Vol. XIX, No. i 



WASHINGTON 



January, 1908 



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IN THE SAVAGE SOUTH SEAS 



By Beatrice Grimshaw 



Miss Grimshaw is an enterprising young English zvoman who recently passed 

 several years in Fiji and the New Hebrides on a search for good opportunities 

 for investment. She explored many unknown sections of these islands and has 

 zvritten a delightful narrative of her travels and experiences, "Fiji and Its Pos- 

 sibilities." The follozving article is abstracted from this book, and is printed 

 here through the courtesy of the publishers, Messrs Doubleday, Page & Com- 

 pany of Nezv York, by zvhom all the extracts and illustrations are copyrighted. 



FIJI is a British colony, situated in 

 the southwest Pacific, lying be- 

 tween the 15th and 22d parallels 

 of south latitude and between 157 east 

 and 177 west longitude. It consists of 

 155 islands, with a total area of 7,400 

 square miles. Most of the land is con- 

 tained in the two great islands of Viti 

 Levu (Great Fiji) and Vanua Levu 

 (Great Land), which account for 4,112 

 and 2,432 square miles respectively. 

 These two islands are exceptionally well 

 wooded and watered, and could, it is said, 

 support three times the population of the 

 whole group. Viti Levu is in every way 

 the most important island in the archi- 

 pelago. It contains the seat of govern- 

 ment, the principal harbors, all the roads, 

 and much the greater part of the colony's 

 trade. There is one town in the group 

 besides Suva— Levuka, the capital of 

 former days, on the small island of 

 Ovalau. 



The climate is certainly hot, though the 

 thermometer does not rise to anv ex- 



traordinary heights. During the three 

 hottest months — January, February, and 

 March — the highest shade temperature 

 ranges between 90 and 94 Fahr., and 

 the lowest between 67 ° and 72 °, roughly 

 speaking. In the cooler months of June, 

 July, and August, 59 and 89 are the 

 usual extremes. The air is moist, as a 

 rule, and in Suva, at all events, one may 

 safely say that a day without any rain is 

 almost unknown. On the northern side 

 of Viti Levu the climate is a good deal 

 drier and in consequence less relaxing. 

 Dysentery is fairly common, but there is 

 no fever to speak of, and the climate, on 

 the whole, is considered healthful. Mos- 

 quitoes are so troublesome that most of 

 the better class of private houses have at 

 least one mosquito-proof room, with 

 doors and windows protected by wire 

 gauze. 



As we pass down the main street of 

 the capital, the curious mixture of the 

 population is very noticeable — whites, 

 half-castes, Samoans, Indians, Chinese, 



