Relative of Early Settler on Tiny Atoll Visits Shanghai: Grave of the Emden Tucked away ina little comer of the Indian Ocean, and off most of the regular shipping' routes, lie a little group of islands whose inhabitants, of mixed stock, have prospered enor: mously since a little Scottish family settled there over a century ayo. The rest of the world knows little of the Keeling Islands, or the Cocos Islands us they are sometimes known, beyond the fact that they form a Junction point for the Singapore-Australia sub-Marine cable Tine, yet the history of this little colony "is perhaps one of the. most fascinating stories of projyress and prosperity of recent years.
Of particular interest is tke fact that a'relative of the first seitier on the island and of the present owner now in Shanghai in the person of Dr, Cluntes Ross, who is bringing to an end a visit to China on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth Council for Selentine and Industri! Research, According to Dr. Ross, a number of 'Australian sheepman have been alarmed at the reports that intensive study Is being made as to the pos Sibilities of Inrge-scale sheep-farming. with @_ consequent Increase in wool production, in' the north, particularly In Manchoukuo. Dr, Ross was com missioned to make a survey of con ditions in Manchoukuo, Korea, and Japan, and has also pald attention he question of an Increase. In wool consumption, He fest passed through Shanghai some three' months ago, fand sailed on the s. Leverkusen on Sunday bound for Honukong. where hho will embark on a Japanese steamer for Australi, The Keeling Islands were discovered in 1000 by Captain William Keeling, but 4k was not till 1828 that an Eng-Tish adventurer by the name of Alexander" Hare" settled southernmost island with a number of Haves. Some two or three years later, John George Clunies Ross, a Scotsman, settled with his famity—which Ineltided Dr, Ross's grandfather, who was John's brother—on Direction I Jand, Dr. Ross's grandfather, cover, was dissatisfied with the lund "returned later to Scotland. in the '80s this brancts of the family Went to Australia and has remained there ever since.
The Ross saltiers set sail from Scotland, bound for the South Seas where they hoped to find a quiet un-Tntabited "island on which to Proceeding, round Cape Horn, they fest visiled Australia, "Sailing past Sydney, they continued up into the Malay, archipelago, and finally came upon the Keeling Islands, which were practically uninhabited save for a handful of puny islanders, During his voyage out and for some time after he landed, Ross kept a diary, which Inter came into the posfession of the Mitchell Museum in Sydney, Australia's home for histon tal relies, and to this diary posterity grateful for the early history of the island "kingdom,"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.