PROGRESS OF INDUSTRY. 397 
marked the pleasure of the child as it has held the 
new frock on its arm, the smile on their own coun¬ 
tenances has declared the pleasure they experi¬ 
enced. In many instances I have seen a garment 
for the mother next selected ; and then the father, 
with the remainder of their native produce, has 
purchased some articles for himself. Their first 
effort now is generally to purchase, and to learn to 
make light clothing for their children ; and there 
are perhaps few parents in the islands who would 
think of purchasing a garment for themselves, 
while their little one was destitute. 
It is a pleasing fact, which demonstrates un¬ 
equivocally that the South Sea Islanders are not 
deficient in capacity, but are capable, when in¬ 
ducement sufficient is offered, of acquiring habits 
of close industry, that in the islands of Raiatea 
and Huahine, or any of the stations in the Leeward 
Islands, there was hardly an adult female, except¬ 
ing the aged and infirm, who could not use her 
needle so as to make her own clothes, and those 
required by other members of the family. I have 
not had equal opportunity of knowing what pro¬ 
gress the females in the Windward Islands have 
made, but have reason to believe it is highly cre¬ 
ditable to their application. 
The occupation furnished by the new order of 
things that has followed the introduction of Chris¬ 
tianity, is one of the important sources of their 
present enjoyment. But this is not the only ad¬ 
vantage resulting therefrom. It has opened a new 
channel for commercial enterprise, and has actually 
created a market for British manufactures, the 
consumption of which, among the islands of the 
Pacific that have received the Gospel, is already 
considerable. Mr. Stewart estimates that the 
