34 



Many of the natives were employed taking yams 

 to the coast on rafts made of bamboos. It was an 

 interesting sight to see, from a height, long trains of 

 these rafts floating' down the river one after another. 



man on each raft guides it with a long pole, avoid- 

 ing shoals and rocks, keeping it in deep water and 

 preventing it from running against the banks. The land 

 between Nukusari and Koro "\Yai-wai is of excellent 

 quality and well suited for growing coffee. Much of 

 it had been cultivated, but had been allowed to relapse 

 into forest. 



From Koro TTai-wai excursions were made up a 

 branch of the Navua river, to the villages of Lasa- 

 lasi and Biba. The land seen was fertile and well 

 adapted for growing coffee. As seen from the cliffs 

 on the banks of the river, the rocks were agglo- 

 merate and sedimentary. We left Koro Wai-wai and 

 after a short journey of about 5 miles arrived at 

 Namosi. This village lies in the bottom of a beau- 

 tiful valley surrounded by lofty mountains, some 

 of which (Vonia) rise to an elevation of nearly 3,000 

 feel above the sea. The entrance to the valley and 

 the exit from it are on the course of the Wai-dina. 

 A.1 the village this river is about 6 yards wide, and the 

 surrounding scenery is indescribably fine. "For many 

 reasons the site of Namosi is well adapted for an 

 inland 1 own. The climate is delightfully cool at night 

 and noi too hot during the day. There are no 

 mosquitoes, at least in the cool season, and then the 

 temperature at night falls to 55° and even 50° F., 

 vrhilsl in the day it rises to 70° and 75°. "VVe stayed 

 a week at Namosi, and from it took long rambles into 

 the mountains, which arc well wooded with many fine 



oimens of the best kinds of timber trees peculiar to 

 Fiji A young, petty chief acted as our guide, 





