use of its history.

Vila is merely the administration centre, and consists of nothing but
a few stores and the houses of the Condominium officials. There is
little life, and only the arrival of the ships brings some excitement,
so that the stranger feels bored and lonely, especially as the
"blood-house " does not offer many comforts and the society there is
not of the choicest.

I immediately went to present my letters of introduction to the French
Resident. The offices of the British Residence were still on the small
island of Iariki, which I could not reach without a boat. The French
Residence is a long, flat, unattractive building; the lawn around the
house was fairly well kept, but perfectly bare, in accordance with
the French idea of salubrity, except for a few straggling bushes near
by. Fowls and horses promenaded about. But the view is one of the most
charming to be found in the islands. Just opposite is the entrance to
the bay, and the two points frame the sea most effectively, numerous
smaller capes deepening the perspective. Along their silhouettes
the eye glides into far spaces, to dive beyond the horizon into
infinity. Iariki is just in front, and we can see the well-kept park
around the British Residence, with its mixture of art and wilderness;
near by is the smooth sea shining in all colours. While the shores
are of a yellowish green, the sea is of every shade of blue, and
the green of the depths is saturated with that brilliant turquoise
tint which is enough to put one into a light and happy humour. This
being my first sight of a tropical landscape, my delight was great,
and made up for any disappointment human inefficiency had occasioned.

The French Resident, Mr. C, received me most kindly, and did me the
honour of inviting me to be his guest. I had planned to stay in Vila
a few weeks, so as to get acquainted with the country and hire boys;
but the Resident seemed to think that I only intended a short visit
to the islands, and he proposed to take me with him on a cruise
through the archipelago and to deposit me at the Segond Channel, an
invitation I could not well refuse. My objection of having no servants
was overruled by the Resident's assurance that I could easily find some
in Santo. I therefore made my preparations and got my luggage ready.

In the afternoon, Mr. C. lent me his boat to go and pay my respects
to Mr. Morton King, the British Resident. The difference between the
two residences was