10 SKETCH OP THE BOOTHIANS. 



That these people are as egregiously conceited as all other 

 savage tribes, can be no matter of surprise, when it is the 

 character, not of nations alone, but of individuals, to be conceited 

 in proportion to their ignorance. The land which they inhabit 

 was, of course, the best of all possible lands; and it was equally 

 matter of course, that those who had been born at one spot 

 should extol its superiority over every other in the same district. 

 But this is the attachment to home : it is what no sound moralist 

 should blame, notwithstanding its occasional inconveniences, 

 political or otherwise; since it is that source of happiness and 

 contentment which has been beneficently given to all mankind, 

 in whatever situation necessity or expediency has jtlaced them. 

 We were quite content, ourselves, that they should prefer 

 a covering of snow to the green face of nature, and should 

 make themselves happy with blubber, oil, and sleep ; nor indeed 

 would it be easy to dispute most of those points with them, 

 when they could travel easier than we, could house themselves 

 with a hundredth part of the labour, could find delights where 

 we experienced only suffering, could outdo us in killing the 

 seal, could regale on abundant food where we should starve 

 because we could not endure it, and found ours as nauseous to 

 them as theirs was to us. 



That they have never known war, it is perhaps superfluous to 

 state, but it was interesting to discover in what light they consi- 

 dered the crime of murder, to which some punishment has been 

 assigned by every people, in whatever condition. We could only, 

 however, hear of one instance on record ; where, in a quarrel 



