MY DEAREST NELL,—Immense excitement prevailed here last night, the Colonial Secretary coming down to rouse up the Governor and staff, just as they had got comfortably to bed after a grand Levuka ball, to announce that, after all our doubts and fears, a large steamer has come with mails from San Francisco. We fear she has only come once in a way, not knowing the cruel decision of the New Zealand Government not to call here. Anyhow she will take our letters this time, so I may as well begin one, especially as it may be some time before I write again; for, two days hence, I am going with the Governor, Lady Gordon, Mr Maudslay, and the children, in the new little Government steamer to Suva, on Viti Levu[18] (Great Fiji). There is a good deal of work going on here, such as pulling down of old native huts, and levelling of earth, and painting the new house; and Dr Macgregor wants to get rid of us all till it is finished, so Sir Arthur has taken the so-called hotel, an empty house, at Suva, the proposed site of the new Capital. It will be very good for the children to have change of air. When they are snugly settled we are to go on to the Rewa, a very fertile district. If we have such lovely weather as this last week has been, it will be pleasant. But last night it poured, and looks as if it meant to do so again, which would spoil everything. From Rewa I am going on a grand expedition with the Langhams. Mr L. is the head of the Wesleyan Mission here. He and his wife travelled with us from Sydney, and we made great friends, and now they have asked me to go with them on a three weeks’ cruise up the Rewa river. We shall sleep every night in Fijian houses—large reed-huts—so we shall travel really in correct style, and yet quite comfortably. It is a great thing for me to have this chance, as none of our own set (Lady Gordon, Lady Halkett, Mrs de Ricci, Mrs Havelock, or Mrs Macgregor) ever care to leave their own roofs.