412 A MISSION TO VITI. 



principally taken up their residence in Levuka and the 

 Hewa districts. They are traders, agriculturists, and sheep 

 farmers. Several have turned their attention to cotton 

 growing. Most of them live in native-built houses, and 

 only a few, including the consuls and missionaries, 

 have weather-boarded houses. They belong to all na- 

 tions ; I have seen English, Americans, Germans, 

 French, Poles, and Russians-, but the greater number 

 are British subjects. Nearly all have acquired more or 

 less land from the natives, and several have bought ex- 

 tensive tracts. Small islands are in great request, and 

 generally paid for at a much higher rate than pieces on 

 the larger islands, which require fencing in, and are apt 

 to give rise to disputes about boundaries. All the land 

 sold is registered at the British Consulate, and Mr. Prit- 

 chard, before he did so, was always very careful to have 

 the sellers acknowledge before him, and in the pre- 

 sence of a number of their townsmen, that they were sa- 

 tisfied with the bargain and had obtained the price -stipu- 

 lated. The land originally belongs either to individuals or 

 to whole families, and the title confirmed by the ruling 

 chiefs is supposed to be good. From what I saw, I be- 

 lieve that in most instances a fair price is given, remem- 

 bering that the very best land in America may be had 

 for a dollar and a quarter an acre ; and that those who 

 are willing to build a house, may have so-called bit-land 

 for about sixpence per acre. Since the Fijis have be- 

 come a field for immigration the land has considerably 

 risen, and I have seen, as already stated, 10 per acre 

 refused. The greatest landed proprietor was perhaps the 

 late Mr. Williams, United States Consul. Mr. Binner, 



