Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/389

 EEWA. 359 Cliristianity, were anxious for the war to cease, as the late destruction of Mr. Moore's house and property led them to fear that they should lose their Missionary. But the troubles of Rewa were not yet ended. Mara, of Mbau, the reputed brother of Thakombau, had long been using his influence in favour of Rewa. He was absent at Ratu Nggara's death, and, on his return, strongly condemned the peace which had been made. The furtherance of his own private plans, made direct hostility to Mbau desirable, and he accordingly gathered and excited, with all diligence, the feelings of unallayed revenge, which yet existed among some of the Rewans. Assuming the conduct of a new war, which, he boasted, was to be carried on with more energy than any before, Mara found himself at the head of a large party in Rewa, while he retained all the revolted Mbau towns, and hoped to be able to gain over the powerful tribe of the fishermen at Mbau. His position was also greatly strengthened by the allegiance of the island of Ovalau and the whites who resided there. At this crisis, on the 24th of March, King George, of the Friendly Islands, arrived in Fiji, with thirty-nine canoes, to visit Thakombau, and take away the large canoe, " Ra ]Iarama," which was given to him on his way through Fiji to the colony with the Rev. R. Young. It was rumoured at Ovalau that King George intended to attack the island, because of its revolt from Mbau, and to avenge the murder of the Christian Chief, Elijah Verani ; and the people had orders from Mara to prevent the landing of any Tongans who might approach their shore. Before the Tongan King's arrival at Mbau, a messenger from that place was sent to him, requesting him to stay over the Sabbath at the neigh- bouring island of Moturiki, in order that full preparations might be made at Mbau for a stately reception. Having been requested by the French Governor of Tahiti to pay kind attention to the French Priests on the occasion of his dsitto Fiji, and being intrusted with letters from the Priests in the Friendly Islands to those in Fiji, King George availed himself of the opportunity afforded by his stay at Moturiki, to comply with the request of the Governor of Tahiti, and to effect an early delivery of the letters, by sending the smallest of his canoes, with twenty persons on board, to the French Priests at Ovalau. At the same time he sent a bundle of Tonga kava and a whale's tooth to the King of Le^ka, as a token of his friendly feeling, expressing his pleasure in hearing that the King of Levuka had become Christian. This Tui Levuka, Mr. Binner, the JMission School- master, and the white colonists, having heard of the arrival in Fiji of the Tongans, had held a consultation with reference to the i umours of hos- tility which were prevalent ; and Tui Levuka had, with the full approval