186 COMMERCE. [1839. 



anything beside. They consist of posts or stakes, at the 

 corners, and at intervals between them, driven firmly into 

 the ground. The walls are built of bamboo interlaced, or of 

 strips of hibiscus. "Where there are floors, they are made of 

 planks from the bread-fruit. There is not often more than 

 one apartment ; but, occasionally, a separate shed is employed 

 for cooking. Frequently a part of the hut is railed off, for 

 the use of a sow and her litter. 



Some of the houses, on Tahiti and Eimeo, have neat in- 

 closed gardens for vegetables and flowers. The queen's 

 palace is surrounded by a fine lawn well stocked with shade 

 and fruit trees. 



Of furniture there is but little. The principal articles are 

 a few mats and low wooden stools ; a trough and stone for 

 preparing po'e ; and a number of cups and eating vessels made 

 of cocoa-nut shells. A log of wood is used for a pillow, and 

 a mat for a bed; in the better class of dwellings, they have 

 pillows stuffed with cotton or aromatic herbs. An old mus- 

 ket and several fishing spears, extended on rude hooks, and 

 some bunches of fruit depending from the rafters, are the 

 customary ornaments witnessed in the native houses. 



(10.) Though they make no long voyages, the Society 

 Islanders are essentially a maritime people. Their commer- 

 cial resources are limited, however; and most of their trade, 

 which is carried on exclusively by foreigners, principally 

 French and English, is with New South Wales, whose ports 

 are opened to their vessels on the same footing as the English. 

 They export thither, sugar, cocoa-nut oil, and arrow-root, to 

 an amount exceeding thirty-live thousand dollars annually, 

 and receive in return, hardware, calicoes, and other manu- 

 factured goods. In the course of a year, perhaps one hun- 

 dred whalers visit the islands to barter, whose trade amounts 

 to nearly fifty dollars for each vessel. The American prop- 

 erty annually visiting the group is estimated to be worth at 

 least five million dollars. About ten thousand dollars' worth 

 of pearls are annually obtained from the Paumotu Group, 

 most of which are sent to France. 



