The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-01-03
a Description of Affairs in Fiji.

| viii first speak Of Levnka. My original i'm.
pressions Of it are fully confirmed. Never was
there greater mistake than to describe it as a
place incapable Of extension 1t is true tha;
there is at present but one principal street. which
iaces the beach, and a few irregularly shaped and
but partly occupied streets here and there in the
near; but there is plenty Of unoecuped space. l
do not think that there is anywhere less than a
iur,oag Of available building ground between the
present high-WateF mark and the foot OF the hills
Then again there are valleys Of considerable ex-
tent at either end Of the present town, and two
native towns which, by-the-bye. will be absorb
ed Lastly, there would be very little difficulty
in reclsiming q considerable area from the sea,
There Is space enough At and around the present
~ Levuka for city Of more than 10000 inhabi-
taH,s, the busy part of which will be the present
fat and the wharf frOntages added thereto BY
reclamation from the sea, while the adjacent hills
and valleys viii be thickly studded with suburban
residences. have never seen fuer villa sites
than on some Of the spots near Leyuka. Al
ready there sre a good many handsome and CON,
mOdioas houses on the hills but the natural facil
tiles of the place in this respect have been as yet
made very little use Of. Nature has done much
for it, but has had scarcely any assistance from
art.
This latter feature Of the FGian capital, par
ticula7iy as regards the town ITSELF is wh&
strikes one 1t the outset, aud is the cause Of
nearly al that has been said against it. As there
has hitherto been no law, there are absolutely 10
sanitary arrangements Popular opinion may
serve to keep rovdjes in check, but it is power
less as regards the jamming together Of houses
vithou, reference to space or order or as against
acoumulations Of filth, aud the absence Of all
those arrangements for cleanliness aud decency
which are elsewhere considered Of the frs,-im-
portanee, and which are absolutely necessary to
the preservation Of the public health. 1t Is only
necessary TO traverse Levuka, and its vicinity,
with ones senses in Z tOlerabIy active state, TO
be convinced tba, it E1uN be very unhealthy
Let ne briefly eaumerate its principal defects in
this respect il the first place, houses have been
bliI, with very little regard to regularity or the
allowance OF due space fer the free circulation Of
air and the preservation Of deceney. Secondly,
there are svanps used as taro grounds in the
very heart Of the town, which must send forth,
ia hot weather, very unHholesome exhalatious
Thirdly. there are no arrangements whatever for
compelling the removal Of flih-aud the state Of
some Of the Levakan e. back premises may be
better imagined than described. Fourthly, the
streams which traverse the town, aud from which
mccb-pe,haps most-of the water used for do
nestle Purposes therein Is drawn, are not only
the bathing places Of both raoes, and the general
substitute for washing tubs bot have still less
Ls1lihill uses \ large amoant Of slaughtering.
for example, Is done st some distance up Totoga
creak. and the blood and filth passes from thence
through part Of tie tOEn ere IL reaches the sea
Ii Is irus that there Is Z constant and rapid flow
Of vaier. BAT some Of the solid matter must be
deposited On il passage Closets are also built
O7er the edge Of tie creek, and its banks are firing
Cd b. an exgbsraui tropical vegetation, which
Is probably in itself creator OF miasma- In
short the saisr courses sre the general r5oepta-
clss fo- sI kinds Of filth and rubbish sid we're it
1ot f-r the thorough cleansing which they coca
si1lsI,y receive from the heavy rainfall their
state would be abominabls- Filthy. much Of
its r1bbish, sc, shieh Is discharged BY these
sa;er-elarses. Or cast overheard frum tie vessels
II harb5r. Is Ezslsd Up iato the shallow waters
which skin tie beach. 4 great grievance to
psiastr4us- too lalth0sgh II eaR scarcely be said
70 involve any sanitary question:, Is the state Of
the Eays-ia s5us places nothing but stubborn
sLiazis u-is Up OF stones of al sizes; IN Others
a9tbia- bst Ioan. which, although pleasant
s10agh IN dfy weather. becomes after 3 shower
ard sboEs-s ars pretty isaq1snt hs,ej peculiarly
sticky.
Al tlsss evils. hozevsr. may be rsmeiied
z5-s q Izzz e5uPlsiely- A z;i9 job II sill Be
is- those Eh0 Lavs to DO the work Bat Il Is
oos tLat 1zst b. io1s nevertheless
I have gog5 dezi moTs 70 ssy about Levuka
11i tie Lerakals. bat il Is Necessary. think,
5rs gong farther. tia. I should to7ch upon tie
= P1i..5e-l -=Pses 0f Fgs- I vil oaiy add Us.
15z. = IL this y0ang islaoi capital. tia, II Is
PIE Of a15zzl.sz- WIthoat LlE. pet c0mparing
il4g-atly la tie ~ho,s). zs 10 honesty and good
g-5=r zi.s z.1y toms zhieh als zsI provided
55.s Eiih 1z-iz.-s.zs z8i po.icszsa-a pl-os
zL=-s uueh Llqz5r : consumed, Jet Ebieh has in
s;L=- respects pssaiiafiy Dorzl character. the
great s9s.zI eEil = q oiasr laa5s 5=iag abso-
.s.=ig 1-k19#u-a Pl-os Hhsrs there Is st tines.
al zzo1z e=rtlia CASES, . god deal 0f r0E5y-
lsz- y=i bzFi1g =iih5l a85 aroaad il he s,z1sais
q biyh-s58si soast!-
Tt=-s have b=za my attempts to f5rn .
G5Tz-1zz1t fsr FTi. szzh q zbict bzs. IL its
.--o. c91s 20 grief That zhich is noz IN
progress i i1s aost promising of the =bols,
z.;tg-Eh its-s mas b god deal o. ir0sbls
I'D ag5tsti51- z.i- zz1y Z, sozs izP5Itaat nd
~ ibs iEiog= Ehf.h have besa al
nay czt sd drs5 and look Esy f1s Bpoa
papa CT y f-lg E-d practically carried CT
Be- & i z5s3l7isiy Necessary that Fji zhosli y
--5si5s5 z7it saus sgrs q GoTsrlzs1t Ebich
II al ziz y i1isr1z;i3rzily rseogz5zs5- ID
SO VIZ . osLzE.a15 y sozs P=opls CT oihsr.
.t5s = II I'D zhi.h aszSf bs adhered Tbs has
.5-g b=aa 2. y sF=ly5ssy, szszPt psrhaps
tsE p=o1is Il LsFuka- 70 Eboz goTsrsusst
Z AT KID Eozls b 6is.zsisfsL Be-, zhlls
- Eas IL ssETsrsal fssli1z, 70 ols sas1e5
-t-s . zz1z % 1-5s-tzks ths tzsk. y 70 ko9z