404 
CHAPTER XX. 
HISTORICAL REMARKS ON FIJI.—DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS.—SANDAL- 
WOOD TRADERS.—EARLY WHITE SETTLERS.—MISSIONARIES.—FOREIGN- 
ERS AT PRESENT RESIDING IN THE GROUP.—MY DEPARTURE FROM FIJI 
IN THE ‘STAGHOUND. —TERRIFIC STORM OFF LORD HOWE’S ISLAND.— 
ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY.—RETURN TO ENGLAND.—CONCLUSION. 
Berore bidding farewell to the islands, I must say a few 
words about their history as connected with the white 
race. In the year 1643, Abel Jansen Tasman, when ex- 
ploring the South Seas, discovered, between longitudes 
19° 50’ E. and 180° 8’ W., a group of islands which he 
named “ Prince William’s Island,” and which the inhabi- 
tants collectively term “Viti,” and the Tonguese, who can- 
not pronounce the v, as well as other nations who have 
not this excuse, erroneously designate as “ Fiji,” spelt in 
a variety of ways. Although nearly two centuries have 
elapsed since the event, this archipelago of more than 
two hundred islands was only nominally known until 
visited by D’Urville and Wilkes; Captain Cook, who 
merely sighted Vatoa or Turtle Island, Captain Bligh, 
who twice passed through parts of this group, and 
Captain Wilson, of the ‘ Duff, whose vessel was nearly 
lost on the reef off Taviuni, having scarcely added 
any save secondhand information to our stock of know- 
ledge. 
