In tercntirac between tfw Feejee and Tonga 

 hhiulcrs.— Departure fruin Tuitgatabou. 



Tom Cranby.— r>eparturc from 

 TongaUbou. 



early in the morning. Well IimIlllpMllllt1l||L from 

 the interview I had with King George in relation to 

 The Currency Law, his feelings on the suljject, (for 

 the abduction of these very wunien from the, island 

 of Vavao had been the cause of the difficulty,) 1 

 immediately ordered them to he landed. I did 

 this because J was not willing to have an appear- 

 ance of inconsistency in the minds of these nutives, 

 iti first blaming conduct 1 thought unwarrantable 

 in Captain Wilson, and then doing the same act 

 myself. Had I taken any other course, it would 

 no doubt have provoked aggression upon the first 

 American vessel that visited any of tho ports of 

 this group. My commiseration and that of many 

 of the oincers was excited at the sight of those 

 poor defenceless creatures, who were desirous to 

 return to their native island, and who had made 

 auch strenuous efforts to accomplish their wishes; 

 but my public duty was too well defined for me to 

 allow 'their tears and entreaties to prevail over 

 higher considerations. 



The intercourse between the Feejee and Tonga 

 islanders, has been of late years frequent; the 

 Utter are more inclined to leave their homes than 

 the former, and when a Tongese has onco visited 

 tho Feejee Group and returns safely, he is looked 

 upon M ft traveller. In Tonga they consider and 

 look up to tho Feejee islanders as more polished, 

 and their opinions are viewed with much respect; 

 this one not only observes in their conversation, 

 but they show it in adopting their manners and 

 customs, and tho attention and deference they pay 

 to the opinion** of those who have visited or belong 

 to that group; from them they obtain their canoes, 

 and have learned the art of sailing and navigating 

 them ; and from the situation of their inlands, 

 being more exposed to a rough ocean, they ore 

 probably now belter and more adventurous navi- 

 gators. " This intercourse is kept up more particu- 

 larly with the eastern islands of tho Feejeea: at 

 Lakctnha we found many of them residing. When 



Qoolt visited this group, little was known of the 

 Feejees. Thirty years afterwards, during tho time 

 Mariner resided on fh<> Tonga Island-, the inter- 

 course and information had become greater and 

 mure accurate; and nt the period of our visit, wo 

 heard of many things that were passing in that 

 group ns familiar topics; and we found among them 

 many Tongese who were enjoying the hospitality 

 of their western neighbours. The prevailing winds 

 are in favour of the intercourse on the side of the 

 Tongese, which may in some measure account for 

 it; and the favour with which they have always 

 been received, and the flattering accounts thowc 

 who returned have given of their reception, may 

 in some measure account for the desire they 

 always evince to pay the Feejee Group a visit. In 

 a very few years, through the intercourse that will 

 he brought about by the missionaries, there will be 

 os much passing to and fro between them, an there 

 is now among the several islands of either group, 

 which will hove a great tendency to advance the 

 civilization of both. 



Previous to my departure, a sailor by the name 

 of Tom Granby desired to have a passage to the 

 Feejees, and although I entertained always much 

 suspicion of the vagabonds who frequent the dif- 

 ferent inlands, Tom's countenance was so very 

 prepossessing, and his modesty as to his capabilities 

 as a pilot such as to satisfy me that he was not one 

 of the runaways or convicts; he was, besides, as he 

 informed me, a resident of the island of Ovoku. 1 

 had already made up my mind that this island 

 should be the first place the squadron should go 

 to, on account of its central position, which, if the 

 harbour proved convenient, offered tho best point 

 whence to superintend the duties and to fix my 

 observatory at; Tom was therefore taken on board, 

 and remained with us during the whole time we 

 were in die Feejee Group, and 1 was well satisfied 

 with him ; in short, he did not belie his counte- 

 nance. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



FEEJEE GROUP. ISLAND OF OVOLAU. 

 departure from tonciataboo— thk porpoise detached— entrance into the rmtE oroup— arrival at 



LRTVEA — TUl LEVUEA— MESSAGE SENT TO KINO TANOA— FLAK! OF OPERATION — TENDER 0* Tn E Silt p LEON 1 D A B 



— excursion to the pear or akdclosg — ohjitrvatort established— boats detached to survet— 



— ORDERS TO THE OFFICERS — ARRIVAL OF THE PLTING-PISII — PKEC ACTIONS — A MM VA L OF TANOA— HIS RECF.P- 

 TIOX AT LEVOK A— HIS VISIT TO THE VINCENNES— HIS ADOPTION OP THE RULES AND REGTLATIONS— HIS RDTTE 

 — IH» IECORD TUIT— DtSTRlCTS OF OTOLAU — LABOURS OF TDI LEVCKA— XCLIXG POWER IN OVOLAU — TOWN op 

 LEVUKA— DISTRICTS OF THE FEE J RE GROUP— RECEXT BISTORT OF AH RAH— INTRODUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS — 

 RKION OF f LI VOl'— ACT ESS t ON OF TANOA— WAR WITH SEW A — REBELLION AGAINST TANOA — niS TRIUMPHAL 

 RETDRN — DISTURBANCES BETWEEN A M It A 1 AND REWA — PREPARATIONS PoR MARINO A 0 A R DEN — ROTAL PRE- 

 SENT FROM TANOA— DEATH OF DAVID BATEM AN— VISIT FROM SERU— HIS RECEPTION ON BOARD THE T1N- 

 CENNES— VISIT FROM FADDY CONK EL— II I * IlJdToRY. 



At daylight on the 4 th of May, 1840, the squadron 

 got under way from the harbour of Nukualofa, and 

 passing without the reefs through a narrow passage, 

 safely bore off to tho westward under all soil, 

 having the wind from east-north-east. At meridian 

 we had the islands of Honga Tonga and ilonga 

 llopai to the north of ub; these are lx*th high, and 



are distant from Tonga twenty-seven miles. On 

 tho flth we had o sight of Turtle Island, and deter- 

 mined it to be in longitude 17«° 33' W., latitude 

 1!3° 48' S.*; it has the appearance of o small 



* Subsequent oWrvatlotis by the I'orpoisc, place it in 

 lonjritutle I78 15 SI" 13" W.. latitude 10° W S. 



