’At the east end stand three wooden cottages, occupied by the master, mate, and a married seaman of the “Southern Cross.”  At the west end stands the Melanesian school.  Fences divide the whole space into three portions, whereof the western one forms our garden and orchard; and the others pasture for cows and working bullocks; small gardens being also fenced off for the three cottages.  The fifty acres of flat land south of the creek we are now clearing and ploughing.

’The situation here is admirably adapted for our school.  Now that we have a solid wall of the scoria from the volcanic island opposite, we have a complete shelter from the cold south wind.  The cliff and hill to the west entirely shut off the wind from that quarter, and the north and east winds are always warm.  The soil is very dry, and the beach composed exclusively of small “pipi” shells—­small bivalves.  So that by putting many cart-loads of these under our wooden floors, and around our buildings, we have so perfect a drainage that after heavy rain the soil is quite dry again in a few hours.  It causes me no anxiety now, when I am for an hour away from my flock, to be thinking whether they are lying on the ground, forgetting that the hot sun overhead does not destroy the bad effect of a damp clay soil such as that at St. John’s College.

’The buildings at present form three sides of a quadrangle, but the south side is only partly filled up.  The large schoolroom, eighty feet long, with three sets of transepts, has been removed from the College, and put up again so as to form the east side of the quadrangle.  This is of wood; so is the small wooden quadrangle which serves now for dormitories, and a part of which I occupy; my house consisting of three little rooms, together measuring seventeen feet by seven.  These dormitories are the southern side of the quadrangle, but do not reach more than half-way from the east to the west side, room being left for another set of dormitories of equal size, when we want them and can afford them.  The west side consists of a very nice set of stone buildings, including a large kitchen, store room, and room for putting things in daily and immediate use; and the hall, which is the northern part of the side of the quadrangle, is a really handsome room, with simple open roof and windows of a familiar collegiate appearance.  These buildings are of the dark grey scoria, almost imperishable I suppose, and look very well.  The hall is just long enough to take seven of us at the high table (so to speak), and thirty-four at the long table, stretching from the high table to the end of the room.

’At present this is used for school also, as the carpenters who are making all our fittings, shelves, &c., are still in the large schoolroom.  We take off the north end of the schoolroom, including one set of transepts for our temporary chapel.  This part will be lined, i.e. boarded, neatly inside.  The rest of the building is very rough, but it answers its purpose.