, I,
James Elphinstone Erskine, Captain in the Royal Navy, and Commodore of
the Australian Station, one of Her Majesty's naval aides-de-camp, do
hereby, in the name of Her Most Gracious Majesty, declare and proclaim
the establishment of such Protectorate over such portions of the coast
and the adjacent islands as is more particularly described in the
schedule hereunto annexed.

"And I hereby proclaim and declare that no acquisition of land
whensoever or howsoever acquired, within the limits of the Protectorate
hereby established, will be recognized by Her Majesty; And I do hereby,
on behalf of Her Majesty, command and enjoin all persons whom it may
concern to take notice of this Proclamation."

"SCHEDULE.

"All that portion of the southern shores of New Guinea commencing from
the boundary of that portion of the country claimed by the Government of
the Netherlands on the 141st meridian of east longitude to East Cape,
with all islands adjacent thereto south of East Cape to Kosman Island
inclusive, together with the islands in the Goschen Straits.

"Given on board Her Majesty's ship _Nelson_, at the harbour of Port
Moresby, on the 6th day of November 1884.

"(Signed) JAMES ELPHINSTONE ERSKINE.

"Commodore.

"God Save the Queen."

This was interpreted to the natives by the Rev. W.G. Lawes, who, at the
request of Commodore Erskine, had translated it into the Motu language,
and then, by direction of the Commodore, the Union Jack was slowly
raised to the truck of the flagstaff.

All this not a little astonished the natives, though some of those whose
homes were at Port Moresby had witnessed the firing of a _feu-de-joie_
before; but though the firing startled some of them it had, with the
general display, the effect of impressing them all with some sense of
the solemn importance of the ceremony that was being performed. The
firing party were then ordered to shoulder arms, and the Commodore,
addressing all present at the ceremony but the natives, said:

"Officers and men, Mr. Romilly and Gentlemen, This interesting and
important ceremony now formally concluded, it only remains for me, in
Her Majesty's name to express the fervent hope that under the blessing
of Almighty God the establishment of this Protectorate may conduce to
the peace, happiness and welfare of the people of this vast territory.
May the British flag which we have this day planted on these shores be
to the people of this portion of New Guinea the sym