39 



on the parts affected, which it inflames and burns out. 

 The Fijians are careful not to allow any of it to touch 

 their fingers, but I tried some on the back of my 

 hand without noticing any injury done. 



We visited the nurseries of young coffee plants which 

 the Government are getting up to aid the natives 

 in establishing coffee plantations. At Namosi and 

 other villages which we passed, the seedlings looked 

 well and thriving, but nowhere had they been so well 

 attended to as at Vienunga, and at no place were 

 they to be found in better health. Vienunga was 

 the first village where we found the language to differ 

 from that spoken on the coast. Very few of the 

 common people understood the interpreter. As we 

 were to visit many other places in the interior, where 

 the coast language is only spoken by a few, I engaged 

 a young man who was familiar with both, and by his 

 help and our own interpreter, we were soon able to 

 carry on all necessary communication. 



The journey from Vienunga to na Moali was, for 

 the fourth part of the distance, through the forest. 

 The path was very rough ; fallen trees blocked the 

 way, and at almost every few yards a stream had to 

 be crossed ; then it conducted us along the bed of 

 the Wai Moali, a small river which flows into the 

 Navua ; indeed, all the streams crossed by us since 

 we left Namosi are tributaries of that river. The land 

 which we passed through was fertile, and both it and 

 the climate were suitable for coffee, tea, or cinchona 

 cultivation. The rocks seen were principally of 

 aqueous origin, but those of an igneous nature were 

 abundantly represented. The village of na Maoli 

 lies in. the region between the wet and dry parts of 

 Viti Levu. Open grass-covered hills, which are inter- 



