52 THE POINT HARROW ESKIMO. 



had obtained from Siberia by way of the Diomedes. Mr. Elson s party 

 landed only at liefuge Inlet, and had but little intercourse with the 

 natives. His visit seemed to have been forgotten by the time of the 

 Plover s stay at Point Harrow, though Dr. Simpson found people who 

 recollected the visit of Thomas Simpson in IS. IT. 1 The latter, after he 

 had left the boats and was proceeding on foot with his party, first met 

 the Nuwufimiun at Point Tangent, where there was a small party en 

 camped, from whom he purchased the umiak in which he went on to 

 Point Barrow. He landed there early in the morning of August 4, and 

 went down to the summer camp at Pernyu, where he stayed till 1 o clock 

 in the afternoon, trading with the natives and watching them dance. 

 On his return to Point Tangent some of the natives accompanied him 

 to Boat Extreme, where he parted from them August (J, so that his 

 whole intercourse with them was confined to less than a week. 2 



The uext white men who lauded at Point Barrow were the party in 

 the Plover s boats, under Lieuts. Pullen and Hooper, on their way to the 

 Mackenzie, and the crew of Mr. Sheddon s yacht, the Nancy Daicson,in 

 the summer of 1849. The boats were from July 29 to August 3 getting 

 from (Jape Smyth past Point Harrow, when the crews were ashore for a 

 couple of days and did a little trading with the natives, whom they 

 found very friendly. They afterwards had one or two skirmishes with 

 evil-disposed parties of Nuwunmiun returning from the east in the neigh 

 borhood of Return Keef. The exploring ships Enterprise and Investi 

 gator also had casual meetings with the natives, who received tobacco, 

 etc., from the ships. 



The depot ship Plover, Commander Maguire, spent the winters of 

 1852- 53 and 1853- 54 at Point Barrow, and the officers and crew, after 

 some misunderstandings and skirmishes, established very friendly aiid 

 sociable relations with the natives. The only published accounts of the 

 Plover s stay at Point Barrow are Commander Maguire s official reports, 

 published in the Parliamentary Keports (Blue Books) for 1854, pp. 

 105-185, and 1855, pp. 905 et seq., and Dr. Simpson s paper, already 

 mentioned. Maguire s report of the first winter s proceedings is also 

 published as an appendix to Sherard Osborne s &quot; Discovery of the North 

 west Passage.&quot; 



We found that the elder natives remembered Maguire, whom they 

 called &quot; Magwa,&quot; very well. They gave us the names of many of his peo 

 ple and a very correct account of the most important proceedings, though 

 they did not make it clear that the death of the man mentioned in his 

 report was accidental. They described &quot;Magwa&quot; as short and fat, with 

 a very thick neck, and all seemed very much impressed with the height 

 of his first lieutenant, &quot;Epi ana&quot; ( Vertum,) who had &quot;lots of guns.&quot; 



It was difficult to see that the Plover s visit had exerted any perma 

 nent influence on these people. In fact, Dr. Simpson s account of their 

 habits and customs would serve very well for the present time, except 



Op. cit., p. -J4. Narrative, ]&amp;gt;)&amp;gt;. 140-108. 



