

HBH ^H Wm 



Si8 



CIIAUATA DE REDE. 



[append. 



From the qualities which it possesses, and which I 

 have just mentioned, I am persuaded that the fibre is 

 well adapted to the manufacture of cables and cordage ; 

 and the specimens of cloth, and one pair of stockings 

 which by this opportunity I forward to the ministry, 

 made of it, indicate the possibility of manufacturing sail- 

 cloth from it, and even finer cloths, if improvements 

 were made in its preparation ; but these are at present 

 entirely disregarded. 



The leaf of the plant is composed of two ligneous 

 plates, one convex and the other concave ; and also of a 

 quantity of longitudinal fibres inserted between them, 

 and united to each other by juicy fecula, but sufficiently 

 attached to prevent them from being disengaged by the 

 hand ; therefore they can only be extracted by macera- 

 tion. The plant is rooted up, which is done by means 

 of a forked stick, and is called de&bancar. The leaves 

 must then be taken from the stem, and thirdly the 

 thorns must be taken ofT, which is done easily by sepa- 

 rating the spiny edges with a knife. The leaves being 

 thus prepared arc steeped in water for about a fortnight. 

 The maceration is known to be complete when the out- 

 ward rind and ligneous bark of the leaves are sufficiently 

 soft to be pierced by the nail ; the leaves are then taken 

 out of the water one by one, and the base of each of 

 them is opened until the fibres appear ; the rind of each 

 surface must be secured with one hand, that with the 

 other the fibres may be pulled out ; even so they will 

 be removed with other substances attached to them. 

 For the purpose of being cleaned, they must be braided 

 and again steeped for one day, and then beaten with 

 mallets upon a bench, and the maceration and beating 



