em, otherwise they could not have the knowledge of the
Islands in these Seas they seem to have. They wear for Shew or Ornament
at the Mast Head of most of their Sailing Canoes Pendants made of
Feathers.

Having described their fighting Canoes I shall next describe their Arms
with which they attack their Enemys, both by Sea and Land. These are
Clubs, Spears or Lances, Slings and Stones which they throw by hand. The
Clubs are made of a hard wood, and are about 8 or 9 feet long; the one
half is made flatish with 2 Edges, and the other half is round and not
thicker than to be easily grasped by the hand. The Lances are of various
lengths, some from 12, 20 or 30 feet, and are generally Arm'd at the
Small end with the Stings of Sting-rays, which makes them very dangerous
weapons. Altho' these people have Bows and Arrows--and those none of the
worst--we are told that they never use them in their wars, which
doubtless is very extraordinary and not easily accounted for. They have
very Curious breastplates, made of small wickers, pieces of Matting,
etc., and neatly Cover'd with Sharks' teeth, Pearl Oyster shells, birds'
feathers, and dogs' hair. Thus much for their Arms, etc.

[Tahitian Cloth.]

I shall now describe their way of making Cloth, which, in my opinion, is
the only Curious manufacture they have. All their Cloth is, I believe,
made from the Bark of Trees; the finest is made from a plant which they
Cultivate for no other purpose.* (* Broussonetia papyrifera. The
manufacture is common to all Polynesia, and the ordinary name for it in
the Pacific is Tapa. The Tahitians, however, called it Ahu.) Dr. Solander
thinks it is the same plant the bark of which the Chinese make paper of.
They let this plant grow till it is about 6 or 8 feet high, the Stem is
then about as thick as one's Thum or thicker; after this they cut it down
and lay it a Certain time in water. This makes the Bark strip off easy,
the outside of which is scraped off with a rough Shell. After this is
done it looks like long strips of ragged linnen; these they lay together,
by means of a fine paist made of some sort of a root, to the Breadth of a
yard more or less, and in length 6, 8 or 10 Yards or more according to
the use it is for. After it is thus put together it is beat out to its
proper breadth and fineness, upon a long square piece of wood, with
wooden beaters, the Cloth being keept wet all the time. The beaters are
made of hard wood with four square side