TAVIUNI—TUI THAKOW—MISSIONARY PERILS—THEIR FRUIT OF PEACE—RATU LALA—RAMBI ISLE—GIPSY LIFE—VANUA LEVU—A MISSION CONFERENCE—THE ISLE OF KIA—A VILLAGE FEAST. SOMO SOMO, ISLE TAVIUNI, _August 4_. 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 richness of its vegetation. We have seen only a small part of the coast, but that is one lovely tangle of natural foliage, which, seen from the sea, resembles a succession of green waterfalls, so richly do the vines of every graceful form shroud the great trees and tall ferns. You see I have adopted the word vine in its colonial acceptation, to describe all manner of creeping green things of the earth. Taviuni has one disadvantage—it lacks the perfect ring of coral which secures calm water and a sure harbour for most of its neighbours; and in stormy weather the shore is swept by heavy seas, unchecked by any protecting barrier-reef. It is about sixty miles in circumference, and is apparently one great mountain, about 2000 feet high. It is said to be an extinct volcano. On its summit lies a great lake which has formed in the crater, and thence descends in a clear stream, which flows into the sea at this village.[36] We landed at Vuna Point, and were thankful to find ourselves safely housed at the mission station. How we did enjoy a jug of fresh milk sent to us by a kind neighbour! The houses of several planters are here clustered within a very short distance of one another, making quite a pleasant little society. We called at several houses, each surrounded by orange-trees, scarlet hybiscus, gardenia, and other tropical shrubs, with veils of a tiny scarlet convolvulus; and we passed through a bit of the primeval forest—noble old trees with wonderful roots forming natural buttresses. Alas! they are all doomed to destruction. Here, as in every other beautiful corner of the earth which I have ever visited, the glories of the natural forest are rapidly vanishing before the planter’s axe, to make room for a more profitable, if less interesting vegetation.