Mount Yule and then going on to a high peak called Mount-Chapman which is marked approximately on the Admiralty Chart returning to Motu-Motu, — We left Port Moresby on the 9th and arrived here today. The Manager for Messers Burns Philp & Co,⁶ Mr. Gors was a passenger for a day and a half. He is Baron Rothschilds agent and expressed a wish of sending a party out that way to collect birds and showed me copies of letters he had written to that effect. He suggested that he thoroughly equip a party composed of one Cingalese, a Malay, 2 South Sea Islanders and at least 8 Port Moresby natives, all to be supplied with good serviceable firearms, plenty of trade provissions and ammunition. If I would wait at Yule Island for five or six days he would send them down in a cutter which would call and take Herrn Wafler, myself and stores on board also all natives engaged by me and land us at Karama, Silo or Warbada. He promised to make every effort to make the party when combined a success. He said he would instruct the leader of his party to do nothing without consulting me and gaining my consent. I told Mr. Gors that my trip was purely in the interests of science and commerce and that all botanical specimens and geographical notes belonged to you, that if he would pledge himself, that his men would not interfere, but assist me in my work I would aid as far as possible his ornithological collector. He at once agreed and gave the required pledge and instead of going on to Thursday Island,⁷ his original destination hailed a native boat and hired it and owners to take him back to Port Moresby for the purpose of getting his party together. He told me just before he left to inform you, if a second expedition should be carried out, that he on behalf of the Port Moresby branch of Burn, Philps & Co would be willing to grant substantial aid conditionally on my being allowed to search for beds of Sandelwood, and resins, spices etc, and reporting progress in this devission to them. The Cingalese who is in charge of Mr. Gors' party was for a considerable time in Fiji in the service of Sir Wm MacGregor and has been collecting here for a couple of years, moreover he and the Malay are thoroughly conversant with the habits and languages of many native tribes so they alone will be valuable acquisitions. My party will have sufficient provissions for four months. I send a tracing of my proposed route on to the Range, say on what side of the Range I will travel untill I reach it and note the country. — Should a second expedition be decided on I would recommend that it attack the Charles Louis Range in Dutch New Guinea which are 5080 metres in heighth. The⁸ are close to the coast and Baron Rothschild would like his party to visit them. A small party would be simply courting death. One of Burn, Philp & Co's cutters could easly reach their vicinity from Port Moresby. The cost would be chiefly for provissions unless more whites were added to the party. Should another trip be decided on I would recommend that it be decided on as the results of the present one is known in Victoria, which would save the cost of my returning to Australia. I would like to return South about November. The whole of the original accounts together with receipts I hand over to Mr. Gors. They are along with other papers in a sealed envelope addressed to you and are to be sent to you should I unfortunately loose my life. The natives are armed with bows and reputedly poisoned arrows. When we reach our destination by boat and before starting inland I wil indite a short report. — From Yule Island to Karama is roughly speaking 80 miles, to Warbadah some 20 miles farther Should the river at the latter place be navigable we will ascend it as far as possible in canoes.

Yours etc.

Wm. V. FitzGerald