20 



descents, over slippery boulders and fallen trees, up 

 tin" sides and along the crests of mountains. These 

 mountains are densely wooded, whilst the soil in the 

 valleys is fertile and well adapted for growing coffee. 

 The head waters of the Drekiti river— here a large, 

 swift, running stream — were crossed on the first day, 

 and I gathered some interesting and new species of 

 flowering plants and ferns in the mountain forests, 

 which are here well stocked with fine timber trees. 

 Among these were noticed the dak act, dakua-salu- 

 sahij kausia, kan-tabu, lewininini, damanu, &c. Along 

 the paths I remarked that the Fijians have at intervals 

 recognised halting places, from which all the scrub 

 has been cleared, and where they light fires, cook their 

 food, rest, and smoke. These spots are always on the 

 tops of ridges, commanding good views of the country. 

 The air on the top of the mountains felt fresh and 

 cool ; but the climate is exceedingly wet, and a fair 

 day quite the exception. In such a climate ferns, &c, 

 abound, and the branches of the trees and the petioles 

 of the leaves are covered with mosses. On the second 

 day, the route was through a country of an almost oppo- 

 site character. The climate here was moderately dry. 

 The hills, consisting of calcareous and other sedimen- 

 tary rocks, were low and undulating, and covered 

 with grass, patches of forest, rough ferns, and the 

 turmeric and yabia (Fijian arrowroot) plants. The 

 character of the plants changed, there being but few 

 of those I had seen in the wet districts. Fires which 

 break out annually among the grass do a great 

 amounl oi injury to this province. In the bottoms 

 and on the sides of some of the valleys there is a large 

 amounl of good fertile land capable of growing sugar 

 cane, and in other places large areas of pasture land. 



