A Nightmare Expedition.

De Rays’ Attempt to Colonise New Ireland in 1880.

(By R. F. Thomson, F.R.G.S.)

OVER fifty years ago—on the 16th January, 1880 —the first vessel sent out with colonists by the Marquis de Rays to form a settlement at Port Preslin (renamed by the Mar quis, Port Breton —on the coast of New Ireland, opposite Rabaul) stood off this anchorage in New Ireland.

The vessel was the “Chandernagor,” a three-masted sailing ship, of 900 tons burden. The “Chandnernagor,” presum ably, was named after the little French settlement lying 20 miles from Calcutta.

The name, Chandernagor, has a significance to Australians, inasmuch as it is the burial place of Henry Pid dington, known to the maritime world as “Stormy Piddington,” who was an ancestor of our well-known Justice Piddington. He wrote the “Sailors’

Handbook for the Law of Storms,” a book which is in use on many ships at the present day. “Stormy Piddington” was the first man to use the word “cyclone” in his writings. A Greek word, signifying, amongst other things, the coil of a serpent, may have inspired Piddington with this expressive term.

Charles Marie Bonaventure du Breil, Marquis de Rays (who has at times been wrongfully described in many newspaper articles as the Marquis de Ray), a Catholic and a Royalist living in Brittany, France, dreamed of great colonisation schemes, and chafed against the irksomeness of civilised surroundings. His great idea was to establish an independent and Christian State, far away from the restrictions and prejudices of the Old World. He had been greatly influenced by the writings of Duperrey, commandant of the corvette “Coquille”, who had anchored for some days in Port Pres lin, New Ireland —a name given by Bougainville, to recall the Minister of Marine of the period, who was respon sible for the expedition he was making round, the world.

Duperry wrote glowingly of this part of New Ireland. According to him, this was indeed a land of milk and honey, well wooded and well watered by many beautiful cascades, which wended their way from the mountain slopes, and peopled by friendly natives, who offered many gifts of food, consisting of fruits, fish, and wild pig, to the visitors.

The reefs outlying this safe anchorage were found to be teeming with bechede-mer and valuable shells, while the woods on the mainland had many rare trees that would in all probability be very acceptable on the markets of the world.

The Marquis was so impressed with the description that he made up his mind to form a settlement on this part of New Ireland. Already, he had figured out in his Quixotic mind that huge forests had been cut down and that smiling plantations were producing sugar cane, coffee and other tropical products—a large city with churches gnd statuary, schools and public

buildings, with well laid-out gardens and town squares. Kind missionaries and Sisters of Mercy toiled hard amongst the hordes of autochtons, teaching them to love and cherish rather than to hate and destroy one another.

He established agencies in many parts of France, and the scheme unfolded itself very rapidly. Land was to be had at five francs the hectare, and as New Ireland was estimated to contain over one and a quarter million hectares, there was plenty of space for all operations.

The Marquis held meetings at Mar seilles, where he was the Bolivian Consul. His pale blue eyes beaming with honest intent, and his plain and honest Breton manner, induced many persons to subscribe to the scheme.

There was much enthusiasm in certain parts of France and Belgium.

However, the French Government looked askance at the proposals of the Marquis, and tried to thwart the sending of the “Chandernagor” out from any European port with emi

grants, whose welfare would not be guaranteed by the Republican Govern ment. The Marquis, not to be daunted, found a complacent and clever Ameri can of good character, named Captain MacLaughlin, who had fought in the Civil War in America, and could con verse fluently in seven different languages.

Flying the American flag, the “Chan dernagor,” in the early dawn of Sep tember 14, 1879, sailed from Flushing, in Holland, with a motley of humanity.

There were representatives of many trades and professions—waiter, gard ener, saddler, wharf labourer, actor, and writer all rubbed shoulders with one another. Fifty of these were French 20 were Germans, and the balance of 29 were Italians, Belgians and Poles — in all, 89 souls.

Having no bill of health, the “Chan dernagor” was quarantined at Cape de Verde Islands, on October 3, 1879, and the American Consul there objected to the use of the American flag on the vessel. Captain MacLaughlin, to avoid unpleasantness, stole away from these islands, where he had hoped to obtain fresh food. He made up his mind to refrain from calling at any other port until he reached Port Breton.

Everyone quarrelled, on board, and life in the ship was a little hell. No doctor was carried, although it must have been well known to the Marquis de Rays that malaria would be pre valent in New Ireland.

