390 Thomas Thomsen. 



voyage to Davis Straits in 1656 \ We are informed by Mr. Thalbitzer 

 that he "landed at 64°10' N. lat., whether on Baffin Land or Green- 

 land is not clear" 2 . On consulting the original, however, we find that 

 he entered a fjord (rivière) at this latitude, and sailed thence north- 

 ward as far as the 72nd degree, "where lies that land now to be 

 described". 



With regard to De Poincy's description of the native dress, Cand. 

 Thalbitzer regards his statement to the effect that the women do not 

 wear ear drops as "possibly .... due to lack of observation, for he says, 

 namely, that they wear neither bracelets nor necklaces nor ear-drops 

 but are decorated by tattoo-markings on the cheeks". The suggestion 

 as to "lack of observation" appears somewhat peculiar, in view of the 

 fact that the passage quoted contains a distinct negation, together with 

 a number of positive observations 3 . And when Mr. Thalbitzer opines 

 that it is "hardly possible that the use of bracelets should be unknown 

 among them at the place and during the time of De Poincy's obser- 

 vations" it should be remembered, that he has in the first place located 

 the "place" in question under a wrong latitude, nearly 8° too far south, 

 and further, that he does not even know on which side of Davis Straits 

 it lies. De Poincy expressly states that the Dutch mariner set out 

 in search of new trading grounds 4 in the northern lands, so that he is 

 hardly likely to have followed the usual route. The word "Observa- 

 tion" by the way, should naturally not be taken literally here: De Poincy, 

 as we know, did not see these things with his own eyes at all, but 

 received his information from the Dutch Captain 5 . 



The next source drawn upon by Cand. Thalbitzer is the Manu- 

 script of Matthias Schacht, referred to in the "List of works consulted" 

 as N. Kgl. S. 4° 1965 (and A. M. 364 Fol. and A. M. 775, 4°) Kbhvn. 

 1789. He quotes from this work on p. 635, where we find, in Note 2: 

 "Schacht, (1789, but his MS written before 1700, when he died), p. 263". 



In order to remove something of the difficulty which the reader 

 would otherwise encounter in seeking out the source in question, we 

 may at once observe that the information referred to will not be found 

 in the MS. N. Kgl. Saml. 4to 1965, this being a copy made at the close 

 of the 18th century, which breaks off abruptly in the middle of Chap. 22. 

 Equally fruitless would it be to consult the alternative MS, A. M. 775 

 4to, this copy likewise terminating in the same chapter. 



1 In the list of works consulted, this is stated as in "chapter the 8th on 

 Davis Straits". As a matter of fact, the chapter in question is the 18th. 



2 Thalb. II, p. 683. 



3 De Poincy even adds: "Mais pour tout ornement elles se font une taillade 

 en chaque joue". 



* "Découvrir quelque nouveau commerce". 



5 The chapter in question has been previously translated into English; vide 

 David Mac Ritchie: The Eskimos of Davis Strait in 1656 (Scottish Geo- 

 graphical Magazine for June 1912). 



