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... . A V1SIT TO THE MASAt PEOPLE, ETC. was therefore better for forming a settlement. The great place for the protection of Australia was Torres Strait. An enemy's ship could pass through to the northward of Warrior Reef mrithout being observed by the settlement at the Government station on Thursday Island. Indeed, if a fort were built on Friday Island or Goode Island, which was supposed to command the Prince of Wales' Channel, it would not prevent the enemy's ship slipping round by Warrior Reef, and running down to the coast of Australia, and demandina a heavy indemnity from some of the towns on the eastern coast of Queensland, such as Cookstown. The enemy could threaten to shell the town if they did not pay one million pounds of money, an amount which was often deposited in the bank from the goldfields. At present there was no telegraph from Thursday Island to the southern parts; but if forts were built in New Guinea Goode Island, alld Mulgralre Island, then it would be ,mpossible for any ship to creep through, because they could not pass at night-time. There was no occasion for layiIlg torpedoes; all that was required was to have good earthworks and heavy guns. It would be very awkward for Queensland if an enemy were in possession of the southern coast of New Guinea. Queensland, probably, had not more men to put into the field than would fornl one regiment, and therefore could not protect herself, and it was very questionable whether she would be able to have the assistance of any ships belonging to the British flcet. She woulel have to telegraph to Sydney for them, and they would take some time to go a distance of 1600 miles along the coast. The indemllity would probably be paid before any such vessel arrived. The PRESIDES;T, in proposing a sote of thanks to Mr. Powell, said he had no doubt that, from this day forward, exploration would be more frequent than in the past along the coasts of New Guinea. It was clearly Mr. Powell's opinion that, in order to guarantee the safety of Queensland, the island of New Guinea should be occupied. The Geoaraphical Society had nothinO to do with these political questions but all Enalishmen must feel that if the colonists ha(l set their minds upon gettin possession of the island, they would do it. The colonists in sparsely populated countries were apt to have rather rough hands, and the most enterprisin^, were nof always the most humane or ciarilised representatives of our country. Therefole, if there was a probability of New Guinea beint, seized, he echoed the wish that it should be taken possesJion of in such a way as to insure the riChts of a people who appeared to be singulatly friendly. He wished that he could say that the English mode of dealinO with the inhabitants of uncivilised countries was aiways superior to that of other natiolls, for there were nlany dark passaCes in Ent,lish history with respect to our dealings with native races. He hoped that if New Guinea was to be taken possession of by England, it would be carried out in such a way that uFe should have no cause to blush for it. A Vzsit {o {7ze Mascli People living beyond the Borclers of the Ngt6r?s aot6ntry. By J. T. LMT. (Read at the Evening Meetiug, June 2atl, 1883.) MIap, p. 568. 0s November 2nd I made up at our statioll, ][amboia, a small caravan, consisting in all of about twenty men, and started on a visit to the Masai, who live just beyorld the borders of the Nguru country. My intention was first to form a good acquaintance with their neighbours the AVa nguru, and through them to obtain access to the Masai living at was therefore better for forming a settlement. The great place for the protection of Australia was Torres Strait. An enemy's ship could pass through to the northward of Warrior Reef mrithout being observed by the settlement at the Government station on Thursday Island. Indeed, if a fort were built on Friday Island or Goode Island, which was supposed to command the Prince of Wales' Channel, it would not prevent the enemy's ship slipping round by Warrior Reef, and running down to the coast of Australia, and demandina a heavy indemnity from some of the towns on the eastern coast of Queensland, such as Cookstown. The enemy could threaten to shell the town if they did not pay one million pounds of money, an amount which was often deposited in the bank from the goldfields. At present there was no telegraph from Thursday Island to the southern parts; but if forts were built in New Guinea Goode Island, alld Mulgralre Island, then it would be ,mpossible for any ship to creep through, because they could not pass at night-time. There was no occasion for layiIlg torpedoes; all that was required was to have good earthworks and heavy guns. It would be very awkward for Queensland if an enemy were in possession of the southern coast of New Guinea. Queensland, probably, had not more men to put into the field than would fornl one regiment, and therefore could not protect herself, and it was very questionable whether she would be able to have the assistance of any ships belonging to the British flcet. She woulel have to telegraph to Sydney for them, and they would take some time to go a distance of 1600 miles along the coast. The indemllity would probably be