Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-06-22
The Use Of the Walrus.

La looking st this unooulh aoimai. the most
neural qles.ion at ouca arises, Whist earttly
service csa such sp uagainly. stupid bess; rer-
der? What, indeed, is the use of its existence?
Bat tho answer is s6itt aud satisfactory: we're
1t not t)r tho subsistence furnished so larg ly
by the fl 81 and oil of the morse, it is excsed-
icgly doubtful Whethor the Z quimaux Of
North America. from B=hriug Straits clear
around TO Labrador, could manage to live. 1t
is not to be inferred that walrus meat is the
5:lc diet CT ths So simple people, for that ia very
wiis ct tho TUT; but lhsre are several monks
Of the soar when .he sxig ,co!ss Of tao climate
reader It absolutely Impossible for ;he hardest
native TO 6, ous aoi! procure food, and then
The V,!uu Ut the cscao Of asIrus meat is apDre-
ciat L. wien for weeks and weeks i! forms ha
be2iuring AM tie erd OF every meal. Fac
galIu3 responds to s5 many demands Of The lu-
rult as the camel of the Arab, or the coca
palm Of the South Sea Islander. Its fash feeds
biU; its I'll i!lu nj assss ard warns bis dark hut;
its sloews make his bird nets i.s toush skiu,
skill fully ched over tho LIZ ght wooden frame,
Constitutes bis famous kayak, and the service,
sbe oomiak, or bidorrat; lis iotesines arc
converted into water proof othieg, while tho
sol;s TO is h;pp, RS are transferred TO his feet
Sod, Eosliy, its ivory is sou;c, at endless util
i!y TO him 10 domestic use and 10 trade and
barrier Walrus fsmines amoDg the qui-
msuX have been rocCrd ID 10 pathetic l4se,i
By almost all of the savage ssttlsmea:s 10 tho
Aro'ic. Evso now, ss [ write November,
lSS0l. c>mes the su heDtio confederation Of The
hasl rumor of the stasvaIi % of the inhsbissnts
of 81. L.sra0co Island-those people Who live
j1as midWsy between the GA World aud tho
N:w. in A sskso waters. The winter o!slS19-
50 wss oue Of exceptional rizor 10 the Arotc,
though in this couotry it was unusually mild
rod open. The ios olassd 10 s,iid around ST.
Lawrence l:ani-so firm and uush.kau By the
mighty p)wers Of wiod aud tide that the wal.
rua ~ere dTvea far to the scu.hwlrd and east
ward, ont OF reach of the unhappy iubsti.ants
Of that slaud. who. thus uoex pectediy deprived
Of thclr malC6tay and support, eeem to
have miaersby starved to death, with tie ex.
caption Of one small villsge on tie north shore.
Ths residents OF the Poonook, Poosove!.ysk
and KagaegsS settlements perishsi, to a eOul
from huuger-nenrlY three hu adred men wcmsn
nnd children. I YVES among these people in
1874. during the month of August, and remark
et their manifold superiority over the eavas es Of
ih3 nnrth west sst snd the great plains. They
seemed then to live during Rine mooths Of the
year, almost wholly u5on the helh and oil Of the
warua. Clesn-imbed, bright eyed, and io7ial,
thsy profoundly Impressed one With their hep.
py iu6:isecca and reliance upon ths Wslrue
herds .! Behring Sos; and it wss remarked then
that these people had rever been subjected 10
:he tempts'l lon-and subsequent sorrow--of put.
ting their trus. 10 princes; hence their ndepen-
| dence and good heart. But now it appears that
l. will not suffice, either. to put your trust in
walrus -. cri6ncr yjJr July.