Island of Lakemba. 



Tui Neau, the king of Lakemba. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Islands and reefs surveyed. 

 Tahitian missionaries at Oneata. 



233 



Angasa and three smaller islands are enclosed in 

 one extensive reef, along with several small un- 

 inhabited islets. Angasa is the largest and most 

 eastern of them. It is easily distinguished, and is 

 remarkable for long regular ridges, that extend 

 through the centre, and appear as though they had 

 been artificially formed. 



Ularua is a small desolate island encompassed 

 by an extensive reef. 



To the north of these were found two small 

 islands, Komo-levu and Komo-riki, enclosed in the 

 same reef, through which there is a passage on the 

 north-east side. Good anchorage was found here, 

 except in north-east winds. 



Motha lies to the eastward of Komo. It is one 

 of the most picturesque islands in the group, with 

 an undulating surface ; its hills were more free of 

 wood than those they had before surveyed ; it is 

 about two miles in diametei-, and is surrounded by 

 an extensive reef, through which there is only a 

 boat-entrance on the north shore. Karoni, which 

 is of small size, lies within the same reef, towards 

 its southern end. Motha forms the southern side 

 of what I have called the Oneata Channel ; it is a 

 good landmark to run for in making the group, 

 being high and surrounded with sloping sides. Its 

 soil is rich. Its population consists of a few 

 natives. There are three detached reefs to the 

 eastward, and within a few miles of it. 



Oneata lies north of Motha, and forms the north- 

 ern side of the Oneata Channel. It is of good 

 height, and may readily be known by Observatory 

 Isle to the north-east, two hundred and fifty feet 

 in height, with three lofty trees on its apex. The 

 reef around Oneata is also extensive; it has two 

 good entrances on the north-east side, and three 

 on the west. 



Not being able to pass through the reef of 

 Oneata, Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold bore 

 away to the north-west for Lakemba, which is 

 twelve miles distant. At nine o'clock on the 15th 

 the Porpoise was off its south side, and as the 

 boats were preparing to land, a canoe was seen 

 leaving the beach, having on board the mission- 

 ary, the Reverend Mr. Calvert, belonging to the 

 Wesleyan Society. He had been on the island 

 more than a year, and succeeded the Rev. Messrs. 

 Cargill, Cross, and Jagger, who had removed to the 

 larger and more important islands of the group. 

 Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold and some of the 

 officers returned with him to the island, where they 

 were kindly entertained by him and his lady. Mr. 

 Calvert did not express himself favourably regard- 

 ing the natives, describing them as cruel and blood- 

 thirsty, and said it was the prevailing custom to 

 destroy all shipwrecked persons. Cannibalism, 

 however, is now extinct on this island. 



The king of Lakemba, Tui Neau, was found 

 seated in a large canoe-house, near the landing, 

 with a numerous retinue of almost naked natives 

 about him. He is a corpulent, nasty-looking fellow, 

 and has the unmitigated habits of a savage. He is 

 said to have one hundred wives ! He exercises 

 despotic power over all the surrounding islands, 

 has the character of being a cruel tyrant, and lives 

 in the midst of all kinds of excesses. The settle- 

 ment is dirty and badly built, but has some large 

 houses. 



Mr. Calvert was landed in the evening, and the 

 next morning, the 16th, the brig resumed the sur- 



veying duties, the islands of Komo, Ularua, and the 

 Aivas, (both the high and low,) Oneata, and Motha, 

 all in the neighbourhood of Lakemba, wei-e observed 

 on and explored. 



At night there was a violent squall, accompanied 

 with lightning and rain. Among these islands and 

 numerous reefs, such squalls become very danger- 

 ous, but fortunately they are not of long dura- 

 tion. 



The two Aivas are both uninhabited; they lie 

 between Lakemba and Oneata, and are surrounded 

 by an extensive reef, with the exception of a large 

 opening in the north-east side, which affords an- 

 chorage, exposed, however, to the north-east 

 winds. 



On the 17th they were engaged in exploring the 

 great Argo Reef. Its native name is Bocatatanoa, 

 and it is one of the most extensive and dangerous 

 in the group. Its English name is derived from the 

 loss (on its south-east end) of the English brig Argo, 

 which happened in the year 1806. 



The outlying reefs off Angasa and Motha, were 

 also examined and surveyed. Lieutenant-Comman- 

 dant Ringgold then proceeded towards Oneata. 

 Here they found excellent anchorage, under Ob- 

 servatory Isle, near a settlement on the north-east 

 side of the island. A second anchorage is to be 

 found off the west side of the island, near a 

 large sandy bay. No water is to be had here, 

 except from wells, but there is abundance of 

 fruit, vegetables, and poultry. The population is 

 two hundred. Two Tahitian missionaries were 

 found here, and about one-half of the people are 

 Christians. 



The Tahitian missionaries prepossessed all in 

 their favour by their quiet and orderly behaviour. 

 They have many recommendations from the for- 

 mer visitors to the island. They have been on 

 Oneata upwards of twenty years, having been 

 placed there, as they said, by Mr. Williams, who 

 was the pioneer for so many years in the mis- 

 sionary field, in which service he lost his valuable 

 life. 



Observatory Island was made one of the mag- 

 netic stations, and Lieutenant- Commandant Ring- 

 gold also obtained there a full set of observations 

 for latitude and azimtfth, sights for chronometers, 

 and a round of angles on all the islands and reefs 

 in sight. The weather being unfavourable, they 

 did not succeed in finishing the survey of Oneata 

 and its reefs until the 23d. Tiana, the pilot whom 

 they took on board at Fulanga, was here parted 

 with. He had proved very serviceable, and pos- 

 sessed much knowledge of this part of the group. 

 Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold gave him his 

 discharge with many presents, and a certificate of 

 his good conduct and abilities as a pilot. 



The officers frequently visited the shore. The 

 natives seemed to vie with each other as to who 

 should appear most in the European garb. The 

 native missionaries, and some others, wore ruffled 

 shirts marked P. Dillon. These, with a straw hat, 

 constituted their only clothing, except the maro. 



The southern side of Oneata is a mass of lava, 

 somewhat resembling the clinkers of the Sandwich 

 Islands. This rock is comparatively recent, hav- 

 ing undergone but a slight decomposition. Deep 

 chasms were occasionally met with. The whole is 

 partially covered with vines and creepers, and the 

 shore was lined with mangroves. 