paid before any such vessel arrived. The PRESIDES;T, in proposing a sote of thanks to Mr. Powell, said he had no doubt that, from this day forward, exploration would be more frequent than in the past along the coasts of New Guinea. It was clearly Mr. Powell's opinion that, in order to guarantee the safety of Queensland, the island of New Guinea should be occupied. The Geoaraphical Society had nothinO to do with these political questions but all Enalishmen must feel that if the colonists ha(l set their minds upon gettin possession of the island, they would do it. The colonists in sparsely populated countries were apt to have rather rough hands, and the most enterprisin^, were nof always the most humane or ciarilised representatives of our country. Therefole, if there was a probability of New Guinea beint, seized, he echoed the wish that it should be taken possesJion of in such a way as to insure the riChts of a people who appeared to be singulatly friendly. He wished that he could say that the English mode of dealinO with the inhabitants of uncivilised countries was aiways superior to that of other natiolls, for there were nlany dark passaCes in Ent,lish history with respect to our dealings with native races. He hoped that if New Guinea was to be taken possession of by England, it would be carried out in such a way that uFe should have no cause to blush for it. A Vzsit {o {7ze Mascli People living beyond the Borclers of the Ngt6r?s aot6ntry. By J. T. LMT. (Read at the Evening Meetiug, June 2atl, 1883.) MIap, p. 568. 0s November 2nd I made up at our statioll, ][amboia, a small caravan, consisting in all of about twenty men, and started on a visit to the Masai, who live just beyorld the borders of the Nguru country. My intention was first to form a good acquaintance with their neighbours the AVa nguru, and through them to obtain access to the Masai living at This content downloaded from 185.2.32.58 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:22:47 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 518 A VISIT TO THE MASAI PEOPLE LIVING BEYOND Nduba and Bokwa. I thought it would be easier to reach the Masai by the help of the Wa-nguru many of whom are little better than slaves to them, than if I trusted siz:nply to my own resources. From Mamboia we went on to lEadidi, passed the villages, and thence on to Bwagamayo. Eere we left the road we had traversed last year when we went into the Nguru country, and tooli another path bear;ng more towards the east. This took us to Berega. iEIele we arrived at a large village, where several of my porters liGred. We met with a very ready welcome, the people supplying us with fire, water, and good sleeping room. The people themselves are very quiet and friendly, but live in continual fear of raids by the Wa-humba. They are a misture of VVa-megi, with a few NVa-nguru. Their villages consist of a number of round huts in the middle of a large tembe or fence. The huts are generally very dirty, and abounding with vermin of lrarions descriptions, including rats, which are innemerable and most audacious. The people themselves are not remalkable for cleauliness, and wear but little clothing a piece of skin or dirty oily cloth behind and before. The want of cloth seems to be a small matter with them, as they make up for this deficiency by well smearing their bodies with a compound of oil or fat and red ciay (castor-oil or bullocks fat is generally preferred). I'he women are here, as elsewhere, very fond of ornaments: these consist of beads of variolls kinds and colours worn round the loins and neck; somet;mes these acculaulate to a weight of 18 or 20 lbs. They are also very fond of wearing iron, brass, and copper bracelets, wristlets, anklets, and collars. These vary in size, according to the means of the wearer, or of her husband or father. Most of the people have a few goats and fowls; t3ne goats they are very loath to part with, but fowls the sell at the rate of a yard of cloth each. We were up and ofl again at o . 30, on the way to Xwandi. Previous to leaving I gave the people of the house where I slept, two yards of cloth for their kindness to us. W=e passed over undulating groued, rough and stony, as if of qllartz broken up into vely little pieces. This was very trying to the men's feet. Now and then, on ridges of red clay (udongo), there were a number of "table-topped mimosa" and large calabash trees. After a time we caine to a river some 20 aTards wide flowing with a stream of brackish water some 18 inches deep. The whole bed was thickly overspread with coarse grass and reeds rising some 15 feet high. On the opposite bank were some fine l!Ipalamusi and other trees. Just before entering Berega we passed through a thicl:et of trees beari}g very long and sharp thorus; these are called by the natives rzukongoi. At Berega the water is very brackish. Nearly all the distance between Berega and Mwandi Kwa Madila the country is clothed with belts of thick scrubby bush, variad with flat, open places having a stunted tree-growth. The soil is chiefly led earth, aried with large rocky surfaces and roug;h stolly groulld. We reached This content downloaded from 185.2.32.58 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:22:47 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 51o.9