IV 



Shipwreck 87 



which took us to Levuka. Coming down here, we 

 ran on to another coral reef, and stuck there for 

 twenty-four hours, but that was a mere picnic. It 

 is a great pity losing our collections ; they were 

 really wonderful ; but that cannot be helped, and 

 we were lucky to escape with our lives. I certainly 

 never expected to be playing Robinson Crusoe 

 at my time of life, and, believe me, my darling, 

 it's much better fun in the book than it is in 

 reality.' ^ 



' The mere picnic ' was held in Gava Harbour. 

 In his copy of South Sea Bubbles, George Kingsley 

 wrote the following note : — ' Our ship " took the coral " 

 on the Sabbath. After doing our best to get her off, 

 unavailingly, we sent on shore for native help. The 

 missionary returned word that he would not permit 

 his young men to work on the Sabbath. We 

 returned word again that unless the ship got off in 

 half an hour, we should come on shore and make 

 him, the missionary, come on board to look at the 



1 Skins of the Didunculus. — I am desirous of correct- 

 ing a misstatement made in writing of the Didunculus. I wrote that 

 those collected by ' the Earl and the Doctor ' were lost in the ship- 

 wreck of their vessel. The latter has favoured me with the following 

 interesting letter : * My dear Sir, — I am glad to say that the skins 

 of the Didunculus we obtained at Samoa were not included in the 

 wreckage of the poor little Albatross. Deeming them very precious, 

 we placed them in the breasts of our shirts, and brought them safe and 

 but little damaged to Levuka. They were well set up by Ward, and 

 are now at Wilton. — Yours very truly, G. H. Kingsley.' I am sure 

 that all naturalists will congratulate both the writers of South Sea 

 Bubbles on having preserved these interesting trophies of their 

 voyage. — W. B. Tegetmeier, The Field, vol. Ixx. 



