The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-09 00:00:00

and as it was to be the commencement of our winter festi-
vities, and headed " Groat Novelty," it had the desired
effect of producing amusement among the crew.
At 4 p.m., October 28, our visitors were admitted to the
number of 70. After they were made to seat themselves
round the deck, the entertainment commenced by serving
each with a littletobaeco ; then our musical instruments (a
violin, cornopean, drum, and triangle) played a lively air,
which caused a general exclamation of wonder and pleasure,
most of the party now hearing them for the first time. This
was followed by a request for them to dance, and being sup-
plied with a drum they willingly complied. Our seamen
danced in their turn, and in a little time the natives
entered fully into the spirit of the amusement, stripping
off their skin coats, and dancing naked to the waist with
the temperature at 6 deg., showing the state of excitement
they work themselves into. As the male performers shout
in a wild triumphant manner, and all the lookers-on join
in a chorus and become as much excited as the performers,
their appearance makes a scene as savage as can be well
imagined. By 10 p.m. the party broke up, all appearing to
have had dancing enough, the whole company seemingly
pleased with their evening's amusement. When we came
to take down a few flags that were hung under the housing
for ornament, it was vexing to find several large pieces cut
out of them, as if in handfuls. The chief, and some others
remaining, appeared sorry, and promised the pieces
should be returned, which was faithfully done the next
morning.
On the following day I paid a visit to the village,
accompanied by Mr. Simpson, the surgeon. We were fol-
lowed by several idlers from about the ship, who, as we
neared the huts, spread the report of our arrival, which
soon caused a great crowd to gather round us, following
to the chiefs hut, where we found him on his housetop
ready to receive us. The winter huts were now covered
with snow. The chief's stood about five feet above the
ground, with a square openine, at one end, into which we
followed through a low dark passage sloping downwards
for five or six yards, when we stood beneath the opening in
the floor of the inhabited part of the hut. It is circular
in form, just large enough to admit one person at a time.
Passing through it, we stood upon a smooth boarded floor,
about 16 feet by 10; the roof was seven feet high, and in
the centre was a small square skylight covered with trans-
parent whale membrane.
The transition from the daylight and glare to the dark
passage was sudden, and in some .degree prepared our eyes for
taking in at the first glance the appearance within. We
were placed in the centre of the but ; the chief, with a wife
on each side of him, sat opposite to us. There were four or
five young men and two women with children lying about
the floor, all naked to the waist, the children perfectly so.
The first breath of the interior was rather offensive, but
we soon got accustomed to it ; and as the temperature was
ahead high, being followed by a number of men whom it
seemed impossible to accommodate in so small a space, it
soon became insufferably hot, when the temperature was
easily reduced by cutting a hole through the skylight,
which made a very agreeable and necessary change in the
air we were breathing.
Our visit seemed to give great satisfaction, and was com-
menced with a smoke, according to their method of doing
everything, For the remainder of the time, about an hour,
I endeavoured to find out from them how far the nearest
winter settlement of natives was east of this place, with
the view of communicating with them before the severity
of the winter set in, but I could not make out anything
very clear from them. We have a great difficulty in
making them understand that our business is not barter-
ing, as their ideas do not extend beyond that, although,
from our constant repetition, they appear to be aware that
we are waiting for two ships that have gone far away into
the ice. The chief's was the only house we visited, and
returning across the bay to the ship, we were accompanied
by a young man and a boy, who talked a great deal more
than we could understand ; but the former, in explaining
to us the sort of tobacco that had been given him on board
a ship, twisting his fingers together to describe American
twist (or negrohead), led us in the description of the vessel
to believe it might have been the Investigator or Enterprise
leaving the ice this last season, but we were afraid of giving
way to our credulity in supposing it to be either of them.
As they willingly accompanied us on board, I was glad to
avail myself of Lieutenant Vernon's knowledge of the lan-
guage to sift their story more thoroughly. Hi allowed
them most patiently to describe all they had seen in
their own way, and eventually ascertained that the ship
they were on board of had diagonal decks, and an
ice chock larger than the Plover's. The illuminators
in the deck, they remarked, were square ; these are
the points which seem to have caught their attention,
and were sufficient to show that they had . been
on board one or other of the ships, but when the cap-
tain was described as wearing spectacles. Captain Coffin-
son was identified. The remaining point of importance
was, that she was gone to the eastward the summer before
last, 1851, agreeing with the time the Enterprise passed.
In the spring of this year I stood on the point from which
she had been boarded, with the native who gave this infor-
mation. It is Cape Governor Simpson, and forms the
western point of Smyth's Bay, distant about 45 miles to
the eastward of Point Barrow. The Enterprise seems to
have been delayed off it with light winds, but on a breeze
springing up she was lost sight of to the eastward, two
TT-mi-aka got alongside of her, and the people speak with
pleasure of the presents they received, and it is worthy of
notice, that a particular kind of tobacco with which we
knew the Enterprise to have been provided, led to a volun-
tary description of their having boarded a ship, affording
more information in a few minutes than all our inquiries of
the chiefs and others in several months had done.

After some experience with them, we found more infor-
mation was obtained by casual observat ions o f their own,
brought about by something they might happen to see or
have shown them, than by. asking direct question, as it
seems difficult to lead their thoughts from the passing
events round them.

