Cbap. XII. DYE-BARK TITOKI OIL. 317 
passengers in the Fyfe, who were going on to Nelson 
to lunch in a tent in the midst of their first clearing ; 
and a party of the ladies of Wellington joined the 
merry throng, and cheered them to perseverance in 
their good work. 
About this time, a vessel of 230 tons was re-launched, 
having been hauled up, and some damage repaired, on a 
slip which her owner, Mr. Mathieson, had put up at 
Kai fVara TVara. He prepared to receive a vessel of 
400 tons, which had arrived in a leaky state from Eng- 
land some months before. 
Another export was now much talked of. This 
was the bark of the h'mau, a large forest-tree which 
abounds all over the country near Cook's Strait. The 
natives extract from this bark the black dye for their 
mats. The bark is simply pulled into shreds and 
soaked in water. The flax to be dyed is then put to 
soak in the decoction ; and when taken out, is some- 
times rubbed in a sort of sandy mud which contains 
much iron, and is very common on many parts of the 
coast. But this process seems to be avoided in some 
cases by making the decoction in an iron cooking-pot. 
I must leave chemists to explain what the iron has to 
do with the dye. A considerable quantity of this 
bark was now collected and sent to England, that its 
value might be ascertained, and information obtained 
as to what portion of the inner or outer bark, or both, 
it would be expedient to send home. But if any 
answer was obtained to these queries, the merchants 
have kept it all to themselves. 
The berry of the titoki tree might also be turned to 
account. The natives extract a very fine oil from it ; 
and a small quantity, which was sent to England as a 
sample, has been described as of great value for the 
finer parts of machinery. The tree abounds in all the 
