Expedition under Lieutenant 

 Budd. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Coronganga. Nacnndi. Bethune's 

 Point. 



221 



in diameter. In drinking the ava, the first cup 

 was handed to Phillips, and as there was more in it 

 than he chose to drink, the remainder was poured 

 back into the bowl. The ceremony of clapping of 

 hands was then performed. Instead, however, of 

 their serving out more ava from the bowl, the whole 

 was thrown away, for it is the custom that when 

 any is poured back from the chief's cup, none must 

 drink from the vessel. More ava was therefore 

 prepared, which they sat drinking nearly all night. 

 The usual savage hospitality was offered each of 

 them, and they kept their arms and accoutrements 

 in readiness. 



The next morning they proceeded up the river, 

 the banks of which were from eight to ten feet 

 above the water, and covered with a thick growth 

 of reeds. Beyond them are well-cultivated fields 

 of taro, yams, and bananas, as before described ; all 

 giving evidence of the overflowing of the banks. 

 Islets were continually passed, and many towns 

 containing from two or three hundred to a thou- 

 sand inhabitants. Numerous creeks disembogued 

 on both sides. 



The town of Nou Souri was next passed. Here 

 the chief Cornubalavoo sent presents to them he 

 is the cousin of Phillips and afterwards accompa- 

 nied them up the river in a canoe. 



About seven miles up from Rewa is a creek 

 leading to Ambau, which is passable for canoes at 

 high water. The town of Natacallo is here situated, 

 and the first rise of hills takes place. This is one 

 of their great battle-grounds, and was, according 

 to Phillips, the scene -of many of his deeds, which 

 he recounted. 



About a mile above this there is a bar which 

 extends nearly across the river. The channel lies 

 close to the hills, which are two hundred feet in 

 height. Below this bar the banks of the river are 

 all alluvial. There is here an elbow in the river, 

 above which is the town of Capavoo, of four hun- 

 dred inhabitants, which was the scene of one of 

 the bloody attacks of the Ambau people under the 

 notorious Charley Savage. It is said that he was 

 afterwards killed near Mbua or Sandalwood Bay, 

 and so great was the enmity of the natives towards 

 him, that he was not only eaten, but his bones 

 were ground to powder and drunk in their ava. 

 Phillips mentioned that a daughter of this notori- 

 ous villain is now married to one of the king's 

 brothers, at Rewa. Stopping in the evening for 

 the men's supper, they saw many fine shaddock 

 trees in full fruit along the banks, and Mr. Peale 

 shot a beautiful parrot, with very gay blue and 

 red plumage; lie also obtained two ducks. Phillips 

 says the low islands have been formed in the river 

 by the frequent floods from the mountains " since 

 he IMS had whiskers." His age is supposed to be 

 thirty-five years. 



The native houses hereabouts are constructed 

 with a solid basement surrounded with piles, to 

 prevent their being washed away on the occur- 

 rence of the floods. 



At night they stopped at the town of Coron- 

 ganga, about eighteen miles above the mouth of the 

 river. Here they took possession of the mbure, 

 and with the assistance of Mr. Phillips's white 

 steward, they made themselves quite comfortable. 

 The same deference and respect were paid Phil- 

 lips here as they had before observed; but, not- 

 withstanding this, Lieutenant Budd and party took 



every precaution to prevent surprise, to convince 

 the natives that their watchfulness was never 

 asleep. 



The banks showed a rise and fall of the water 

 during the night. It was full tide about eleven 

 o'clock at night; according to Phillips, the tide 

 flowed some miles above this place. The current 

 of the river was found by the boats to be about a 

 mile and a half the hour. 



Having passed a comfortable night, (more by 

 reason of their own fatigue than the comforts of 

 the mbure,) notwithstanding the musquitoes and 

 bats, which were both very numerous, they left 

 the town of Coronganga at an early hour in the 

 morning. The best possible understanding existed 

 between themselves and the natives, and they dis- 

 tributed presents to the chiefs, for which the 

 latter expressed many thanks. 



Shortly after leaving Coronganga, they passed 

 the town of Nacundi, containing about six hundred 

 inhabitants. The scenery here was beautiful, being 

 embellished by many clumps of noble trees, re- 

 sembling our oaks in their wide-spreading branches, 

 covered with vines, and interspersed with ferns 

 and tall graceful palms. The banks were here 

 twelve feet high, and steep. From appearance the 

 country is thickly populated, notsvithstanding the 

 destructive wars which have been waged with the 

 people of Ambau. All the inhabitants were ob- 

 served to be clustered in the villages, for the pur- 

 pose of mutual protection; and the same reason 

 causes them to choose as their sites for building, 

 either some inaccessible point, or a place that 

 affords facility for fortification. 



Five miles above Coronganga, the country 

 changes its character; the river passes by cliffs of 

 sandstone five hundred feet in height, whose stra- 

 tification dips ten degrees to the eastward. Ranges 

 of hills now rear themselves to a goodly height, 

 and extend some miles back into the interior. 



They next passed the town of Naitasiri, where 

 one of the brothers of Phillips, called Savou, is 

 chief. Naitasiri is the capital of this district, and 

 is next in power to Rewa, on the island of Vitilevu. 

 Phillips was not disposed to land here; for a mis- 

 understanding had occurred between him and his 

 brother, in consequence of Savou having taken 

 charge, for Phillips, of some two hundred hogs, of 

 which, when demanded after a short time, only ten 

 or fifteen were to be found, Savou having either 

 eaten or given away the remainder. Cornubalavoo 

 went on shore in his canoe, and took Savou on 

 board, who spoke as he passed Phillips, but the 

 latter would not condescend to return his saluta- 

 tion. 



As they passed further up the river, they were 

 preceded by Savou, and when opposite the town of 

 Tavu-tavu, a canoe came off with a present of 

 baked taro and yams, from Savou to Phillips and 

 Lieutenant Budd. This was considered as a peace- 

 offering, and appeared to be acceptable, at least to 

 the vanity of Phillips. 



In the vicinity of this village there was much 

 sugar-cane growing. Just above it is an elbow in 

 the river, the point formed by which was that 

 reached by Captain Bethune, of H.B.M. sloop of 

 war Conway. This Lieutenant Budd called Be- 

 thune's Point. They shortly afterwards passed the 

 small town of Viti_, opposite to which is a cliff four 

 hundred feet in height, overgrown with shrub- 



