MOUNT CHARLES. 255 



wanting, than a {hip of 130 tons, with loo 

 tons of caik : three boats, with each 8 men, 

 fix to row, one to (leer, and one with the gun, 

 with ropes, harpoon, lances, &c. the whole 

 very much inferior to the expenfe of equipping 

 a Greenlandman. I have been the more parti- 

 cular in giving an account of this undertaking, 

 becaufe the fociety for the encouragement of 

 arts, &c. at London, has long lince given pre- 

 miums for the invention of the gun harpoon, 

 fuppofmg it to be original. 



In refpect to the linen manufacture, it con- 

 iifts in all this country in fpinning yarn only. 

 Very little cloth woven here, except for the 

 ufe of the people. They raife flax enough for 

 their fpinning in years when feed is plentiful 

 and dry feafons, but fome are fo wet as almoft 

 to fpoil the crop : all the women and children 

 of ten years old and upwards fpin. They very 

 feldom let the feed ripen ^ they have tried it 

 but found it did not anfwer fo well as foreign 

 feed. It is computed that there are two fpin- 

 ners in every family, who fpin about one hank 

 a day, or a fpangle and a half a week; the 

 medium is alb. to the fpangle, or 4 hanks, 

 which is half a pound of flax each day. A 

 woman will earn, by fpinning, according to 

 the price of flax and yarn, from 2d. to 6d. but 

 in general 2:d. or 3d. befides doing little family 

 trifles. Mod of the yarn goes to Derry. 



The foil about Mount Charles is various ; a 

 great deal of ft iff blue clay, which is perfectly 



tenacious 



