the great heat past the breeze had died away and in the stillness the largest of the islands looked lovely as it lay in the golden light between us and the sun forest covered to its steep summit its rocky running out into calm deep green water and forming almost by shores of white coral sand backed by dense groves of palms whose shadows lay dark upon the sea here and there a house in the shade indicated man and his doings but it was all silent on a high steep point there is a small clearing on which stands a mat with an roof and below this there is a mat police station but it was all desolate nothing stirred and though we had intended to spend the early hours of the night at the we only lay a short time in the deep shadow upon the clear green water watching scarlet fish playing in the coral forests and the exquisite beauty of the island with its dense foliage in dark relief against the cool sky peace over the quiet shores heavy the golden of night blooming plants wrapped us round the sun sank suddenly the air became cool it was a dream of beauty those sounds seemed to have something them with the tragedy of which the peaceful looking was lately the scene and of which you have doubtless read a chinese gang down upon the house from behind beating and shouting captain got up to see what was the matter and was by a calling out to his wife for his revolver this had been abstracted and the locks had been taken off his pieces the fled to the in the confusion taking with her the three children the youngest only four weeks old the wretches then mrs s skull with the and having stunned mrs who was visiting her they pushed the senseless bodies imder the bed and were preparing to set fire to it when something made them depart no more is likely to be known the police must either have been cowardly or treacherous the called the next day and brought the corpse mrs whose reason was and mrs on here it is supposed that the chinese secret societies have justice a wretch is to be hanged here for the crime this morning on his own confession but it is believed that he was doomed to sacrifice himself by one of these societies in order to screen the real the contrast was awful between the island looking so lovely in the evening light and this horrid deed which has it the approaches close to the but the of had given place to lofty forest covered and a white coral strand fringed with palms it was a lovely night the north letter xvii a sunrise east was fresh and steady and the stars were glorious it was very hot below but when i went up on deck it was cool and in the coloured dawn we were just running up to the island group of which is the chief and reached the channel which it from island just at sunrise all these islands are wooded and have rocky shores the high mountains of the native state of close the view to the north and on the other side of a very narrow channel are the palm groves and sugar of province the island looked beautiful in the morning with its houses under the and the island of with its lofty peak dense woods and shores fringed with palms each with its drawn up on the beach looked impressive enough the fierce glory of a sunrise is ever a new delight it is always the sun of the nineteenth with the prevailing yellow colour of the eastern sky in one spot a cool lingering freshness a deepening of the yellow east into a brilliant rose colour tiu suddenly like a glory the broad sun wheels above the horizon the dew bathed earth the air is with vitality all things which rejoice in light and heat come forth night birds and night retire and we pale people hastily put up our to avoid being in less than ten minutes from the first appearance of the sun from the or palm is the proper name of the island but out of compliment to george iv it was called prince of wales island is the name of the capital but by an odd we call the town and spell it with an e instead of an i there were a great many ships and at anchor and the huge p and steamer and there was the golden a state of universal hurry and excitement for a large number of the officials of the government and of the protected states are here to meet sir w the governor who is on his way home on leave there are little studies of human nature going on all round most people have to grind there are people pushing rival claims some wanting promotion others leave some frank and above board in their ways others descending to mean acts to gain favour or the good reputation of their neighbours everybody wanting something and usually as it seems at the expense of somebody else mr who had got up his men in most imposing costume the close to the and at once went on board with the with the gold and presented by the of in the meantime the governor sent for me to breakfast on board and i was obliged to go among clean trim people without having time to change my travelling dress on deck i was introduced by the governor to mr low the in who has arranged for my thither and to mr the assistant i was so glad that i had no claims of my own to push when i saw the many and anxious faces i sat next sir william robinson at breakfast and found him most kind 