The entrance is

gen

feet to the fire and their heads to the fides of the tent. erally to the S. W. fide, and they go in by lifting up one of the fkins, to which is faftened a piece of flick, to make it flap close.

They have a cullom that muft appear fhocking to every humane mind, and in which they are in fome measure imitated by the Hottents. The latter, as hath been mentioned in treating of Caffraria, expote their parents, when labouring under the infirmities of o'd age, to perifh with hunger, or to be devoured by wild beafts, and these Indians angle theirs; for when their parents grow fo old as to be unable to fupport themfelves by their own labour, they require their children to ftrangle then, and their performing it is eflcem-, ed an act of duty. This is done in the following manner: the old perfon's grave being dug, he goes into it, and after having conversed and faioaked a pipe, or perhaps drank a dram or two with his children, he informs them that he is ready; upon which two of them put a throng about his neck, one Banding on one fide, and the other oppofite to him, which they pull violently till he expires; they then cover him with earth, and over that ereft a kind of rough monument of flones. Such old people as have no children, require this office of their friends; but in this cafe it is not always compli ed with.

They are faid to acknowledge a Being of infinite goodnefs, whom they file Uckewma, or the Great Chief; him they confider as the author of alt the bieffings they enjoy, and fing a kind of hymn to his praife, in a grave and folemn tone, that is not altogether difagreeable; but their religious fentiments are very inconfiftent and confufed. They likewife acknowledge another being, whom they call Wittieca, and reprefent as the author of alt evil; of him they are much afraid; but it is not faid that they ufe any methods to appease him.

We have already spoken of a Journey made into thefe parts by Mr. Hearne, attended by fone of the native Indians, for the purpote of difcovery. In the courie of his progrefs he paffed through an immense tract of land, in which dreary defarts, frozen lakes, and tribes of miferable Indians, without fixed habitations, were the only cojects which prefented themselves. Before he paffed the Arctic circle, and all the while he proceeded farther northward, which was in the months of June and July, the fun was always a good height above the horizon. On his return, in January 1772, the Indians who accompanied him happened to find, in a little hut, a young woman, fitting alone, who, on examination, appeared to be one of the weftern dog-ribbed Indians. She had been taken prifoner by the Arathabefcow Indians in the fummer of 1770, and the next fummer the efcaped from them, deligning to return to her own country, but it was fo far off the could not trace back the way. The particulars which fhe related threw great light the manners of the Indians in thefe parts. This forlorn wanderer had not feen a human face for fix months, but procured a good fubfiflence by fnaring rabits, partridges, and squirrels; and at that time was in good health and Seth. She had made herself a comfortable warm winter cloathing of the fkins of rabbits. When he made her efcape all the stock which the poffeffed was about five inches of an iron hoop for a knife, a fione for a fleci, and other hard stones for flints, befides other fire tackle, as tinder, &c, about an inch and an half of the thank of the fhoeing of au arrow, the iron of which the had made into an awl. Half a fcore of the men who accompanied Mi. Hearne prefently began to wrefle with each other, to determine who fhould, have her for a wife. She related, that when the Arathaf eflow Indians took

On

her prifoner, they fole on the tents of her tribe in the night, when the ot cupiers were alleep, and killed every foul, except her felf and three othe young women: her father, mother, and hufband, were in the fame tent with her, and they were all killed. Her child, above five months old, fhe took with her, wrapped in a bundle of her cloathing, undifcovered, in the night; but when the party arrived at the place where they had left theit wives, the Indian women began to examine the bundle, and difcovering the child, killed it immediately, The relation of this fhocking fcene only excited laughter in the favages of Mr. Hearne's gang. She defcribed her country as fo far to the wellward, that she never faw any iron there, or other kind of metal, till taken prifoner; thofe of her tribe making their hatchets and chiffels of deers' horns, their knives of flone and bone, their ar rows are thod with a kind of flate, with bones and deers' horns, and their inftruments to make their wood-work are nothing else than beavers' teeth. They had heard of the useful materials with which the other nations to the eastward of them are fupplied by the English; but inflead of drawing nearer, to be in the way of trading for iron work, and other ufeful articles, they are obliged to retreat farther back, to avoid the Arathapefrow Indians, who make furprifing flaughter among them every year, both winter and fu amer.

The Hudfon's Bay Company poffefs three forts, or rather factories, on the fouthern coaft of James's Bay, by which the fouth eaftern termination of Hudfon's Bay is diftinguifhed, and where its vaft breadth is contratied to within five degrees of longitude. These factories bear the name of Rupert, Moofe, and Albany; each of which flands at the mouth of a river, and lie from 50° 50' to 52" S. latitude: there is also a factory called Flamborough fituated a confiderable way up Hays's River. But, notwithstanding the feverity of the climate in this western hemisphere, the company's two princi pal factories are fill more to the northward: the one is York fort, which flands on the N. E. point of a long and narrow ifland, dividing a va river into two extenfive branches, which difcharge themselves into the bay at the factory; one of these branches is called Nelfen's river, and the other Hayes's This factory lies in 7° 25′ N. latitude, and longitude 17° 30′ W. The most northern fettlement is Prince of Wale's fort, at the mouth of Churchil river, in 58° 48' N. latitude, and 19° 7' W. longitude, about 120 miles N. W. of the former.

