492 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



and doubted its existence. Steering; for Levuka Harbour, with the islands of Anjmu, 

 Nairai, Mbatiki, Wakaya, Makogai, and Ovalau in sight, no difficulty was experienced 

 in ascertaining the position of the ship. At 1.30 p.m. the leading marks through the 

 reefs into Levuka were seen, and the vessel sailed into the harbour, anchoring at 2 p.m 

 off the town. 



The two beacon-houses, or light-boxes, were very indistinctly seen from seaward, and 

 the old mission house, used for Government purposes, could not be distinguished from 

 the surrounding buildings until close to the shore. 



Levuka. — The Expedition remained at Levuka until the evening of August 1st, 

 obtaining sights at the old observing position of Captain Denham, at the mission 

 house, and completing the store of coals from a vessel which had been freighted from 

 Sydney for the purpose. 



On the 31st July, a party of officers and naturalists left Levuka in the barge for a 

 trip to Mbau and Eewa, thence to sail across to Kandavu Island. The following is an 

 account of this excursion from Mr. Moseley's Journal : — 



"At 6 a.m. on July 31st, I started on a cruise in one of the ship's boats, called the 

 barge, to the island of Mbau, and the Wai Levu, with a party which was to join the ship 

 again at Kandavu. There being little wind all day, we failed in reaching Mbau on the 

 first day, but arriving in its neighbourhood about dusk, we mistook a projecting head- 

 land of Viti Levu, 1 some miles north of Mbau, for the island of Viwa, and a small island 

 lying off this headland for Mbau. It was impossible to distinguish in the gloom What 

 were islands and what promontories, against the dark background of the Viti Levu coast. 

 All around Mbau, Viwa, and the neighbouring coast are extensive shallow coral and mud 

 flats, the mud being brought down by one of the mouths of the river Wai Levu, which 

 opens in the direction of Mbau. After making several attempts to reach the island which 

 we supposed to be Mbau, and constantly grounding on the coral, we anchored in a deep 

 channel between the coral flats for the night. In the early morning we made out Mbau, 

 conspicuous from the white house of the missionary upon its summit, and soon reached it. 

 . " Mbau is a very small island, not more than half a mile in circumference, and consists 

 of a central hill, of about 50 feet elevation, with a flat area at its top, and bounded by 

 steep grass-covered slopes, surrounded by a tract of flat ground. The central mass is 

 composed of a friable stratified rock, of a greyish or reddish colour. An exactly similar 

 rock composes the mainland immediately opposite the island, and the strata there 

 correspond in inclination with those of Mbau. The central mass of the island is thus a 

 small detached fragment left standing by the denuding waves. The passage between the 

 mainland and Mbau is so shallow as to be fordable at high water, and is nearly dry at low 

 water. The flat lower part of Mbau, which is raised only a few feet above the sea, con- 



1 Viti Levu (pronounced Veetee lay voo). Levu means " great." Settlers often clip the u, and talk of " Viti lib." 



