196 
CBUISE OF E.M.S . CHALLENGES. 
efforts of the missionaries, who have been engaged 
amongst them since 1835* 
Our stay at Kandavu occupied over a week ; and 
on finishing the survey of the harbour there was 
nothing further to detain us ; so on the morning of 
10th August steam was up, and a course shaped 
through the barrier of reefs encircling the island. 
When clear, the vessel was swung for magnetic and 
azimuth corrections ; after which she proceeded 
for the islands of the New Hebrides, a group 
about 500 miles distant. The run was not marked 
by any particular incident, but it was in every re- 
spect pleasant and agreeable. The south-east trades 
wafted us well on our way, and sounding and 
dredging were very frequent, and showed that 
the Fijis and New Hebrides are joined by a bank 
with from 1300 to 1400 fathoms’ depth of water 
on it. Other depths showed from 2000 to 2600 
fathoms; and on nearly every occasion some new 
and interesting creature was brought up, thus 
adding more and more to the already vast collec- 
tion on board. 
On the evening of the 17th we sighted some of 
the eastern islands of the New Hebrides, passing 
very near to Mai or Three Hill Islands, and a small 
cluster known as the Shepherd group. 
The next day we were off the island of Api, 
where it was intended to land; for before leaving 
Fiji, a number of labour hands, who had com- 