In the year 1782, M. de Peroufe, in the Sceptre of 74 guns, having under his command two frigates of 36 guns each, was fent by the Admiral of the French fleet in America, on an expedition against the English feulements on Hudfon's Bay. The difficulties and dangers which he encountered in paffing the ftraits which lead from the Atlantic Ocean into the vaft bay, (which in magnitude is nearly equal to the Mediterranean Sea) caufed the fummer to be nearly walled before he doubled the callern point of the bay, and although it was then the beginning of Auguft. his farther progrefs was impeded by intenfe fogs and vaft floaring iflands of ice. Crolling the bay however, in its wideft part, the came before Fort Prince of Wales, which be found quite unprepared to witheft and the attack of an European enemy, hoftile fhips having then for the firft time appeared in thofe parts. The French

No. 22.

commander afterward proceeded to York Fort, which was equally defencelefs. The buildings were blown up, and the merchandize in general deftrayed. The computation made by the victors of the lofs fuflained to the Company was half a million fterling; but this was an enormous exaggeration, made for no other purpose than to give ideal conf.quence to the expedition. Thefe poffeffions were reflored to the English by the peace which took place the enfuing year.

The Hudfon's Bay Company was incorporated by Charter in the year 1670: its capital originally was little more than 10.000l. but it has increafed to upwards of 100,000l.fter. The traie carried on from hence is of the moft beneficial nature to Great Britain, as large quantities of furs are obtained upon the moft advantageous terms, in exchange for the manufactures of England, particularly iron tools; thefe furs are imported, and the greateil part of them manufactured for ufe. It has been much contended, that fo lucrative a commerce ought not to receive the hackles of a monopoly; and it is probable that they would have been long fince taken off, if the climate had been fufficiently temperate to admit of eftablishing governments and revenue officers. as the profpect of extending influence, by creating patronage, is never overlooked by government; but England being in poffeilion of Canada, has greatly leffened the trade carried on at the factories on the coat of Hudfen's Bay, and of late years the western coaft of America, about the fame parallel of latitude, has become a mart for the fame commodity, but conveyed to a different market, of which we shall fpeak in the next fection.

Of the Tribes of ESKINEAUX, er ESKIMOWS, Indians.

THE tribes of Indians who inhabit the country to the gafward of

thofe already defcribed, are the Efkimeaux, which name is derived from an Indian word that fignifies eaters of raw flesh; for, after thoroughly drying the flesh of the beafts they kill, they eat it without any other preparation; and it is evident that to this Indian term is added a French termination; but to adapt it to the English pronunciation, it fhould rather have been written by our authors Efkimows.

Thefe people are of feveral tribes, fome inhabiting the country to the N. of Hudfon's Bay, on and above the Arctic Circle, and others that on the E. which is called Labradore, or New Britain, extending in the whole over thirty degrees of latitude. Thofe to the N. are in numbers fewer, in Bature more dwarfish, and in every respect fuffer feverely under the rigour of their climate, but in each part the human race is very thinly fatered, their lives are never extended to an European old age, and their manners are coarsely favage, though to Europeans they behave peaceably, and on many occafions have discovered a difinterested readiness to relieve those in difliefs. The Efquimeaux Indians are of a dark copper colour, fhort of ftature, the talleft feldom exceeding five feet in height, their heads are large, their faces flat, and their feet remarkably finail. The women are coarfe and ill favoured: fuch as are mothers have long and flabby hreafts, cauled by the euftom of giving fuck to their children till they are five or fix years old; they likewife are accuftomed to cary their children at their backs, who, in that pofition, drag at the breaft, and draw the milk over the fhoulder of their mother, which contributes to fuch a diflention. During the feverity of the long winter, which reigns, in the northern pary more parVOL. IV.

C

ticularly, thefe people refide in huts conftructed of flones clofely cemented together, and rendered extremely warm. Whilft the fhort fummer continues, which is only about three months, the weather is intenfely hot; at which season, and fo long as the climate is fupportable, thefe Indians are chiefly upon the water in their boats, procuring fifh for their fubfiftence: they are bold, intrepid, and expert in parfuing whales through all the dangers of a tempeftuous fea-the oil obtained from feals and whales they cfteem the higheft gratification. It is faid that one of these Indians, a young man, who had been accustomed to live for feveral years among Europeans, conforming to their manner and diet, being in fome diftant part, and flanding by an Englishman, who was cutting up a feal, from which the oil Lowed copiofly, he collected as much of it as he could in the palms of his hands, and fwallowed it with extreme avidity, exclaiming ah! how happy was I in my own dear country, when I had my belly full of this delicious fare." Indeed no people entertain a greater partiality for their native country than the Efquimaux; one reafon for which predilection, in them, but which is alfo prevalent amongst the inhabitants of all the dreary regions of the earth, has been faid to arife from his organs of refpiration being only fuited to the denfe air which he breeches, his habits of life being fuch as would render it difficult for him to refpire in a fofter or more temperare climate; even the atmosphere of Amfterdam, Copenhagen, or London, which in fome months of the year is thick and forgy, an Efquimaux would feel too clear for his lungs, and from his confirmed habits alfo all the pleafurable delights of an European would only excite in him abhorrence.

