Arnbau. Towns of Verata and 

 Viwa. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Tliokanauto, or Mr. Phillips. 

 Visit of the king and his brothers. 



age, which is off the island of Nukalou, is about 

 three miles from the mouth of Wailevu, or Peale's 

 river, and six from the town of Rewa, which is 

 situated on a low piece of land, which the river, 

 passing on each side of it, has formed into an 

 island. The east point of Vitilevu is low, and is 

 divided by several small and unimportant streams, 

 which we had not time to examine ; there is, also, 

 at high water, a passage for canoes through one 

 of them to Ambau, which lies ten miles to the 

 northward. 



The launch and first cutter of the Peacock, 

 under Lieutenant Emrnons and Passed-Midshipman 

 Blunt, were found here, having advanced thus far 

 in their surveying operations. They had passed 

 around the bay of Ambau, stopped at the town, 

 and met with rather an unfriendly reception there; 

 the chiefs refused to give them any water unless 

 paid for, on account, as they said, of our trade- 

 master not paying a higher price for the yams 

 they carried him. For this reason the chiefs were 

 in a bad humour, and had refused a supply of 

 water to the boats. 



Ambau is a singular-looking place. It occupies 

 a small island, which is entirely covered with 

 houses, among which the mbure stands conspicuous. 

 The approach to the town is much obstructed by 

 reefs of coral ; and the water being shallow, is im- 

 passable for an armed vessel. The island is con- 

 nected with the main land or large island, by a 

 long flat of coral, which is fordable, even at high 

 water, and is in places quite bare at low water. 

 One is at a loss to conceive how this place could 

 have acquired its strength and importance. I am 

 rather inclined to impute it to the enterprise of its 

 first settlers, and the ascendancy given it by the 

 accidental aid that has been afforded its chiefs by 

 the whites, who came among them and joined their 

 side. It was, probably, at first, the retreat of the 

 fishermen ; and from their enterprise, the difficul- 

 ties they had to encounter, and the powerful 

 connexions they have formed with the other towns 

 and districts, it is likely that their rule will 

 continue until the people shall have become civi- 

 lized, when, from the want of internal resources, 

 the terror of its name will pass away, and it 

 must fall to the rank of a place of secondary im- 

 portance. 



At present it is in the ascendancy, and its chiefs 

 have a high estimate of their own importance. 

 Thus, while 1 was at Levuka, I was much amused 

 by a question put me by Seru, " Why I had not 

 gone with my ship to Ambau ? why come to Le- 

 vuka, where there were no gentlemen, none but 

 common people (kai-si) ? all the gentlemen lived 

 at Ambau." 



The towns of Verata and Viwa are within a 

 short distance of Ambau, and have both been its 

 rivals. At each of these some fearful outrage has 

 been perpetrated upon trading vessels, for which 

 the guilty have been but partially punished. The 

 chief of Viwa, I understood, had made it his 

 boast that the French had only burned a few of 

 his mud huts, which he could shortly build again; 

 that it would give a very few days of labour to his 

 slaves ; and that he would cut off the next vessel 

 that came, if he had an opportunity. He thinks 

 that it was a very cheap purchase to get so much 

 property for so little damage. The Ambau peo- 

 ple also spoke vauutingly of having given the 



French permission to destroy Viwa, as it was 

 nothing, and satisfied the Papalangis ; but they 

 did not intend that any property or lives should 

 be lost, for they had sent to inform the Viwa 

 people that the attack was to be made, and even 

 helped them to remove all their valuables. Viwa 

 is not so large a town as Ambau, but is built on 

 a larger island, and affords more conveniences for 

 a port. 



The whole bay of Ambau is well shielded 

 by extensive coral sea-reefs. Here the launch 

 and first cutter again left the Peacock, on their 

 way to the island of Mbenga, to the westward. 



Captain Hudson, after anchoring, sent Lieu- 

 tenant Budd to the town of Rewa for the purpose of 

 communicating with the king and chiefs, and of 

 obtaining the services of Thokanauto (Mr. Phillips) 

 as interpreter and pilot. Lieutenant Budd observed 

 much appai-eut fear among the chiefs and people. 

 The king, Kania, on the approach of the boats, had 

 gone to hide himself in the outskirts of the town, 

 but Mr. Phillips was met on the way coming towards 

 them, and after much hesitation determined to ac- 

 company Mr. Budd on board the ship. The natives 

 appeared to entertain the same fears as their 

 chief. 



Phillips is about thirty years of age, of middle 

 size, active, and well-made ; he is more intelligent 

 than the natives generally, and his appearance less 

 savage ; he speaks English tolerably well, though 

 it is not difficult to perceive whence he has obtained 

 his knowledge of it, by the phrases he makes use 

 of. It was not a little comical to hear a Feejee 

 man talk of " New York highbinders," " Boston 

 dandies," " Baltimore mobtowns." On assurances 

 being given to the natives that we were their 

 friends, they became more reconciled, and after a 

 time the king, Kania, or Tui Ndraketi, was found, 

 and invitations delivered to him to pay a visit to 

 the ship. Lieutenant Budd then crossed the river 

 to the missionaries' houses, where he saw their 

 wives, and found Mr. Jagger, who is one of the 

 mission. The Rev. Mr. Cargill had visited the 

 ship shortly after the Peacock anchored; his canoe 

 was manned by Tonga men. He was on his way 

 to a town fifteen miles distant, where the chief 

 and a few of the people had just embraced Chris- 

 tianity. He was invited to preach 011 board the 

 next day ; he complied, and delivered an excellent 

 discourse. 



On the morning of the 18th, Monday, the king 

 and his brother, Ngaraniugiou, visited the ship. 

 The king came in a canoe of beautiful construc- 

 tion, about forty feet in length, propelled by 

 paddles, which the king alone is allowed to use. 

 Ngaraningiou was in a much larger canoe, hav- 

 ing a large mast and sail, and the chief's pennant 

 flying from the yard, but sculls were used. 



Captain Hudson now despatched Lieutenant 

 Budd and Passed-Midshipman Davis, with two 

 boats, up the river. Mr. Peale, one of the 

 naturalists, went with this expedition, and Mr. 

 Phillips's services were engaged to accompany 

 and protect the boats in the exploration of the 

 river. 



The ship had been prepared for the king's , 

 visit ; he was received wi-th due ceremony, and 

 was led aft, and seated on the quarter-deck. 

 Tui Ndraketi is about forty years of age, and is 

 a tall, fine-looking man, with a manly expression 



