“Kuiam’S" Crew.

Young Tarvellers May Yet Be Alive.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Thursday Is., March 10.

FURTHER light has been thrown on the killing of two young men by na tives on the borders of Dutch New Guinea, as detailed in last issue of The Pacific Islands Monthly by reports from the Aru Islands and also from Daru.

A local resident has received a letter in which it is stated that two young men, castaways, had been picked up and brought in by a Dutch steamer, to the Aru Islands. Although the names are not given, it would seem that these are the two, Messrs. Sebree and Jones, who left T.I. in the cutter “Kuiam,” portion of which was picked up off the N.G. coast, and who were thought to have been killed by natives of Dutch New Guinea. For the sake of the anxious re latives, and because of the happy im pression which the young travellers made upon T.I. folk with whom they had come into contact, it is sincerely hoped that this information is correct.

Enquiries instituted indicated that two white men who landed from a boat were killed in the vicinity of the Dutch border, on the British side; and it is now thought that the heads taken into the Dutch authorities were those of the two men who last year stole a launch from Cairns, escaped to Dutch New Guinea, and, after it had been found that to bring them back would be a costly busi ness, were told by the Dutch officials to get away again. The natives say that the white men had been ashore, had gone to Merauke, and had later returned to somewhere near the Morehead River (Western Division), so that it looks as if the theory regarding the identity of the men killed is correct.

Further information may yet trickle through: and it will be interesting to know what caused the tragedy, whereby the unfortunate travellers lost their lives.

It is understood that Government of ficials at Daru have sent a patrol of ficer to investigate.