Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/96

66 that the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Germans, and even the Americans are now all planted there together, and must naturally have a say in the destiny of that part of the world, and realise that it is of overwhelming importance that British influence should be paramount, whereas the contrary is now the case.

After all, why should I try to teach you geography? You are supposed to be educated, are you not? and so, of course, must know where all these places are, though, as they are in some cases almost not known to any one yet, you may be excused if you know little about them. Feeling that I am very ignorant and uneducated, I am going to have a look for myself and to try to learn something—though I sigh to think there is so much to learn in the world, and so little time to do it in!

In Sydney they told me I was mad to want to go to New Guinea; the natives murdered and dined on every one they could; the coast fevers and malarias killed off the remainder—and German New Guinea of all places! The very idea of visiting those Germans who had dared to set up a colony of their own so near British possessions!

But, I said, they had as much right to do it as we or any other power; they never could have been there but for the "wonderful wisdom" of my Lord Derby, the Colonial Secretary of the day, and the ignorance and insular limit of vision of the so-called Imperial Government. So old a story, so old a story!

Besides, they were there, and likely to remain, and was it not more interesting, more sensible and fair to go and see what they were making of their new colony than howling like a dog in the manger over an accomplished fact?

So near to the Australian continent lies this