At home in Fiji

A strange volcanic isle—Joeli Mbulu, a Tongan apostle—The conversion of the people of Ono—Thakombau’s canoe—A royal gardener—A small hurricane—Early prayers—Breakfast on Thangal...

The Chief of Mbua—Feudal rights—A night in a miserable village—Church _à la_ St Columba—Night on a desert isle—Savu Savu—Boiling springs—Their use—Past and future, 211

Notes on Fijian folk-lore—Legend of the rat and cuttle-fish: the crane and the crab: essay of roast-pig: of gigantic birds—Serpents worshipped as incarnate gods—Sacred stones wo...

MY DEAR FELLOW-ARAB,—You see I am “once more upon the waters,” but whither I am now bound is a problem which I defy you to guess. I had not time to write to you before my hurrie...

DEAR NELL,—My last letter home was posted at Rockhampton, two days before we reached Brisbane. The latter lies twenty miles up a river, so a little steamer comes down to meet th...

You see I have contrived to escape from the region of fine clothes and prolonged meals! Oh dear, what a trial it is to be invited to luncheon at some lovely place, where you go...

Here we actually are, safely landed in Fiji! We embarked on the Egmont on the 9th, and left Sydney at midnight. The Egmont was specially chartered to carry the Engineers. Their...

DEAR NELL,—I cannot say how I long to have you here to share the delight of sitting on this high headland overlooking the lovely sea. The air is balmy, and we almost always have...

MY DEAR GEORGE,—We are settling down into the quietest of lives, and I have no special news to give you; but the day is so lovely that I could not stay in the house, so I wander...

The happiest of happy birthdays to you, my dear Nell. I suppose you are not even awake yet, for you know our time is twelve hours ahead of yours. I wish I could look in on you a...

DEAR EISA,—I find there is a chance of a mail to England, so, though I am dead beat, I send just a line to say I am flourishing and in lovely scenery, with many kind folk. Perha...

DEAREST JEAN,—You will have heard from Eisa of our start from Rewa. Now we are a long way up the river, and indulging in a sort of continuous picnic, which is full of interest t...

MY DEAR ALEXA,—I have not written to you since I started on this trip, but of course you have heard all my news from the others. We came here yesterday in the canoe, as the rapi...

(From a native Fijian house at Nirukuruku, a moated town on the banks of the Wai Nimala, one of the many heads of the great river Rewa, the richest land in Viti Levu—_i.e._, Gre...

DEAREST NELL,—I must begin a letter to you to-night, for the strangeness of the situation exceeds any I have yet happened on. I have left the Langhams at Nirukuruku, and am here...

A STRANGE VOLCANIC ISLE—JOELI MBULU, A TONGAN APOSTLE—THE CONVERSION OF THE PEOPLE OF ONO—THAKOMBAU’S CANOE—A ROYAL GARDENER—A SMALL HURRICANE—EARLY PRAYERS—BREAKFAST ON THANGAL...

DEAR AUNT EMMA,—I have not yet written once direct to you, but I trust you nevertheless consider yourself bound to write to me; for you cannot realise how greatly we prize all h...

DEAR NELL,—We seem to have settled down to a quietly regular home-life, which really is very pleasant. When I think of the vile March winds which you are now enduring, and contr...

DEAR NELL,—It is raining heavily, and the wind is foul, and the Jubilee has had to run to safer anchorage, otherwise we were to have started this afternoon, to spend Easter on a...

From Narai we had a fine run over to this isle, which is a land of high hills, deeply scored with valleys, wooded on one side, grassy on the other (at least apparently so, reall...

We had a very tedious passage coming here from Bau, but are now repaid by finding ourselves on this lovely island, which is generally called “the garden of Fiji,” because of the...

We are resting in great peace in a large clean church, built of coral-lime. It stands apart from the village, on a grassy spit of land, divided from the sea-beach only by a bord...

DEAREST EISA,—Here I am once more safely back from a long cruise in the wilds, of which I have sent a full account to Jean. Our last halt was at Savu Savu—a lovely bay, which I...

DEAR NELL,—At last I have reached the Robinson Crusoe home, about which we used to conjure up such visions of romance, whenever a letter from the far-away Fiji Isles reached the...

The difficulties have been overcome, and here I am on the mainland of beautiful Viti Levu. This is a delightful place to which Mr Leefe brought me about a week ago. Mrs Leefe pr...

All best greetings to you, one and all. We arrived yesterday in New Zealand, and it is now 10 P.M. on New Year’s Eve. We had to leave Nasova on Christmas Eve (Sunday), but not t...

MY DEAR ALEXA,—You see I have struck quite a new line of country—very different to peaceful Kawau, which we left a fortnight ago, returning to Auckland for a change. Now Lady Go...

Now indeed I have found a land of wonders, such as, I fancy, has no equal, unless perhaps in the volcanic region of Hawaii, which, from all descriptions, must stand pre-eminent....

MY DEAR NELL,—Once more we are safely back in the isles. We came from Auckland in the Zealandia—a noble vessel, upwards of 3200 tons. You can imagine how horrible was the change...

We have a steamer again!—an old tub recently chartered by Government for this interinsular service. We left Levuka two days ago, and ran across to the island of Koro, which we d...

NOTES ON FIJIAN FOLK-LORE—LEGEND OF THE RAT AND CUTTLE-FISH: THE CRANE AND THE CRAB: ESSAY OF ROAST PIG: OF GIGANTIC BIRDS—SERPENTS WORSHIPPED AS INCARNATE GODS—SACRED STONES WO...