174 FEJEE GROUP. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



FEJEE GROUP. 



The Fejee Group is composed of one hundred and fifty-five 

 islands, of which number one hundred are uninhabitable, on 

 account of their sterility and want of water ; the remaining 

 number possess an excellent soil, and abound in mountain 

 streams — for the islands are of a mountainous character, 

 some of the peaks having an altitude of nearly five thousand 

 feet. The valleys are beautiful, and in some places well cul- 

 tivated. Yams and dry taro are the principal crops ; sugar- 

 cane grows spontaneously and of an excellent quality. The 

 natives do not make sugar, but manufacture large quantities 

 of molasses, and they use the leaf of the plant to cover the 

 roofs of their houses. 



The principal towns are Rewa and Ambou, situated on the 

 east side of Vitilevu ; they contain about four thousand inhab- 

 itants each, and, as I have before observed, the latter is the 

 residence of King Tanoa, the most powerful chief in the group. 



The climate, though warm, is pleasant and salubrious. 

 During our long stay at Ovalaou, we experienced very little 

 rainy weather. The mean temperature on board the ship was 

 76°. The population, according to the best information ob- 

 tainable at this time, is about one hundred and twenty thou- 

 sand. It is utterly impossible to have precise data on this 

 subject, for the white men residing in the group, have not had 

 access to all the islands, nor can we depend on native inform 



