238 AVOYAGETO 



i77«- make the imprefiions. In what manner they produce their 



Tcbruary. ' 



colours, we had not opportunuies or learning; but beudes ' 

 the party-coloured forts, they have fome pieces of plain 

 white cloth, and others of a finglc colour, particularly dark 

 brown and light blue. In general, the pieces which they 

 brought to us, were about two feet broad, and four or five 

 yards long, being the form and quantity that they ufe for 

 their common drcfs, or t}iaro ; and even thefe we fometimes 

 found were compofcd of pieces fewed together; an arc 

 which we did not find to the Southward, but is flrongly, 

 though not very neatly, performed here. There is alfo a 

 particular fort that is thin, much refembling oilcloth; 

 and which/is actually either oiled or (baked in fome kind 

 of varnifli, and fecms to refill the a^ftion of water pretty 

 well. 



They fabricate a great many white mats, which are 

 flrong, with many red ilripes, rhombufes, and other figures 

 interwoven on one fide; and often pretty large. Thefe, pro- 

 bably, make a part of their drefs occafionally ; for they 

 put them on their backs when they oilered them to fale. 

 But they make others coarfer, plain and firong, which they 

 fpread over their iloors to Ileep upon. 



Tiiey ftain their gourd-fliells prettily with undulated lines, 

 triangles, and other figures of a black colour ; inllances of 

 which we faw pra61:ifed at New Zealand. And they feem 

 to poflcfs the art of varnifhing ; for ferae of thefe ftained 

 gourd fliclls are covered with a kind of lacker ; and on- 

 other occafions, they ufe a ftrong fize, or gluey fubftance, to 

 faflen their things togetlicr. Their wooden diflies and 

 bowls, out of which they drink their ava^ are of the etooa- 

 tree, or cordia, as neat, as if made in our turning-lathe, and 



perhaps 



