464 
PO L YN ESI AN RBSE AR C HSS. 
presumed, will prove to the nation an important and 
a permanent advantage. 
The Haweis, in returning to the islands in the spring 
of 1819, touched at Norfolk Island, formerly an appen¬ 
dage to the colony of New South Wales, and I believe 
re-occupied since that period. From this island the 
captain brought away a number of young coffee plants, 
which, on his arrival in the islands, were distributed 
among the different stations. The tender plants were 
once or twice removed, and all perished, excepting 
those in my garden at Huahine, which I was happy 
to succeed in preserving. The climate was favourable 
to their growth, and they appeared to thrive well. 
After four years, each tree bore about forty berries, 
which when perfectly ripe were gathered, and sent to 
the several stations. They were planted, and have 
since flourished, so that in every island the coffee 
plant is now growing, and may be cultivated to almost 
any extent. The chiefs are fond of coffee as a beve¬ 
rage, and, with the people, will doubtless raise it for 
their own use; and as it requires but comparatively 
little attention, probably it may be furnished in greater 
abundance than either the sugarcane or cotton. 
The tobacco plant is another exotic, common now 
in all the islands: it was introduced by Captain Cook, 
and has since been cultivated to a small extent by the 
natives, merely for their own use. Mr. Williams 
encouraged its culture to a considerable extent in the 
island of Raiatea, and the natives were taught to pre¬ 
pare it for the market of New South Wales, in a man¬ 
ner that rendered the Raiatean tobacco equal to any 
brought into Sydney. A lucrative branch of industry 
and commerce now appeared open to the enterprising 
