THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 149 



after which it is cut in breadths, about two or three feet .V 779 : 



March. 



wide, and is painted in a variety of patterns, with a compre- 

 henfivenefs and regularity of defign, that befpeaks infinite 

 tafte and fancy. The exactnefs with whicli the moft intri- 

 cate patterns are continued, is the more furprizing, when 

 we confider, that they have no ftamps, and that the whole is 

 done by the eye, with pieces of bamboo cane dipped in 

 paint; the hand being fupported by another piece of the 

 cane, in the manner practifed by our painters. Their co- 

 lours are extracted from the fame berries, and other vege- 

 table fubftances, as at Otaheite, which have been already 

 defcribed by former voyagers. 



The bufinefs of painting belongs entirely to the women, 

 and is called kipparee; and it is remarkable, that they 

 always gave the fame name to our writing. The young 

 women would often take the pen out of our hands, and 

 (hew us, that they knew the ufe of it as well as we did ; at 

 the fame time telling us, that our pens were not fo good as 

 theirs. They looked upon a fheet of written paper, as a 

 piece of cloth ftriped after the famion of our country, and 

 it was not without the utmoft difficulty, that we could make 

 them underftand, that our figures had a meaning in them 

 which theirs had not. 



Their mats are made of the leaves of the pandemia ; and, 

 as well as their cloths, are beautifully worked in a variety 

 of patterns, and flained of different colours. Some have a 

 ground of pale green, fpotted with fquares, orromboids, of 

 red ; others are of a ftraw colour, fpotted with green ; and 

 others are worked with beautiful ilripes, either in ftraight 

 or waving lines of red and brown. In this article of manu- 

 facture, whether we regard the ftrength, fincnefs, or beauty, 

 they certainly excel the whole world. 



Their 



