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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 5 6 SAnhiiniCMi CI imi^nA/M(^'M/> 1^11 1 . •»-» Hq!| Section II., 1894. I 113 ] Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada. III. — The Tminits of our Arctic Coaaf. By His Honour Liiiif.-Governor J. C. Schultz, LL.D.,M.D. (Keiid Miiy JStli, 181)4). Among tl.'o many Indian tribes of the went, northwest and north, of which, on tiic lilteenth day of July, 1870, the Dominion of Cuna(hi assumed the wardenship, there were none moiv remote, less kin)wn and moi'e interesting from an anthropological point of view tlinn the aborigines of oui northern eoast and of the islands of our aretie arehipelugo. Sueh meagre knowh'dge as we possessed of the interesting jteople, who, from Melville Peninsula to Ilerehel Isln ..1. inhabited these iey coasts and islands, was pfineipally derived from such incidental records of their pursuits, habits and character as were to bo found in the journals (if those co.;rageous and indctiitigable searchers for a northwest passage, to whom, except in some notable cases, all else, save that sup[iosed waterway, was of little nioment. Hence we find, as is usual when only one side of the narrative of rencontres is told, tin- imju'cssion created tlmt these isolated savages deserved, in a measure, tlio character which had, in tiie curly years of >>'orwegian and Icelandic discovery, been given them by voyagers who, if we may believe their own records, murdere IT. H, steamer ''Thetis,'" that the tiii.e has, I think, come for a reconsidei-ation of the estimate whicii lias been formed of a people so hoimtgeneous in aiipearance, language and in tlicir habits itnd modi- of life, who occupy a regii>n more extended than that of any of the alMiriginel t)il»es of North or Soiith America, and who differ so imn'h from all other savages (tl the new or old world. An examination of such records as are available brings us in contact with thom at a very early period on the eastern bonlers of the five ihousaml miles of coast line which they are known at one time to have occupied, and although this takt's us beyond the strict limits of till' title of this papi'r, yet it maybe admissible, in view of their apparently common origin and tho remarkable homogi'ueify )f which 1 have spoken. The story of ' liief," the son of " Krie the Red," with his companion "IViorn," and their discovery of Vinland, or Wine liand, is too well known to need recapitulation. "Thorwald," liiefs l>rother, eager for further iliscovery, is saitl to have saileil with liiefs crew tlse following yuar, oxamiiiing tho country to the westward of what was probably tho Seo. II., 1801. 15. "' -T I 114 J. r. SPHTTLTZ ON TIIR straits of Bello-Tslo. and in the third sumnior, to quote .ui earl}- narrator, "They exiilmvil the ishind, hut as tlieir vi-sr-el unfortunately hulgeil against a lieadhind, tliey were olilin'cd to spend the greatev jiart of tlie season in rei)airini>- her. Tlie ohl keel heing useh'ss, tlicv ereeted it as a inonunieiit on tlie top of the eape, to which they gave the iiiiiiu n\' 'Kiaelarnes.' '" Having refitted the ship, they again rei'onnoitered the east side ot the eountry. w licii' they fell in with three small boats eovereti with skins, with three men in each. These tlicv seized, with the exeei»tion of one man, who escaped, and killed them in mere wantonness. Shortly after they were attacked hy a multitude of the same savages in their boats, but tliw were so well screened from the shower of Eskimo arrows by the hoards which guarded the ship's sides, and defended themselves Avith such vigour that after an hour's skirmish tliev eompelled their assailants to seek safety in flight and unjustly enough after so ardiKnis n contest bestowed upon these Indians the contemptuous apitellation " Skraelings ; "' Tiiiir\v;ilil alone, of uU the crew, paid the forfeit of his harharity with his life, having received a woiuhI from an arrow in the skirmish fr >m which he soon di'>d. It would seem from this narrative that the tirst Skraelings seen hy Euro[>eans were met on the northeastern coast of Xewfoundland or the southeastern coast of Labrador in the earliest years of the eleventh century, ai\d their own record ot the occurrence rcHect-' little credit on the Euroitean harharians who wt're the