ACCOUNT’ OF BOOKS. 
an Esquimaux>?” I must confess, 
that both the colour and contour of 
the countenance had considerable 
resemblance to the people of their 
nation; but how they could con- 
ceive it possible for an Esquimaux 
to be reduced to that diminutive 
size, Iam wholly ata loss to account 
for; unless they had fixed their at- 
tention on the countenance only, 
and had not adverted to any other 
particulars. On pointing out seve- 
ral other monkeys of different kinds, 
they were greatly diverted at the 
mistake which they had made; but 
were not well pleased to observe, 
that monkeys resembled their race 
much more than ours. 
** The parrots, and other talkative 
birds, next attracted their notice. 
And it was a great treat to me, both 
then and at all other times, to ob- 
serve their different emotions, much 
more forcibly exprest in their coun- 
tenances, than is possible to be done 
by those whose feelings are equally 
genuine. Civilized nations imper- 
ceptibly contract an artificial expres- 
sion of countenance, to help out 
their languid feelings: for know- 
ledge, by a communication with the 
world and books, enlightens our 
ideas so much, that they are not so 
liable to be taken by surprise as the 
uninformed mind of the savage, who 
never had the least hint given him, 
that certain things are in existence : 
consequently they break upon him 
as unexpectedly and forcibly as the 
sun would do upon the man who 
was born deaf and blind, in case he 
should suddenly be brought to sight 
on a clear day. 
“ Being on a dining-visit with 
that excellent surgeon and anato- 
mist, the ingenious John Hunter: 
in the afternoon Attuiock walked 
out of the room by himself, but 
A8S 
presently returned with such evi- 
dent marks of terror, that we were 
all greatly alarmed, fearing some 
accident had happened to him; or 
that he had met with an insult from 
one of the servants. He seized hold 
of my hand, and eagerly pressed me 
to go along with him. I asked the 
cause of his emotions, but could get 
nothing more from him than ** Come 
along, come along with me;” and 
he hastily led me into a room in the 
yard, in which stood a glass-case, 
containing many human _ bones. 
“‘ Look there,” says he, with more 
horror and consternation in his coun- 
tenance than I ever beheld in that 
_of any man before, “ are these the 
bones of Esquimauz whom Mr. 
Hunter has killed and eaten? Are 
we to be killed? Will he eat us, 
and put our bones there?”’ As the 
whole company followed us, the 
other Indians had also taken the 
alarm before the old priest had ended 
his interrogatories ; nor did any of 
them seem more at ease by the rest 
of us breaking out into a sudden 
and hearty Jaugh, till I explained 
to them that those were the bones 
of our own people, who had been 
executed for certain crimes commit- 
ted by them, and were preserved 
there, that Mr. Hunter might better 
know how to set those of the living, 
in case any of them should chance 
to be broken ; which often happened 
in so populous a country. They 
were then perfectly satisfied, and 
approved of the practice ; but Attui- 
ock’s nerves had _ received too great 
a shock to enable him to resume his 
usual tranquillity, till he found him- 
self safe in my house again. 
‘* Passing through Hyde Park, in 
our way to Holland House, and ob. 
serving his Majesty looking at the 
regiment of Old Buffs, which were 
Hhe2 then 
