are-holders are to place themselves under military regulations, sail
in a body for New Guinea, and without asking anybody's leave, seize
upon the island and at once, in some unspecified way, proceed to realize
large profits. If the idea does not suggest comparisons with the large
designs of Sir Francis Drake, it is at least not unworthy of Captain
Kidd."

When we remember the manner in which some of the colonies of Great
Britain were acquired, the _Times_ seems almost squeamish.

In a Melbourne paper, June, 1884, is the following paragraph:

"Toward the latter part of 1883 the Government of Queensland planted the
flag of Great Britain on the shores of New Guinea. When the news reached
England it created a sensation. The Earl of Derby, Secretary for the
Colonies, refused, however, to sanction the annexation of New
Guinea, and in so doing acted contrary to the sincere wish of every
right-thinking Anglo-Saxon under the Southern Cross.

"While the subsequent correspondence between the Home and Queensland
governments was going on, Brigadier-General H. R. MacIver originated and
organized the New Guinea Exploration and Colonization Company in London,
with a view to establishing settlements on the island. The company,
presided over by General Beresford of the British Army, and having
an eminently representative and influential board of directors, had a
capital of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and placed the
supreme command of the expedition in the hands of General MacIver.
Notwithstanding the character of the gentlemen composing the board of
directors, and the truly peaceful nature of the expedition, his Lordship
informed General MacIver that in the event of the latter's attempting to
land on New Guinea, instructions would be sent to the officer in command
of her Majesty's fleet in the Western Pacific to fire upon the company's
vessel. This meant that the expedition would be dealt with as a
filibustering one."

In _Judy_, September 21, 1887, appears:

"We all recollect the treatment received by Brigadier-General MacI. in
the action he took with respect to the annexation of New Guinea. The
General, who is a sort of Pizarro, with a dash of D'Artagnan, was
treated in a most scurvy manner by Lord Derby. Had MacIver not been
thwarted in his enterprise, the whole of New Guinea would now have been
under the British flag, and we should not be cheek-by-jowl with the
Germans, as we are in too many places."

_Society_, Se