The Moravian Missions. 45 



partly disobeyed it ; and, long before the day of which I am writing, 

 the last of the smuggled spirits had been improvidently imbibed. 



We drank the lager with the relish of people who had taken a 

 drink before, and knew how to appreciate a good thing. It tasted 

 very much like Canadian lager. 1 noticed that the offer of a second 

 glass round was objected to, by those most entitled to speak on our 

 behalf, only to the extent of ordinary politeness. The brethren — 

 that is what they call themselves — found it an easy matter to force it 

 upon us. This lager they manufacture themselves from imported malt. 



When we had been formally introduced all round, our party 

 dispersed, each man looking up something of interest after his own 

 tastes. We all had more or less important duties. Lieut. Gordon, 

 with his magnetometer, set about the difficult task of ascertaining 

 the variation of the compass ; Mr. Stupart, with his dip-circle, deter- 

 mined the dip of the magnetic needle ; Mr. Burwell ascertained the 

 height of the great rock hills forming the background to Nain ; 

 Dr. Bell went forth in quest of geological and botanical specimens ; 

 Messrs. Fox and Ashe busied themselves taking photographs of the 

 Eskimos and the towering gneiss cliffs that overhung the valley 

 on all sides ; the ship's crew entered upon the less attractive work 

 of storing the vessel with fresh water, while Capt. Sopp enjoyed 

 himself in a leisurely way becoming the dignity of his position. 



I attached myself to the Rev. Hermann Jannasch, one of the 

 missionaries, because " Brother " Jannasch could speak the best 

 English. The staff at the Mission consists of Rev. T. Bourguin, 

 Superintendent, and Brothers Jannasch, Weiz and Wirth. These 

 all do missionary duty in their turn, one acting as store-keeper 

 each year. These reverend gentlemen are comfortably housed, 

 with their families, in a large two-storey and a-half building, sub- 

 stantially built, and they seem to enjoy all the luxuries possible to 

 the sterile climate in which they live. They have plenty of well- 

 trained, obedient Eskimo servants. Their store-houses, of which 

 they have several large ones, are well filled with supplies suitable 

 to their own wants and to the profitable trade which they carry on 

 with the natives in connection with their Christian duties. They 

 have also quite extensive gardens, a neat, well-kept grave-yard, a 



