It is extraordinary how little practical advantage we get out
of the balloon. One would have thought it quite possible to make a fair general survey of the interior of New Guinea from the air without much expense, and with no loss of life ; but it seems to be impossible, and the island is to be " explored " in the usual way, probably with great disasters. The Germans are sending one expedition, and the Australians have actually despatched another, consisting of twenty-five white men and Malays, with orders to penetrate as far as possible into the interior, of which as yet nothing is known. The attempt is a most interesting one ; but it will almost certainly fail. The natives do not like intruders ; and in the effort to penetrate the high wall which guards the interior from observation, the brave explorers will probably meet their fate. They might as well try to cross the Ghauts from the Western Coast of India with no troops and the natives all in arms against them. A road will have to be cleared into the interior by conquest, and the Australians as yet do not care enough about New Guinea to make the effort. The exploring Expedition will, however, pick up facts, and may decide which is the most practicable route to the centre of the island. The best thing for New Guinea, though not perhaps for its present inhabitants, would be for the Expedition to find gold in large quantities three hundred miles from the coast. Then the problem would be solved in a month.
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