Adventures in New Guinea

Steep climbs and villages perched on ridges shape James Chalmers's accounts of exploration and Christian mission work in New Guinea. Published in 1886, the volume draws on his journals and papers. Its introduction connects coastal surveys with missionary activity and political debates about the island, while describing the work of teachers and missionaries who established stations along its shores.

The journal entries move from this broad setting to daily encounters. Chalmers observes women carrying taro and children uphill, food prepared after a bird hunt, and villagers carefully gathering even the smallest grains of salt. Fear of neighbouring enemies brings sudden alarms at night, while tree houses provide lookout points and shelter for women and children. Readers interested in travel writing and mission history will find details of village life and the difficulties of inland travel, presented through the religious and colonial assumptions of the period.