4 



conducted night and morning, showing that the mis- 

 sionaries had nobly done the work of Him who sent 

 them. The teachers were supported by the voluntary 

 contributions of the people. I had with me an intelli- 

 gent half-caste boy (Rae Spowart), about 15 years old, 

 to act as interpreter. I took with me a mosquito net, 

 rug, mats for sleeping upon, sugar, tea, coffee, bis- 

 cuits and bundles of paper for drying plants, all 

 enveloped in waterproof coverings ; and, thus equipped, 

 I traversed the country with my native guides and 

 carriers. 



The first journey was to Lavoni, in the centre of the 

 island of Ovalau, over rugged and steep paths. On 

 the way through the forest a good collection of plants 

 was made. The soil was seen to be rich and fertile, 

 and the rocks volcanic breccia or agglomerate. The 

 Lavoni valley, — in which I spent a week, travers- 

 ing it in all directions, making fine collections of its 

 flora — seen from an eminence is not the least beau- 

 tiful of the many pretty places in Viti. Its extent 

 is about 7 square miles. It is well watered, and the 

 soil is rich and suitable for sugar cane and coffee 

 cultivation. My route was down the valley to Bureta 

 by a native track, which took me repeatedly across a 

 considerable stream, and sometimes compelled me to 

 wade in water up to my knees. The soil, consisting 

 of alluvial deposits, was rich and fertile, and densely 

 covered with the wild sugar cane (vico), reeds, &c. 

 At Bureta I went to the native church and heard a 

 sermon from a Fijian, lie preached extempore from 

 a IVw notes, was earnest if not eloquent, and seemed 

 neither to warn 1 ideas nor words in which to express 

 them Oh Sundays such preachers maybe heard in 

 ry tillage from one end of Fiji to the other. At 



