232 



Return to Ovolau. Proceedings of the 

 Porpoise. Island of Fulanga. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Island of Moramba. 



Islands visited by the Porpoise. 



be gracious to them. They then pray for rain, for 

 the life of the king, the ari-ival of wangara Papa- 

 langi (foreign ships), that they may have riches 

 and live to enjoy them. This prayer is followed by 

 a most earnest response, " Mana endina " (amen, 

 amen). They then repeat several times, " Mana 

 endina sendiua le." Every time this is repeated 

 they raise their voices, until they reach the highest 

 pitch, and conclude with " 0-ya-ye," which they 

 utter in a tone resembling a horrid scream. This 

 screech goes the rounds, being repeated by all the 

 people of the koro, until it reaches its farthest 

 limits, and, when it ceases, the king drinks his ava. 

 All the chiefs clap their hands, with great regu- 

 larity, while he is drinking, and, after he has 

 finished his ava, the chiefs drink theirs, without 

 any more ceremony. The business of the day is 

 then begun. The people never do any thing in 

 the morning before the king has drunk his ava. 

 Even a foreigner will not venture to work or make 

 a noise before that ceremony is over, or during the 

 preparation of it, if he wishes to be on good terms 

 with the king and people. 



The tender having returned with the boats of 

 the Porpoise from surveying the straits opposite 

 Goat Island, we received on board Tubou Total 

 and Corodowdow, together with their suites; and I 

 was happy to be able to give the Rev. Mr. Hunt a 

 passage to Rewa, whither I intended proceeding 

 on my return to Levuka. Mr. Hunt was going for 

 the purpose of offering to take the charge of the 

 children of the Rev. Mr. Cargill, who had met with 

 the melancholy loss of his wife shortly after the 

 Peacock had left Rewa. From this gentleman I 

 obtained much information, and found that he con- 

 firmed a great deal of that which I have already 

 given. He was obliging enough to act as my in- 

 terpreter on many occasions afterwards. 



The Porpoise parted company with the Vin- 

 cennes on the 8th May, off the island of Fulanga. 

 From this time, until June 9th, when I met her at 

 Somu-somu, Lieutenant - Commandant Ringgold 

 had been engaged in the survey of the eastern 

 islands of the group. It is now time that I 

 should revert to the operations in which he had 

 been engaged. 



The survey under Lieutenant - Commandant 

 Ringgold was begun at the south-east island, 

 called Ongea. There are, in fact, two islands in- 

 closed in the same reef, called Ongea-levu and 

 Ongea-riki. A good entrance was found on the 

 north-west side of the reef, and a harbour, to which 

 the name of Port Refuge was given ; but there is 

 little or no inducement to enter it, for the islands 

 are barren, and no water is to be found. A few 

 wretched inhabitants are on them. 



Three miles to the southward and eastward of 

 Ongea is a dangerous reef and sand-bank, called 

 Nugu Ongea. 



Fulanga was the next examined. This is a fine 

 island, surrounded by the usual coral reef, which 

 has an entrance through it on the north-east side 

 (suitable for small vessels), that expands into a 

 large basin, with many islets and reefs, where 

 large quantities of biche -de - mar have been 

 gathered. The boats circumnavigated this island, 

 and their crews were on shore all night, in conse- 

 quence of having been obliged to return to the 

 place where they first began their work, and of 

 there being no possibility of passing over the reef 



to enable them to join the brig before the night 

 closed in. They were kindly treated. 



During the night a heavy squall was experienced 

 from the north-north-west, with vivid lightning 

 and rain ; but the following day proved fine. In 

 the morning the boats rejoined the brig, and 

 brought off a native who gave his name as Tiana, 

 and through Jim, the interpreter, they gathered 

 the information that the island is subject to Tui 

 Neau, king of Lakemba. He also gave the 

 names of all the islands in sight. He knew our 

 flag, and spoke of vessels often visiting this 

 island. 



The boats left the brig in the afternoon, under 

 the pilotage of Tiana, finished the survey of the 

 island, and made the west bluff of Fulanga, by 

 triangulation, one hundred and fifty feet high. 

 They then returned, bringing on board a chief of 

 the island, whose name was Soangi, and the native 

 missionary from Tonga, called Toia. Neither of 

 them had any covering but the maro. They re- 

 mained on board all night. 



This island is one of those on which fine timber 

 grows, and is, therefore, resorted to by the Vavao 

 and Friendly islanders for building canoes. Three 

 of these were seen in the process of construction, 

 under a long shed, one of which, on measurement, 

 was found to be one hundred and two feet long, 

 seven feet wide, and five feet deep, of a beautiful 

 model ; the other two were somewhat smaller. 

 The builders said that they were constructing 

 them for a Vavao chief, called Salomon, for the 

 Tonga war. The work was performed under a 

 contract, and the price agreed on was to be paid in 

 whales' teeth, axes, guns, &c. Salomon was at the 

 village, and went off with Lieutenant-Commandant 

 Ringgold to the brig, for the purpose of accompa- 

 nying him to the other islands. He was a re- 

 markably handsome man, and resembled the Tonga 

 chiefs more than the other Feejees. 



Leaving Fulanga Lieutenant-Commandant Ring- 

 gold bore away for Kambara, having first surveyed 

 the small island of Moramba, which is half a mile 

 in diameter. It is well wooded, and is surrounded 

 by a reef, but offers no facilities to vessels. 



Enkaba, which is two miles long by one wide, is 

 inhabited, well wooded, and has a breach in the 

 reef, but no harbour. 



Kambara was the next island in course. It is 

 of a rectangular form, is about three miles and a 

 half long and two wide, and is the westernmost of 

 what I have termed the Eastern Group. It is 

 fertile and well wooded ; its timber is esteemed 

 above that of all the other islands of the group for 

 canoe-building; and cocoa-nut groves abound along 

 its shores. The island is not entirely surrounded 

 by the reef, which is wanting on the north-west 

 side. On examination it proved to have no anchor- 

 age for large vessels, but small ones and boats may 

 find protection. This island may be known by a 

 remarkable bell-shaped peak on its north-west side, 

 which is a good landmark. It is covered with 

 rich verdure, and was found to be three hundred 

 and fifty feet high. 



Tabanaielli is a small uninhabited island on the 

 western side of Kambara. 



Nainuka, which was the next to claim attention, 

 has a very extensive reef surrounding it, and 

 offers no anchorage. There are but few natives 

 upon it. 



