320 M A L O L O. 



own life, with those of several of his officers and men, and a conse- 

 quent abandonment of the object. The retreat was succeeded by the 

 expulsion from the island of the missionaries and Christian party. It 

 is supposed that if a longer time had been allowed the chief of Bea, 

 all its inhabitants would have come over quietly to the Christian 

 party, under the fear of the storming and taking of the place, for they 

 had but little idea that they could withstand the attack of a white or 

 Papalangi force. 



On the morning of the 8th, we left Somu-somu and stood to the 

 northward for the Ringgold Isles. These are seven in number, and 

 were surrounded by extensive reefs. The highest of the group, called 

 Budd Island, was ascended : it is composed of volcanic scoria and large 

 blocks of lava, rising to the height of eight hundred feet, and has an 

 almost perfect crater in its centre. The outside, or rim, of this crater 

 forms the island, and is very narrow at the top ; its inner side is quite 

 perpendicular, while its outside is generally inclined at an angle of 

 fifty or sixty degrees, although in places it is almost perpendicular ; 

 the climbing is, however, made comparatively easy by the assistance 

 of the roots of the trees that grow upon it, of which some of large size 

 are near its base. The other islands in its neighbourhood we did not 

 land on : they are uninhabited, except at the turtle season ; they are 

 barren rocks, and too dangerous to be approached by a vessel, the 

 reefs extending as far as the eye can reach. 



Having succeeded in making all the requisite observations, we 

 returned to the tender, and left Ringgold Isles, with the intention of 

 anchoring under Rambe ; but we were benighted before we reached 

 the reef; and as our pilots did not know where the entrance was, I 

 determined to proceed to Unda Point, off which we arrived near 

 midnight, and lay-to until daylight. 



On the morning of the 9th of August, at daylight, we found our- 

 selves near the island of Chicobea, which is the most northern of the 

 group. We took sights on it, and connected it with Unda Point. 

 The form of Chicobea is oval, and it is formed of two hummocks, of 

 considerable elevation. It is three miles long, southeast and north- 

 west, and one mile and three-quarters wide ; is surrounded by a shore- 

 reef, which has no openings, except for boats, and offers nothing to 

 tempt a vessel to land. We then ran down the reef off the northern 

 side of Vanua-levu, and at noon entered the Sau-sau Passage, which 

 is the first that occurs in connexion with the ship-channel within the 

 reef. There is, however, one tolerably good harbour, called Tibethe, 



