The editars' Maillag

The 'Forsayth' Name

in New Guinea

The old photograph of the Rabaul area store, labelled “E. E. Forsayth and Co.”, published in July and August PIM, has brought several letters, with further information.

There is one from Mr. W. M. von Ploennies, a resident of Brisbane, whose parents were well known residents of the Southwest Pacific Islands in the pre-wars period—his father was an Imperial German Consul, and his wife’s father was Resident Magistrate A. E. Oelrichs, of Papua, a long time ago. He points out that, although the name “Forsayth” appears on the store, “Queen Emma” actually was Mrs.

Kolbe, in the latter part of her life.

That is quite true. The “Queen” was originally Emma E. Coe. She married,, first, young Forsayth, long before she went to New Guinea. In the nineties, she married Paul Kolbe, a German officer. But, be fore that, she had founded E. E.

Forsayth & Co.; and, although she sold the business about 1910 to others, it was carried on under the Forsayth name for some little time after that.

How von Hagen

Met His Death

Two more readers have added to our knowledge of Count von Hagen, whose defaced monument at Bogad jim, near Madang, New Guinea, was the subject of an item in this column in August.

Mr. H. H. Jackman, of the Dis trict Office, Rabaul, NG, gives some interesting details of how von Hagen met his death in August, 1897, and incidentally, some sidelights on German exploration of that period.

The events that led up to von Hagen’s death began in 1895, when against advice given by von Hagen (who was then Director- General of the Neu Guinea Kom pagnie) and others, a German ex plorer, Ehlers, accompanied by a police officer, Piering, left the coast near Morobe on August 11, 1895, with some Buka and New Ireland carriers, in an attempt to reach the Lakekamu River, and raft down to the Papuan coast.

“After untold hardships,” writes Mr. Jackman, “Ehlers and Piering, with some of the carriers—the others having deserted en route — reached the Lakekamu headwaters on September 30. Both Europeans were by that time in physical dis tress. Piering having injured him self in a fall, and both being short of food.

“Two Buka men, Hangs?

Opia, shot Ehlers, Piering am of the carriers on October : then they and the surviving m rafted down the Lakekarm reached Motumotu on the 256 The Resident Magistrate as Island, hearing of the arrival, visited Motumotva arranged for the men to be rn ated to New Guinea.

“Ranga and Opia weree arrested and charged wit ; crime and were awaiting tn Bogadjim when they overpoc their guards and took to thee “Von Hagen, Dr. Hahl (tl: judge) and several Euroo accompanied by native polices looking for them. The fugitive hold of firearms and, when co:c near the village of Gorib, no from the Gogol River, Ranga : shot von Hagen on August 1# A reward having been set on : and Opia’s heads, local n caught the two men and decan them. Von Hagen was burr Bogadjim on August 15, 1897 J

He Had a Grave

And a Monument

We have assumed that tin Hagen monument at Bogadjirii also the count’s grave. Mr. J.. now of Rabaul, puts us right o score. The monument waif that; von Hagen was buried £ distance away in the Stephr cemetery, in a grave that hss popular late Victorian “fcf column” headstone erected ow Mr. West says that Bogadjim where he was initiated intxt mysteries of planting, in 1921, and he spent some times before he moved on to take Dogumur. He was a camera ; at the time, and photographed; the monument (erected by< Count’s family) and the gras the mat-mat. Unfortunately M lost sight of both pictures—fo: time being, anyway.

At the time von Hagen was 8 dered, the Neu Guinea Kompj had its headquarters at Stee sort usually referred to n»r Bogadjim. On the seafront was the huge Stephansort and club, etc. Some distance land was the Bogadjim plantr bungalow. Between the two, tt the right as you faced the sea; the cemetery where von Hageis buried.

On the landward side of Ba jim bungalow, facing the mainn that ran through the planttj was the von Hagen memorial,! the bronze eagle (now at Mtt; gen, Western Highlands). *

est saw the memorial first on one side of the base, a relief of the Count’s head, liim Plantation (with which

a Plantation was grouped)

t up for tender in 1926 by -Pro Board. The old cata ssued at the time (it’s a col piece now) devoted two ;o pictures of the property, ‘scribed it in great detail, were over 700 hectares, to 38,000 coconuts and a number of rubber trees, i those days, the plantation 'oducing over 250 tons of Der annum. j it is worked by Mr. Roy T o r. of Madang; earlier, Mr. well known Territorian (now I to be living in Queensland), family lived there for a long ; is no rubber worked at m these days—virtually all production in P-NG is now ie Papuan side —but the Ger ,n their day in NG, grew :us and para rubber.

) the Greig

Went

? was a quick response from F. D. Palmer, to the item ;ific Report (PIM, August, L4l) inquiring the where of one of the daughters of •eig familv of Fanning and igton Islands. Mr. Palmer is Iv holidaving in Brisbane Fannin? Island, where he ?s the big plantation owned nin? Island Plantations Ltd., is Philn subsidiary, ays: “It has been my duty sasure to sponsor and advis° eiff familv of Fanning Island 1936 —nearly quarter of a j. Your Fiii resident who iquiring miffht like to know ivo of the Greier o-iHs have inning in the past I was Jane (Tini in

;ese, pronounced Ginny). who

November, 1958, on a GElC red trip to Penrhyn Island, rn Cooks. The other was Greig (An* in Gilbertese, meed Annie). who laft Fan in Tulagi in September, 1958. ,rawa. The girls are believed ) be residing in these nlaces. too, are deserving of sincere thy by reason of the fact that father left a considerable a in worldly goods to distant r es and his daughters desti e father was Hugh Greig— ist of the Greigs referred to M on a couple of occasions. He it Fanning Island on August )56. Between that date and ad of last year, Fanning I Plantations and I did all ve could to assist his destitute r