280 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1822. w ^h £ Ur f which, with the additional coating of snow in the winter, serves 

 ^r-oj to exclude the cold air very effectually. The entrance is towards the south, 

 and consists of a passage ten feet long, and not more than two in height 

 and breadth, built of flat slabs of stone, having the same external covering 

 as that of the huts. The beds are raised by stones two feet from the 

 ground, and occupy about one-third of the apartment at the inner end, 

 and the windows and a part of the roofs had been taken away for the con- 

 venience of removing their furniture in the spring. It was a natural infe- 

 rence from the nature of these habitations that these people, or at least a 

 portion of them, were constant residents on this spot, which indeed seemed 

 admirably calculated to afford in luxurious profusion all that constitutes 

 Esquimaux felicity. This however did not afterwards prove to be absolutely 

 the case ; for though Igloolik, (as perhaps the name may imply,) is certainly 

 one of their principal and favourite rendezvous, yet we subsequently found 

 the island entirely deserted by them at the same season. 



In every direction around the huts were lying innumerable bones of wal- 

 ruses and seals, together with skulls of dogs, bears, and foxes, on many of 

 which a part of the putrid flesh still remaining sent forth the most offen- 

 sive effluvia. We were not a little surprised to And also a number of human 

 skulls lying about among the rest, within a few yards of the huts ; and were 

 somewhat inclined to be out of humour on this account with our new 

 friends, who not only treated the matter with the utmost indifference, but 

 on observing that we were inclined to add some of them to our collections, 

 went eagerly about to look for them, and tumbled, perhaps the craniums of 

 some of their own relations, into our bag without delicacy or remorse. In 

 various other parts of the island we soon after met with similar relics no 

 better disposed of ; but we had yet to learn how little pains these people 

 take to place their dead out of the reach of hungry bears or anatomical 

 collectors. 



We found here a very abundant vegetation, which is much favoured by 

 the numerous streamlets and ponds, as well as by the manure afforded by 

 the permanent residence of the Esquimaux near this spot. In some places 

 were many hundred yards of square space covered with moss of a beautiful 

 soft velvet-like appearance, and of a bright green colour such as I never 

 saw before ; and perhaps indeed moss cannot well be more luxuriant. As 

 I shall have abundant opportunities of speaking more in detail of the natural 

 productions of this island, with which we unfortunately became much better 



