SOMU-SOMU. 161 



specimen of a Feejee Islander, and bore no slight resemblance to our 

 ideas of an old Roman. His figure was particularly tall and manly, 

 and he had a head fit for a monarch. The king's oldest son now 

 exercises all the powers of king ; he is a large, well-made, and truly 

 savage-looking fellow ; and from the accounts of the missionaries and 

 others, his temper and disposition correspond with his looks. His 

 name is Tui Illa-illa. 



Somu-somu, although one of the chief towns of Feejee, acknow- 

 ledges a sort of subjection to Ambau. The cause of this is found in an 

 ancient tradition of a contest between their respective tutelar spirits, 

 in which the spirit of Somu-somu was overcome, and compelled to 

 perform the tama or salute due to a superior, to the god of Ambau. 



The town of Somu-somu contains about two hundred houses, 

 which are more straggling than any I had yet seen. It is partly 

 built below a bluff, which affords a very safe retreat and strong 

 defence to its inhabitants, and is divided, therefore, into a lower and 

 upper town. The old mbure near the missionaries' house is nearly 

 gone to decay. Here was found the only carved image I saw in the 

 group. It was a small figure cut out of solid wood, and the mission- 

 aries did not seem to think that it was regarded by the people with 

 any reverence. The priest appears to have taken up his abode with 

 the old king, and was apparently held in great reverence. 



The town is situated on the north side of the island of Vuna, which 

 is separated from the island of Vanua-levu, or the large land, by a 

 strait five miles wide in its narrowest part, which I have called the 

 Strait of Somu-somu. The island of Vuna rises gradually to a cen- 

 tral ridge, the height of which, by several measurements, was found 

 to be two thousand and fifty-two feet. The summit is generally 

 covered with clouds. From its gradual rise, and its surface being 

 smoother, it is susceptible of a much higher state of cultivation than 

 the other islands. The soil is a rich reddish loam, and it appears to 

 be considered as the most fruitful of the islands. At the same time, 

 its inhabitants are acknowledged by all to be the most savage. 

 Cannibalism prevails here to a greater extent than any where else. 



The length of Vuna is twenty-five miles, and its breadth five miles. 

 Goat Island is situated about a mile and a half from the large island. 

 Although there is a navigable passage between the two, it is made 

 somewhat intricate by sunken coral knolls and banks of sand. These 

 shoals extend two miles beyond the island, into the strait. The tides 

 are strong, but set through the strait. Calms and light winds prevail, 



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