Figaro

fe'ga-ro, a dramatic character of note. He was first introduced on the Paris stage about 1785 by Beaumarchais in Le Barbier de Seville. Figaro was represented as a gay, lively young barber, full of wit and originality. He is of the intriguing type,--quick and resourceful in stratagem, keen and courageous in execution. In Le Mariage de Figaro, which followed Le Barbier de Seville, Figaro appears as a valet. Mozart and Rossini made use of the name Figaro and of the character in operas. The word Figaro has come to be used to denote a cunning, versatile, and adroit accomplice.

Fiji (fe'je) Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific 2,000 miles east of Australia. There are over 200 islands, 80 of which are inhabited. The islands were discovered by Tasman in 1643. The natives were fierce, curly, bushy-haired people, horribly given to eating each other. War parties were on the skirmish to secure victims for their feasts. The "Fiji Islander" became known as a type of the lowest grade of mankind. The Wesleyan missionaries opened stations in 1835. Catholics also entered the field. The people have been turned from idolatry and cannibalism. In 1902 there were 91,845 attendants of the Wesleyan church and 9,800 of the Catholic. In 1874 the archipelago became a British possession.

The islands have a total area of 7,435 square miles and a population of 120,124. The highest elevation is 4,000 feet. The soil is a rich yellow, fertile loam of volcanic origin. The breadfruit, arrowroot, banana, plantain, cocoanut, nutmeg, cotton, sugar-cane, vanilla, peanut, yam, tobacco, rice, pineapple, tea, and maize are cultivated. Cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs have been introduced. The plant life resembles that of the East Indian mainland. Palms, tree-ferns, bamboos, and gigantic orchids are noticeable. Bats and a few rodents are the only mammals. There are fifty species of birds. Gay parrots and doves occupy the tree-tops.

Europeans have been attracted by opportunities to make money. There are 1,544 schools, 200 miles of telephone lines, a postal system, 4 newspapers, 134 local coasting vessels. Business is transacted chiefly with Australia. There are indications that the native population may be run out sooner or later by the British, as has proved the case in Australia, and that the Fiji Islands may become a state of the Australian Confederation.