FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 103 
of Fiji. In it is the present Government House which looks as 
though intended for an officer’s barracks. The original Govern- 
ment House was destroyed by fire, and His Excellency, Governor 
Rodwell, occupies a part of the building in the Botanical Garden, 
awaiting the erection of a new official residence. 
In the same grounds is a model Fijian house built by the natives 
to illustrate their style of architecture at its best. It is larger than 
any other native structure that I saw, with a steep roof and huge 
ridge-pole extending beyond each gable. Its roof and sides are 
neatly thatched as is the universal custom in Fiji, and the interior 
is occupied by an exhibit of various articles of native manufac- 
ture. It was not open to visitors on Sunday. 
The Fiji museum is a two-story building, apparently of cement, 
with a large, double-decked veranda im front. Inside it is poorly 
lighted owing to the obstruction of light by the deep verandas. 
The collections relate mainly to ethnological matters, almost ex- 
elusively Polynesian. Naturally, Fijian material predominates, 
and much of it is of exceptional value, but it is poorly displayed, 
many of the cases having much more wood and less glass in their 
construction than is in accord with modern museum methods. The 
rooms are too dark and the material too crowded for effective dis- 
play. There was considerable native pottery, models of houses 
and boats, masks, kava cups and bowls, tapa cloth and other sam- 
ples of wearing material, baskets, whales’ teeth, knives, spoons, 
breast plates, canoes and paddles. In one room was a great pile 
of unassorted war-clubs which would make an imposing display 
if properly arranged and exhibited. 
The museum is in charge of an elderly curator who did not seem 
disposed to vary his collection by means of exchange, but he 
treated us with courtesy. 
Returning to the Fiji Club we paid our bills and wrote notes 
to the members who had treated us with exceptional kindness. 
The club house had been a real haven of rest during our stay at 
Suva and served as our base of operations. The sleeping rooms 
were as comfortable as one could desire, and the service of the 
neatly uniformed, well-trained Indian boys exceptionally good. 
The house commanded a beautiful view of Suva Bay on one side 
and the city on the other. Being on high ground it was always 
cool at night and we had no trouble with mosquitoes, but the beds 
were all provided with nets, as is the rule in tropical countries. 
As Suva is on the wet side of Vitilevu we expected to be con- 
