OFFICE DRUDGERY. 221 



beach ; have to put him under arrest. My constable gets 

 intoxicated. Consular officer has to attend to it. Harvie, a Brit. 

 subject, dead. Mr. Pritchard hands me in papers connected 

 with the affairs, which he brought from Gau and Koro, whither 

 he had to go last week on official business. Claims against this 

 estate ; counter-claims, disputes, and trouble to me. Old 

 T lodges a complaint against S ; accuses him of vio- 

 lating the person of his daughter ; Levuka in a state of excite- 

 ment about it. Binner in great distress about disputed land 

 title of his. Wilson' s agent here, with chiefs from Na Lavu 

 Lavu, to complete land titles. Clarke and Hazelman, ditto, 

 ditto, from Na Viti Levu. Order from Hort, Bros., to seize 

 schooner ' Kate/ unlawfully kept out of their possession. Com- 

 plaints from Bob Somebody that Davies has kicked him oub 

 without paying him his wages. Claims against Maafu for debts 

 due four years ago ; American citizen connected with the affair ; 

 have to refer to the U. S. Consul; go into the affair to-morrow 

 if business permits. Maafu here to ascertain why a certain 

 Fijirnan, sentenced some time since to three years' hard labour, 

 is allowed to be at large ; crime, killing a Tongaman. He offers, 

 and insists upon his right, to enforce the punishment if the Fiji 

 chiefs cannot. Wilson's agent lodges complaint against Bothe, 

 for inducing natives at Wai Levu to give to him logs belonging 

 to the company of which Wilson is the acting partner. 



" And all these in two days ; and so the wheel goes : every 

 case has to be examined into, evidence heard, judgment given, 

 papers in connection made out, often in duplicate, and so on, 

 and so on. I am tired. I have been at it all day; it is now 



midnight; so good-bye. 



' ' Yours very truly, 



"ROBEKT S. SWANSTON." 



