144 CRUISE OF THE ' OUBAQOA: ■ 



all much more elevated than those of the Friendly Group. 

 After having passed through the passage between the reef of 

 Bocatatanoa (or of the great Argo) and the Keids Islands, 

 we found ourselves in the waters of the island of Neau, in 

 face of the anchorage of Lakemba, where the commodore had 

 an idea of stopping, but at the moment of standing in, he 

 changed his mind, and determined to bear off for the pur- 

 pose of reaching Levuka in the island of Ovalau. The 

 weather was very fine, though the heat and humidity were 

 greater than at Tongatabu. Huge swarms of flying fish 

 sported around our ship as we made our way between the 

 reef of Mothe, at the southern extremity of tlie isle of 

 ISTairai, and the island of Ngau. All these islands and others 

 which we sighted were surrounded by reefs and breakers. 

 We saw in the distance a pretty little cutter, which was 

 making its way in the direction of Tongatabu, having a 

 number of natives on board, among whom Ave fancied we 

 saw two white men. 



On July 26, at dawn, the weather glorious, the ' Cura^oa' 

 got up her steam to pass through a number of islands of 

 considerable elevation, curious forms, and all of them sur- 

 rounded by reefs. They had the appearance of being vol- 

 canic, some fertile, some barren, the highest of them attain- 

 ing a clear elevation of more than 2000 feet. We were not 

 long in coming upon the island of Mbau, while in the 

 distance before us, the outline of the island of Viti-Levu, the 

 largest of the Fiji group, began to disclose itself. We now 

 bore down upon Levuka, the port of Ovalau, which pleased 