victors and murderers in these lirs^ eiuoiin- ters between the people oi'the east and west. Xo satisfactory evideiree is to be found that Ureeidand at this time was inhabited, savi' by the Norwegian and Icelamlic coloni-^ts who settled uiion its east and west coast; iinie'il the most ai'cient leelandie writers, of whom Saemund Frede, Arius I'olihistor, SiKirm Sturlesen and others, who wrote as early as the twelfth century, relate that, although pieces ofbroken oars were sometimes found on the strand, no hunnin beings were ever seen, eitlier on th,' east or west coasts. If the treatment accorded by Thorwald to the Skraelings was a fair example of that which was accorded them when atlerwards met with hy other udveiiturers on the .Xtlanlie and St. Lawrenci' coasts of Lai)rador, we nniy well surmise that the name ai\d ill-fame nl' the eastern intruders would be carried from the sen! tents of the Labrador coast to the snow houses of their coui\tryiuen on the far-off northern coasts of islanply them in some [larts with the covetetl lance Innnlles and sled runners, Hunuuer fuel and material for their houses, yet these drifts seldom occur where other conditions are favourable to a full food supply, and as the seal is his prinei|»al food, furnishing him as well with light, warmth, clothing, implements of the chase, harness for his dogs, nuiterial for his canoe and his summer as well as part of his winter house, all other <'ortions. Fn sonic parts, near the centre of the vast coast line ihey inhabit, the men reach five feet nine, ten and even eleven inches in height, but near their eastern and western limit, six inches 1k1(hv these heights would be the general limit. Although, to resist arctic cold the muscles Imvc an adipose covering gicaver than that of other Indians and whites, yet in their nuisciiliir development, in the direction which their labours or recreations necessitate, they iirc i lie equals of the average white and superior to many of the Indian tribes. Exi)ert and cnilur- ing wrestlers and paddlers, they are yet poor walkers and lifters of heavy weights, and owing to their precarious food supply, dripping houses and the bad weather of the cliniatii' interreginim between winter and spring, they are short lived, and the men more so than the women, owing to casualties attendant upon their difficult and dangerous summer metliod nt' taking the seal. Everywhere they are fotmd the facial expression is the same: broaod, the hair black and coarse, and like ilic Indians south of them, they ca'vfully extract the few straggling hairs from cliiu iiiid face. The dress of the Eskimo, uidiko the defective covering of other savages, is iiiiii|in' in its appearance as it is in its jterfectness of adaptation to their wants, their cliniatc mmiI occupations ailmitting nothing but the lightest, warmest and driest of coverings. Tiicsc ends they have accomidished with a degree of perfection and skill, which would rank tlicni superior among savages, even if we had not, in addition, their rare adaptation of liinilcd means to an end, in their weapons, houses ami canoes. The outer porticni of the gainuiils nt' both sexi's is nuu'h the same, the skirts of the smock-shajted outer coat worn In llic women being longer and more peakeroof boots, which are also dcnibleil, with the addiliomil wanntli of soft slippers for the feet intervening. The dress, especially >f the women, is often ornamented with fringes of down or strips of light coIouhmI skins, making a pleasing contrast to the rich, dark colourof their clothing. The dress described is that nniile Uy them with bone neetUes ami thread of sinew. (Contact with Europeans has brougiit lliem steel needlt>s ami ordinary thread, but no im-rease of comfort or of appearaiu'c, their riot lies being nnniy times warmer and fiir nu)re suited to their needs than the best of the white INNUITS or OUR AECTK! COAST. 