FEMALE APPAREL' 391 
European cloths, cottons in particular, had long 
been favourite articles of barter with the natives, 
on account of their durability compared with native 
manufacture, their adaptation to the climate, varie¬ 
gated and showy colours, and the trifling injury 
they sustained from wet. They no longer traded 
for ardent spirits, muskets, powder, &c. and were 
consequently enabled to procure larger quantities 
of British woven cloth. Hitherto, however, they 
had generally worn the European cottons, &c. in 
the native manner, either as a light tehei , thrown 
over the shoulder, a pareu wound round the waist, 
or ahu bun , a kind of large scarf or shawl, loosely 
covering the greater part of the body. They were 
now desirous to assimilate their dresses in some 
degree to ours. Mrs. Nott and Mrs. Crook made 
one or two loose dressing-gowns for Pomare, after 
a pattern from us. This introduced the fashion, 
and many of the women made others for their 
husbands. 
The first garment in general use among the 
females, was a kind of Roman tunic, usually of 
white or blue calico, these being their favourite 
colours. It was fastened round the neck with a 
short collar, which, if possible, was united by a 
bright gilt or plated button. The sleeves were 
long and loose, and buttoned at the wrists, while 
the lower parts reached nearly to the ankles. On 
the outside of this, they wore the pareu round the 
waist, and reaching below the knees. The colour 
of these articles was generally in perfect contrast. 
When the loose European dress was white, the 
pareu, worn round the waist on the outside of it, 
was of dark blue; one end of it was sometimes 
thrown carelessly over the shoulder, or hung 
loosely on the arm, heightening the novel and not 
