The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1856-09-06
1cJclcrt 4lli9tiLlnn.
TIE ESQUIM

ii Il IHoItt IVA IL ~
The following incrcstin" extract we take
from an article in Pnin0m'S IJHtly, on the
Kane Relief Expedition The ESqulmauX
here skctchyd inhabit the region between
CapcS Alexander and liathcrtun. The writer
Is at the village Of rtah, making inquiries for
Dir. Kane and his party. and he thu5 pictures.
THE DIRTY HABITS OF TrE EsQrIMNN.
These unsophiSinatcd children of The frost
land never wash Of dirt for the simple Ica-
son that, OF dirt, as such. they have no con-
ccpton or Flea. lfthcr faces get 50 foul as
to clog their nostlils, they open the air pas
sagcs. Just as they clear away the olEal from
the door Of their tent, when it inpcdcS their
ingress and cgrcsS On C'r explaining to Il
woman that we wished her 10 wash her face,
She at first refused: but, being }aibcd with
paper of needles, she caught bird. skinned
it, and splitting on its ficsh-becding skin.
polished her face with it. My friend Mayonk
had dirt on his face one-quarter of an inch
thick when first saw him. The next time
| met him. did not recognize him, and ac-
tunllv requested Mayonk himself to send
! Mavonk 10 me- Two Of our sailors had
caught him, and in spite Of his struggles, in
sisted on washing his face. lie did not seem
to appreciate the Improvement 1t had made
| in his appearance, on the contrary he was
quite mortified. for he had become the laugh
ing stock Of his fellows.
| would speak plainly the personal habits
| of these people. il it were only Tor The benefit
of class of philosophers among us, who de-
! light in chanting the vices Of civilization, and
dreaming Of what man might be, if he could
only Get back to u state Of nature. But there
are pictures, and hie-likc ones, that We cover
with Il curtain.
THEIR IMPROVIDENCE.
Tmprovidencc is another trait OF these
fresh children Of impulse We were ut
their village as late as the l9th of August.
Yet. although the auks were flying around
them in such quantities that one man could
have been able to catch thousand an hour.
they had not enough prepared for winter to
last two days. They were all disgustingly
fat, and always cating-pcrhaps an average
ration of nineteen pounds per diem, yet they
had lost seven by starvation during the last
winter. though relieved, as far as we could
make it out, by the Dokto kayene.
THEIR I.AzINE8s.
They suffer drcadfully from cold, too, yet
there IS an abundance Of excellent peat winch
they might dig during the summer. They
know its value as fuel, and are simply too
lazy to stack it.
The little aux which forms their principal
food. may he said also to be their own fuel.
Indeed it quite fills the place the seal holds
among the more southern E>guimalX. Their
clothes arc lined with its skins, they bum the
fat, and setting aside the liyerS and hearts to
he dried and consumed us bgt5DaS during the
winter. they cat the meat and intcStincS cook
ed and raw cold and at blood heat. re-
member one night, a child awoke up crying
with cold feet. His mother reached out to
one side of the bed, took up a pair OF BIRDS,
killed Them skinned them, turned the skins
inside out and drew them, while still warm
on to his feet, to serve as stockings, pulling
his little boots on over them.
: THEIR HOSPITALITY.
They arc very hospitablc; the minute We
, arrived. all hands began to catch birds and
f prepare them for use. Tearing of the skins
f with their teeth, they stripped the breasts to
| be cooked and presented to us, with the JUICY
t entrals and remaining portions to eat raw,
and stay our appetitcs. The viands dld moi
lock inviting to us who had witnessed then
preparation; but they appeared so hurt at o,ll
refusing to cat. that We had to explain, that
I il was not cooked, but raw birds we wanted
, This was satisfactory. They set out at once
:, TO catch some for us: and in few moment:
= | three OF thClil were Oh thelI ""J e'0"h w W"
= boat. loaded with birds.
Their way of catching them is peculiar
G They have small scoop-netS, attached TO lon!
= poles. not unlike those for catching cntomolog
: zeal specimens. \ man will take one o
0 these, and having stripped oifhiS jumper, an'
tied its sleeves so that he may use IT as II SacI
= will iay himself down on the hillside, and ne
c the birds, three or four at Il time, as they Il.
G over. examining them into lis jumper as faS
{ as cought. When he has got enough he pro
r cccds deliberately to kill them, taking thc
If out one by one, and biting their heads: or,
e he docs not wish to take their lives at once
s merely locking their wings. We saw piles {
N auks lying about thevillage in this condition
l. THEIR BRUTISllNESs.
g They have no regular hours for meals,
= sleep. but each sleeps, wakes and eats as be>
&c plcascs him. don't know anything whlc
of imprcsscs one more forciby with the DISCUS
Ii ing ncalncss of man TO the brute, than to 81
:, human being, thus wake from sleep. sletc
of out his hand seize bird, ard after dcvoulin
&c it raw like wolf, turn over and so to slice
|, again. And yet they are not wanting
rs courtesy of quite an elevated character.
tn SETTING HENs-On this subject CORE