SITE FOR THE NEW CAPITAL. 69 
gateways, where the Roman Catholic missionaries and 
several French reside. True, this place might be in- 
corporated with Levuka, but it is surrounded by swamps, 
the drainage of which would be a matter of difficulty to 
a young community. 
Ga Loa, or Black Dusk Bay, on the southern side 
of Kadavu, is the next place that recommends itself to 
consideration. Should a steam communication be esta- 
blished from Brisbane, Australia, to Central America, 
and vid Fiji, Ga Loa would recommend itself as a fit 
place for steamers to call at; and I have advocated its 
claims both in the ‘Atheneum’ and before the Royal 
Geographical Society of London, and shall speak of it 
again when describing our movements at Kadavu. But 
I do not think it well suited for the capital of Fiji. 
Kadavu, on which it is situated, is one of the southern- 
most islands, and separated by a sea of more than 
sixty miles from Viti Levu, the principal island, and by 
more than one hundred and fifty miles from the centre 
of Vanua Levu and Taviuni. Small canoes or open boats 
could not venture thither except in fair weather, 
and its isolation would always be against its becoming 
the true metropolis. 
Port Kinnaird offers great advantages, indepen- 
dent of its central position. It is a very fine port, per- 
fectly landlocked ; and if a portion of Moturiki could be 
devoted to a site for a town, it would speedily rise in 
importance,—for Moturiki is probably the finest little 
island in the group. The entrance to Port Kinnaird 
is popularly regarded as difficult and impracticable, 
but a consultation of Captain Denham’s survey proves 
