New GUINEA, a long and narrow island of the East Indies, very imperfectly known. It was supposed to be connected with New-Holland, until Captain Cook discovered the strait which separates them. New Guinea, including Papua, its north-western part, (which according to Bougainville's conjecture is separated from it by a strait) reaches from the equator to the twelfth degree of south latitude, and from 131 to 150 deg. east longitude; in one part it does not appear to be above fifty miles broad. It was first visited by an European ship in 1529. Saavedra, a Portuguese, who made the discovery of the north-west part of this country, called it Terra de Papuas or Paposs. Van Schouten, a Dutch discoverer, afterwards gave the name of New-Guinea to its south-western part. Admiral Roggewain also touched here; and before him Dampier, 1st January 1700. Captain Cook made the coast of New-Guinea, in latitude 6 deg. 15. min. longitude 138. east, on the 3d of September, and landed in the pinnace, accompanied by Mr Banks, Doctor Solander, nine of the ship's crew, and servants well armed, and leaving two seamen to take care of the boat advanced some little way up the country; but coming to the skirts of a thick wood, they judged it prudent to proceed no further, lest they should fall into an ambuscade of the natives, and their retreat to the boat be cut off. Having advanced about a quarter of a mile from the boat, three Indians rushed out of the wood with a hideous shout; they threw their darts, and showed such a hostile disposition, that the party, to prevent the destruction of these
Guise. these people, returned to the boat, as they had no intention forcibly to invade their country, either to gratify their appetites or curiosity, and it was evident nothing could be done upon friendly terms. When they got on board the boat, they rowed along the shore, and the number of Indians assembled seemed to be between sixty and a hundred. They made much the same appearance as the New-Hollanders, being stark naked, and their hair cropped short. All the while they were shouting defiance, and throwing something out of their hand which burnt exactly like gun-powder, but made no report; what these fires were, or for what purpose intended, could not be guessed at; those who discharged them had in their hands a short piece of stick, possibly a hollow cane, which they swung sideways from them, and immediately fire and smoke issued, exactly resembling the discharge of a musket, and of no longer duration. This wonderful phenomenon was observed from the ship; and the deception was so great, that the people on board thought they had fire-arms, and even in the boat, if they had not been so near as that, they must have heard the report, if there had been any, they should have thought they had been firing volleys. After looking at them attentively some time, without making any notice of their flashing and vociferation, the sailors fired some muskets over their heads. Upon hearing the balls rattle among the trees, they walked leisurely away, and the boat returned to the ship. Upon examining some weapons which the natives had thrown, they were found to be light darts, about four feet long, very ill made, of a reed or bamboo cane, and pointed with hard wood, in which there were many barbs. They were discharged with great force, for at sixty yards distance they went beyond the party; but in what manner they were thrown could not be exactly seen. But the general opinion was, that they were thrown with a stick in the manner practised by the New-Hollanders.
The land here is very low, as is every other part of the coast; but it is covered with a luxuriance of wood and herbage that can scarcely be conceived. Here the cocoa-nut, plantain, and bread-fruit, flourish in the highest perfection.