314 



The Pisang (Batiana) is here cultivated, but more for the 

 sake of its fibres than fruit. Of the former, the women weave 

 or plait elegant mat-like stuffs, or rather, perhaps, stuff-like 

 mats. A piece of this fabric, when finished, is generally the 

 shape of a Turkey shawl, one ell broad, and several ells long, 

 with black threads interwoven at each end, forming orna- 

 mental patterns, and the ends of these threads hanging loose 

 as a fringe. These cloths are sometimes dyed with Turmeric, 

 (Curcuma.) 



Another plant of the Mallow tribe yields a stringy bark, 

 which, in some of the islands, is similarly employed in weaving. 



The Paper- Mulberry tree, and the bark cloths of O-Waihi 

 were unknown to Kadu. Much of the trade of Cap consists 

 in a powder made from the rasped roots of the Curcuma : it is 

 a general fashion, from Tuch in the east to Pelli in the west, 

 to dye the skin with this powder ; but this practice does not 

 prevail in the groupe of islands situated to the south-west of 

 the Pelews, nor at the Mariannes. The custom of preparing 

 a sweet syrup from the sap of the Cocoa Tree is only known at 

 Pelew ; for drinking cava and using salt are alike unpractised 

 in these islands. 



THE ISLE ROMANZOFR 



The Flora here is poor in the extreme ; we counted only 

 nineteen species of perfect plants, (one Fern, three Monocoty- 

 ledones, and fifteen Dicotyledones) and we do not think that 

 many escaped our observation. The Cryptogamoiis plants, with 

 which, in higher latitudes, vegetation commences, appear to be 

 wanting here. The Lichens are only seen on the older trunks 

 of trees, like a covering of dust ; and the black powder which 

 sprinkles the stones, seems not of a vegetable nature. Even 

 a Moss and some Fungi which we found at Radack, did not 

 appear at Romanzoff. The plants we saw were a Polypodium, 

 the Cocoa tree, the Screw Pine (Patidanus), a Grass, SccBVola 

 Konigii, Tournefortia argentea, Lythrum Pemphis, Guettarda 

 speciosa, a Cassytha, an Fuphorhia, a Boerhaavia, and an her- 

 baceous kind o^ Nettle; all these being plants which we had 

 found at Radack ; and those which are wanting at the latter 



