From i month to 2 years 38 have died. Teething, - - 23 have died,
2 years to 18 2 Dyfentery, - 45
18 to 30 3« Cholera morbus i , obfti-
3° to 45 3° pation i , - 2
45 to 65 3< Fevers 7» confumptious 8, *5
Debility, - - 22
Total «37 Lues venerea, - S
Dropfy 3, putrid fore
throat 1, - - 4
Convuliions and epilepfy, 4
Surfeit 2, fcalded t, abfcefs
and Canker 2, - 5
Eruptions, fcald head, and
mortifications, - 3
Iliac paflion, - - 1
Shot 1, cafualties 2, exe-
. cuted 1, fuicide 2, 6
Ophthalmia, - - 2
Total 137
State o f the F la x Manufactory.
N o t m o r e th an n in e m en and n in e w om e n can be em p lo y ed in
p rep a r in g and m an u fa c tu r in g th e f la x , w h ic h b a re ly k e ep s th em in
p ra c tic e . T h e r e is o n ly one lo om on th e iflan d , and th e fla y o r reed
is d e fign ed fo r coa rfe can va s ; n o r d o th e y poffefs a Ang le to o l requ ired
b y fla x-d reffers o r w e a v e r s , b e y o n d th e p o o r fubftitutes w h ic h th e y are
o b lig e d to fab ricate them fe lv e s . I f th e re w e r e introd uced p rop e r flays
o r reeds, b ru lh e s, and o th e r articles in d ifp en fab ly n e ce fla ry fo r fla x -
d re fiin g and w e a v in g , w i th m ore p e o p le to w o r k th e fla x and a greater
n um b e r o f w e a v e r s , th is ifland w o u ld fo on req u ire v e r y little afliftance
in c lo th in g th e c o n v i c t s ; b u t , fo r th e w a n t o f thefe n e ce fla ry articles,
the o n ly clo th th a t can b e mad e is a can va s fom e th in g fin e r than
N o . 7 , w h ic h is th o u g h t to be e q u a lly ftr o n g and durable as that
mad e from E u ro p e an fla x .
T h i s u fe fu l p lan t needs n o cu ltiv a t io n . A n e x p e r im en t has been
made to cu ltiv a te it , and an fw e red e x t r em e ly w e l l ; b u t th e p rod uce
1 4 was
w a s no t fo m u ch fu p e r io r to th a t g r o w in g in a natural ftate as to
m ak e it ad v ifab le to b e l lo w a n y pains on its cu lture.
B e fo re th e a r r iv al o f th e tw o N ew Z e a lan d e rs in M a y 1793» no
effec tual p rog re fs h ad be en made in its m a n u fa c tu r e ; n o r w a s it w i th o
u t m u ch in tr e a ty that o u r v ifito rs w e r e in d u ced to fu rn ilh the in fo
rm a tio n w e required. A n d ind eed , as this w o r k is p r in c ip a lly perfo
rm ed b y th e w om en in N ew Z e a lan d , o u r friends w e r e b y n o means
com p e ten t to g iv e us th e fu ile ft in ft ru& io n s . S u fficien t, h o w e v e r , w a s
obtained from th em to im p ro v e u p on . S in c e th a t tim e th o fe w om e n
th a t cou ld be fpared from o th e r w o r k , n o t e x c e e d in g from f ix to
tw e lv e , h ad been em p lo y ed in p rep a r in g the f la x ; and a fla x-d re ffe r ,
w e a v e r , and th re e o th e r afliftants, in m an u fa c tu r in g it in to canvas,
ro p e , & c .
W h e n the lea ve s are ga th e red , the hard fta lk ru n n in g th ro u g h th e
c en tre is tak en ou t w i th th e th um b -n a i l; and the red ed ge s o f th e le a f
a re alfo ftr ipp ed off. T h e tw o parts are th en feparated in th e m id d le ,
m a k in g fo u r flips o f about three-qu arters o f an in ch w id e , and th e
len g th o f from eigh te en inches to th re e o r fo u r fe e t. T h e fe flips are
cu t acrofs th e centre w i th a m u fc le -lh e ll, b u t n o t fo deep as to feparate
th e fibres, w h ic h is th e fla x . T h e flips th u s prepared are h e ld in th e
le ft han d , w i th th e th um b r e d in g on the u p p e r p art o f th e flip ju f l
a b o v e th e cu t. T h e m u fc le -lh e ll h e ld in th e r ig h t h an d is placed on
th e u p p e r p a r t ju f t b e low the cu t, w i th th e th um b re ft in g on th e
u p p e r part. T h e Ihell is d raw n to th e end o f th e flip, w h ic h feparates
th e v e g e ta b le co v e r in g from th e fla x en filaments. T h e flip is th en
tr im m ed , and th e fame o pera tion is p e r form ed on th e rem a in in g part,
w h ic h leaves the fla x entire. I f it be d e fign ed fo r filh in g -lin e s , or
o th e r coarfe w o r k , n o th in g m ore is done to it ; b u t i f in ten d ed fo r
c lo th , it is tw ille d and beaten fo r a con fid e ra b le time in a clear ftream
o f w a t e r ; and w h en dried , tw ille d in to fu ch threads as th e w o r k re quires.
I t has been be fo re o b fe rv ed , that th e N e w Z e a lan d inftruClors
w e r e no t v e r y co n v e r fan t in th e m od e o f p rep a r in g the f l a x ; bu t on .
w h a t w a s lea rnt from th em it w a s ou r bufinefs to im p r o v e . Inftead o f
w o rk in g it as fo on as g a thered , ou r p eo p le fo u n d it w o r k better fo r
b e in g placed in a heap in a clofe ro om fo r fiv e d a y s o r a w e e k , after
. w h ic h