234 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



parts of America. They are found in Green, 

 land, on the coast of Labradore, in Hudson's 

 bay, and in ail the coasts and islands on the 

 west side of America, opposite to Kamtschatka. 

 Their migrations had extended to Norton's 

 sound, Onolashka, and prince William's sound ; 

 one thousand five hundred leas-ues from their 

 stations, in Greenland and Labradore. The 

 sameness of the people in these different 

 places, has been ascertained by their manners, 

 customs, features, and complexion ; but more 

 decidedly by such an affinity and similarity of 

 lang-uaj^e, as leaves no room for doubt. It will 

 be easy to determine from whence this nation 

 of tlie Esquimaux proceeded. Every thing in 

 the appearance of ihis people, denotes them to be 

 the same with the Laplaiiders, the Zemblans, 

 the Samojeds, and the Tartars in the east.--- 

 Like them they are a nation of dwarfs ; largest 

 towards the south, but decreasing towards the 

 north. They have all the same fallow complex- 

 ion, deformed features, ugly appearance, and 

 singular customs. Whether the inhabitants^ 

 could pass from the northern parts of Europe into 

 America by land is as yet unknov»ii. But the 

 passage by water, was at ail times easy ; and 

 certainly at a ^Try early period. In the voyage 

 from Norway to Iceland, and from Iceland to 

 Greenland, or the coast of Labradore, the first 

 part of the voyage w'as much the largest : And 

 this was practised from the earliest times, of 

 which we have any account. For the ninth 

 centur}'", when navigation was extremely imper- 

 fect, the passage from Europe to America was 

 ^9 well understood, that the Nor^vegialis planted 



