86 A MISSION TO V1TI. 



away. He has also made considerable advance in trans- 

 lating ' The Pilgrim's Progress ' into Fijian, a task which, 

 if I mistake not, has been somewhat facilitated by Mrs. 

 Binner's unpublished version of a portion of that book. 

 Biinyan's great allegory has already been translated into 

 one or two Polynesian languages, and the natives seemed 

 to like it very much as long as they believed it to be 

 a genuine story, but when they heard that it was only 

 a series of "lies," their interest abated. It will be in- 

 teresting to know how the Fijians receive it. They are 

 as true believers in the genuineness of their own nu- 

 merous fairy tales and doings of their gods, as the an- 

 cient Greeks were in those of their gods and demigods ; 

 the hold which Homer had on the national mind 

 arising, probably, quite as much from his embodying this 

 feeling, as well as expressing it in language still the 

 admiration of mankind. 



Accompanied by Mr. Moore we went to the town of 

 Rewa, in order to gather specimens of two new palms, 

 one of them a fan-palm (Pritchardia pacijica, Seem, et 

 Wendl.), the leaves of which are only used by chiefs, as 

 was the case with those of the Talipot palm in Ceylon. 

 I also collected some interesting information about the 

 bread-fruit, of which there are no less than ten different 

 varieties cultivated at Rewa, including the best of the 

 group. 



On our way home we fell in with a little schooner 

 belonging to the mission, and returning from a trip up 

 the Rewa river, where she had been sent for yams. She 

 had not accomplished her object, as two hostile parties 

 of natives had not allowed her to pass, and even fired 