117 mail's fabrics. Tn the lieat of Hunimer tlio ordinary iii>i)er drosn is discanU'd, foriuorly for a liglit covering of tlio skiuri of ducks, and now (;f sonic chca[) European material. Their iniplenicnts of the chase, till the partial adoption of tirearnis, were ccp.ally novel and well ailapted to their wants, consisting mainly of lances and harpoons of various sizes and shapes, the how and arrow, and slings, the two latter, however, being much less fre([ucntly used than the former, and the sling, indeed, scarcely at all, being made in the usual way, and used with stone missiles; their hows were formed with difficully, owing to the scarcity of suitable wood, generally of [lieces of bone fastened together with nails, where these could be got, and their chief [lower derived from sinewy strings drawn across them ; on their missile darts, however, they mainly depended, and these were formed with an ingen- uity, and made with a skill hardly to be ex[iected, considering the scarcity of wood and iron, and remembering the clumsy and intractable character of bone. With these weapons, liowever, they fearlessly attack the polar bear, musk ox and wolf, and kill the whale, walrus iinil seal. Their harpoon dart, of which the length is about six feet and the diameter an inch and a-half, has in all cases an inflated bag attached to it. The u[iper jiart is fitted with a movable joint of bone headed with the harpoon, which is also of bone and about five inches long, barbed and pointed with iron. At the butt-end of the shaft are two piecet of whalebone about nine inches lonj; to carry it more steadilv in its flitrlit. To these is fixed the rest about two feet long and notched on both sides to procure a firm hold for the thumb and foi'cfingcr. A cord about fifty feet bnig hangs from the hariioon, which, after passing tJMough a ring of bone in the middle of tlie shaft, lies in coils or on a roller on the fore part 111' the kayack, and is fastened to a bladder or seal skin bag belind the Eskimo in the other end of the kayack. The constrnctiiui of this dart shows an extreme ingenuity which is not t'lisily described. If the weapon were of one entire [licce it would immediately be snapped in two by the woinnled animal; the hai'|io(Ui, therefore, is made to fly out of the shaft, which is left floating on the surface while the seal plunges with the harjioon under water, the handle or rest, after imparting a vi(dentimi)ulse to tlii^ harpoon, remaining in the hand of the thrower. Their large laiu'c, also about six feet long, is nearly the same as the hariioon, liut without the barbs, so that it can be drawn out at once for another stroke. A small lance is used also with a long swordlike point, ami another missile dart is used for birds; this is six I'ei't long also, but lighter and with a point which has only one barb, further down the shaft however, several jaggiMl ribs of bone project whii'h often cati'h the bird the point has missed. The same sim|ile but successful ingenuity is shown in the manntiicture of their boats, which are of two kintls, the larger and the smaller; the large or women's lioat "oniiak" is sometimes from thirty (o forty feet long, from four to live broad and three deep and is nar.'owed to u point at each extremity, with a Hat bottom. It is made of slender bent laths iiliout two inches wide, with longitudinal ribs of whalebone and covered with tanned seal- skin, the ribs run along the sides parallel to the keel, meeting together at the bow and stern and across this light Hooring heavier beams are tiisfened in. Short posts are then fitted to the ribs to support the gunwale ; and as they are liable to be fiu'ced outward by the pressure "f the transverse seats for the rowers, of whii'h there arc ten or twelve, they are bound on the outside by two gunwale ribs and the timbers are not fustened with iron nails, which would soon rust and fret holes in the skin covering, but by woodi'u [lins or wlndebone. The Eskimo performs this work without a line or sipnire, taking the proportions with his eye with great accuracy. Thi> only tools whiidi he employs for this and nearly ivery other 118 J. C. SOHULTZ ON TIIR kind of work arc a small saw, a chisel which when fastened to a wooden handle servos l.im for a hatchet, a small gindet and a sharp pointed knife ; as soon as the skeleton of the l)rtiit is completed the woman covers it with thick seals' leather still soft from the drese'.iiif, and calks the interstices with (dd hard fat, so that these boats are much less leaky than niatiy wooden ones, the seams sweiliny; in the water, hut they require recovering almost every year ; they are r- wed liy the women, commonly four at a time, while one takes the liclin, at the heaii of the boat. Till European sail cloth could he Invd, they spread a