HARBORS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 294, 14 August 1860, Page 4

HARBORS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS.

From the shore we step to the reefs. These are grey barriers of rock, either continuous or broken, and of all varieties of. outline, their upper surface ranging from a few yards to miles in width. , The seaward edge, over which the breakers curve, while worn smoother, stands higher than the surface a few feet within, where the waves pitch with a ceaseless and heavy fall. Enclosed by the reef is the lagoon, like a calm lake, underneath the waters of which spread those beautiful subaqueous gardens which fill the beholder with delighted wonder. Shore or attached reefs, sea or barrier reefs, beds, patches, or knolls of reef, with sunken rocks and sandbanks, so abound in Fiji and its neighborhood as to make it an ocean labyrinth of unusual intrioaoy, and difficulty of navigation. The coral formation found here to so vast an extent has long furnished an interesting subject for scientiac research, and proved a plentiful source of ingenious conjecture; while the notion has found general favor, that these vast reefs and islands owe their structure chiefly to a microscopic zoophyte, —the coral insect. Whether by the accumulated deposit of their exuvice, or by the lime-secretion of their gelatinous bodies, or the decomposition of those bodies when dead, these minute polypes, we are told, are the actual builders of islands and reefs; the lapse of ages being required to raise the edifice to the level of the highest tide ; after which, the formation, of a soil by drifting substances, the planting of the island with seeds borne by birds or washed up by the waves, and, lastly, the arrival of inhabitants, are all set forth in due order with the exactness of a formula based upon the simplest observation. A theory so pretty as this could not fail to become popular, while men of note have strengthened it by the authority of their names. Close and constant inspection, however, on the part of those who have had the fullest opportunity for research, is altogether opposed to this pleasingly interesting and plausible scheme. Wasting and not growth, ruin and not building up, characterise tbe lands and rock-beds of the southern seas. Neither does the ingenious bypothesis of Darwin, that equal gain and loss— rising in one part and depression in another— —are taking place, seem to be supported by the best ascertained fact; for the annular configuration of reef which this theory pre-supposes, is by no means the most general. "In all the reefs and islands of coral that I have examined," writes Commodore Wilkes, "there are undeniable signs that they are undergoing dissolution;" a conclusion in which my own observation leads me entirely to- concur. The operation of the polyps is undoubtedly seenin the beautiful madrepores, brain-corals, and other similar structures which, still living, cover and adora the surface; but a few inches beneath, the reef is invariably a collection of loose materials, and shows no regular corralline structure as would have been the case if it had been the 'work of the lithophyte." These corals rarely reach the height of three feet, while many never exceed so many inches. The theory stated above assumes that the polyps work up to the height of a full tide. Such is not the case. I am myself acquainted with reefs to the extent of several thousands of miles, all of which are regularly overflowed by the tide twice iv twentyfour hours, and, at high water, are from four to six feet below the surface; all being a few inches above low-water mark, but none reaching to the high-tide level. But whatever may be the origin of the reefs, their great utility is certain. The danger caused by their existence will diminish in proportion as their position and outline become better known by more accurate and minute survey than has yet been made. To the navigator possessing such exact information, these far stretching ridges of rock become vast breakwaters, within the shelter of ■which he is sure to find a safe harbor, the calm of which he is in strange, becase so sudden, contrast with the stormy sea outside. In many cases a perfect dock is thus found ; in some large enough to accomodate several vessels, with a depth of from three to twelve fathoms. Besides these, a number of bays, indenting the coast of the large islands, afford good anchorage, and vary in depth from two to thirty miles. Into these the mountain streams disembogue, depositing the mud flats found in some of them, and rendering the entrance to the river shallow. Still the rivers furnishing a ready supply of fresh water, increase the value of the bays as harbors for shipping. By thess Fiji invites commerce to her shores; and in these a beneficient Creator is seen providing for the prospective wants of the group, ready built ports for the shelter of those " who go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters." To such persons the winds are a subject of prime interest. During eight months —from April to November—the prevailing winds blow from the E.N.E. to the S.E., when there is often a fresh trade wind for many successive days, mitigating to some extent the tropical heat. These winds, however, are not so uniform as elsewhere. During the rest of the year there is much variation, the wind often blowing from the north, from which quarter it is most unwelcome. This—the tohalau —is a hot wind, by which the air becomes so rarified as to render respiration difficult. The months most to be feared by seamen are February and March. Heavy gales sometimes blow in January ; hence these three are often called " the hurricane months." The morning land breezes serve to modify the strong winds in the neighborhood of the large islands.-— Fiji and Fijians.