Such a sad thing has just happened here. The captain of the new Government steamer Fitzroy had five children whom he adored: three died, and he had to leave his delicate wife and two remaining children in Sydney. News came that the two last children had died, but he had one point of comfort in the coming of his wife. He was to meet her at Khandavu (where the mails stop, a day’s steam from here). Instead of herself, came a letter from the doctor to say she was dying at Sydney. The poor fellow utterly lost his head, left his ship, and went off to Sydney. Luckily a passenger on board had been in the navy, and managed to bring the steamer safely back here, where a new captain has been found. We have just heard that Lady Hackett is very ill with low fever, and are going off to see her. Really there is no end to the amount of sickness here at present. * * * * * FIJI, _May 20, 1876_. DEAR EISA.—I have just got safe home from my cruise about Koro, Ngau, Nairai, and Batique. I have one new fern—quite new to Mrs Langham and myself, but Baron von Hügel knows it, he thinks, in New Zealand. Most of the others, I think, I have already sent; but I think it well to go on sending seed[35] in case of previous packets having failed, or mildewed. The latter is the curse of this country, and nowhere is it a more cruel foe than in collecting plants. The Baron tells me he has collected in these isles upwards of 2000 specimens of all sorts of things (vegetable), and the mildew has destroyed about four-fifths of the whole!