sail oi gutskin« sewed together, six feet high anean boat ; they have. however, this advantage, that from tlu'ir lightness and shape they can make headway lastci' with their oars in contrary winds or a calm. In these boats they undertake voyages ot' many hundred miles along the coast, with tlu'ir tents, dogs and all their goods, carrviMs; besides ten to twenty persons. The men. however, keep them company in kayaeks, blink- ing the force of the waves when they run high, and in case of necessity holding the sides uf tile boat in eipiilibrium with their hands. They usually travel thus thirty miles a ilay ami in their nightly enca.mpnuMits on the shore they unload the boat, turn it upside down and cover it with stones to secure it from the violence of the wind or a sudden rise of tiie tide and if the state of the weather prevents their travelling by sea six or eight of them carry t lie Ik at overland on their heads to more navigable waters. Europeans have sometimes built boats oi\ their model and tind them on nuiny occasions for arctic i)rogress more servicealde than their own licnvy ones. Tlie small canoe or kayack is, however, the Eskimo l»oat i>(ir excel leiicc, ami nnuli more care is taki'U in nuikingit. for the owner's life depemls upon it in many cases, aiul tVoni the nature of iiis avocations it has bt'come almost a part (d' the Eskimo himself and lie seems, as indei'd he is. perfectly at liomt> ami in his clement in it. It is generally abniit eighteen feet long, and sha|)ed like a weaver's shuttle, with the ends turned uji. At the middle it is about eighteen inches broad, and is scarcely u foot in depth ; like the woman's boat, it is constructed of long, slender laths, with cross hoops secured with whalebone, ami is covered with seal leather. Tiotli ends are capped with bone, on account of the friction fe which they are subjected among the rocks. In the middle cd" the skin co\ jriiig of the kayack is a round bole with a raised riugof wood or Ixuie, in which the Eskimo s(puits down on a soft fiir, the ring or cond)ing reaching up to bis hips, and he tucks his water dress — the seal coat — m> tightly about him that no water cai. enter the boat ; this water coat is also fastened elo>e around his neck and arms with bone buttons. The harpoon dart is strappe(l to the kayack at his side, and ludbre him lies the eoiled-up line, and behind liiin is the Idadder. He grasps with lioth hands the middle of his paddle, which is nnide of solid wood, tipped with metal, and with bone along the sides, and swings it with rapid nnd regular strokes. Tims e(|iiippcd he sets out to hunt seals or sea fowl, looking as proud almost as though he was thi' commander of the largest nnin-of-war. All Eskimo in his kayack is indeed an object of admiration to those who see him in rough weather, and bis sea dress, shining with rows (d" white bone buttons, gives him a splemlid apjiear;;;; •■■. He attains great s|ici'd in this boat, and when doing duty as a dcspatdi boat — carrying l-tters — will make forty-tive to fifty miles a day. He dreads no storm, and as long as a ship can carry her top-sails he braves the largest billows, darting over them TNNUITS OP OITR AR<"rir T'OAST. 119 like a bird, and even when completely l>nried among the wuvt-s he ...m,m roui.pfars skimmini"- over the surface ; if a breaker threatens to eapHizc him, he .siiiiports himself in an uprii^ht position with his paddle ; or if he is actually upset, he regains his eciuilihrium with a single swing of his jiaddle ; should he lose the paddle it is, however, almost ci'i-tain death unless speedy succour is at hand. Some Europeans have, sifter nmch effort, attained sufHeient comnumd of the kayaik for ii calm weather voyage, out they sehlom venture to tish in it, and are totally helpless in dangerous sitmitions. The Kskimo possess, in the nuniagt'mi'nt of this vessel, a dexterity |i('(uliar to themselves, which excites an interest, not unmingled with fear, in the spectator, when he remembers that the exercise is connected with so much danger that the utmost skill cannot always save them from perishing in the imrsuit of their food. It will be worth wldle to notice a few of the methods by which the young Eskimo are trained to this remark- aide skill. Ten different exercises have been noticed, and there are probubly several others wliich