New Caledonia, an island of the South Pacific Ocean, belonging to France, and lying midway between the Fiji Islands and the east coast of Queensland. The Loyalty Islands, Isle of Pines, and some others, with a total area of 1250 sq. m., are politically dependent upon New
Caledonia. This principal island is about 240 miles in length, 25 in average breadth, and has an area of 6450 sq. m. The long axis runs from north-west to south-east; the interior is greatly broken by irregular mountain-chains (highest point, Mount Humboldt, 5380 feet); and the entire island is surrounded by coral-reefs. There are good harbours on the east coast, but the only one used is Noumea, the capital (4601 inhabitants), on the south-west coast. In the valleys the soil is fruitful, producing the cocoa-nut, coffee, maize, tobacco, fruits, &c. But the most valuable natural products are minerals, especially nickel, with copper, cobalt, antimony, chrome, &c. There are several useful timber-trees. Promising attempts have been made to introduce wheat, the vine, and the silkworm. Turtle and fish are abundant. Locusts frequently devastate the crops. Besides the smelting of the minerals, meat is preserved and sent to France, and some soap and tapioca are manufactured. Wines and spirits, flour, drapery, groceries, ironmongery, machinery, coal, &c. are imported to the annual value of £400,000, and nickel, cobalt, chrome ore, silver, lead ore, preserved meat, copra, coffee, &c. exported to the average value of £300,000. Every year about 130 vessels of 75,000 tons visit the island, one-half being British. The total population in 1890 numbered 62,790, thus made up—aborigines (Canaques), 41,884; French colonists, 5595; convicts, 7487; liberated convicts and political prisoners, 2521; officials and others, 3478. The island was discovered by Captain Cook in 1774, and was annexed by France in 1853. She began to use it as a convict station, and after 1871 sent out great numbers of political prisoners, mostly Communists. The aborigines are a mixture of two types, one resembling the Polynesians, the other the Papuans. They were formerly cannibals, and delighted in war, yet were hospitable, and skilful tillers of the soil. They live now chiefly on vegetable food. Leprosy is a scourge amongst them. See the French works on New Caledonia by Lemire (1878 and 1884), Rivière (1880), Chartier (1884), Cordeil (1885), and Moncelon (1886).