SOME EXPERIENCES OF A NEW
GUINEA RESIDENT MAGISTRATE
SOME EXPERIENCES OFA NEW GUINEA RESIDENTMAGISTRATE BY CAPTAIN C.A. W. MONCKTON, F.R.G.S., F.Z.S.,F.R.A.I., SOMETIME OFFICIAL MEMBEROF EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS,RESIDENT MAGISTRATE AND WARDEN FORGOLDFIELDS, HIGH SHERIFF AND HIGHBAILIFF, AND SENIOR OFFICER OF ARMEDCONSTABULARY FOR H.M.’s POSSESSION OFNEW GUINEA WITH 37 ILLUSTRATIONSAND A MAP
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD, VIGO ST.
NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY 
MCMXXI
THIRD EDITION
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES, ENGLAND
TO MY
WIFE
PREFACE
It appears to be the custom, for writers of books of thisdescription, to begin with apologies as to their style, orexcuses for their production. I pretend to no style; buthave simply written at the request of my wife, for herinformation and that of my personal friends, an account of mylife and work in New Guinea. To the few “men that know”who still survive, in one or two places gaps or omissions mayappear to occur; these omissions are intentional, as I have nowish to cause pain to broken men who are still living, nor todistress the relations of those who are dead. Much history isbetter written fifty years after all concerned in the making aredead. Governor or ruffian, Bishop or cannibal, I have writtenof all as I found them; I freely confess that I think when thelast muster comes, the Great Architect will find—as I trust myreaders will—some good points in the ruffians and the cannibals,as well, possibly, as some vulnerable places in the armour ofGovernors and Bishops.
I do not pretend that this book possesses any scientific value;such geographical, zoological, and scientific work as I have doneis dealt with in various journals; but it does picture correctly thelife of a colonial officer in the one-time furthest outpost of theEmpire—men of whose lives and work the average Briton knowsnothing.
Conditions in New Guinea have altered; where one of SirWilliam MacGregor’s officers stood alone, there now rest anumber of Australian officials and clerks. Much credit is nowannually given to this host; some little, I think, might be fairlyallotted to the dead Moreton, Armit, Green, Kowold, De Lange,and the rest of the gallant gentlemen who gave their lives to winone more country for the flag and to secure the Pax Britannicato yet another people.
I have abstained from putting into the mouths of natives theridiculous jargon or “pidgin English” in which they are popularlysupposed to converse. The old style of New Guinea officerspoke Motuan to his men, and I have, where required, merelygiven a free translation from that language into English. Inviiirecent books about New Guinea, written by men of whom Inever heard whilst there, I have noticed sentences in pidginEnglish, supposed to have been spoken by natives, which I woulddefy any European or