s, are about 3 or 4 inches broad
and cut into grooves of different fineness; this makes the Cloth look at
first sight as if it was wove with thread, but I believe the principal
use of the Groves is to facilitate the beating it out, in the doing of
which they often beat holes in it, or one place thinner than another; but
this is easily repair'd by pasting on small bits, and this they do in
such a manner that the Cloth is not the least injured. The finest sort
when bleached is very white and comes nearest to fine Cotton. Thick
cloth, especially fine, is made by pasting two or more thickness's of
thin cloth, made for that Purpose, together. Coarse thick cloth and
ordinary thin cloth is made of the Bark of Bread fruit Trees, and I think
I have been told that it is sometimes made from the Bark of other trees.
The making of Cloth is wholy the work of the women, in which all ranks
are employ'd. Their common colours are red, brown and yellow, with which
they dye some pieces just as their fancy leads them. Besides Cloth they
make several different sorts of matting, both better and finer than any
we have in Europe; the stuff they make it on is the Produce of the Palm
tree.

This Island produceth 2 or 3 sorts of plants, of which they make the rope
they use in rigging their Canoes, etc.; the finest sort, such as fishing
lines, saine twine, etc., is made of the Bark of a Tree, and some from
the Kind of Silk grass. Their fishing lines and saines are in Point of
goodness preferable to any of ours. Their fishing Hooks are very
curiously made of Tortoise, Pearl Oyster Shells, etc. They have a sort of
Saine that is made of Coarse broad grass like flags; these are twisted
and tied together in a loose manner until the whole is as thick as a
large sack, and 60 or 80 fathoms long. This they haul in Shoal smooth
water; its own weight keeps it so close to the ground that hardly the
smallest fish can escape out.

I have before mentioned that the Island is divided into two districts or
kingdoms, which are frequently at war with each other, as hapned about 12
Months ago, and each of these are again divided into smaller districts,
Whennuas as they call them. Over each of the kingdoms is an Eare dehi, or
head, whom we call a King, and in the Whennuas are Eares, or Chiefs. The
King's power seems to be but very little; he may be reverenced as a
father, but he is neither fear'd nor respected as a monarch, and the same
may be said of the other Chiefs.