31^ 



REMARKS ON t«b 



/ 



r. R I G IN 



OF SOCI- 

 .JET.IEa. 



gularly built of poles, and covered with fkins, with a tranfparent 

 {kin hung before the entrance, which admits Mght, and excludes 



I 



.the wind, -rain, and cold^ The poor FeJJvraisy on the contrary., 

 wherever they are driven by neceffity and hunger, have no other 

 ;ilielter than a few poles fluckin the ground, or fmall trees, which 



t 



ithey find on the fpot, tied together by leather ftraps or baft, and a 

 few 'bundles of bruili-wood fixed over them, by v/ay of covering, 



4- 



all which is-encompaffed by fome old feals-fkins ; this kind of hut 

 -is open atleafl one fifth or fixth part of the whole circumference, 

 and in this opening the fire is made, fo that they remain expofcd 

 'to the inclemencies of the weather, and to the rigors of the cli- 

 mate, which was far from being mild in the height of their fum- 



1 



Notwithftanding all this, it appeared to me to be very fin- 

 gular, that a people, -having a great quantity of the finefl wood. 



mer. 



ihould be fo .much 



lofs, to make their 'fituation 



more 



-comfortable,, by employing this timber, in building with it more 



houfes, and fiironger b 



It cannot be faid that they 



have no contrivance for cutting and fliaping the wood to various 



purpofes, becaufe 



poles, to which they fix 



b 



Ihell 



Jiooks, are ten or twelve feet long, perfectly ftrait, fmooth and 

 .odangular, which, in my opinion, evidently proves their ikill in 

 tihaping wood 3 the fame obfervation may be applied in regard to 

 ■their qloathing; they have feals-ikins, fox andguanacoe furrs-^ I 



I 



faw 



