This page has already been transcribed. You can find new pages to transcribe here.

Transcription

[Page 430]

Manners & Customs of the south Sea Islands

Their Method of manufacturing the Cloth Bark is the same in all the sorts one description of it will therefore be Sufficient first then, the thin Cloth they begin to make thus. When the trees are arrivd at a sufficient size they are drawn up & the roots & topps cut of & strippd of their leaves the best of the Aouta are in this state about 3 or 4 feet long & as thick as a mans finger but the ooroo are considerably larger The bark of these rods is then slit up longitudinaly, & in this manner drawn off the stick when all are stripd the bark is carried to some brook or running water into which it is laid to soak with stones laid upon it & in this situation it remains some days. When sufficiently soakd the women servants go down to the river, & stripping themselves set down in the water & scrape the peices of bark holding them against a flat smooth board with the shell calld by the English shell merchants Tygers tongue Tellina Gargadia dipping it Continualy in Water untill all the outer green bark is rubbd & washd away & nothing remains but the very fine fibres of the inner bark This work is generaly finishd in the

 

Current Status: 
Completed