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produce to pay their taxes in kind, or generally speak- 

 ing, for the natives to get a living from. If no sugar 

 mills are erected in the neighbourhood of such lands, 

 the natives will he prevented from growing and ren- 

 dering in kind the crop for which their land is best 

 adapted. In the event of capitalists not accepting a 

 guarantee from the natives, for the erection of sugar 

 mills, Government might give one on their behalf, on 

 approved conditions ; the natives of a town or village 

 to cultivate annually a certain number of acres of cane, 

 and, after paying taxes, the surplus of the sugar to be 

 sold, and the proceeds divided among the cultivators. 



Coffee thrives remarkably well in Fiji, and its value 

 as an export will ultimately be second only to sugar, 

 and may be expected to amount to between three and 

 pour millions sterling. The area of land suitable 

 for growing coffee, cacoo, tea, and cinchona is approxi- 

 mately estimated at from 2,500 to 3,000 square miles, 

 and for coffee alone at about 2,000 square miles. 

 Nearly all the islands of the group have land well 

 suited for it, especially Yiti Levu, Vanua Levu, 

 Taviuni, Eabi, and Ovalau. The climate is well 

 adapted to the growth of the coffee plant, and so is the 

 soil, limestone being abundant in it. Streams, from 

 which water for pulping could be taken, run in every 

 valley ; and in localities where the soil and climate are 

 most favourable, these streamlets most abound. 



The coffee plantations I visited were in excellent 

 condition, and the healthy appearance of the plants 

 and their vigorous growth were surprising. At one 

 of nearly 300 acres in extent, the young trees had been 

 topped at a height of 3J feet, when they were two 

 years old ; four months later, when I saw them, the 

 laterals were covering the space between the rows. The 



Q 2019. M 



