9 



hills, but even on the tops of the ridges. In these 

 places the growth of the tree is slower and the produce 

 a little less than on the rich low-lying land on the 

 shore. There are about 6 square miles of good cane 

 land on Rabi, and a large portion of the island is suit- 

 able for both Liberian and common coffee, leaving 

 a wide margin round its shores for cocoa-nuts, and a 

 large space on the tops of the mountains for timber to 

 attract moisture. Prom the position of this island the 

 majority of the plants growing upon it are also common 

 to the adjacent portions of the two large islands near 

 it. As every facility for collecting and drying plants 

 was put at my disposal by the kind proprietor, I 

 thoroughly explored the island, a large portion of 

 which is still covered with primeval forest. Here I 

 made collections of over 300 species of flowering plants 

 and ferns. These I left at Rabi during a six weeks' 

 tour in the northern parts of Yanua Levu. This 

 enabled me to go quickly over a portion of that large 

 island, as I had gathered on Rabi a great number of 

 the plants which grow on the parts of Vanua Levu lying 

 nearest to it. I also thus saved the transport on men's 

 shoulders of bulky packages for upwards of 200 miles, 

 as well as avoided delays in collecting, en ?*oute, the 

 daily shifting of numerous specimens and the drying 

 of the paper from which these specimens had been 

 removed. Besides, by acting as above, I did not 

 bring from a t distance specimens of plants which 

 I could obtain at what, for a time, was my head 

 quarters. 



Prom Rabi I crossed to Koro-i-vono, a native town 

 on the eastern side of Vanua Levu. At this place 

 there is a considerable area of good cane land, and 

 plenty of space on the beach for extending cocoa-nut 



