APPENDIX. 



I. REPORT OF ADMIRAL WASHINGTON, R.N. 



IN accordance with the Board Minute, to report upon the 

 Colonial Office letter of the 9th instant, I have to state that 



The Fiji, or more properly the Viti group, in the south-western 

 Pacific, consists of some 200 islands, islets, and rocks, lying be- 

 tween latitude 15J and 19J south, at about 1900 miles, N.E. 

 of Sydney, and 1200 north of Auckland, at the north end of 

 New Zealand. The two largest islands may be some 300 miles in 

 circumference, or each is about the size of Corsica ; 65 of the islets 

 are said to be inhabited, and the whole population of the group 

 may be 200,000. 



I propose to reply categorically to the queries contained in 

 the Colonial Office letter : 



Q. 1. If the Fiji Isles be obtained, are all the available har- 

 bours obtained in that part of the Pacific ? 



A. 1. Certainly not all, but a great part of them. The 

 Friendly or Tonga Islands, only 400 miles to the south-east, 

 possesses good harbours, as Tonga-tabu and Vavau. The Samoa 

 or Navigator Isles, the same distance to the north-east, have 

 good harbours, as Sangopango and Apia. Some of the Society 

 Islands also may be available, but lying 1800 miles to the east- 

 ward, they may not be considered as within the limits named : 

 none of the harbours, however, are superior to those of the Fiji 

 Islands. 



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