Harb *ur of Ndronji*.— Island uf Mulaki. 

 tsuricy t.rs.inilal«ood Bay. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



nimba ilimba Point.— Towti of Mulhuata. 

 PcBcock leave* Mulhimta. 



241 



entered die reef that surrounds Mhcngn through 

 a shallow passage, and anchored ufl' a deep har- 

 bour, where they remained for the night. 



Mbeugn, like all the targe inlands of this group, 

 is basaltic. Its shape is an oval, five miles long 

 by three wide. 



' The boats now visited Bird Island, lying in the 

 passage between Mbcngn Heef and Vitilevu. The 

 reef off tliis part of Vitilevu neiu-ly joins that of 

 Mbonga. Two miles beyond this. Lieutenant Em- 

 mons entered a well-sheltered harbour, where the 

 boats stayed over-night. About three miles to the 

 westward of it, they found another similarly sitn- 

 ated, after which they continued to proceed down 

 the coast, along the reef, without meeting any 

 harbour until after dark, when they succeeded in 

 getting into the exposed one of Ndronga. 



The harbour (if so it may be called) of I 

 Ndronga, affords no protection against the south- 

 west winds, and \s only suitable for small ves- 

 sels. The anchorage is in five fathoms water. 

 The reef from this point westward increases in 

 distance from the shore from one to two miles. 



Five miles beyond this harbour they came to 

 the Malolo Island Passage, where the great sea- 

 reef from the westward joins, having two en- ; 

 trances, the largest of which I have named the 

 Malolo Passage. That to the eastward, which I 

 failed the Navula Passage, they {Missed through 

 and anchored at night under the town of 

 Navula. 



On the 26th, Lieutenant Emmons gained Ba, 

 the point where his work was to terminate, and be 

 j i lined by that of the other parties. On the 28th 

 they went alongside of the Peacock, lifter having 

 been in the boat* seventeen days. 



The Peacock now' took the launch and cutter in 

 tow, and htHMMI beating up for the purpose of reach- 

 ing the Malaki Island*, in order to take a departure 

 from Am boa Bay. 



On the 2nd <>f June, they reached and lauded on 

 the inland of Malaki, which is a high islet, divided 

 from the large island by a narrow strait, near which 

 is the lo wu of Rake-rake, which is also subject to 

 A m ban. 



Malnki has the appearance of having once been 

 well cultivated. This island is eight hundred feet 

 high, and on the top are the remains of a fortifica- 

 tion of stone, whose walls are four feet high, but- 

 rounded by a tm>at several feet deep, and ten feet 

 wide. 



On the 8th June, Captain Hudson set about the 

 survey of Sandalwood Bay. lie then, with the 

 naturalist* and many of the officers, visited the 

 shore. There are three rivers that flow into the 

 bu\ ; tin* middle one of tht^se they entered, It has 

 two entrances for Ijoats. It is bordered on each 

 side by extensive mud-flats, which are bare at low 

 water for a considerable distance. Part* of these 

 flats are covered by thick maugrove-bushes, among 

 which many women and children were seen catch- 

 ing a large' kind of crab, whilst flocks of paroquets 

 were flying around them. This river is about two 

 hundred feet wide, and very tortuous. 



The town, named Vatunm, is situated about a 

 mile up the river. The entrance to it is through a 

 hollow way, to pass tlirough which it was almost 

 necessary to creep. 



About one-fourth of a mile from Vaturua is an- 

 other town, called Matainole, w hich also belongs to 



Tui Mora, and i* in all respects similar to the 

 other. 



In the afternoon of the 10th, Captain Hudson 

 gut ninler way, although nearly all the officers and 

 men w. re still at work on the survey, and anchored 

 the ship off the northern point of Mbua Bay. Thi< 

 point is called Dimba-dimba, and is considered by 

 the natives as sacred ground; it is kept strictly 

 from any kind of disturbance, for it is supposed to 

 be inhabited by the spirits of the deported, and to 

 be the place where they embark for the regions of 

 Ndengei. It is a most beautiful spot, and in strong 

 contrast with the surrounding country, which is in 

 many places devoid of trees, while here they flourish 

 as nature has planted theui. 



On tho 12th, Captain Etiglcstou of the Leonidaa 

 came on Itoard, and piloted them to Naloa Bay. 



On the 17th of June, the Peacock left the bay of 

 Nalua, in company with the Leonidns; and on tilt- 

 afternoon of the l!hh, anchored off the town of 

 Mulhuata. 



Tho town of Mulhuata consists of about one 

 hundred houses, built closely together, and is 

 situated in an open valley close to high-water 

 mark. It is very much exposed and unite de- 

 fenceless; has but few trees about it, hut is ono of 

 the best-built towns in the Fcejees. The style of 

 building resembles that of Hewa. Tho king's name 

 is Ndrandrauda; his title, Tui Muthuata. He is 

 old and quite infirm, the result of an attack of 

 elephantiasis in one of his legs, which renders it 

 difficult for him to walk. 



Till Mulhuata has from eighty to one hundred 

 towns under his control j and his territory ex- 

 tends from Unda Point to the island of Tavea, in 

 Naloa Bay. Many of these towns are of small 

 extent, anil contain but few inhabitants ; and I 

 found that to estimate the population by tho report 

 of the chiefs themselves, would give erroneous 

 results. Feejee men lie with great plausibility, 

 and particularly if it is to swell their own import- 

 ance. 



On the 28th, Passed-Midshipm.it] Harrison 

 arrived in the schooner Kai-viti, with the supply 

 of yams, and my orders to the Peacock to join me 

 at Mbua Bay oil the 4th of July. 



On the otii, the Peacock anchored in Mbua Bay, 

 about an hour before the Vmcenucs reached it, all 

 well and in good spirits. 



Upon the junction of the Peacock with the Vin- 

 cennes in Mbua Bay, I had it in my power to 

 examine and collate all the work that we had thus 

 far accomplished. After doing this, I found that 

 so much yet remained to be doue before a thorough 

 survi-y of ihe Feejeo Oroup could be completed, 

 that I must either leave this important duty un- 

 finished, or devote more time to it than had origi- 

 nally been contemplated. I deemed this to be 

 among the most important of the objects of the 

 expedition; and considering that the seas around 

 these islands abound in dangers whose position had 

 up to this time been entirely unknown, I resolved 

 not only to complete the surveys, but not to leave 

 the m-oup until I had entirely satisfied myself of 

 the accuracy of the work. 



In furtherance of the last object, I set all who 

 had been employed in tho service to work in plot- 

 ting and calculating their surveys, while (he fea- 

 tures of the region were yet fresh in their memo- 

 ries. 



it 



