CHAPTER XIII. 



FIJI ISLANDS. 



Position and Area of the Islands of the Group. Kandavu Island. Grind- 

 stones for Stone Adzes. Shooting Birds in the Woods. Terrestrial 

 Hermit Crabs. Visit to a Barrier Reef. Ovalau Island. Excursion 

 to Livoni. Fijian Convicts. Log Drum. Native Hairdressing. 

 Kaava Drinking. Buj'ing Stone Adzes. Excursion to Mbau Island. 

 Structure of the Island. Na vatani tavvaki. Relics of Cannibalism. 

 Interview with King Thackombau. Connection of Wooden Drums 

 and Bells. Excursion up the Wai Levu. Sugar Plantations at Viti. 

 Freshwater Sharks. Joe the Pilot. Fijian Fortifications and Tombs. 

 A Chiefs House and his Children. A Missionary Meeting. Various 

 Modes of Painting the Body. Grand Dancing Performances. Primi- 

 tive Origin of Music, Poetry, and the Drama. Wesleyan Missionarj'. 

 Albino Native. Congregation of Races at Levuka. Fijian Modes of 

 Expression. Laughter. Cicatrization. The Ula. Particulars con- 

 cerning Cannibalism. 



Fiji Islands, July 25tli to August 11th, 1874. — We arrived at 

 Kandavu Island, Fiji, on July 25th, and stayed at Fiji till 

 August loth, the ship making a short trip to Levuka in Ovalau, 

 and returning to Kandavu to complete a survey of the harbour, 

 Ngaloa Bay. 



The Fiji Group is scattered over an area of about 40,000 

 square miles on either side of the meridian of 180° W., 

 between lats. 16° and 20° S. The meridian of 180°, roughly 

 speaking, runs northward through the western end of the 

 Aleutian chain, and between Behring's Straits and Kamschatka, 

 and southward passes just to the east of New Zealand. In lati- 

 tude, the Fijis correspond roughly with Tahiti, Rio Janeiro and 

 Rodriguez. In the northern hemisphere with St. Thomas in the 

 Virgin Islands, St. Vincent, Cape Verde Islands, and Bombay. 



The land surface of the Fijis is about 7,000 square miles in 

 area, or about 1,000 square miles in excess of that of Yorkshire, 

 and there are about 150 islands in the group, excluding the 

 very small ones.* Viti Levu, the largest island, is 94 statute 

 miles long by 55 broad. 



* The whole Fiji Group, exclusive of Coinl islets, includes tn area of 

 abi t 5,500 square miles of drv lanH. while at the period when the coral 



