| Description | Bound volume entitled 'A catalogue of the different specimens of cloth collected in the three voyages of Captain Cook, to the Southern hemisphere with a particular account of the manner of manufacturing the same in the various islands of the South Seas; partly extracted from Mr. Anderson and Reinhold Forster's observations, and the verbal account of some of the most knowing of the navigators: with some anecdotes that happened to them among the natives'. Arranged and printed for Alexander Shaw in 1787. The book contains 39 samples of "tapa" (cloth produced from the bark of trees) collected from the Pacific Islands during Captain Cook's voyages. The samples are accompanied by descriptions and anecdotes from the explorers of where the samples originate from.
An inscription in the front of the book by the donor, reads: 'From Richard Chambers - F.L.S. - and the first schoolmaster who endeavoured to get knowledge out of the right end, instead of whipping it in at the wrong!! Floreat semper, Societis utilitis!!' Also contains an envelope. |