290 



FEEJEE ISLANDS. 



ject, and submitted a valuable report thereon, 

 printed in the " Transactions " of the Associ- 

 ation. He also, at the instance of scientific 

 bodies, or for his own information, tested the 

 strength of various kinds of British iron, de- 

 termined the tenacity of boiler-plates of differ- 

 ent thicknesses, and made a long series of ex- 

 periments on the resistance of hollow tubes or 

 cylinders to outside pressure, leading to valu- 

 able practical results. Mr. Fairbairn cooper- 

 ated with Robert Stephenson in designing and 

 constructing the great tubular bridge across the 

 Menai Strait, the success of which led to the 

 building of many others on the same principle. 

 Stephenson suggested a circular tube support- 

 ed by chains ; but this plan was modified at the 

 instance of Mr. Fairbairn, who made a long 

 series of experiments upon model tubes, and 

 found that a rectangular structure, strength- 

 ened by a series of cells at the top and bottom, 

 and suspended without chains or any other 

 support from pier to pier, was best adapted to 

 the stipulated conditions. Sir William (he was 

 knighted in 1869), who was one of the found- 

 ers and earliest members of the British Asso- 

 ciation, wrote many able papers on subjects 

 connected with his profession, and published 

 several important works, among which may 

 be noticed "Mills and Mill- Work;" "Iron- 

 its History and Manufacture;" "Application 

 of Iron to Building Purposes;" "The Con- 

 way and Brittannia Tubular Bridges; " "The 

 Strength of Hollow Globes and Cylinders when 

 exposed to Pressure from without ; " " On Ca- 

 nal Steam Navigation ; " " Iron Ship-building," 

 and First, Second, and Third Series of "Use- 

 ful Information for Engineers." He was a 

 corresponding member of the National Insti- 

 tute of France, of the Royal Academy of Tu- 

 rin, and a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. 

 He had been President of the British Associa- 

 tion in 1861-'62, and had received the honorary 

 degree of LL. D. from the University of Edin- 

 burgh. 



FEEJEE (Fui, OB FIDJI) ISLANDS, a 

 group of islands in the South-Pacific Ocean, 

 which, until 1874, were an independent coun- 

 try, when they were annexed to the British 

 dominions. The islands occupy the centra! 

 portion of Western Polynesia. They lie about 

 midway between Tongan Islands and the 

 French colony and island of New Caledonia, 

 between the meridians of 177 east and 178 

 west longitude, and between the parallels of 

 15 30' and 20 30' south latitude. The num- 

 ber is variously stated, but it is believed to be 

 about 225. They are dotted over an area of 

 ocean extending nearly 300 miles from east to 

 west, and 200 miles from north to south, and it 

 is computed that their aggregate superficies is 

 about 8,034. The principal islands are Viti 

 Levu and Vanua Levu, each of which has a 

 circumference of about 250 miles; in these 

 two islands the principal planters reside. Next 

 in importance and size to these are Kandavu, 

 Taviuni, Rambi, Koro, Ngau, and Ovalau. 



The Feejee Islands have been divided into eight 

 groups or divisions, viz. : The Ono Group, com- 

 prising Ono, Ndvi, Mana, Fndui, Yannya, Tuva- 

 na-i-tholo, and Tuvana-i-ra ; the Lakeba Group, 

 including Vatoa, Tiwutha, Thithia, and thirty- 

 three islands and islets ; the Exploring Isles, 

 among which are Mango, Kanathea, Naitum- 

 ba, Vatuvara, Yathata, and a number of small- 

 er islands ; Middle Feejee, containing Matuku, 

 Totoya, Moala, Ngau, Nairai, Koro, Ovalau, 

 and some others; the Vanua Levu Group, 

 comprising Vanua Levu, Taviuni, and the ad- 

 joining islands, in number about fifty ; Viti 

 Levu, or Great Feejee, in whose boundaries 

 about other fifty islands are encircled ; the Kan- 

 davu Group, numbering in all about thirteen 

 islands ; and the Yasawas Group, including 

 about thirty islands, most of them of small area. 

 Viewed from the ocean, the islands have been 

 described as presenting pictures of almost 

 fairy-like loveliness. The navigation among 

 the islands is not easy, but landing as a rule 

 can be effected safely. The reefs stretch out 

 their arms in all directions, needing great care 

 in their avoidance. 



The white population was estimated in De- 

 cember, 1871, according to the official Feejee 

 Gazette, at 2,040 persons, the majority of 

 whom are British subjects; some 200 or so are 

 Americans. The native population is believed 

 to be about 146,000, though some think it 

 to be not far short of 200,000. These num- 

 bers are distributed over about 140 of the 

 islands, the remainder being, so far as is known 

 at present, altogether uninhabited. The official 

 returns give the following numbers and distri- 

 bution of the native and European population : 

 Ovalau (in which is situated the port of Le- 

 vuka) whites, 450; natives, 2,000. Islands 

 of the Eastern group whites, 1,000 ; natives, 

 10,000. Kandavu whites, 46; natives, 12,- 

 000. Taviuni whites, 150; natives, 1,000. 

 Vanua Levu whites, 500; natives, 33,000. 

 Viti Levu whites, 450; natives, 70,000. Cen- 

 tral Islands whites, 160 ; natives, 9,000. Yas- 

 sawas whites, 58; natives, 8,000. Other 

 islands of the Feejeean Archipelago whites, 

 126 ; natives, 1,000 making a total of 148,- 

 040. In 1871 the number of white persona 

 who arrived in the group numbered 887; the 

 departures were 562, leaving a net increase in 

 the population of 325 ; 2,275 foreign laborers 

 arrived, being 570 m excess of the number of 

 the previous year. The aborigines or Feejeeans 

 are described as a well-made and handsome 

 race of men, of different shades of color, the 

 predominant hue being a dark olive. In 

 character they are described as being full of 

 contradictions, sometimes kind and tractable, 

 at other times relentlessly cruel and obstinate. 

 They are not a brave people, are very unfor- 

 giving and ungrateful, are lazy and treacher- 

 ous, but may withal be managed with tact and 

 firmness. Their dress is of a simple character, 

 and consists of a length of cloth or white 

 taypa, called a sulu, wound round the waist. 



