What Forsier Saiv of Tapa-viaking. 2i 



branclies, except just at the top, so that the bark is as entire as possible. The method 

 of preparing it before it comes under the mallet, we were not 3'et acquainted with at 

 this time. The women emplo3'ed in this manner Avere dressed in old and dirty rags 

 of their cloth, and had ver}- hard and calloits hands." '^ 



Again on page 354 Forster describes, in the course of his rambles on the same 

 island, and during the same month, what he saw of the dyeing or stamping process 

 of the natives, and I am able to present ni}- readers with a photograph of a bit of the 

 cloth, stamped as described brought home from Tahiti on this voj-age. Originally of 

 a bright crimson the stamped circles have sadlj' faded, but the fragment, which I 

 have in \\\x collection, seems to connect us more closelj- with the Forsters and their 

 journe}' a hundred and thirty-seven 3'ears ago. We take up the story. 



" In one of these houses we observed a man at work, in preparing a red dve, for 

 some cloth made of the bark of the paper-mulberr}-, which we commonl}' called the 

 cloth tree. Upon enquiring for the materials which he made use of, we found to our 

 great surprise that the j-ellow juice of a small species of fig, which they call mattee, 

 and the greenish juice of a sort of fern, or bind-weed, or of several other plants, hy 

 being simpl}- mixed together, formed a bright crimson, which the women rubbed 

 with their hands if the whole piece was to be uniforml}' of the same colour, or in 

 which they dipped a bamboo reed if it was to be marked or sprinkled in different pat- 

 terns. [Fig. 7.] This colour fades ver}' soon and becomes of a dirty red, besides 

 being liable to be spoiled by rain and other accidents; the cloth, however, which is 

 dyed or rather stained with it, is highly valued by the Taheitians, and only worn by 

 their principal people. We bought several pieces of cloth of different kinds for bemads 

 and small nails, and then walked on." 



Differing from the account of Banks it indicates, as has since been found to be the 



truth, that these natives as well as those of the Hawaiian Islands had a number of ways of 



attaining the same end. I have farther remarks from Reinhold Forster, and as I have 



not access to the original publication I am compelled to have recourse to a very curious 



book in my possession in which his words are quoted. This book is so curious that it 



deserves a word here. I give the title-page and frontispiece slightly reduced (Figs. 8, 9) . 



Who the maker of the book was I do not know, but my copy has various curious notes and 



additions and apparently belonged to T. A. F. Leith. The volume closes with the very 



strange verse : — 



"But soon on deck the Captain stood, 



Cook, for 'twas he! the great and good. 



With his sp,v-glass he look'd to larboard, 



Then gave the order "Vour helm to starboard!" 



'•' Loc. cit. . vol. I , p. 276. 



