FEEJEE GROUP. 321 
The appearance of the vegetation shows this difference of climate 
more strongly than the thermometer ; for on the lee side, the islands 
have a barren and burnt appearance, while the weather sides exhibit 
a luxuriant tropical vegetation. 
Our stay in this group was not long enough to enable us to speak 
of the vicissitudes of the seasons, yet we had time to observe a great 
change in the plants, whose flowers succeeded each other, It is by 
these that the natives are guided in their agricultural occupations. 
Thus the scarlet flowers of the Erythrina indica, mark the season of 
planting, and, according to some of the white residents, the natives 
encourage the growth of this plant near the towns, for the purpose of 
pointing out the proper time for this important operation in agriculture. 
The mean temperature at Ovolau, during the six weeks that the 
observatory was established there, was 77:°81°. The barometer stood 
at 30126 in. The lowest temperature was 62°; the highest 96°. The 
first occurred at 4 a. m. on the 23d, the last at 2 p. m. on the 25th June. 
The only bad weather that was experienced in the Feejee Group, 
was from the 7th to the 11th July, during which time the wind blew 
constantly from the southeast, and was attended with a light rain. 
The winds, from April to November, prevail from the east-northeast 
to southeast quarter, at times blowing a fresh trade-wind. From No- 
vember to April northerly winds are often experienced, and in the 
months of February and March heavy gales are frequent. They 
usually begin at the northeast, and pass around to the north and north- 
west, from which quarters they blow with most violence ; then hauling 
to the westward, they moderate. They generally last two or three 
days. A very heavy gale was experienced from 22d of February to 
the 25th, which may have been the same that was felt by us at New 
Zealand, on the 1st of March. If they were connected, it would make 
the vortex upwards of six hundred miles in diameter. The only data 
I was enabled to get, at all to be depended upon, was from Captain 
Eagleston, who was lying in his ship under Toba Peak, on the north 
shore of Vitilevu. The gale began from the northeast, with heavy 
rain, on the morning of the 22d. During the night, and morning of the 
23d, it was more to the north, increasing with violent gusts. They let 
go a third anchor, and sent down the topmasts and lower yards. On 
the 24th, the gale was the same, attended with much rain and wind, 
hauling to the westward at midnight of the 25th. It became north- 
west in the morning, when it began to moderate, the wind hauling 
gradually to the southward, when it cleared off. The missionaries 
could give me no further information, than that the gale had lasted four 
days. This gale was not felt at Tonga, although they had strong winds 
VOL, TIT. 41 
