Of Meteoric Iron in Greenland. 



•73 



Captain (now General Sir Edward) Sabine, of meteoric iron in Green- 

 land, recorded in the Quart. Journ. of Science, 

 1819, vol. vii., p. 79, with the analysis of the 

 same, previously published, which we venture to 

 think will prove acceptable information to many' 

 of our readers. — [Ed. Geol. Mag.] 



Extract from "An Account of the Esquimaux, 

 who inhabit the West coast of Greenland, above 

 the lat. 76°," by Capt, Edwabd Sabine, E.A., 

 F.E.S., P.L.S. — Quart. Journ. of Science, vol. 

 vii., 1819, p. 79. 



Each of the Esquimaux who visited us on the 

 10th of August, and I believe each of the others 

 whom we afterwards saw, had a rude instrument 

 answering the purpose of a knife. The handle 

 is of bone, from ten to twelve inches long, 

 shaped like the handle of a clasped knife ; in 

 a groove, which is run along the edge, are in- 

 serted several bits of flattened iron, in number 

 from three to seven in different knives, and 

 occupying generally half the length. No con- 

 trivance was applied to fasten any of these 

 pieces to the handle, except the one at the 

 point, which was generally two-edged, and was 

 rudely riveted. In answer to our inquiries from 

 whence they obtained the iron, it was at first 

 understood that they had found it on the shore ; 

 and it was supposed to be the hooping of casks, 

 which might have been accidentally drifted on 

 the land. We were surprised, however, in ob- 

 serving the facility with which they were in- 

 ^s i[\ III duced to part with their knives ; it is true, 

 indeed, that they received far better instru- 

 ments in exchange, but they did not appear to 

 attach that value which we should have expected 

 to iron so accidentally procured. This pro- 

 duced some discussion in the gun-room ; when 

 it appeared that some of the officers, who had 

 been present in the cabin when the Esqui- 

 maux were questioned, were not satisfied that 

 Zaccheus' interpretation had been rightly under- 

 stood; he was accordingly sent for afresh, and 

 told that it was desired to know what had been 

 said about the iron of the knives (one of which 

 was on the table), and he was left to tell his 

 story without interruption or help. He said it 

 was not English or Danish, but Esquimaux 

 iron ; that it was got from two large stones 

 on a hill near a part of the coast which 



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