o8 NATIVES OF GREENLAND. 



people both in Newfoundland and the waters north of that 

 place, and also in Greenland. 



That this description exactly suits the natives of Green- 

 land at the present day will not be disputed ; but it must 

 appear singular, that a people confessedly aboriginal in those 

 inhospitable regions, should, after a lapse of nearly two thou- 

 sand years, be found the same in every respect at the pre- 

 sent day, as they appeared to the first European voyagers. 



Charlevoix, a French historian of much accuracy, stat-es 

 their national appellation to be Esquimeaux, which is a 

 word of their own language having a French termination. 

 This writer explains the term as meaning " eaters of raw 

 Hesh;" but to this interpretation some objections may be 

 reasonably made. For instance, would any people be 

 found desirous to stigmatize themselves with a nick-name ? 

 One only reply to this can appear satisfactory, which is, 

 that they might give themselves such a name to mark the 

 superiority, as they may conceive, of their own nation 

 above every other, in their being able to partake of the 

 fruits of their hunting on the spot, whilst the other must 

 perish unless he have the imnecessaiy luxury of cooking. 

 The value of this observation, however, is much dimi- 

 nished, when it is known that the Greenlander, though he 

 can eat his food undressed, and generally does so, by no 

 means would prefer that mode to the greater comfort of 



