64 Concerning South Sea Islands iv 



them. But, Lord ! the coral reefs ! It is of no 

 use trying to describe their beauty. Look down 

 through water, tenderest green, so transparent that 

 the bottom can be seen at ten fathoms ; look down 

 on miles of the most exquisite corals and sea fans 

 crimson, and mauve, and white, with fish cobalt blue, 

 orange, purple, and emerald green, gliding and 

 flashing in and out among them like great butter- 

 flies — and then — then you will fall far, far short of 

 the reality. Oh, they are immeasurably more lovely 

 than anything that I ever dreamt of! 



' We spent a fortnight at this wonderful Island 

 of Pines, where the Norfolk Island pine grows side 

 by side with the coco-nut tree ; and then we went 

 northward again till we came to a small island south 

 of New Caledonia — a wild, bare mass of red and white 

 volcanic rock with but very few trees on it, but what 

 there were crowded with singing birds, some like the 

 New Zealand tui, some like a small honey -bird. 

 It was a desolate-looking place, but we had to stop 

 there for water, so we got through the time as well 

 as we could, scrambling about the coral-reef ridges 

 and poking about for strange beasts and shells. I saw 

 a sea anemone quite as large as my hat, and an 

 innumerable variety of creatures that I had hard work 

 even to give an approximate name to. 



' This place [Porte de France] is fine in its way, 

 but it is a French convict settlement. It makes 

 one's heart bleed to see the poor devils working 

 hopelessly, absolutely hopelessly — all for life. As 



