The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-04-01 00:00:00

of the body, which recovered Air the ken of akin usual in those

It is impossible not to admire the intrepidity which can
thus encounter unknown dangers, aml the firmness which
can sustain the estest of suffering which occasionall/
arises out of it. The above narrative is calculated to elm*
the strongest feelings of sympathy, and to make us read
on with breathless suspense, till we arrive at the class.
Xor can we fail to remark how, in the last ststre of Id*
lessness, the watchfulness of Providenc... on a sudden-re•
vived them from despsir, and restored them *min to that
enjoyment of life, which they had but just before gives
up as gone for ever.

WeVe we merely to receive a description of the mutter?
e.
of the Esquimaux, their hali.tittions, the remorseless J
rity of their elimat-2, the extreme diiicuity of 'rig
food, and the nauseating kind and condition o 2ihen
procured, we should conclude that no inhabitants of the
earth could well he no re wretched—that they would be so
pert with tr.ia rice, that a smile would nevi r he leen
,among them ; vet we find that eiis is far from being, the
case, and that hleaven, in itt; bentlieence, is es iiiint:rdf or
i these poor creatures, aiol fu: nudes to theta, however flteX•
plicabie it may appear, comma of 1 -I,...a:mre and content,
mint, which supply, according to their mode end met•
sure of enjoyment, enough of happiness to keep them
always eiteeriul. This will appear ahundently in the fol.
lowing narrative :--
Early in the morning the Esenimaux had beer observed in
motion at the hey, aid several .ledge drawn by clogs and heavily
laden went off to ahe we:tweed. (in going out to the village, wie
found ore-half of the pee.le had quitted their late habitations.
tacking with them every article of their property, and had o ore,
the ice, we knew not wharfs, in quest of more abundant food.
The wretched appearance which the interior of the hula now pre.
sented baffles all description. In each of the larger ones emu 4
the apartments were either wholly or in part do-trial, the veil
snow which comported the beds and fire-place% having hem turned
up, that no snide might be left behind. Even the bare walls.
whose original coiner was scarcely perceptible for hums.bliolt.
blood, and other filth, were not left perfect, large holt, having beet
made in the skier ad roues for the convenience of handing out the,
goods and chattels. The sight of a deserted habitation is at a:i
tome calculated so excite in the mind a sensation of dreariness sad
desolation, especially when we have lately igen it tilled with chew
ful inhabitants; but the feeling is can heightened rather than
diminished, when a small portion of these inhabiltpts reins& he.
hind to endure the oreichetineet which such a slime eshtlits.
This was now the eerie at the village where, though the remaining
talents of each hut had combined to occupy one of the aptertmeses„
a 4-rest part of the bed.placte were mill halo, and the wiad and
drift blowing in through the helot which they had not yet tale=
the trouble to atop up. l'he u1:1 man, liikkeieta, a-d his wife, oc-
cupied a hot by themselvis, without any lamp or a single ore*
of meat beanging to them; while three small skins, on which
the filmier wit lying, were all that they possessed in the way of
blankets. Upon the whole, I never beheld a more miserable epee-
tacle ; and it aleented &charity to hope that a violent and esteem(
cough, with which the old man was afflicted, would speedily eon.
tine with his age and infirmitiee to release him front his present.
sufferings. Vet in the midst of all this lie was even cheerful, nor-ono
th.rn a gloomy countenance to he seen to the village. Almost ell
the men were out; and ii, me of them had been leaf so far to sea
upon the Boating and detached masses of ice in pursuit of .sal.
rules, that Captain Lyon, who observed their siinatioo from the
ships had it m contemplatian, in the course of the evening. to
launch one of the small bouts to go to their assistance. They
scented, however, to entertain no apprehensions themselves, from
a confidence perhaps that tl:e south-east wind might be do.
needed upon for keeping the ice close home upon. the shire.
It is certain, nor viithetaarling, duet no degree of precaution, nor any
knowledge of the winds and tide% can render tins otherwise than a
most perilous mode of obtainiegsubsisterce; and it was impootilelie
therefore not to admire the fearlessness as well as dexterity with
a hieh the Esquituaux invariably pursucil it.
I laving distributed some bread-dust arming the women, we told
0;41 Illumea and her daughter Togolit that we roomed taking up
our lodging in their hut for the night. ft is a reineritahle trait in
the character of these people, that they always thank eou heartily
for this as well as for eatingeiny of thew meat; but both brand and
lodging may he given to them whiteout rcceivirg the sliyhteet se-
