1.If Australia be regarded as the “fifth continent，”then Papua or New Guinea is the largest island in the world，having an area of about two hundred thou-sand square miles.It is separated from Australia by a channel about sixty-five miles in width.The coastline，fringed with coral reefs，deeply indented with beautiful bays，and skirted with still more beautiful islands，is extremely picturesque；while its vast mountain ranges rival the Himalayas in height and the Alps in grandeur.
2.And yet Papua is not entirely a paradise.Thebalmy odours of its forests are often laden with deadlymiasma，bringing fever and pestilence.Serpents lurkamong the flowers，crocodiles haunt the rivers，and wild boars roam through the forests.Mosquitoes and sand-flies abound everywhere.
3.The people of Papua are of several distinct races and types，and they differ in character as much as in form and colour.The Malay，the Polynesian，and the Papuan races are the most numerous.The natives of the interior seem to be further advanced in civilizationthan those on the coast.In appearance the Papuans resemble negroes.They are of somewhat small stature，and of dark-brown or black complexion，with thick lips and frizzled or woolly hair.
4.In their general habits they have reached a higher point of advancement than the natives of Australia.
5.Their mode of ploughing or dig ging is ver y simple.Eight or ten natives，each with a sharp-pointed stake，stand close together in a row.At a given signal they drive these stakes into the ground to the proper depth，and then use them as levers to turn over a strip of the soil.So regularlyis the work done，that a patchof ground broken up in this manner looks as if it had been ploughed.They get abundant crops of the plants already mentioned，together with Indian corn，tobacco，and sugar-cane，and these they must frequently protect from the wild boar and the kangaroo by a strong fence.
6.Their temples are used for social as well as for religious purposes.The older men assemble in them for eating，talking，and smoking；and in them visitors and strangers are hospitably entertained.They are also places of refuge，where a man is safe from the pursuit of an enemy.
7.In visiting New Guinea，one gets a glimpse of what our own country must have been in the “stone age，”aswe call it.The natives know of iron，and covet it above everything else；but where they have not mixed with white men，their weapons and implements are all made of wood，stone，or bone-stoneaxes and war-clubs，arrowstipped with bone or flint，knives of bamboo，daggers of bone，and shields of wood covered with matting.
8.The native houses are usually built on poles several feet in height，sometimes driven into the sand on the sea-shore，so that they are surrounded at high tide.They consist of a light framework of wood，thatched with palm leaves，and floored with split bamboo.A ladder reaches from the ground to a platform outside，and this platform isfrequently extended from one house to another so as to form an elevated passage-way through the village.The houses have a door at each end，but no window.
9.One picturesque feature in New Guinea is the tree houses，which are built in some of the loftiest trees，fifty or sixty feet from the ground.These are used as watch-towers to observe an enemy，and also as a refuge for the women and children in case of attack.Asthe trees below are often destitute ofbranches，theselofty dwellings can only be reached by means of a long ladder of very primitive construction，which serves the purpose of the drawbridge of a fortified castle.
10.The various tribes enga ge in trade among themselves.The natives at Port Moresby manufacture a kind of earthenware for domestic purposes，which they barter for sago and sugar-cane.Iron is more valuable than gold，and for a piece of hoop-iron a Papuan will exchange his dearest possessions.Salt is also veryhighly esteemed，and its flavour is relished much more than that of sugar.Tobacco，however，is the favourite medium of exchange，and circulates as readily as coin does with us.
