57 



With respect to communication with the outside 

 world, Fiji is not badly off. Twenty-four hours after 

 the arrival of the mail, via San Francisco, at Sydney, 

 a fine steamer of 1,000 to 1,500 tons, belonging to the 

 Australasian Steam Navigation Company, leaves far 

 Levuka. The voyage occupies seven or eight days. 

 The steamer remains at Levuka nearly a week, and 

 leaves with the mails for England in time for them to 

 be transhipped to one of the Peninsula and Oriental 

 steamers at Sydney. The mail service is once every 

 four weeks; and for its punctual performance the 

 Australasian Steam Navigation Company of Sydney 

 is under contract with the government of Fiji. By the 

 same contract the company has to maintain the steamer 

 so often mentioned in the preceding pages to trade in 

 the group, to carry the mails to the different islands, 

 to take cargo to and from them, or for shipment on 

 board the mail steamer. From Melbourne there is 

 direct steam communication to Suva and Levuka 

 about once every five weeks. The owners of this 

 steamer have also a smaller one which collects cargo 

 at different places in Viti Levu. From Auckland in 

 New Zealand several sailing vessels, schooners for the 

 most part, arrive at frequent intervals. (Since the 

 above was in print regular steam communication has 

 been established between Levuka and Auckland, and 

 also between Levuka and Tonga — Friendly Islands.) 



