NEW ZEALAND FLAX AND GRASS. 95 



that they were abandoned, and the field sown with 

 another crop. One or two chance plants, which had 

 escaped the general extirpation, were discovered 

 among the new crop, and the seed of these, contrary 

 to all calculation and expectation, came to maturity. 

 They were carefully preserved and sown the ensuing 

 season, when they were found to produce a crop of 

 good hemp by one-third greater than was ever 

 known to be obtained in England. For this suc- 

 cessful experiment, Dr. Hinton received a medal 

 from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, 

 &c., but it does not appear that any general good 

 results followed this solitary instance of success, and 

 nothing farther is heard of the Chinese hemp in this 

 country. Subsequently these fibres were found, by 

 Dr. Roxburgh, to be very much inferior to those of 

 hemp, as regards both strength and durability. 



In the fifth volume of this series (' the New 

 Zealanders') is a cut and description of the Phor- 

 mium tenaoc, growing in New Zealand, and used by 

 the inhabitants for the same purposes to which we 

 apply hemp and flax, and therefore called by the 

 English New Zealand flax. It would be superfluous 

 to enter here into any lengthened notice of this plant 

 and of the manner in which the natives prepare its 

 fibres, since the account has been already given in 

 the above volume. 



The leaves of the phormium tenax resemble those 

 of the flag, but its flowers are smaller and more 

 numerous. With very little preparatory process the 

 filaments of these leaves are formed into clothing and 

 cordage, the latter is beyond all comparison stronger 

 than any which can be manufactured from hemp. 

 Another preparation likewise produces from the 

 same plant long slender fibres beautifully white and 

 lustrous as silk *. Of these the natives make their 

 * Hawkesbury's Voyages. 



