Corsican Castaway's Encounter
pp. 25-26 · Read in the full issue
With Sir Wm. MacGregor in Papua.
‘TTHE article entitled ‘Corsican Castaway JL in Papua’, telling the story of the life of Joseph Augustin de Paoli (later known in Papua as Joe Austen), published in the October ‘P.I.M.’, was very interesting”, writes a resident of Port Moresby.
“Reference was made to Austen’s en counter with Sir William MacGregor in 1889; this incident is touched on by Sir Hubert Murray (the' present Lieutenant- Governor) in his Annual Report for 1922- 33. Sir Hubert met him at Thursday Is land when he was on his way to Daru, at the end of 1922”.
“He was wrecked on Kiwai Island in
the 70’s”, wrote Sir Hubert in the 1922-23 Annual Report, “and he lived there for some time unmolested by the natives, who, it appears, killed all his companions.
Thence he drifted to Parama (Hamp ton Island) where he had a passage-of arms with Sir William MacGregor, in which Joe, according to his own account, came off with flying colours.
“Sir William did not arrive in the Ter ritory till 1888, and long before that date Joe’s scanty wardrobe was exhausted, and he was reduced to pura naturalia and barely that, as the story goes. Sir Wil liam, Joe avers, rebuked him for the de ficiencies of his toilet, but Joe replied T have no money to buy clothes, and if I had the money there are no clothes to buy!’. Sir William, it is said, then threat ened to deport him; but Joe again was
ready. ‘Deport me, will you?’ said he, ‘I was here before you came and I will be here after you have gone!’.
“Probably”, continued Sir Hubert, “the interview never took place at all, but it is a pity that these old-timers cannot
tell their story in an intelligible and cred ible form. Joe must have much to tell, if one could only get sense out of him; but he is too old, and probably was too unobservant”.
Mr. N. (“Tibby”) Hagen, of Msessrs.
Hagen Brothers, Noumea, who is well known in New Caledonian and Australian commercial circles, arrived in Sydney by the January Pierre Loti on business. He returned to Noumea by the same vessel on January 15.
Miss C. McMillan, of St. John’s Mel anesian School, which is conducted by the Anglican Mission at Suva, Fiji, has resigned after two years’ service. She will leave shortly for England.