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Catholics began work in 1847, and have a bishop, 49 priests, 33 lay brothers, 109 sisters, 32 head- and sub-stations, 59 churches, 45 schools, 1,933 scholars, and 32,500 adherents. The Paris Missionary Society maintains two missionaries.

Dutch New Guinea: The part of the island of New Guinea (lying north of Australia)' belonging to Holland extends from the western coast to 171° east longitude; the area is 151,789 square miles, and the population'is estimated to be 200,000. The first missionaries to New Guinea were C. W. Ottow and J. G. Geissler who were sent to Dutch New Guinea by Pastor Gossner of Berlin in 1855. The Utrecht Missionary Society, which sent missionaries thither in 1862, has now 4 missionaries, 1,200 Christians, 3,000 attendants at worship, 30 native helpers, and many schools. There are 1,200 Roman Catholics, 210 catechumens, 7 priests, 8 lay brothers, 5 sisters, 4 stations, 13 schools, and 404 scholars.

British New Guinea or Papua: To the British belong, under the name of the Territory of Papua (since 1906), the southeastern part of New Guinea from 171° east longitude eastwards and the islands between 141° and 155° east longitude and 8° and 12° south latitude. The area is about 90,540 square miles, with a population estimated at half a million natives with about 1,200 others. The London Missionary Society began work in 1871 under the Revs. Archibald Wright Murray and Samuel McFarlane, with teachers from Mard and Lifu. They settled at first in the Torres Straits Islands and established a training-institution in Murray Island; in 1872 some teachers were settled on the mainland. The Rev. William George Lawes, from Nive, arrived 1874, and the Rev. James Chalmers from Rarotonga in 1877. Chalmers, with Rev. Oliver Tomkins, was killed and eaten by cannibals at Goaribari in 1901, Native teachers from the South Seas have rendered conspicuous service, especially Tepeso of Mare, in the Loyalty Islands, and Ruatoka of Mangaia, in the Cook Islands. The training-institution is now at Vatorata. There are now 15 head stations, 188 out-stations and schools, 38 Sunday-schools with 1,900 scholars, 15 missionaries, 2,514 church-members in New Guinea and the Torres Straits Islands, 188 South Sea and Papuan native teachers, and 14,000 adherents. The society's sphere extends over 1,000 miles of coast line from the Dutch frontier to Milne Bay. The Methodist Missionary Society of Australasia began work in 1891 under the Rev. George Brown, with South Sea teachers. Its sphere is from Milne Bay to Cape Vogel: It has 62 churches, 209 other preaching-places, 10 missionaries, 120 native teachers, 127 class leaders, 1,497 churchmembers, 2,150 catechumens, 4 training-institutions, 83 Sunday-schools with 4,166 scholars, 77 day schools with 3,995 scholars, and 22,065 attendants at worship. The Anglican Mission connected with the Australian Board of Missions, whose sphere is from Cape Vogel to Mitre Rock, began work in 1891 under the Rev. A. A. Maclaren. It now has a bishop, 8 clergy, 5 laymen, 10 ladies, 30 South Sea teachers, 16 Papuan teachers and evangelists, 540 members, 432 catechumens. The Roman Catholics, with headquarters at Yule Island, number 4,597, with 25 priests, 20 lay brothers, 37 sisters, 15 XL-2

The northeastern section of New Guinea, together with some adjacent islands, has been in German possession since 1884. The area is estimated at 70,000 square miles, and the native population at 110,000, with 184 whites and 207 others (mostly Chinese). The Neuendettelsau Mission began work in 1886. It has 13 stations, 45 churches, 2,180 church-members, 1,414 communicants, 1,359 catechumens, 3,395 adherents, :15 missionaries and assistants, 18 native preachers, and 25 schools. The Rhenish Missionary Society began work in 1887. It has 4 stations, 12 missionaries, 3 native teachers, 94 baptized natives, 75 communicants, and 7 schools with 296 scholars. The Roman Catholics number 1,000 with 24 priests, 20 assistants, 29 sisters, 10 stations, and 10 schools with 495 scholars.

New Hebrides: A group of islands in 166°171° east longitude and 15°-21° south latitude, under the joint supervision and protectorate of France and Great Britain. The population is estimated at 80,000. The principal islands are Espiritu Santo, Mallicolo, Aurora, Pentecost, Tanna, Sandwich, and Efate or Vate. The mission history of the New Hebrides falls into three periods: .(1) From 1839 to 1848, when it was under the care of the London Missionary Society. (2) From 1848 to 1864, when the Presbyterian missionaries: from Nova Scotia and Scotland had charge, assisted by the Marine Service of the London Missionary Society. (3) From 1864 onward, when the Presbyterian churches of Australasia undertook the responsible control.

The Rev. John Williams (q.v.) of the London Missionary Society left Samoa in 1839 with a party of Samoan teachers for the New Hebrides. He placed three of them at Tanna and proceeded to Erromanga, where with James Harris, who was on a visit from Sydney, he was murdered and eaten by cannibals. Visits to various islands in the group were soon afterward paid by the Revs. Thomas Heath and Archibald Wright Murray from the same mission, and teachers were settled. In 1842 the Rev. George Turner and Henry Nesbit of the same mission made a few months' stay in Tanna, but had to withdraw through the hostility of the natives. Three years later native teachers from Samoa and Rarotonga were settled in Tanna. In the early days of the New Hebrides Mission, Christian teachers from other islands did splendid service, of whom at least 100 came from the London Missionary Society's training-institutions. During the second period, native agents from the same institutions were placed at nine or ten of the islands. In 1848 the Rev. John Ged<lie was sent out by the Presbyterians of Nova Scotia and settled in Aneiteum. Four years later he was joined there by the -Rev. John Inglis of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Geddie retired in 1872. The following memorial is put up in his memory:" When he landed here in 1848 there were no Christians, when he left in 1872 there were no heathen." In 1854 another futile attempt was made on Tanna, but in 1858 Rev. John G. Piton (q.v.) with two other missionaries from Scotland settled there. Now after more than sixty years' toil there are three