Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/562

 624 FIJI AlO) THE FIJIAl^S. which I passed often evoked the exclamation, ' Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty.' They comprised high mountains and little hills, a large and placid river, with murmuring rivulets, sweeping valleys, deep ravines, richly wooded slopes, mangrove swamps, and numerous islets studding the shore. At one place, after marrying seven couples, baptizing thirty-three children and adults, meeting as many in Classes, and preaching, I ascended a hill, down which there ran a beautiftil stream, which the natives had ingeniously diverted from its present channel to irrigate their iaro gardens, which were laid out in terraces along the sunny slopes. On the summit of the hill I foimd many beautiftil shrubs, and among the number was a Gardinea, most of the plants being nearly as well formed as if they had been reared in Kew, under the eye of Sir William Hooker. The dark shining green leaves of this plant, and its snowy white flowers, were as beautiful to the eye as its odour was pleasant to the smell. The circumference of a single flower was larger than a crown-piece. Flocks of paroquets flew over our heads, and tiny humming-birds flitted from flower to flower, sucking nectar from crops of nature's forming. Warned by the fast-gathering shades of evening, as the sun bathed his glory in the ocean wave, we descended, and in the valley had ample demonstration of the fecundity of nature in another and less desirable form. The mosquitoes, almost as numerous as the flies in Egypt, surrounded and assaulted us on all sides, compelling us to seek shelter within the ample folds of a curtain, under which we slept for the night, our only disturbance being from a fat Fijian, who uncere- moniously crept under our curtain, to secure himself fi-om the mosqui- toes, and who proved a far less agreeable companion than the sweet- scented Gar din ea." " July. — We have just finished our District Meeting, and I am happy to inform you that we are re-appointed to the Mbua Circuit, where we hope to spend a very holy, happy, laborious, and useful year. During the last ten months we have had the felicity of seeing 1,167 turn from Heathenism in this Circuit alone ; and but for some serious local difficulties, arising from the opposition of hostile heathen Chiefs, I doubt not but we should have had to rejoice over twice as many. Throughout Fiji nearly 15,000 converts have been added during the past year ; there are 2,677 on trial for church-membership ; the total number of attendants on public worship is 54,281, and the scholars of both Fexes amount to 20,185. 'This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.' To Him we humbly and joyfully ascribe the undivided glory. Heathenism in Fiji is shaken to its centre ; and