APPENDIX. xxill 



are two bundles, the one contains yarn made from half cotton, half rheea, 

 the other from two-thirds cotton, one thircl-rheea. The rheea was much 

 heavier than cotton, we make the counts Nos. 15 and 12. 



We remain, yours truly, 



Mr. J. H. Dickson, BIRLEY, BROTHERS. 



Commercial Hotel, Liverpool. 



On receiving the yarn, I sent it to firms in Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire, along with yarns all rheea fibre, and had it woven 

 into cloth, plain and twilled, samples of which I sent to Her 

 Majesty's Ministers; how it has been examined, and the matter 

 of my labours for a national gain by the government of the day, 

 remains to be seen at the coming session of Parliament, more 

 on this is unnecessary. 



NEW ZEALAND FLAX (PHORMIUM TEN AX). 



This very extraordinary plant, so difficult to do anything with, 

 after giving many like myself great trouble to discover the way to 

 make it marketable as an article for spinning purposes, I turned 

 my attention to, after having dropped or left off all idea of 

 touching it, after many trials in 1855 and 1856, but finding 

 my improved machinery could make the article marketable 

 without steeping, I continued my course until I have done all 

 as I could desire, because of the following facts. 



The article is gathered by the natives, and sold in Auckland 

 by them at 10 per ton, and as the New Zealand government 

 has taken the wise and business-like course to cause the fibre 

 plants of the country to be brought into a state for exportation 

 to England, by an offer of a reward of 2,000 to the first 

 person who will, by his own invention, produce forty tons of the 

 Phormium Tenaw, so prepared as not to exceed 25 per cwt. in 

 cost making, ready for market, and 1,000 reward to the next 

 five persons who may join and work up twenty tons by any 

 one's invention so as to produce the same advantage, Such 

 rewards has induced me to "try again," and the result of my 

 labours on a bale sent me by Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., of 