knowledgment either in word or deed. As it was late before the
men returned. I asked 'fogolat to get the re 1 of tl:e women to per-
form some o( their games, with the hUpe of axing something that
was new. I had scarcely thee to inuke the proposal when she
darted out of the hut, and quickly brought every fcmnie that was
left at the village, not excel:dig even use olthett of LIICSIN ollos
joined in the perfoemance with the neme ale. ray as the test. I
could however only persuade them in go threinto a ortieus song we
had often before heard, which was now incleoi stenewhot medified
by their inelsting on our oiling our turns the die earfromsete, all
shicb did not feif to create among them tever-e. &Meg metriment
and laughter. Neither their want of fold aid Mel, nor the uncer-
tain prospect of obtaining any that night, were enfficient to deprive
these poor creatures of that cheerfulness and peccei-humour which it
seems at all dines their peculiar happiness to enjoy.
The night proved very thick with small snow, end as disagree.
able and dangerous for people adrift upon floating ice as can well lee
imagined. If the women however gave their husbands a thought
or spoke of than to us, it was only to express a very sincere hope
that sonic goad news might shortly arrive of their success. Our
singing-party had alit long been broken up when it was suddenly
anrouneed by one of the children, the usual heruld,s on such Ones,
sions, that the men had killed something on the :: e The only too
men who were at home instantly scrambled on their cuter jackets,
harnessed their doge, and set .11 to assist their companion!, is bring.
ing !more the game, while the women reniainoil tier AA hour in anx-
ious suspend at to the extent of their husbands success. At
length one of the men arrived with tire positive Intelligence of two
walruses biting' been taken, and brought with him a portion of
these huge ant-Mahe as large as he could drag over the snow. If
the women were only 'cheerful before. they were now absolutely
frantic. A general about of joy instantly re-echoed through the
village; they run into 'each other!, huts to eimmainicate tho std.
conic intelligence. and aehially hugged one another in an testacy of
delight by way of congratulatroin. One of them, Amaloon, a pretty
young woman of nineteen or twenty, knowing that a dog belonging
to her husband was still at the huts, and that there was no man to
take him down on the ice, ran nut instantly to perform that eftee e
and with a hardiness not to be surpassed by any of the mss, re-
turned, after two hours' absence, with her load of walrue-floth, and
without even the hood thrown over her bead, to shelter her from.
the inclemency of the weather.
When the lust burst of joy had at length subsirled, the women
crept one by one into the iyartment where the first portion of die
sea-horses tad been conveyed, arid which is always that of one of
the men Minion/m:lv concerned in the killing of them. Here
they obtained blubbei enough to set all their lamps alight, besides
a few straps of meat for their children Alai theinsclvis. From this
time, which was nine o'clock, till past midnight, fresh cargoes
were continually arriving, the principal part being brought it?' by
the dogs, and the test by the men, who, tying the thong which held
it round their waist, dragged itt each his avenue porta nt. lkface
the whole was brought in, however, some of them went out three
1 times to the scene of action, though the distance was a mile and
a half.

Ercy lamp novr swimming with o:1, the huts exhibited a Mane
of light, nod never was there a scene of more joyous festivity than
while the operation of tutting up the walruses continued. I took
the opyortnnity which their preNnit good bunion; afforded, to oti_
rain a peel-et head and tusls of one of these animals, w:tich we
had rot been able to di) before ; and indeed, so much were their
hearts opentil by the scene of abunt:nnt^ before them, that I be.
here they would hare given t.' any thirog we asked for. This
disposition was consitlersh:y iuer:u:d also by their taking it Woo
their heads; that thei• succ:ss was in ',nue 11'37 or other connected
with, or even owing to, um baring taken up our night's lodging
at the huts.

The philosophic reader will remark. that many virtues
grow wild, if we may so express it. in the character of
this extraordinary peorl,.. When they have been fortu-
nate in the chase, and have brought dome an abundant
supply, they dividift liberally, and seem to enjoy a singular
pleasure in the participation. The scarcity of food, and
the toil of obtaining it, does not make them, as beforehand
we might have supposed, reluctant to char, it; nor beget in
them those feelftto of selfishness, so familiar to our ob-
servation in more civilised society.
We forbear at present to extend our extracts from this
amusing and valuabk work to a greater length, but shall
return to it at our first opportunity.