The food and manner of living of these Indians, fubject them to all the dreadful confequences of an inveterate fcurvy: they are likewife frequently afflicted with blindnefs, from the country which they inhabit being covered with fnow during eight or nine months in the year, the reflections of the fun's rays from which prove very injurious to the organs of fight, particularly during the fpring of the year; to guard against this baneful effect, they provide themfelves with what they call "fnow eyes," which confift of a piece of wood or ivory placed before the eyes, and tied to the back part of the head, in which two holes are perforated, which are fomewhat fmaller than the eye, and through these they view objects in the manner as we make ufe of perspective glaffes, though they are unacquainted with that artificial medium.

The clothes of the men are made of feal-skins, and fometimes of the skins of land and fea-fowl fewed together; their coats have a hood like a capuchs in, are clofe from the breaft before, and reach no lower than the middle of the thigh the breeches are ciofe before and behind, gathered like a purse, with a fring, and tied about their waifts: they have feveral pairs of boots and focks, which they wear one over another, to keep them warm and dry. The difference between the drefs of the men and that of the women is, that the latter have a narrow flap behind to their jacket, that reaches to their heels. Their hoods are likewise larger and wider at the fhoulders, for the fake of carrying their children in them at their backs; and their boots, which are a great deal wider, are commonly fuck out with whalebone, because when they want to put a child out of their arms, they flip it into one of their boots till they can take it up again. A few of them wear fhifts of feal's bladders fewed together. Their clothes are in general fewed very neatly: this is performed with an ivory needle, and the finews of a deer fplit fine, which are used for thread. They discover a good deal of tafle in adorning

them with firipes of different coloured skins fewed in the manner of borders, cuffs, and rubings for their clothes, which altogether appear handsome as well as convenient,

Thefe fimple people were fo far from being jealous of their wives, that they offered them to the English failors, from an opinion that the children they had by them would be in every refpect as much fuperior to thofe of their nation as they took the English to be; for they imagine, fays our author, that in the most literal fenfe every man begets his like, and that the fon of a captain muft infaliably be a captain.

Ou their going to fea, in order to catch fish, they ufually take in their boars a bladder filled with train-oil, as our people do a dram-bottle, and fecem to drink the contents with the fame rellifh; and when their flock is out, they have been feen to draw the bladder through their teeth in order to extract the very laft drop of this precious liquid.

NEWFOUND

Of Newfoundland.

EWFOUNDLAND received its name from John Cabot a Ve. netian, but employed by Henry VII. of England, who difcove fed it in the year 1497. It is of a triangular form, and fituated to the E. of the gulf of St. Laurence, between 47° 50′ and 51° 7′ N. latitude, and between 17 and 20° 34' E. it is bounded to the E, and S. by the Atlantic Ocean, on the N. by the ftraits of Belleifle, which divide it from New Britain, or Labrador, and on the W. by the Gulf of St. Laurence, computed to be three hundred miles long, and two hundred broad.

It is

The coafts are extremely fubject to fogs, occafioned by the vapours exhaled from the lakes and fwamps with which the island abounds; yet the air is falubrious. The winters are fevere, attended with almoft continued forms of fnow and fleet, the fky being ufually overcaft.

The foil is generally supposed to be barren, except on the banks of the rivers, which are tolerably fertile. There are however woods of different kinds throughout almoft all the country, for feveral miles from the coaft, which contain abundance of timber fit for fhip and boat building, as well as for erecting ftages for cutting and drying fifh; and beyond thefe woods, where the lands have been cleared, there are in many places good pafturage. The inland parts of the country rife into high hills, and fink into bogs and fwamps; where fuch parts as are not covered with water, afford only fhrubs fpruce, and white mofs. This ifland however contains many fine rivers, lakes and rivulets, which abound with beavers, otters, and other animals, and afford great plenty of falmon, and various other fpecies of fifh. The forefts are stored with deer, moofe, bears, wolves, and foxes, in great plenty; but here are few cattle, fheep, or horfes; inflead of the latter, the inhabitants make use of dogs for drawing wood and other neceffaries. Thefe they manage with great dexterity, fixing them in leathern collars, and yoking together what number they pleafe. There are here great plenty of wild fowl, but the flaple commodity of the ifland is cod-fifh, which are larger and in greater abundance, than in any other part of the world; and from hence a confiderable part of Europe is chiefly fupplied with this article, particularly the ports fituated in the Baltic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Levant.

A vaft bank is formed to the eastward and fouthward of this ifland, by the earth and fand which the violence of the fea drives from the adjacent