De Rays Expedition

Phantom Paradise

First Complete Account of De Rays Expedition

ALL people interested In the nineteenth century history of the Pacific will be grateful to Mademoiselle J. H. Niau; for, in writing “The Phantom Paradise” she has produced, not only a most readable book, but also a valuable addition to avail able records.

The “Marquis de Ray’s Expedition” is known by name to practically everyone who has wandered in the Pacific; but very few knew the actual, complete story, with its attendant tragedies of fraud, disillusion ment and death. It is generally known that the Marquis, by highly-coloured pro mises, induced a large number of people to go to a “new colony,” on the southern shore of New Ireland, and that many of them died there, in that hopeless, fever ridden hole; but a detailed account of the enterprise has not been previously pub lished.

One is surprised at the extent of the fraud —for there seems little doubt that it was simply a gigantic “racket.” One gets the impression, from this carefully compiled, well-documented book, that the Marquis did not launch his scheme with fraudulent intent. A member of an ancient aristocratic family of Breton, he was a dreamer, a wanderer and a vision ary. France was rent by political troubles.

He made a plan—as many another patriot has done—for establishing, overseas, a new, free home for his oppressed countrymen.

But, instead of going personally to see the home of La Nouvelle France, he took the word of one Duperry, commander of the Coquille, who had landed on August 12, 1823, at Port Praslin, on the southern ex tremity of New Ireland. Duperry de scribed this place as a Pacific Paradise; and De Rays, who had half the Pacific open to his selection, by a most unlucky chance chose this as the location of his new settlement.

De Rays threw himself with great energy into the work of organisation. His first advertisement, offering land at two francs an acre, with “rapid and assured fortune,” appeared in Le Petit Journal on July 26, 1877; and, within the next two or three years, people in France, Italy, Bel gium and Spain almost fell over each other in their eagerness to join the expedition and pay the Marquis liberally for the privi lege. The progress of the enterprise may be seen from the dates of the sailing of the four vessels which carried the poor, de luded colonists, to the number of nearly 1000, to Port Breton (as it was christened); Chandernagore, left Holland Septem ber 14, 1879.

Genii, left Barcelona March 14, 1880.

India, left Barcelona July 9, 1880.

Nouvelle Bretagne, left Barcelona April 7, 1881 No ship sailed out of France. The French authorities were suspicious of the Marquis, from the first, and did their ut most to dissuade people from joining him, and refused clearance to his ships. He defied them, and despatched his ships from other countries. He may have sent away the Chandernagore in good faith—he was dreamer enough—but he knew, before the Genii left in March, 1880, that Port Breton was totally unsuitable for any colonising enterprise. He made no effort to delay the sailing of other ships, or to seek other territory for colonisation. Instead, his lieutenants drove the colonists ashore in the rain-soaked, fever-stricken place, and some even went to extreme length to pre

vent the wretched people escaping to a more hospitable country. One commander, Captain Henry, refused to put his quota of colonists ashore in New Ireland, and tried to find a home for them elsewhere; but the others seem to have been rascals in the pay of De Rays, and their chief object was to maroon the poor, deluded people and prevent their getting back to civilisation with their damning tale of de ceit and cruelty. Altogether, a thousand people were brought out in those ships, to the great enrichment of the Marquis.

The detailed story is a most tragic one— it is hard to believe that the people could have lived through such misery. As a matter of fact, only a proportion of them lived —the graves of the others line the shore of Port Breton and Liki-Liki (an other place just around the corner on the south-east coast, to which some of them moved).

The only bright spots in the story are furnished by the heroism of Dr. Baudouin, who stayed with the colonists and fought for them against the Marquis and his gang; and by the hospitality of the missionaries (Rev. Brown and Rev. Benjamin Danks) and traders (Mr. and Mrs. Farrell) in the Duke of York Islands. Mrs. Farrell, pre sumably, is the lady who was the daughter of Mr. Coe, consul in Samoa. She ran away to the Western Pacific with Mr. Far rell, who was very successful as a trader.

and subsequently became known through out the South Seas as “Queen Emma.”

In time, the settlers either died or got away to Australia, the Philippines, Europe, or some other Pacific island; and, in a few years only a few sticks and stones, many unmarked graves and some cruel memories were all that remained of La Nouvelle Prance.

The Marquis did not escape punishment.

He was arrested and held for trial in July, 1882. The preparation of his trial was a lengthy, intricate business, complicated by the fact that he used every device that money and influence could provide to re gain his freedom. On January 2, 1884, he was sentenced to another four years’ imprisonment—a monstrously light sentence considering the deaths and misery he had caused. He was heard of again, about 1890, as the leader of a luxury voyage around the world. He tried to Induce the public to support a hare-brained scheme for making gunpowder out of Breton granite. He died on July 29, 1893.

Even as a romance, “The Phantom Para dise” would be an amazing story. Yet it is true —a tragic bit of the strange chequer bcard of Pacific history.

THE PHANTOM PARADISE, by J. H. Niau.

Published by Angus and Robertson Ltd., Sydney Price 7/6.

Mr. S. A. Roberg, M.1.M.M., left Sydney for New Guinea early in July to take charge of the testing and developmental operations of Developments (New Guinea) N.L. The Company’s property is on the Dunantina River, about 260 miles from Wau.