400 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
said^ was their teacher^ and had instructed them con¬ 
cerning the true God^ for whose worship in the island 
of Anaa^* whence most of them came, they had already 
erected three chapels. 
But little time was allowed for the drying of the printed 
sheets. The natives were in want of books, and most 
eager for them: the first inquiry of every party that 
arrived, usually was, ^^When will the hooks be ready?” 
The presses were therefore fixed, and, having acquired 
some knowledge of bookbinding as well as printing, 
before leaving England, I proceeded, as soon as the 
printing was finished, to binding, though but inadequately 
furnished with materials. 
The first bound copy was sent to Papetoai, and is 
still, I believe, in Mr. Nott’s possession; the second, 
half-bound in red morocco, was presented to the king, 
who evidently received it with high satisfaction. The 
queen and chiefs were next supplied, and preparations 
made for meeting the demands of the people. In order 
to preserve the books, it was deemed inexpedient 
to give them into the hands of the natives, either 
unbound, or merely covered as pamphlets. We had 
only a small quantity of mill-boards, and it was necessary 
to increase them on the spot; a large quantity of native 
cloth, made with the bark of a tree, was therefore pur¬ 
chased, and females employed to beat a number of 
layers or folds together, usually from seven to ten. 
These were afterwards submitted to the action of a 
powerful upright screw-press, and, when gradually dried, 
formed a good stiff pasteboard. For their covers, the 
few sheep-skins brought from England were cut into slips 
for the backs and corners, and a large bundle of old 
* Prince of Wales’s Island 
