Island of Nukalau. Anchor at Levuka. 

 Islands surveyed by Lieutenant Underwood. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Town of Corobamba. 



237 



curred to me to mention men-of-war as being free, 

 feeling assured that they would all very readily 

 give five times the amount of the articles required 

 in presents. But it appears that Captain Belcher 

 did not think proper to make the customary pre- 

 sent, and the chiefs refused to allow any supplies 

 to go to his vessel until he should comply with the 

 rules. This incensed the captain, and caused him 

 to take offence at the missionaries, who he sup- 

 posed prevented the supplies from being sent. I 

 well knew, however, that they were guiltless. He 

 likewise broke out into strong invectives against 

 the chiefs, declaring that it was impossible they 

 could understand the rules, &c., although the 

 whole proceeding showed they were not only con- 

 versant with their meaning, but also with the 

 power they had in their hands of compelling the 

 visiter to pay. 



Nukalau is 'a low, sandy island, well covered 

 with wood. On the eastern side it has an exten- 

 sive coral reef; but the western is clear, and may 

 be approached closely. There is a pool of water 

 on the island, but no one could water a ship there 

 without the risk of causing sickness on board. 



In the morning, before daylight, we got under 

 way, on our return to Ovolau. The day having 

 proved calm, we were at sunset yet some distance 

 from the island. I concluded, therefore, to lay 

 under Ambatiki for the night, and by 10 A.M. on 

 the 18th, we again anchored at Levuka. 



Lieutenant Underwood and Passed-Midshipman 

 Sandford I found had returned from the survey of 

 the islands of Angau, Nairai, and Ambatiki, to the 

 eastward of Ovolau. David Whippy, the Maticum 

 Ambau, had been sent with them as an interpreter, 

 and to hold proper authority over the natives. 



The first island which had occupied their atten- 

 tion was Ambatiki. It is in shape nearly an equi- 

 lateral triangle, surrounded by a reef, which offers 

 no protection for vessels, and only passages for 

 boats. The island is seven hundred and fifty feet 

 high, of a dome shape, and contains five hundred 

 inhabitants, all subject (or ygah) to Ambau. The 

 people were civil, and gave them taro and yams in 

 plenty, but would not part with any pigs. The 

 reason given for this was, their fear of Tanoa. 

 They live in villages, and seem thriving. The 

 island has very little wood on it. The reefs extend 

 one-third of a mile from its shore. 



Nairai was the next island visited by them. 

 They first anchored on the west end of the Ono- 

 ruga Reef, that extends off from the middle of 

 Nairai, five miles in a westerly direction. There 

 is a passage between this and the Mothea, or Eliza 

 Reef, stretching off from the island towards the 

 south ; and there are also a good passage and har- 

 bour between the reef and the island. The Cobu 

 Rock is a good mark for the former passage, when 

 it bears east. It lies a mile south of the south 

 point of Nairai. 



The boats anchored in the harbour of Venemole, 

 which may be known by two small islets, joined to 

 Nairai by the reef, which forms a protection 

 against the north winds; and vessels of any draught 

 of water may anchor here in fifteen fathoms, with 

 good bottom, from a quarter to half a mile from 

 the shore. Somewhat farther to the southward is 

 a three-fathom bank, which is the only danger that 

 exists inside the reef towards the Cobu Rock or 

 south-west passage. About a mile to the north is 



Venemole Bay. It is circular, with a narrow 

 entrance, affording, seemingly, a good harbour; 

 but, on examination, this entrance proved to be 

 quite shallow. The bay had the appearance of 

 having been an old crater; at low water, it may 

 almost be said to become a lake. The officers 

 were much struck with the beauty of the bay. It 

 contains a village of the same name, and also 

 another, called Tulailai; but both are small. The 

 natives were quite peaceable. 



They anchored at night off the town of Toaloa, 

 which lies in a bight at the north end of the island, 

 and proved the largest town on the island. Here 

 David Whippy, acting as the " Maticum Ambau," 

 obtained for them all kinds of provisions, and, by 

 his exertions all night in superintending the cook- 

 ing, they were prevented from being delayed the 

 next day. Whippy told me that this island held a 

 medium between mbati and ygali to Ambau, being 

 not exactly hi that state of servitude that the last 

 would imply, nor yet as free as the first. 



Nairai is famous for its manufactures of mats, 

 baskets, &c., a large trade in which is carried on 

 throughout the group by exchanges. 



The reef extends from the island four miles 

 northward, and, where it ends, turns for a short 

 distance to the westward. There are a few patches 

 of rock on its western side, but none farther from 

 it than half a mile. This is the reef on which the 

 Flying-Fish struck on entering the group, and 

 where she came near being lost. It does not join 

 the island, but is connected with the Mothea, or 

 Eliza Reef ; and there is, between it and the 

 island, a good ship channel, leading to the large 

 bay of Corobamba. On the eastern side of thi 

 bay, there is safe anchorage, in thirteen fathoms 

 water, with a whi^e sandy bottom. The reef, ex- 

 tending as it does to the southwai-d for a long dis- 

 tance, protects it from the sea in that direction. 

 A broad passage leads from Corobamba to the 

 southward, and then passes between Cobu and 

 Nairai to the south-west pass through the reef. 

 The only danger is a small coral patch, lying 

 east-south-east, a mile from the south end of the 

 island, and a mile north of Cobu Rock. 



The town of Corobamba lies at the bottom of 

 the bay, and is next in size to Toaloa. The Cobu 

 Rock is a singular one. It is inaccessible on three 

 sides, of volcanic formation, and is enclosed by the 

 Mothea Reef, which here spreads to the width of 

 about three miles, and extends four miles farther 

 south, where it forms a rounded point. The eastern 

 side is an unbroken reef, but the western is some- 

 what irregular and broken, with many openings 

 for boats. 



Lieutenant Underwood ascended the Cobu Rock, 

 for the purpose of obtaining angles ; and, after 

 observing these with his instrument, turning to 

 take the compass's bearing, discovered a remark- 

 able effect of local attraction. So great was this, 

 as to cause a deviation of thirteen and a quarter 

 points ; Nairai, which was directly to the north, 

 bearing, by compass, south-east-by-south one 

 quarter south, while, what was quite remarkable, 

 at the foot of the rock, near the water, the same 

 compass gave the bearing north, agreeing with 

 that taken from the opposite bearing on Point 

 Musilana. 



They next fixed the southern point of Mothea 

 Reef. This has obtained the name of the Eliza 



