As I mentioned to you before, no preparation had been made to receive the Engineers on their arrival here, so they had to find temporary quarters for themselves till they could decide where to place their barracks, and then build them. It was no easy matter to find healthy quarters for so large a body of men in such a place, and Colonel Pratt was at first somewhat perplexed. By great good fortune a large empty storehouse was found half-way between Nasova and the town, so there they are housed for the present, and make the best of very uncomfortable quarters. They do look so hot, poor fellows, going about in uniform, with small caps, under just such a sun as that which makes men in India wear solah _topees_ and carry white umbrellas. Here (where the inhabitants take their ideas from Australia or New Zealand) such precautions are considered as unnecessary, as are all the luxuries which others, coming from India or kindred lands, would deem necessaries. The Engineers, however, have sun-helmets somewhere, but they are supposed to have gone on a little voyage by themselves to Melbourne, and are expected to arrive in the course of a few months! Colonel Pratt had considerable difficulty in getting either cool clothes or mosquito-nets for his men. The authorities could not understand why he should require them; and when he suggested that it was usual to supply such articles to troops on tropical service, the reply he received was—“Why, you don’t mean to say that Fiji is in the tropics?” That it is so we are all very well aware, but I think this is the best tropical climate any of us have yet found; there are few days when we have not a balmy breeze and soft grey clouds, and even the midsummer heat of December rarely shows a thermometer above 90°. I cannot find out that there is any especially rainy season, or any which is exempt from rain. Heavy thunderstorms are frequent at present, and I am told that about Christmas there is often much rain and an occasional hurricane. The latter, however, only happens once in several years; so you need not be in any special alarm for the safety of your dearly beloved sister, C. F. G. C. * * * * *