166 TEMPTATIONS TO BARTER. Chap. IX. 



same ship returns to Pond's Bay, this native 

 comes on board to visit his friends, and goes on 

 shore with many presents in remembrance of 

 the memorable transaction. It is much better 

 for him thus to receive annual gifts than to 

 have received a large quantity at first, as the 

 improvidence of these men surpasses belief. 



Of the " rod of iron about four feet long, sup- 

 posed to have been at one time galvanised," 

 which was brought home in 1856 by Captain 

 Patterson, and forwarded to the Admiralty, I 

 could obtain no information. The natives were 

 shown galvanised iron, and said they had never 

 seen any before ; if their countrymen had any, 

 it must have come from the whalers ; none like 

 it was found in the wrecks. Rod-iron is very 

 valuable to Esquimaux for spears and lances, 

 and narwhals' horns very tempting to the sea- 

 men, not only as valuable curiosities, but the 

 ivory is worth half-a-crown a pound ; and 

 I have but little doubt that many of the things 

 said to have been stolen by the natives were 

 fraudulently bartered away by the sailors. That 

 there was no galvanised iron on board any of 

 the Government searching-ships, nor in the 

 missing expedition which sailed from England 

 as far back as 1845, I am almost certain. But 

 is it certain that this iron rod was galvanised ? 



