180 MELANESIA AND ITS PEOPLE. 
mission is now known as the South Sea Evangelical Mission. Its 
operations are confined mainly to Malaita. 
In 1902 the veteran Dr. George Brown visited the western Solomons 
and made preparation for beginning a mission of the Methodist body 
in New Georgia. This mission 1s now well established and has extended 
its operations in New Georgia and Vella Lavella, and opened a school 
on Liuaniua (Ongtong Java, Lord Howe Island), an atoll north of 
Ysabel inhabited by Polynesians. 
In the New Hebrides, on Raga and Omba in the sphere of the Mel- 
anesian Mission, mission work is being done by missionaries of the 
Church of Christ. 
No delimitation of territory in the case of the various missions has 
been attempted by the governments concerned, such as has been done 
in New Guinea, and undoubtedly the clashing of the various interests 
is not the best thing for the natives. The marking out of a sphere of 
operations, with possibly a time limit for the effective occupying of 
them, would be the fairest for all concerned. 
SOME PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE ISLANDS. 
All the islands in the sphere of the Mission have a certain similarity 
of appearance from the sea in that they are all covered with dense 
forest. Florida and the east coast of Guadalcanar have wide, open 
spaces covered with high, rank grass and with a few trees, but in all 
the other islands dense bush covers the face of the country from high- 
water mark to the tops of the hills miles away in the interior. In the 
islands in the south giant creepers twine over all the trees and form a 
perfect network, almost blotting out the tops of the individual trees, 
and when seen from the sea the huge banyans seem to tower like 
observation posts above the flattened tops of the forest. In most of 
the islands the land rises abruptly from the beach and access to the 
interior is by narrow forest tracks which the frequent heavy rainfalls 
have converted into deep ruts. Tree roots cover everything and 
walking is extremely difficult in consequence. The paths are never 
kept clear and open and the trees that fall across them are allowed to 
lie there, and a new track is made round or under or over the obstacle. 
Dr. Guppy, in his book, “The Solomon Islands,” has a graphic 
description of the experiences of the white man when travelling ashore 
in Melanesia: 
“Bush walking where there is no native track is a very tedious process. 
In districts of coral limestone such traverses are exceedingly trying to the 
soles of one’s boots and to the measure of one’s temper. After being pro- 
vokingly entangled in a thicket for some minutes, the persevering traveller 
walks briskly along through a comparatively clear space, when a creeper 
suddenly trips up his feet and over he goes to the ground. Picking him- 
self up, he no sooner starts again when he finds his face in the middle of a 