On the evening of the sth of November, the crew had a
little recreation with the immolation of Guy Fawkes, and
the natives being told that he was a " big thief," were at
great pains to get an opportunity of expressing individually
that they were not thieves, which was very amusing, and
seemed as if they expected to be treated similarly. The
ceremony concluded%with a rocket, on which they retired to
a distance in dismay, and were evidently much impressed
with the whole proceeding. They were afterwards gratified
with a dance on board, which seemed to restore their con-
fidence, and closed the amusements for the day. As some

of the crew had expressed a wish to see the Esquim,sux vil.

lage, and understanding that there had been an invitation
from one of the chiefs to witness a dance, I gave eight men
leave on the afternoon of the 21st of November. All went
well with them until one of our party, a quartermaster,
who had been obliged to handle one of the natives rather
roughly on his attempting to force his way. into the obser-
vatory, was recognised by his old antagonist, who became
furious with passion and immediately attacked him) but
was prevented by others from using his knife. He, then
endeavoured to get some of our people to his hut, who,
seeing he had some weapon concealed in his sleeve, declined,
when several of the Esquimaux huddled and tripped up our
men, who still hadprotectors sufficient among the crowd to
bring them away in safety. One man (the carpenter's
mate), who by some means got left by his companions, was
seized round the arms by two men, while the man who at-
tacked the quartermaster picked his pockets of some
tobacco and beads he had taken with him for the kind pur-
pose of distributing among them. The chief was very
much put out by the affair, and tried to get some of our
people to his but ; his great aim being to get gunpowdor,
I suppose he fancied this display of feeling would not be
favourable to his wishes.
After this attempt at a friendly intercourse we all ceased
going to the village for upwards of two months, when,
seeinc, no inclination on the part of the men to renew their
visit, I found, if we pursued the system of holding back, a
valuable opportunity would be lost of acquiring a know.
ledge of their habits, which it would be interesting to be-.
come acquainted with; and for this purpose the officers
again went occasionally to the settlement, taking care to
go with some influential man, whokept away thoseinclined
to be troublesome. . .

This was again very soon put a stop to by our not allowing
the man to come to the ship who had behaved so badly
when our men were at the huts ; and in enforcing this mea-
sure we went near to having another affray with them. He
had beento the ship several times since the occurrence took
place, and, on beingtold always went away. On the occa-
sion in question he evidently intended to remain and to get
up a disturbance, if possible. The chief who was on board,
seeing this, went out and tried to get him away, to no
avail ; and another chief tried also. The title of "chief"
given here is merely nominal, as, in a community where
every man has to provide for his own wants, the mast in-
dustrious, bold, and successful hunter becomes, from the
property he possesses, of more consideration than those
not possessing those qualities; but this does not extend
beyond his own bo ,t's crew or hunting party for the time
being. Seeing this man was resolved to remain, whether
we pleased or not, I thought it necessary to have our own
way as to who should visit the ship or not, and, as his
conduct was well known to his countrymen, and con-
demned by many of them, his case was a good one to en-
force. The great objection to any sort of disturbance was
the difficulty of making the well-disposed understand our
motives, or the separation of one from the rest as bad ;
and these cases rarely occurred, except when they were
collected in large numbers' which made them imagine they
could do as they pleased. While the altercation was going
on outside, the natives on board, of whom there were sev-
eral, began to leave the ship, although most of them had
been visitors and declared friends, without, as it appeared,

possessing any confidence in us. I then directed Lieuten-
ant Vernon to go out and once more tell him to go away.
The natives, thinking he was the leader of an attacking
party, two-thirds of the men, and all the women and chil-
dren, walked straight away for the village, leaving the bad
character in the minority, which he had sufficient tact to
discover, and followed the others. When quietness was
again restored, those who had made such a hasty retreat
out of the ship were now anxious to return again, but
others were chosen in preference from those who had re-
mained as spectators, and were apparently indifferent.
The crew were at dinner at the time, and they were not
disturbed, as our state with regard to arms is one of con-
stant readiness. The chief afterwards told me very im-
pressively not to go to the village, a privation very little
felt personally, but showing the absence of control on the
part of the chiefs where, our being at variance with one bad
character put an end_ to a friendly communication between
us and a whole tribe. He continued to make us visits at
intervals of two or three days, when, to put a stop to
them, on one occasion, when Lieutenant Vernon had, with
great good nature and patience, walked with him a con-
siderable distance from the ship, and left him to return,
he followed him back leisurely, when I saw there was no
means of dealing with him by kindness, I ordered two
marines, with muskets, outside on the ice to prevent his
further advance to the ship. On seeing them he seemed
to fly into a great state of excitementoand presented his
breast to be fired at, when one or two well-disposed per-
sons took him away, and he did not repeat his visits again
for some time, when, being told by the chiefs that he was
now ' good," I was glad of an opportunity to come to
terms with him, seeing that disputes would do us no good,
however much we had right on our side; and, as I
thought we had establed our point of keeping him away
to as great an extent as could be expected with a savage,'
it was explained to him by one of the chiefs that he was
to go away, and when we intended that he should remain
a message would be sent to him. Understanding this, he
went away much pleased, and on being sent to in a few
days, he came down in his best clothes and behaviour,
and was allowed to remain, which put an end to all dis-
putes between us.
During this day, which was fine and clear, with a tem-
perature at 23, we had 18 natives on board, and 72 wore
counted outside, or in sight of the ship, making 00 in
all, men, women, and children, a number not unfre-
quent in the depth of winter, when they were not engaged
in hunting. No temperature was too severe to keep them
away; with the thermometer and° or 40° below zero,
they commenced arriving along as early as 6 a.m.,
three or four hours before daylight, and those not ad-
mitted on board sat on the snow, laughing and play.
ing about as cheerfully as we should have done in sun-
shine. A party of six at this time had a narrow escape
from being starved in the ice, on which they were
adrift for six days. They went out to hunt the white
bear, when the floe became detached and drifted into the
Open water. They were saved from their perilous situation
by the chance of its being brought in contact with the