322 Dr King on the 
natives of Kotzebue Sound, he has come to a different con- 
clusion regarding their nervous sensibility. He states, that 
the people of that vicinity were very inquisitive about his 
firearms, and to satisfy one of them, he made him fire off a 
musket that was loaded with ball, towards a large tree that 
was lying upon the beach. ‘The explosion, and the simple 
operation of touching the trigger,” he adds, ‘‘ so alarmed the 
native, that he turned pale, and put away the gun. As his 
fear subsided he laughed heartily, as did all his party, and 
went to examine the wood, which was found to be perforated 
by the ball, and afforded a fair specimen of the capability of 
our arms; but he could not be prevailed upon to repeat 
the operation.” 
Surely it is quite clear, upon Captain Beechy’s own shew- 
ing, that it was the recoil of the musket, and not the simple 
operation of touching the trigger, that alarmed the native, for 
he struck the object he aimed at. That the musket was 
either overloaded or a kicker is evident ; and I question if it 
would be deemed a simple operation to pull the trigger of a 
thoroughpaced kicker. That the perforation of the wood 
afforded the natives a fair specimen of the capabilities of 
Captain Beechy’s firearms, I am quite prepared to believe ; 
but the circumstance which forced itself upon my mind, on 
reading the anecdote, was, that the youth should have struck 
the object he aimed at with his first shot, which, it appears, 
made no impression upon Captain Beechy. 
In stating, that if, according to the historian, Robertson, 
tact in commerce is an evidence of a considerable progress to- 
ward civilization, we must give the Esquimaux credit for great 
intelligence, I had reference not only to their commercial 
transactions amongst themselves, but with the neighbouring- 
Red men and Europeans ; and my reasons for again alluding to 
the subject is to remove the impression, “that they have little 
intercourse and commerce with their nearest neighbours.” 
The fact is, that there are no people in either of the continents 
of America whose commercial system is so well organized as 
that of the Esquimaux. Sir John Franklin, and, more re- 
cently, Messrs Dease and Simpson have informed us that trade 
is carried on between the Esquimaux of the Mackenzie, and 
