1769 DYES 149 



also put patches on any part which may be thinner than the 

 rest, generally finishing their work, if intended to be of the 

 best kind, by pasting a complete covering of the finest thin 

 cloth or lioboo over the whole. They sometimes make a thick 

 cloth also of only half-worn cloth, which, having been worn 

 by cleanly people, is not soiled enough to require washing : 

 of this it is sufficient to paste the edges together. The 

 thick cloth made in either of these ways is used either for 

 the garment called maro, which is a long piece passed 

 between the legs and round the waist, and which serves 

 instead of breeches, or as the tebuta, a garment used equally 

 by both sexes instead of a coat or gown, which exactly 

 resembles that worn by the inhabitants of Peru and Chili, 

 and is called by the Spaniards poncho. 



The cloth itself, both thick and thin, resembles the 

 finest cottons, in softness especially, in which property it 

 even exceeds them ; its delicacy (for it tears by the smallest 

 accident) makes it impossible that it can ever be used in 

 Europe, indeed it is properly adapted to a hot climate. I 

 used it to sleep in very often in the islands, and always 

 found it far cooler than any English cloth. 



Having thus described their manner of making the 

 cloth, I shall proceed to their method of dyeing. They use 

 principally two colours, red and yellow. The first of these 

 is most beautiful, I might venture to say a more delicate 

 colour than any we have in Europe, approaching, however, 

 most nearly to scarlet. The second is a good bright colour, 

 but of no particular excellence. They also on some occasions 

 dye the cloth brown and black, but so seldom that I had no 

 opportunity during my stay of seeing the method, or of 

 learning the materials which they make use of. I shall 

 therefore say no more of these colours than that they were 

 so indifferent in their qualities that they did not much raise 

 my curiosity to inquire concerning them. 



To begin then with the red, in favour of which I shall 

 premise that I believe no voyager has passed through these 

 seas but that he has said something in praise of this colour, 

 the brightness and elegance of which is so great that it 