have escaped observation. First, the i)addler lies alternately with both sides of his body on the water, preserving his balance with his paihlle to prevent a total upset, and again recovers his proper position ; second, he overturns himself comitletely so that liis head hang* perpendicularly downward, and by a swing of the iia(Mle on either side regains his erect position, fn capsizing acci- dents, which are the most common, and fre(piently occur m a stormy sea, the Eskimo is supposed to have the free use of his pachlle, but in seal catching it might easily get entangled among the cordage, or even be entirely lost ; — it is needful, then, to ])re[iar(' the neophyte for these casualties ; third, they accordingly run one end of the paddle among the cross straps of the kayack, ujiset it, and work themselves up with a(|uick motion of the other end ; fourth, they take hold of one end in their mouths, moving the other with their hand, so as to raise themselves ; fifth, they hold the paddle with both hands across the nape of the neck; or sixth, they hold it fast behind the back, upset, and ni.ove it in that position with both hands till they regain their balance; seventh, they lay it over the shoulder, and by working it with one hand before and tlie other behind, raise themselves from the water. These exercises have regard, of course, to the possible entanglement of the paddle ; cases, however, occur when it is entirely lost, which is the greatest misfortune that can befall the Kskimo in his kayack, so that eighth, another exercise, therefore, 's to ladil the jiaddle under the bottom of the kayack with both hands, with face do\v;i on the deck; having thus fixed themselves they upset the boat, and again rise aloft by working the paddle, which now lies cm the snrfiice, from beneath ; ninth, they upset the kayack, let go of tin paddle, ami pull it down again from the surfiuH! ; tenth, if the paddle is lost beyond recovery they attenn)t to Jerk themselves upward by striking the water with the tlirowing-board of the harpoon, or a knife, (>- even the palm of the hand, but this experiment rarely succeeds. The youthful kayaekers must also exercise their agility among the sunken cliffs and dashing surges, iu)W driven by a double wave upon the rocks, now whirled completely round, now buried in the foam, and thus initiated into such perilous gynnuistics in this nmgh school, they early learn to bid defiance to the heaviest tempest, and generally navigate their frail craft safely to land in the severest storms. Wlu-n capsized at sea, the paddle lost, and destitute of all resource, they usually creep out of their kayacks and call t'or assistance, and if no help arrives, lash themselves to their boats that their bodies nuiy l)e found and buried. — -— ._ ^ i im J. C. SC IITTLTZ ON THE «ii There were three methods of taking the seal, either singly with the hariioon iiml liluldcr. or in a i-ompiiny hy the (•liii)i)er h.iiit. or in the winter on the ice. Till the use ot'tinunii. heeame possible, the enstoinary method was that in whicii the harpoon and Maildcr wiic used. Tlie Eskinu), seated in his kayack with all his aieoutrements, no sooner perceives n seal than he approaches to the leeward if possible, with the sun on his back, lest lie sIkhiIiI be seen and scented hy the animal. Concealing himself behind a wave, he [laddles swiftly and silently forward till he arrives within a unde(l and killed by the missile darts, When the seal emerges they all rush on him with deafening cries, and on the animals diving, which he is soon compelled to do, they all retire to their posts and watidi t > see at what spot he will arise next. This is generally half a mile from the former |ilace, and it the seal has the range of a sheet of water four or live miles sfpnire, lu; will keep the hunters in i)lay flowing on the attcn^ted part, which is one of the chief remedies of these physicians, who employ ventriloiiuism, sleight of hand, swallow knives, extract stones from variitiis parts of their bodies, and various other ileceptions to impress their countrymen with a liiuli opinion of their supernatural powers; and some of them, generally women, pretend to liuve actpiired the power of stilling the winds and causing the rain to ceasts. Though the nnijority of angekoks arc mere jugglers, the class undoubtedly includes