PROGRESS OF ARCHITECTURE. 347 
or entirely enclosed with the beautiful white coral- 
lime plaster. Axes, hatchets, planes, chisels, 
gimlets, and saws, w r ere, next to their books, 
the articles in greatest demand and highest 
esteem. 
No small portion of our time was occupied in 
directing and encouraging them in their labours. 
We had, however, occasion to regret, that we were 
sometimes at as great a loss as the people them¬ 
selves. They usually formed the walls of their 
dwellings, either by mortising upright posts into 
large trees laid on the earth, or planting the posts 
in the ground about three feet, apart. The spaces 
between the posts, excepting those for doors or 
windows, were filled with a kind of hurdle-work, 
or wattling of small rods or sticks, of the tough 
casuarina. This they plastered with the mortar, 
forming a plain surface, and covering also the 
posts on the outside, but leaving them projecting 
within. 
The next object was to make the doors and 
window-shutters : thus far they had been able to 
proceed in the erection of their dwellings without 
nails ; but to make doors and shutters without 
these, brought them at first to a stand. We were 
glad to furnish the chiefs and others with these 
most valuable articles, so far as our stock would 
allow, but it was useless to think of supplying the 
wants of the entire population ; we only regretted 
that we could not have more ready access to our 
friends in England, many of whom, we had no 
doubt, would readily have supplied them with 
an article easily procured in abundance there, 
but here exceedingly scarce. Nails are still 
among the most valuable manufactures they can 
receive. 
