3

A.—4

Table showing the Area, Population, and Value of Imports and Exports of the undermentioned Countries.

I.—The Islands generally; Mr. Seed.

Tonga oe Feiendly Islands. ■ The Tonga Archipelago is composed of at least 100 islands and islets, comprised between 18° and 20° S. lat., and 174° and 179° W. long. The three islands of Tonga-tabu, Vavao, and Eoa are alone of any extent, which is from fifteen to twenty miles in length. Seven others, namely, Late, Tofua, Kao, Namuka, Lefuga, Eoa, and Haano, are from five to seven miles in their greatest extent. The rest are much smaller. Many of them are only banks of Sand or coral, covered with some tufts of trees. Tofua, Kao, Late, and the two rocks of Hunga Hapai and Hunga Tonga, are sufficiently high to be distinguished at fifteen or twenty leagues off at sea. Eoa, Namuka, and Vavao are of a moderate height; Tonga-tabu and all the rest are very low. The population of the Tonga Islands, as given by the missionaries in 1839, was 18,500; namely, Eoa, 200; Hapai, 4,000; Vavao, 4,000; Keppel's Island, 1,000; Boscawen Island, 1,300; Tongatabu, 8,000. At that time about 4,500 of the natives were Christians, of whom 2,500 were church members. But a later missionary estimate made it very much more, about 50,000, but this is probably excessive (Erskine, p. 161). The group is divided into three Protestant missionary stations, Tonga-tabu, Hapai, and Vavao, at each of which missionaries reside. Tonga-tabu Group. —This is the principal and southernmost group, taking its name from the best known and largest of the islands. It is of the form of an irregular crescent, whose convexity faces the south and the concavity the north, deeply indented by a lagoon of five miles broad and three miles deep. Immense reefs of coral extend six or eight miles off the island on all its north part, and form different channels, with a useful road for any ship that anchors here. Many islets are disseminated on these corals; the greater parts covered with trees. The island itself is nearly a dead level, with the exception of a few hillocks 30 or 40 feet high. Its highest point is 60 feet. Eoa, or Eooa, lies to the south-east of Tonga-tabu; a channel of three leagues broad separates them. Tasman called it Middleburg. The island is about ten leagues in circuit, and is about 600 feet high. It is rocky and barren, and contains only about 203 inhabitants. Namuka Group. —The principal island of this group is that which gives it the name. Namuka is rather higher than the small surrounding islets, but still is low. It is composed of a steep, rugged, coral rock, 9to 10 feet high, except where there are two sandy beaches; defended, however, by coral reefs to seaward. In the centre of the island is a salt-water lake, without communication by the sea, and about one mile and a half broad. Cook found the island to be well cultivated, chiefly with yams and plantains, with bread-fruit and cocoanut trees interspersed. To the north and east of Namuka the sea is sprinkled with a vast number of small islands. They lie scattered at unequal distances, and are in general as high as Namuka, but only from two to three miles in breadth to half a mile in length, and some less. Most of them are entirely clothed with trees, among which are many cocoa palms, and each forms a prospect like a beautiful garden placed in the sea. The Hapai Group is composed of four larger and numerous smaller islands, connected by coral reefs, so that they are considered by the inhabitants as but forming one island. They are Sbfl. very low. Lifuka is not above seven mil'Ss long, and in some places not above two or throe broad. The east side of it, which is exposed to the trade-wind, has a reef running to a considerable breadth from it, on which the sea breaks with great violence. The Kotoo Group may be almost considered as a portion of the Hapai group, as the distinction Js not so well marked, as in the others, being more or less connected together by coral reefs. The

Area: Square Miles. Population. Value of Imports. Value of Exports. Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands .. Ladrone Islands Caroline and Pelew Islands Navigators Islands Low Archipelago or Paumotu Group Fiji Society Islands 6,000 1,254 905 1,650 square kilometres, 6,600 square miles, 3,300 7,400 square kilometres, 1,175 square miles, 587J 62,959 5,500 i 28,000 34,000 £ (1871) 325,176 £ (1871) 378,41: (1871) 25,000 ?(1871) 45,001 [ 3,500 I 170,000 (1870) 71,950 (1870) 98,73i 21,000 (1871) 120,000 (1871) 90,00( West Indies (including British Guiana*) .. square miles, 89,103 1,190,400 (1871) 6,310,173 £ (1871) 7,374,729 Ceylon 24,454 2,405,287 (1871) 4,797,952 (1871) 3,634,853 Philippine Islands 65,100 51,336 4,319,26 I ' 16,452,168 of British produce, (1871) 463,359 (1870) 3,902,342 To Groat Britain, (1871) 1,391,254 (1870) 5,464,183 Java Mauritius 676 (Census, 1871,") I 316,042 j 193,401 (1871) 1,807,382 (1871) 3,053,054 * British Guiana 76,000 1,572,275 2,383,422