MY DEAR LADY GORDON,—Is not this “riling”? To think that we were due in Taviuni last Friday, and that we were thence to have taken Mr J., the new missionary, to a great meeting with all the teachers, and office-bearers of all sorts, on Vanua Levu (at Nanduri). This meeting is to come off to-day: about 150 teachers, &c., and ever so many friends, are there assembled, wondering what delays the Jubilee; and here we are, doing the Ancient Mariner business to perfection, and apparently likely to lie where we are for an unlimited period. Of course when we do reach Taviuni, we shall not be able to stay there at all,—only just pick up Mr J., and, if possible, row along the coast to Wairiki and Somo Somo to fetch a native minister, while the Jubilee beats round the coast. This row will give us a small glimpse of the coast, and so far, is the one redeeming feature of our cruise. It is aggravating to know that if the captain had not wasted all the early morning, the Langhams were ready on Saturday to row miles to meet the Jubilee, as soon as she appeared, and start at once for Taviuni. As it was, they sighted us so late in the day, that they decided on waiting till Monday morning, by which time the wind had changed, and we had it right in our teeth. Though we were up at 3 A.M., we only made Ovalau that day, and were off Nasova at sunset. I wonder if you saw us! Last night we were off Savu Savu, and would fain have landed to see the hot springs, but had to tack about remorselessly. Then came the calm; and all night long, we rolled and rolled. Now the rolling has ceased, and we are seesawing idiotically. Two consecutive nights have proved to me that the boards of the deck are undoubtedly hard; and till now Mrs Langham, little Annie Lindsay, and the Fijian girl Penina, the great Johnnie, and I myself, have all been horribly sick. Only Mr L. has been well. He is a very kind nurse; and it is quite touching to see how devoted both he and Mrs L. are to little Annie—a bright little five-year-old, full of life and fun, and as fond of them as they are of her. She can talk nothing but Fijian, and is a great pet with the natives,—a most joyous little person, on terms of intimate friendship with all the live-stock at Bau—cats, ducks, geese, fowls, and little pigs. Tell Jack and Nevil the bottles of jujubes and acid drops are a great success, both with big folk and small. As yet the only excitement has been in feeble attempts at cookery. Yesterday, after a thirty-six hours’ course of cold pork and dry bread (not feeling equal to those tins of mutton-broth), I bethought me of that long-treasured roll of Brand’s brown soup, which has never left my travelling-bag, and cut up a couple of inches in thin slices, and boiled them in the tea-kettle. The result was capital. But in spite of all commands to scour the tea-kettle, it was found this morning thickly coated with brown jelly! Well, this morning we tried the first tin of condensed milk.