Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-12-11

: i've alone, who wanted tn make the large an,
unusual sign Of 80. He accordingly held IN
bo'h ms hands, and was then sadly paZzlet
how Ia go farther. Ii Dryer occurred 10 hin,
10 break or and rrprat the signal in any way
but he at length happily struck upon more
ny getting The officer 10 raise his digitals
Here were 90; but the 10 to he added was The
grand pons Gsinorun uf Esqumsux numerals
The difficulty seemed insuprrable. hut again
his genius beiriended the calculator: he held
up one of his feet-25! What was TO he done ?
Like one Of the wise men of Gotham, our
clever native tried 20 hold up the other foot NJ
the sane time, and his efforts To have all his
imbs simultaneously in the air, were the most
iudicrous that can he imagined But it could
not he managed aud it was not without an
iminensiiy of trouble that The proposed num-
Der was finally expressed by the four hands
and one foot of each of the conversing par
| ties.
| Other characteristic traits of these simple
people may be told in this place The wives
oi two of them, one with a baby sucking
(which nutrment they supply for several
years, were taken on board the vessels fnr
medicinal treatment, both being in the last
stages of disease. 1t was, indeed too late ,o
save them; and they died.-The husband of
me mother evinced some distress and howied
little when she expired but very seem seem
ed 10 forget his loss. Yet he attended very Sc
duiousiy to the proceedings of the Cabnntc
Ihey developed the body decen.Iy, as is daur
with sailors, in IA hammock, and dug grave
for ITS reception. To This it was horne. accom-
panied by the husband, who manifested much
uneaslness. At last he made himself under
stood that he was afflicted by the confinement
OF The corpse. Having obtained knife, hp
was permitted 10 crafty his own feelings, and
he cut all the stitches which held the ham
mock together down the front, so as TO give n
KIND OF Liberty 10 the dead form. The cover
ing 10 OF the grave with earth and stones also
| seemed tn give him pain; hut he asked leave
to bury The living child with It's dead mother.
| The rr''son assigned fur this horrid proposal
was, HAT being female no woman would
take the trouble To nurse il, as that was never
dohe among them. II il had been boy, per
maps some one might have adopted and rear
ed II. In TACT, the,iniant, without sustenante,
d'd die on The ensuing day, and was placed
al The disposal of its parent, who drew il away
on his sledge To short distance, and raised a
small mound of snow over lis iifrlrss corpse
III IS curious 10 remark, that while they dis
IKE the idea of hurting The dead by putting
any thing heavy upon them, they feel NJ re-
greet AT the consequence of their own INSULT
clent mode of s"pnturr-the dragging Of ;h,.
bodies from their light snow tombs To be torn
tn pieces and devoured by dogs and wolves,
as was frequently witnessed by our men, who.
/ whPn The spring dissolved the sne.. had to
dig graves for the mutilatcd remains of srve-
ral oi the native corpses thus exposed Ia view
| There was considerable mortality among
them; no fewer than sixteen, old and Young
dying within the few months they spent near
the Expedition in IFS second winter
In the management 0f The canoe the Es-
qliinanx are very expert. They are amazing
! ~ i!Wnt. and fnrIr,.1 .,fs = a.,
The largest which Captain Parry obtained is
90 ieet IN length, and we observed anoiher,
between decks in the Herla which is 10 feet
long, and only ~ inches IN width. half oC
which are in the depth
] In these the native pursucs his marine
chase, and spears tie fish aud fowl. The
spear Is double pointed with bone, about six
! or Sven inches in Itngth, and barbed. The
shalt is of very light wood, five ur six feet
long, and below the handle, or part by " hich
1t is thrown, are three other barbed bones.
standing out Il few inches from the wood, and
calculated to strike the prey, should the hi
lorked point miss. They kill at twenty wards
distance. The how and arrow is also employ
ed IN killing game and wild animals. The ar
rows are pointed with stone, smnothed into
a lance-head shape by friction against other
stones.
method Of catching seals land, il we re-
member correctly, fish also,) through hole in
The ice, ~ one of the most dexternus of Es-
| quniaux CONTINGENCIES. line is let down. al
the end of which is fastened small piece of
white bone or tooth, above an inch long. cut
into rude lish-forn aud having two mursels
OF pyrtes stuck into il 10 resemble eyes This
ban is drawn through the water, and when
seals or other prey approach to rxamine it,
me waichful native spears them from abuye.
The knives used by The women are curintislv
constructed, and as cleverly employed in skin
ming animals and carving yctuals as the instru-
menis of hunting are by the men. They re-
semble small cheese ur sadder's knife The
iron or cutting part being scmlcircuar, and in
serted in u hone handle. The whole is three
or four inches long, and the edge three or four
inches IN breadth. With these they carve a.
way underhand IN very dexterous style.
! Speciacles arc another nf their articles.
which struck us as curious and well rontrived.
| They consist of piece Of wood scraped thin.
Ike u handage. and perforated with two mar
row horizontal Sits, something like pigs eyes,
where we would have glasses: - lm about an
inch broad PROJECTS in the same direction as
that of hat would and this simple rnrchan
zeal process, tied about The head, protects the
| eyes from The drifting snow and spcculo, and
improves The sharpness Of thrsighl.
Having already stated the lpngIludes. Iaii-
tudes, and periods of sailing and wintrring. we
shall not deem II necessary 10 go much into
the details of the Expedition, which has.
| ~ fact, neither added much TO geography, nor
been able 10 Hplore farther than WAS done by
/ Middleton and preceding payigaiors. The
last year seems to have been so unpIoduciivr.
That the ships might as veil havr returned
hoinein theauumo Of 1879 bot il is not the
character Of British seamcn 60 desist while
the slightest prospect" f Success can he enter
lalned. Our own opinion is that there may