504 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



tain Lyon's drawing renders any further description unnecessary, has all 

 the appearance of a most destructive spear head, but is nevertheles put to 

 no other purpose than that of a very useful knife, which the men are scarcely 

 ever without, especially on their sealing excursions. For these, and several 

 knives of European form, they are probably indebted to an indirect commu- 

 nication with our factories in Hudson's Bay. The same may be observed of 

 the best of their women's knives, ( oolooj on one of which, of a larger size 

 than usual, were the names of " Wild and Sorby." When of their own 

 manufacture, the only iron part was a little narrow slip let into the bone and 

 secured by rivets. (27.) It would be superfluous to offer any further verbal 

 description of these knives, of which Crantz has put one into the hand of a 

 Greenland woman in plate 3, p. 136, of his first volume. It is curious to ob- 

 serve in this and in numerous other instances, how exactly, amidst all the di- 

 versity of time and place, these people have preserved unaltered their manners 

 and habits. That which an absurd dread of innovation does in China, the 

 want of intercourse with other nations has effected among the Esquimaux. 



Of the horn of the musk-ox they make also very good spoons much like 

 ours in shape ; and I must not omit to mention their marrow-spoons, Cpattek- 

 nink, from pdtte/c, marrow,) made out of long narrow hollowed pieces of bone, 

 of which every housewife has a bunch of half a dozen or more tied to- 

 gether, and generally attached to her needle-case. (25.) 



For the purpose of obtaining fire the Esquimaux use two lumps of com- 

 mon iron pyrites, from which sparks are struck into a little leathern case, 

 containing moss well dried and rubbed between the hands. If this tinder 

 does not readily catch, a small quantity of the white floss of the seed of 

 the ground willow is laid above the moss. As soon as a spark has caught, it 

 is gently blown till the fire has spread an inch around, when, the pointed 

 end of a piece of oiled wick being applied, it soon bursts into a flame, the 

 whole process having occupied perhaps two or three minutes. 



Among the articles in their possession, which must have been obtained 

 by communication along shore with Hudson's Bay, were two large copper 

 kettles, several open knives with crooked wooden handles, and many frag- 

 ments of copper, iron, and old files. On a small European axe was observed 

 the name of " Foster*." 



* It may perhaps be the means of saving useless conjectures at some future time to mention, 

 that on several knives made by the armourer of the Hecla, the name of " James Wilkes" 

 was marked, together with the Prince of Wales's feathers. 



