14 PRINCIPLE OF ESQUIMAUX HUTS. \_0ctober, 



visitors to creep on their hands and knees until they gain 

 the entrance to the inner chamber by a sort of step. 

 Such were those of Western America, at Cape Lisburne 

 delta, Icy Cape, and other places visited by me, and such 

 are those at the Danish settlements of Lievely and the 

 Whalefish Islands. The interior is dome-shaped, and the 

 height admits of the breath ascending sufficiently to con- 

 dense aloft without causing annoyance to those within. 

 At the apex of the dome a square slab of ice is placed 

 (in summer, a frame covered with skin) ; but in one I ex- 

 amined (deserted) with Mr. Collie, we noticed the action 

 of Nature to carry off the heated air by fine grooves in 

 the ice plate, as if cut by design, and possibly affording 

 some degree of ventilation when the wind penetrated by 

 the same. But to our object. The principle with them 

 is to obtain dry, heated air, and this is effected solely 

 by a lamp and animal temperature; the result is, that 

 they are comparatively healthy, and no scurvy is noticed. 

 It is true that their eyes suffer, from causes not well as- 

 certained. 



The principle of hot, dry air, even with salt food, and 

 that not of the best quality, appears to overcome the 

 scorbutic tendency among the civilized people to whom 

 I have alluded. I do not recollect one single case, nor 

 have I been able to find any recorded by others ; and I 

 made it my peculiar study to ascertain what diseases 

 prevailed at every place visited by me in the Northern 

 Pacific. 



Now, the first, and very serious, defect in all these 

 ships is the want of sufficient height between decks ; and 

 yet, if a vessel is taken up to convey troops or passen- 



