THE FIJIS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 4, 25 July 1861, Page 3

THE FIJIS.

The following letter lias been handed to us for publication : Kadavu, Eijis, 4th April, 1861. My dear I have only to-night received your letter dated 15th August, ’GO, nearly nine months since. I have written to you every opportunity ; hut I suppose my letters must have miscarried. The British Consul came here this evening on a tour of inspection, and starts early 7 in the morning, so that I shall not have time to say much. In the first place, Robinson & Goodlot, of Melbourne, have an agent hero trading for oil, Beech-le-mar, shells, &c..; his name is Alexander Ewing; he has been in his early life a Middy on board a man-of-war, and latterly a cotton planter in the Brazils. He lias bought a piece of land, which we suppose to contain about 2000 acres ; but it has not yet been surveyed. He asked me to go in partnership with him. I said 1 would do so very willingly, if I had any' money. He said oh! no matter about that. I thanked him warmly, and accepted his proposal; there are two others on the same terms. Part of the land is thickly wooded, the remainder is tolerably clear, so that we could not manage with less than four ; we expect some day to have 30 or 40 Natives working for us. There is a regular agreement drawn and signed by us, and sent to Melbourne to be registered, so that there will be no humbugging . It is to last 4 years, and after that time wc can buy the land or dissolve partnership. Now, what do you think of it ? ' I know it is a bad plan to count our chickens before they are hatched ; but we are expecting to get 100 Bales the first year, and that will clear all expenses ; we don’t expect to get more than 200 acres in this year • and the second we expect to have it all, as we have all kinds of tools necessary for the work. Now about shipping and harbors; we have two splendid bays inside the boundary, a ship of 2000 tons could come into one of them, and Jay about 10 perches from the Bench, while free from any sea or squalls.

Cotton cannot be got in quantities yet; there are ! only a few trees growing round the -Native houses * which they keep for their own use. However, ; sometimes they part with it, when we get about 201 b for a small Fishook. When Pritchard (the was Mfiil iorlie look a buiTifilsi home v.'itli him, and the Manchester people said it was the best sample of cotton they had ever seen, and it grows splendidly hero; besides a plant lasts 15 years and in America it only lasts I—look at the difference. The Natives are very kind and obliging, and keep their houses particularly clean. The Mosquitoes are very troublesome to new Chums. Yours lie.