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

o''''eu uous TIE C,dst 10 tiie NORM, pPnptral-
ed only To lifelong. of 82, 80, and lat. GO, 40
and after exploring several lnlrts, &c. in their
brief crtizr, they w-re finally moored for their
second winter, about mile apart. in 81, a.
w. long and lat. 60, 81, n. Here close 10
Another small ISLE, they remained from the III
oi September, 1922, In the 9Th Of last August.
They had latt.rly entered strait leading Ia
the westward. From the accounts of the Es-
qumaux and their own Observations, they had
every reason To believe that this strait sepa-
rated all The land 10 the norihwaid from the
continent of America. After getting about / 5
miles within the entrance of it, however, they
were stopped by the ice. hut from the persua-
sion that they were in the right channel for
getting to the westward, they remained there
f9 ~. nearly month, is daily expectation that
the lee would break up. In this last hope
| they were again quite disappointed and on
the 18th OF Sept. the sea having begun TO
freeze, they left those straits; and laid the ships
up In winter quarters near the small island
alluded to, and called by the Esauimaux, Ig-
luoc.
From these data il is evident that the ex-
petition has failed in its leading objects In
snort, any annual whale-ship might do as
much as il has been able, with all IFS perseve
rance, 10 accomplish and we apprehend that
lew or no new lights can be thrown by itupon
the great questions of science which were rails
ed by the former voyages. The magnetic
pole was not crossed and it is curious to
state, that all the electrical appearances, lights,
halos, meteors, &c. were seen To the south-
Unnatural history the acquisitions are very
scan'y. We have on our table twenty-.ight
botanical specimens, dwarf willow. saxirraee.
grasses, moses, SIC. which nearly comprehend
he siunted vegetable world of these northern
attitudes. One new gull has, we believe, been
1 N hat ole.
hardly any novelty has been ascertained. or
remarkable discovery madr, in ornitIiology.
piseology, botany, or other branch of science
In he second winter more numerous
tribe OF the Esqnimaux, about so, and in
Gliding the 'Isitors of The preceding year. set
tied near the ships, and were in daily inter
course with them. We shall here throw TO-
gether what we have learned Respecting this
people.
They are represented as being peaceaI!e
and Sood-natured not stupid, hut not emf
nent Tor feeling orintellSence. The first tribe
iired together on terms of perfect liberty and
equality; In the second there was an Angckok
or conjuror, who exercised certain degree
oiInfiuence and authority. There are no
signs oil the worship Of "A Supreme Being a
mong them, and they do not appear To have
perfect IDEA oi one; nor have they apparently
any religious rites at marriages or burials-
An Esquimaux bespeaks his wife while she i
yet child, and when she is of marriarrab
age, she is brought home TO him, and there is
least GA the occasion. Their funerals are
equally simple: If in winter, the CORPSE is
merely covered over with snow irin sum
NOR, shallow trench is dug where il is depo
siied, and two or three fat stones at ton. com
plete the rude sepulchre. They are careful
not TO allow any stones or weighty matters TO
resi- on the body /; and seem to think that even
alter death 1t may be sensible 10 the oppres-
sion. they appeared to have some crude no
! ti0ns OF future state; but all their IDEAS on
these matters were SO blended with suners,i-
ton, that they hardly deserve 10 be mention
cd Two wives were possessed Nv several of
the natives, and one is almost always much
younger than the other: yet the copartners
seemed TO 1--we on very good terms with one
another The children rarely appear to be
more than two, three, or four in "A family
though SIX growp-up brothers and sisters were
met with. They live toa good age. MANY
were above sixty years old, and iD one case
the gfeat-Srandmother Of a child If seven or
eight years was "a healthy old woman at the
mead of four generations. The stature of the
males Is about the average oflive feet 4, 5, or
inches aud none exceed 5 feet 10 inches.
Their colour is a dirty Hooking yailowish
ware, and their proportions by no means ro-
| bust
We have mentioned the appearances Other
sn"w-hnuses when first seen they are curl
ousiy shaped and constructed, resembling
'hree immense beehives grouped together, ard
entered by one long passage by all the three
families TO whom these yield an abode. A
irefoll affords a toIerable idea ofthetn. They
are about feet 10 diameter, ADD or feet in
height. The passage is about go feet in length.
anu SO low that you must creep along nearly
| on all-iuurs, IN order to reach the hut This
is lnSeniOusly intended to exclude the cold
air, which it does efIictually, though widened
~ parts for lodging the dogs bclongin,. to the
several households, aud which are stationed
~ 'he last sort Of anti-chamber, before The en-
traces turn Otto the right and left for the
TWO nearest nuts. The butts themselves are
enufely made OF square blocks df solid snow.
with larger key-bloclI al the too ofthe ro
iunda The window is a piece Of fat transpa.
reDt ice. Round the interior runs n seat of the
same material as the walls, upon which the
SKINS of the animals are thrown for seats and
heds' Beds are also made OF plant. ON the
moor lsee farther on The houses are without
any ARTIFICIAL warmth, except what is prOduc-
cd by sort OF oil lamp, 10 which thpy used
pieces of dry moss for wicks, also hereafter
described.
In the winter of 1S22-5, native dwellings or
NUS constructed OF bone were also sren.-
The j. gnmaux often est flesh IN raw stat. .
bat il IS sometimes cooked, and The women al
most invariably submit their food To that pro-
| cess. Tie utensils nre uncommon, though
simple. They consis, two vessels or Stone .
! generally the potslone or lapis- oilaris, also
nsed IN parts Of Germany for the same mr.
pose. The lower vessel gooa deal resem-
bles IN English kitchen ash shoycl the uc-
per one "a trough, ola vide c6ali form. ~
The first. which is Gilpd With oil, q numtcr of
l moss Nicks flint. and are lirhfed llrihc r,nl