Strait.

Place Names In Torres

Mr. P. R. Frith’s Researches.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Thursday Is., Jan. 28.

THE Geographical Society had another night out recently, searching for the authors of place names.

On this occasion, Mr. P. R. Frith, head teacher of the Aboriginal School at Ma buiag Island, addressed a large audience in the School of Arts concerning early navigators in Torres Strait with particu lar reference to D’Urville, the French ex plorer, and the question of who named Napoleon Passage, near Mabuiag.

For some time past Mr. Frith has been in communication with French authori ties, and at the lecture he produced copies of D’Urville’s route map, sent out from Paris, and also exhibited a number of excellently-drawn maps and portraits, some of his own handiwork. One which called for special comment was a plan of Mabuiag, showing the number of is lands, over 40, which may be seen from Kuiam Hill. This was used to illustrate the reference in De Prado’s “Relacion,” concerning the voyage of Torres through the Strait, that “from this island, which is lofty, we counted forty, all among the shoals.”

It has been thought by some that this “lofty island” is Dauan, close to New Guinea; but that assumption is almost certainly not correct, as men who know the Strait well declare that that number of islands cannot be seen from Dauan.

On the other hand, somewhere within the vicinity of Mabuiag (or Jervis, to give it its English name), Banks, or Mulgrave Islands, would seem to fit the description exactly.

At the above meeting, Mr. Frith was presented by the President (Alderman A.

Corran) with a fine atlas and book of photographs, as a memento of a visit made by members of the Society to Ma buiag during last year.