NEW CALEDONIA, An island in the Pacific•, belonging to France, the southern most of the Melanesian Islands. It is situated 1200 miles southeast of New Guinea. 850 miles from the coast of Queensland, and about the same distance trop New Zealand ('clap: Australasia, J 5). It is elongated in shapc,extending (rain north west to southeast, with a length of 240 miles. an average width of 30 miles, and an area of 6584 square miles. It is almost entirely surrounded by a coral reef, which is five to fifteen miles from the shores, and affords a belt of well-protected navigable water inside. The toast itself is in dented with numerous bays. forming, especially on the soothw•estern many excellent har bors. The interior is very mountainous. There are two parallel ranges running the entire length of the island and ine•losing a longitudinal valley between them. They are of nearly uniform height. except in the south, where they are broken by marshy lowlands. The highest point is an unnamed peak near the northwest coast. with an altitude of 5570 feet. Mount Humboldt in the southeast is 5360 feet high. The rocks are com posed chiefly of serpentine, gneiss. sehists. and limestone. There arc no active volcanoes. but of ancient volcanic activity, in cluding thermal springs. The rivers are all short. only one being navigable (25 miles).
The proverbially healthful climate is both drier and cooler than that of the other Alelanesian Islands. Perpetual spring reigns. The rainfall (70 invites) is sufficient to sustain a very rich flora. although large :wens are semi-arid pine barrens in which the Arauraria ('ant; ii is promi nent. True forests appear chiefly in the northern part, and contain much valuable timber. though sandal-wood has now practically disappeared. The fauna. like that of all other Oceanic islands. is very poor in varieties, a single species of bat being probably the only indigenous mammal, while reptiles are also few. The avifauna is the richest, and is related to that of the Australian continent rather than to that of New Zealand. The of New whom the French style Canaques are Melanesians, of mixed Pa pnan-Polynesian) type. The coast tribes seem to be letter shaped and more regu larly featured than the rest. They are above the :1 in stature. with doliehneephalie head form. The absence of large animals nn the island has made them ln•actically vegetarians. but it may neemint in part for the cannibalism which prevailed hi this part of the world. One of their most interesting institutions is the [din or .amt-harvest dative, with its moek light. Something like the society of New- Brit11111 exists among them. Among other things worthy of note are their beehive huts.
grotesque carvings of heads, and sling-stones. The how seems to be little employed, the spear and club being preferred. Traces of ancient aqueducts are reported to have been discovered in some parts of the island. Nonienms petro
glyphs and rock-caT•ings exist, sonic of which are considered pre-lianaka. Since New Caledonia has been made a French penal colony, sonic admixture between the Europeans and the na tive women has taken place. Sono• of the tribes of the interior are still little known. The Webias of Central New Caledonia, who still live in a state of independence, aml have not yet been seriously influenced by the arc said to be good-natured people and skillful fishermen.
The natives are the best agriculturists of all the Oeennie tribes, and irrigate the soil by means of aqueducts. They have even succeeded better than the white farmers, as the latter have been embarrassed for lack of labor. though they have imported Chinese and New Ilebrides islanders. The natives live on reservations from which whites are excluded, but they are rapidly de creasing in number-30 per cent. in the last fifty years, The chief agricultural products are cof fee, maize. tobacco. sugar. grapes, and pine apples. Wheat and cotton have also been intro duced. The mineral wealth is considerable, in cluding gold, silver, lead. copper. nickel, cobalt. chromate of iron, and coal. 'the last six are mined. and the nickel output is the most valua ble, amounting in 1899 to 74,1114 tons of ore, valued at about $$00.000. The commerce is considerable, amounting in 1899 to about $4,000.000. including imports and exports. Of the latter the principal are minerals, canned meats, and coffee. A railroad is under construc tion from Nonni6a, the capital, to Bourail (90 miles j.
The island with its dependencies, the isles of Pine. Wallis, Futuna, and Alali, and the Iluon and Loyalty Islands, is administered by a mili tary governor. who is assisted in civil matters by a privy council. 'the colony is chiefly used as a penal settlement. and convicts constitute the majority of the white inhabitants. In 1S9S the total population was 52.756, of whom 5383 were free colonists, 1762 officials. 1714 soldiers. 7477 convicts under sentence, 2315 liberated convicts, 1829 Asiatics, and 31.874 natives, The islaml was discovered by Cook in 1774. In 1813 the French flag was raised. but the act was disavowed. owing to protests from England. Ten years later, however, the French took formal possession in order• to put a stop to the eanni halkm and excesses committed by the natives. In 1864 the penal settlement was and after the Franco-Prussian War thousands of Communists were deported hither. most of whom have now returned to France. The natives have always suspieious of the whites, and in 1878 rose in revolt, massacring many of the Consult: fIarnier. La (3d e•d.. Paris. Anderson. Pi)/ on,/ Yea- Cute thosia (London, ; Cordell, ()Haines el pro go's de la Nourelle.('akilonie (Noliniila, I Sti5 ) ; 1:rillith. In an Unknown frisson I.atul: An Ac count of Conricts and colonists its New Caledonia (Oh. 1901.)