20 FEEDEEICKSHAAB, DAVIS' STRAITS.. Chap. I. 



ledged talent, a distinguished traveller, and is 

 thoroughly conversant with the sciences of 

 geology and botany. 



Unfortunately for me his excellent work on 

 Greenland has not been translated into English. 

 We were kindly permitted to purchase eight tons 

 of coals, and such small things as were required ; 

 the only fresh supplies to be obtained besides 

 codfish, which was abundant, consisted of a very 

 few ptarmigan and hares, and a couple of kids ; 

 these last are scarce. Some goats exist, but for 

 eight months out of the year they are shut up 

 in a house, and even now — in midsummer — are 

 only let out in the daytime. We also purchased 

 of the Esquimaux some specimens of Esquimaux 

 workmanship, such as models of the native 

 dresses, kayaks, &c., also birds' skins and eggs. 

 I saw fine specimens of a white swan, and of a 

 bird said to be extremely rare in Greenland, — it 

 was a species of grebe, Podiceps cristatus, I 

 imagine. Frederickshaab is just now well sup- 

 plied with wood : besides an unseaworthy brig, 

 the wreck of a large timber-ship lay on the 

 beach, and an abandoned timber-vessel, which 

 was met with between Iceland and Greenland 

 in July by Prince Napoleon, drifted upon the 

 coast 30 miles to the northward in the following 

 September. 



