More Light on the Rossel Island Horror

Eating A Chinaman A Day

of the most horrible tragedies in the history of the Pacific Islands occurred in 1858, when a French ship, carrying 317 Chinese coolies from China to the new Australian goldfields, was wrecked on Rossel Island, Eastern Papua.

The Chinese were captured by the natives, kept prisoners, and eaten at the rate of two or three per day.

Details of this incident were unknown until recently. In October, we published an article, which was a translation by Mrs. Mollie Lett (Port Moresby) of a section of an old French book she had found. In this, the story was told from the point of view of the French officers who had had charge of the vessel in question—the three-masted sailing-ship, “Saint Paul”.

Through the kindness of Mr. G. B.

Sheldon, of Dobo, Aroe Islands, Nether lands Indies, we now have some further details of the grisly affair. Mr. Sheldon has sent the following extract from the diary of the late Frank L. Jar dine, of Somerset, Cape York, North Queensland: IN 1864, Captain Charles Edwards, of the three-masted schooner, “Blue Belle”, rescued the last of the sur vivors (three of them) from Rossel Island. One died on the passage, and the other two were handed over to Mr.

John Jardine, the first Government Resi dent at Somerset.

The men, Chinese, could speak but little English. However, an interpreter explained that when the “St. Paul” struck, and it became evident there was, owing to the heavy seas breaking over her, no hope of getting her off, the Euro pean officers and crew of the ship ordered and forced the Chinese below, and battened them down, to prevent them rushing the boats when leaving the ship.

On the next day, some canoes landed on the lee side of the reef and, at low water, were able to stand in the water, waist deep, alongside the ship. The natives ferried the Chinese in then canoes to a small island, close to a larger one, where the natives’ village was. But the island on which the Chinese were landed was uninhabited, and represented as being barren and waterless.

The natives brought the Chinese food and water almost daily, consisting of fish, including sharks, turtles, and some tubers resembling potatoes. The natives were kind to the Chinese, and made signs that a ship was coming for them.

The Chinese, getting tired of this waiting, one day tried to get into the canoes. But the natives kept them off, taking seven men, and explaining by signs that they would return to-morrow.

This they did, and took away another four.

This daily action continued for some time. The Chinese, becoming suspicious, tried to force their way into the canoes.

This the natives resisted, and a fight ensued, in which 11 of the Chinese were killed, and many wounded by spears.

Two days elapsed before the canoes returned. The natives, as usual, brought food, but the Chinese were afraid to meet their captors and receive this food The natives chased them, killing three, and also taking away three bodies of those who had died of wounds received in the first fight.

After this, the natives brought food and left it in a certain spot, and then hunted the Chinamen, killing and taking away their daily supply of meat.

In May, 1911, Sir William McGregor, who at that time was Governor of Queensland, was making a trip in North ern Queensland: and, during this trip, he paid a visit to Rossel Island. Sir William’s version of this 47-years-old disaster, is that the natives fed the Chinese, and treated them kindly, until taken away by a passing ship, and that the killing and eating story was but fabrication.

The niggers themselves were Sir Wil liam’s informants, and he believes them.

The Chinese were mine, and I believe them. That’s all—only a matter of opinion on hearsay.

The detailed story, as told by the Frenchmen in the old book (see October

“ PIM”), fits in with, and appears to con firm, the story as related by Mr. Jar dine. It is unlikely that Mr. Jardine ever saw the French book.

Rev. Walter George Ivens, Litt.D., died in England recently. He was a priest in Melanesia for 40 years and, during a long term of distinguished missionary service, he became an outstanding authority on the peoples and languages of Melanesia. He was the author of two books which dealt mainly with the part of the Pacific he knew best—the Solomons.

Mr. J. Cox, who was well known as chief engineer in the W. R. Carpenter inter-island steamship service in New Guinea, has been called up for active service, and he and Mrs. Cox left the Territory early in January.