Cook Rediscovers Hawaii. 



41 



debased sort of siapo-making. Before leaving this Tongan region, I would note the 

 softness often seen in the printed cloths, due partly to the permeabilit}- of the fabric, 

 and parti}' to the method of appl3'ing the djj-e which is pressed upon the cloth on the 

 side opposite to the stamp which is in low relief. In this printing the dye is commonly 

 pressed through on all the points of pressure, causing a more or less perfect replica., 

 but reversed of the pattern. This is shown in Fig. 17. The slight spreading of the dye 

 removes all the sharpness of the impression. In the specimen from which the illus- 

 trations were made one hundred and fort}' years have made little impression upon the 

 color. The instruments and the dye are described on page 37 and the, following, and 



^-< •"• - -• 







» rt 





Fig. iS. the under side of tongan tapa shown in fig. 17. 



are essentially the same all through the Samoan, Fijian and Tongan region: In the 

 Hawaiian group they were unknown. We now turn to the early accounts of the 

 product of this northern group. 



On Sunday morning, January 18, 177S, Captain Cook, on his third voyage, dis- 

 covered this group, which the Spaniards had visited two hundred and twenty-three 

 years before. We pass over his descriptions of the people iintil he comes to the matter 

 we are at present interested in: — 



" They had no ornaments about their persons, nor did we observe that their ears 

 were perforated ; but some were punctured on the hands, or near the groin, though in 

 a small degree; and the bits of cloth which they wore, were curiously stained with 

 red, black and white colours.'" 



'Cook's Third Voyage. Loudon, 1784. 11,192. 



