Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-02-12
THE EVENING STAR.
DEFERRED LOCAL ARTICLES.

&
SMITHSONIAN LEcruRE.-Monday night, Dr.
Hayes, eArctic explorer, lectured TO an Immense
the audience at the Smithsonian Institution, upon
Esquimaux. This race Of people extend rom
Behring's Strait along the northern and eastern
coast OF North America as far down as Labrador,
and also along the eastern, southern, ana western
coasts Of Greenland, occupying a shore line OF
10000 miles. Il Is believed that they originally
extended as far south as Maine and Rhode Island,
traces OF the Fsquimaux having been founo In
those States. They do not forsake the shores OF
the sea, and ecnseq ueitly extend but short dls,
lance into the interior. The entire number OF
Esquimaux does not exceed 10000, and they are
evidently on the decrease All speak radically
the same language, the difference In d. alecu BE-
I'm or the ncTthwes 'ern shores find Little olm-
eastN making themselves understood anywhere
Guilty Il the whole ISsquimaux region. Inc
I,nIougpo1. ed on graz 7maticai PLinelpies, ana
language - DO b quite p ecullar; tne SOUNDS OF
is in many respeI giving Il cultural articula-
6 and X prevailing, have 1p signs or hiercgly-
non. ne 70 commul cat> IDEAS, ana eanno,
count beyond ten They are ea heigbt Thev
stature, averaging about nve ieen. ELI eyes, and
copcal head; and fat are their faces, jom tonch
laid scross from cheek to cheek will sch Of an oId
the nose. Their color Is not UNLIKE that and let
diTty copper cent Their hair is long tnncn
black, the women tying theirs up In knt Ind
the top Of the head which is never com6eo i.oon
with the accumulation Of grease and dirt "a
becomes a solid mass. This the females use W
sort Of pIn-cushion, in which they carry the
bone pins, needles, &c. Their clothing Oh sklns
Of the different animals found In tnat IegIon.
They manifest consde Iaoie degree Q, ca 40 10y
Ieges in Copenhagen, whittier they were TAKEN
nv navie ators; and also exhibit remaIkaols aPu-
tide In music and the languages Inc colo1iI
ton of Greenland has been carried on successfully
nv the Danes for MANY wears, and there are several
missionary stations In hourishing condlnon, a
great number Of the Esqui maux having oeen con-
r. 10 :. Oot sn{,r.Iv bs, rem, there being suf
hcient ysgetat to sustain c. nsideraole amount
OF animal life, such as reindee. y IdoDis, PtnaI-
mlgans, &c. The principal planh are we PoPPy'
dwarf willow. and species Of gras> ana nealnei.
There IL, however, large variety reSe Woiihg our
own plants such as the dandelion, coN'suP, sor'
rel and whoTtleberry. The Esquimaux nase no
permanent habitation, living In huts built ofAVonS
moss and leaves during the autumn and sPringr
Ia snow huts during the winter, and In ten!s
made OF tanned skins In the summer. In thelr
winter buts the only FIRE used is Ia little mol,
lowed piece Of soapstone, and fed with moss and
blubber Over this 10 suspended small pot, also
Of soapstone, in which they manage to make the
wafer simmer sufficiently to manila :ture ilttie
soup. Their food Is never thoroughly cooked,
though they sometimes warm Il a little over the
fire. In travelling they always eat their meat raw,
and In frozen state. Several families frequently
occupy the same hut, and the lecturer had seen rs
many as eighteen persons living In little house
not more than ten feet in diameter and four or I'VE
feet high. The temperature In these huts Is gem
eTally quite oppressive sometimes being as nigh
as eighty-ive degrees above zero, while II was
hftv degrees below outside. This warmth de-
oornposes the scraps and bits OF meat thrown ABOUT
in the apartments rendering The atmosphere eI-
cessively foul Until the visit OF nayigators TO
those regions, all the implements OF the Esqui-
maux were formed Of bone or ivory. Their
sledges were made by tying whales ribs together
with thongs and shOeing the runners with strips
of ivory, made from the tus Is Of the walrus The
long tusks Of the narwhsT supplied them with
lsnces and their knives either OF stone or OF
bone The wreck of Dr. Kane's vessel-the Ad-
vance-was gOdsend TO them, and supEned
vast number with iron and wood.
The habits Of the animals Of the Attic regI ons
were described by the lecturer, with the mode OF
capture employed by the Esquimaux. An Inter
esting description was also given OF the art Of ,
managing their little boats or kyark, one Of which
was exhibited upon the stage, with pair OF snow
shoes and splendid specimens Of the reindeer,
seal, wolf, elder duck, nest and eggs, ank, Green
land dove, black goose, ptharmigan, gulls and
other animals. Specimens Of the several varieties
Of plants were also exhibited and their peculiari
ties described.
The lecture was listened to with undivided in
terest.