164 



of them, and enters the sea by a small creek up which 

 the tide flows. At high water this creek is frequented 

 by the natives for bathing, and the hot water from the 

 springs cooling as it mingles with the water from the 

 sea, baths of any degree of temperature that the body 

 can bear may he had by going a few yards up or clown 

 the creek. These baths, the natives say, are efficacious 

 in removing and curing some kinds of complaints. 

 The natives who live in the vicinity cook the most of 

 their food in the boiling water of the springs. The 

 food is put into a basket and covered with straw, and 

 the basket is placed in the hollow or basin where the 

 water boils up. Stones are sometimes laid on the 

 straw to keep the food from being thrown out by the 

 force of the water. The black soil in the vicinity of 

 the springs is incrusted with a white saline substance. 

 There is no vegetation within several yards of them. 

 I believe that no satisfactory analysis, to show the 

 chemical constituents of the water of these springs, 

 has yet been made. The rocks near them are the 

 breccia, so common in Fiji, and a rock resembling 

 shalf. 



The rocks most common in Fiji are calcareous, like 

 marl and limestone, and volcanic breccia or a<?<?lo- 

 merate. 



These two are about equally abundant, the former 

 uppermost, the latter the underlying rock. Sand- 

 stone and shale like rocks also occur at some places, 

 notably in the interior of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, 



Basaltic, fcrachytic, or porphyritic rocks are not un- 

 common in some localities, and the lofty mountain 

 peaks (like Yoma in Viti Levu), in both the large 

 islands, are composed of them. In the instance of 

 Voma, the basaltic rocks resl upon the agglomerate 