Titeu du la Croix, the provisional Governor of the new Colony, hated the captain. Seykens, the Belgian mate, was a violent drunkard and, although he was an excellent navigator, he at times became so obstreperous that it was found necessary to tie him to the mast until he recovered. Forgotten was the hymn of New France, which they

had sung so lustily when departing from Europe— Bonne est la brise, et l’esperance Sourit an navire valliant: Des vieux rivages de la France Nous aliens an soleil levant.

Terre aimee avant que connue, N'ouvelle-France, pays d’or, Prepare-toi pour la venue Des Francais du Chandernagor!

“Beloved earth that we do not know” —to give the fifth line of this first verse a free translation — is certainly the work of an optimist, who expands further in the second verse, and in the last two lines of this sings— Qu’il couvre tes plages desertee Des bienfaits du Chandernagor.

This strewing of benefits upon the sand beaches of wild New Ireland, by the good ship “Chandernagor” assists us to realise in the last verse that this vessel is the torch-bearer of a new civilisation in the Pacific — Tu deviendras grande et feconde, De travail sera ton tresor.

Ce beau pays, dira le monde, C’est l’enfant du Chandernagor!

The coast of Australia was sighted on December 17, 1879. The emigrants must have had a depressing Christmas, as the stout ship sailed up the Aus tralian coast. Eventually, New Breton was reached, on January 16, 1880.

At first, the emigrants were filled ‘with the wildest enthusiasm, but soon their hardships began. The dense jungle seemed to present to them difficulties that could not be overcome.

The coral soil appeared poor, being so different from the black loamy earth that they had been accustomed to in their home land.

Titeu de la Croix, after a little ex

ploration, summed up the situation, that the colony could never succeed in such an unsuitable country. The spongy soil, and the bitter water at Liki Liki, where the first settlement was made, filled him with only one de sire, and that was to hasten to some country where the fleshpots would be well filled. He fled to Sydney with the ship, taking Seykens with him as navigator.

The indomitable MacLaughlin was determined to justify his salt, and toiled hard at Liki Liki, where he hoped to establish the genesis of the colony and assist the Marquis de Rays in the realisation of his dream. He inspired the settlers with his wonder ful spirit, and worked hard at the cul tivation of bananas, sweet potatoes, and other tropical products. But nos talgia and fever played a strong part.

Discontent was rife, and the unhappy settlers resolved to abandon the enter prise.

The aid of the missionaries at the Duke of York group, which was not very far away from Liki Liki, was in voked, and the pioneer missionary, the Rev. George Brown, D.D., F.R.G.S., who gave MacLaughlin great assistance, describes the Liki Liki colony as he saw it: On the beach were a large steam boiler and fireplace, bricks for foundation of cathedral, sugar refining machinery, steam crane, incuba tors, saw mills, etc., etc. There were cases of knifes handles, but there were no blades; numbers of wheelbarrows, but there were no wheels; scarcely any axes; no quinine and few other medicines.

At the subsequent trial in France, many mis statements were made regarding the island being desolate, etc. The soil, however, was really very rich, and capable of growing yams, taro, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc. The fact is that the people were disheartened from the very commencement, and even before the “Chander nagor” left.

Out of the original 89 settlers, 27 were dead. The colony was a failure, but there is no doubt that it would have succeeded had a market been nearer than Australia. The country near Port Breton would have done well under tropical plants, such as bananas, coconuts, etc., but there is always a waiting period, and, during that period, the vitality of the settlers became lower and lower. There was plenty of time for fever and nostalgia to gain ground.

The French are a race subject to extreme home-sickness, but if this is conquered they seem to adapt them selves to the loneliest situations on the face of the globe. The French Fathers and Sisters of Mercy belonging to such orders as the Marist Mission and the Sacred Heart seldom see civilisation; and if they do they are surprised at the locomotion of the modern world — motor cars, aeroplanes, etc., being quite new and strange to them. They are happy in surroundings in the lone Solomons and other groups, that would make the average tourist shudder if he was told he had to spend an extra day there. The “nostalgia Francais” is no longer a disease that worries these devoted missionaries.

It was only a small band of the “Chandernagor” settlers that arrived in the “Victor” at Sydney—probably less than half the original number that had set out from Holland. The balance of

them had either died, or had been eaten by savages, and a few had been taken to Cooktown, in Queensland.

Captain MacLaughlin, after seven months at Liki Liki, finally abandoned the project during August, 1880. He died at Woy Woy, Sydney, in 1927, having attained the venerable age of 79 years.

MacLaughlin was a man of many parts. For some time he was editor of the “Lang Leader”, the “Newtown Chronicle,” and other papers; a lec turer at the Technical College, and sec retary of the Illawarra Tramway League. He was also a well known chess player. His greatest adventure must have been the leadership of this nightmare expedition, sent across the world by the Marquis de Rays.