PREPARED BY MECHANICAL MBANS. ‘59 
to the sea, to be well adapted for this plant ; and which would 
be profitable in a country where labour was so cheap. But 
it seems to have been forgotten, in this, as well as in a paper 
in the first volume of the ‘Transactions of the Society,’ that a 
plant which flourishes so far south as New Zealand, and suc- 
ceeds well both in Scotland and in Ireland, is not likely to do 
well in so tropical a situation as that of the Soonderbunds. 
An interesting set of specimens of New Zealand Flax, show- 
ing the native method of preparing the fibre and of dyeing it 
black, were sent to the Exhibition of 1851, by Taohui, a New 
Zealand chief; and another, a very valuable and suggestive set 
of specimens of the fibre and its tow, by Mr. HE. W. Trent 
(v. “Tllust. Col.,’ xli, p. 197), which he described as having been 
separated entirely by machinery invented by himself. IEf this 
fibre can be so prepared, then it is evident that others of the 
same nature may be successfully treated in a similar manner. 
These fibres are applicable to a variety of purposes, either of a 
textile nature or for cordage, and will, like the other white fibres 
we have mentioned, take colour. The strength of the fibres is 
considerable, for in some experiments by De Candolle, in which, 
however, that of Agave is understated, there is no doubt that 
the New Zealand Flax, which bore 23°7, was stronger than 
either Flax or Hemp, which bore respectively 112 and 162. It 
has also the advantage of being lighter, but has the disadvan- 
tage of many of the white fibres of breaking at a knot. Mr. 
J. Murray, in his pamphlet on this plant, printed on paper 
made from its leaves, states that the ship Atalanta, which plied 
between Southampton and the Channel Islands, was completely 
equipped with cordage and rigging made of Phormium tenax. 
He further continues— 
“JT have seen specimens of ropes, twine, yarn, lines, sail- 
cloth, sacking, bedtick, &c,, made of Phormium tenax ; also 
fine fabrics of various kinds, affording demonstrable evidence 
that its fibre is susceptible of being woven into tissues of the 
most delicate description, or manufactured into materials of 
the strongest and coarsest kind. The sails, cables, and run- 
ning rigging of the beautiful model of the frigate presented by 
his late Majesty William the Fourth to the King of Prussia, 
were entirely formed of Phormium tenax. Capt. Harris’s 
yacht, a perfect gem in naval architecture, was supplied with 