a few EsKimo of inttdligcnce and penetration, and perhaps a greater nund»er of gciiuiiir believers whose understnnding has bei'u subverted by the intluence of som ■ impression strongly working upon tln'ir fervid imagination. Tiiese sensible persons, wiio are lust entitled to the name of "wise men " or "angekoks" (the meaning of the word is "grat " and " wise"), have, either from the instruction of their fatiiers or their own oliservation ami ItMig I'xperiiMice, ac(piired a uselul knowledge -"f nature, which enabh's them to give a pretty conlident • .inion to such as constilt them on tiie state of the weather or the success of the fisheries. They sh()w e(|ual sagacitv in tlieir treatment of tiie sick, whone spirits they ket'|i up by iharnis and amnU'ts, while as long as they have any hope of recovery they prcsi lilic a juilicious regimen. Their i)lameless deportment and superior intelligence have made tlicni ihe oracles of their countryiiei', and they nniy be classed as the physicians and philosophers of this iM'ttic race. I'ersons of thiH class, when closely (questioned, often avow ihe falmMuw INNUITS OF OUR AECTIC COAST. 128 of their apparitions, converse with the Hpiritu and :.ll the niumniery coiinei'tcd with it ; but still they appeal to tlieir ancient traditions for the trutlj of revelations made to tlieir fore- fathers and miraculous cures wliich they performed hy a certain sympatliy. With regard to their own practice, they readily admit that tlieir intercourse with the Bpirit>nd world is merely a pretense to deceive tlie simide, and that their frightful gesticulations are necessary to sustain tlieir credit aud give wciglit to their prcscri[itioiis. Still there are many, even among those who have renounced these impostures with heathenism, who aver that they have frequently been thrown into superiuitural trances, ami that in this state a succession of images appeared before them, which they took for revelations, but afterward the whole scene appeared like a dream. The larger po.-t: »n of these diviners are, howev'cr, bare- faced imposters, who pretend to have the power of bringing on and driving away disease, enchanting arrows, exorcising si»irits, bestowing blessings, and performing a whole catalogue of similar feats. The dread excited by these inuigined powers of good and evil procures them a formidable name and an ample reward for their services. These sorcerers niutier a charm over a sick man and blow u[)ou him that lie may recover, or tliey fetch him, they say, a healtliy soul and breathe it into him, or they confine themselves to a simple prediction of life * [ilaced underneath, and there they prcteuil to behold the absentee either .qiset in his kayack or paddling in his proper position. They will also conjure up the soul of a man whom they wish to injure, to appear before them in t!ie dark, ami wound it >vith a spear, after which cheir enemy must (M)nsume away by a slow ilisease. The company present will pretend to recognize the man by his voice. The proscriptions of the angekoks relate either to certain amulets or else to a course of diet, which includes the healthy as well as the sick. Wiinnin in child-bed have particularly much to observe; they dare not cat in the open air; no one else must drink at their water-tub, or take a light from their himi», nor must they themselves boil any tiling over it for a long time. Their meals must consist of what their own husbands have caught ; the fish must he oaten before the meat, anoii them. When they set out to the whale fishery they must not only he neatly dressed, but tlie lamits in their tents must he extinguished, that the sliy whale may not be friglitened. Tiie boat's bow must be adorned witli a fox's head and the harpoon witli an eagle's beak. In the reindeer ehasc tliey throw away a piece of the flesli for the ravens, and the heads of their seals must not be fractured or thrown into the sea, but piled up before the door of the house, lest the souls of the seals be incensed and they drive away the rest. This superstition, however, is probably due to their own vanity, wliieh is gratified by these trophies of their valour. The kayaek is fretpuMitly adorned with a small model of a kayaek containing a miniature image of a man bearing a sword ; sometimes with a dead s|)arro\v or snipe, a stone, a i)iece of wood, feathers