Utopia In East

Pacific

Party to Make Another Start

THE plan to found a model colony in the Marquesas Islands, described in this journal several months ago, has not been abandoned, as many people supposed.

It will be remembered that a party led by a Mr. Briggs left Hobart about September last, in a small vessel, for Sydney. It was understood that further members of the expedition were to be picked up in Sydney, and then the whole party was to proceed to Nukahiva, in the Marquesas Islands, where an at tempt was to be made to establish a colony that would be entirely self-sup porting, and cut off almost entirely from this mad world.

The Marquesas Islands have been al most denuded of their native population, and they are a beautiful and fertile ter ritory, where Europeans may live in comparative comfort. The idea of estab lishing a new colony there apparently appealed to many people, because several enquiries came through the office of this iournal from persons who wished to get into immediate communication with Mr.

Briggs. Unfortunately, we were not able to supply his address—all that we knew was that the vessel had sailed from Ho bart and we had heard no more of her.

We now have learned that the little vessel—it is named the “Connella” —got no further north than Bass Strait. There she encountered a gale and lost her miz zen mast. She ran into Coles Bay, for shelter: the damage was so severe that she returned to Hobart and has been there ever since.

The little ship has now been repaired and we are advised by a Hobart corres pondent, under date April 20, that Mr.

Briggs and his friends are about to start out on another attempt to reach the Mar quesas Islands.

The enterprise has been severely critic ised on the Hobart waterfront because it is believed that none in the party has a sufficient knowledge of navigation. It appears that the seaworthiness of the vessel is also under question.

It is not known whether the “Connel la”, on this occasion, will again try to reach Svdney or will make direct for French Oceania.

It will be remembered that two ot three people, who know French Oceania well, wrote to this paper when Mr.

Briggs’ enterprise was first described, and declared that the conditions In those Is lands are such that it would not be possible for people, without anv previous knowledge of the Islands, to establish a self-supporting colony immediately.