or hair, to ward off danger. But it is observed that those who chiefly make use of these charms are in general the most unfortunate, since they are unskilled, and therefore timid, or else so secure in tlicii- superstition that they needlessly run into danger. - , The description given by the angckoks of a future state is hazy indeed, this world being supported on pillars, and bearing, also on pillars, the npjter world beyond the firnianiiiit. To the nether one the souls of the good go, and to the uiijier go the souls of the luid Kskimo. There the climate is bitterly c(dd, and hunger is the fiend which pursues tlicni. The Aurora is simiily these spirits playing bowls for the double purpose, we may imagine, of dodging the fiends and warming their shivering, ill-dad s(Uils. Some angekoks, however, ieacli almost tlic reverse of the foregoing ; the place of bliss lieing the moon, where wanntli and verdure await them around the rim of a great lake, wherein are seals ami wlialfs. walrus and narwhal, ami around its grassy shores reindeer in vast numbers, all of whicli are to be hail for the asking, or at least for the spearing, ami when this lake overflows there is rain upon the earth, and, should the rim break, a di'luge. Departed good spirits, liowver, do not make an innnediate entrance to this blessed abode ; the}' must first, for five days or more, sliilc down a steep rock slippery with blood. Tiu' relations and frieinls of tlie deceased in conse(pience abstani for five days from all active work, except the necessary capture of seals, that the spirit may not be disturbed or lost upon its dangerous road. On the other hand, the souls of the bad go down to a place of piinisliment, a gloomy subtcr- raiu'an place fill-'d with horror and anguish. Difl'crcnt angekoks give diit'erent versions, and those (ui the eastern borders of tlicir extensive habitat vary sonn'what from that of the middle and western, and the idea of the first of these n'garding the rcsnrrei'tion, of whid: they have a very vague idea, nniy lie interesting. Of the end (d' the world and the ri'siii'rcction of the dearador and hIsh on the arctic coast of Alaska and Siberia. Where the race comes in contact witli nthei Indians on the east and west coasts of ITudson's Bay and the Amerii-an and Asiatic eoiists of Behring Sea, there is an incorporation of foreign words ami the idiom is sonu'wliMt changed, but with those exceptions there is a homogeneity which is surprising, consiilerinL; the fact that their cdnnnuuities, especially in the tar north on islands where Parry met them, and in (Ircenlaml mirth of the great ice barrier, where when Ross first saw them they hclieveil themselves the only lOskinm. and. indeed, the only people in the wtirld. This renniik- al)le homogeneity ot language may bt^ in some ilegree accountelain, but unetp'-vocal any their gestiires tluui by words. Having spoken of the customs of the Eskimo while living, it will be well to give briefly tlieir treatment of the dead. AVhen one of their nund)er is known to be at the [loint of death Ills relations dress him in his best clothes and boots and double his legs u|) to thi' hips that his grave may be mude snnill and as soon as he is dead they throw out everything that belonged to him, otherwise they would be polluted and their lives rendered unfortunate. The house is tlnis cleure;iiial people on the continent who, it the v hite man of to-day were to be swept away, as wire the first they saw in the eleventh century, would still he self-supporting and wholly indcpciidnit of outside aid, and it seemed as though, when the curtain was lifted hy arctii- explorers of the latter half of the last and the first half of the present century, giving us glimpses of their life in their icy homes, that in these frigid solitudes, aboriginal man had at last found a permanent resting place, but we have seen that this is not to be the case, and he must dn battle with intoxicants and the 'ard. 80 that when the time comes, as come it will, that we may use the arctic natives in work pertaining to what nniy yet be a great commerce, it will be found that their powers «t resisting c(dd and skill on the element to which they are bred from their earliest youth, will render them possibly a very important factor in the future development of arctic Canada. That much may be