M'CLINTOCK'S VOYAGE. 



57 



room. Here we soon entered into genial conversation ; and a pres- 

 ent from Captain Budington of sweet potatoes grown in Florida 

 (never before seen by the governor), with a case of preserved 

 quinces from me, much pleased him. 



Hearing that I had on board a copy of M'Clintock's Yoyage, he 

 asked for the loan of it, and I let him have it soon afterward. 

 Captain M'Clintock, in the account of his voyage, thus speaks of 

 his visit to Holsteinborg in the latter end of April, 1858 : 



" We have been visited by the Danish residents — the chief trad- 

 er or governor, the priest and two others. * * * I afterward 

 visited the governor, and found his little wooden house as scrupu- 

 lously clean and neat as the houses of the Danish residents in 

 Greenland invariably are. The only ornaments about the room 

 were portraits of his unfortunate wife and two children. They 

 embarked at Copenhagen last year to rejoin him, and the ill-fated 

 vessel has never since been heard of. * * * This is a grand 

 Danish holiday ; the inhabitants are all dressed in their Sunday 

 clothes — at least all who have got a change of garment — and there 

 is both morning and evening service in the small wooden church. 

 * * . * This is the only part of Greenland where earthquakes 

 are felt. The governor told me of an unusually severe shock 

 which occurred a winter or two ago. He was sitting in his room 

 reading at the time, when he heard a loud noise like the discharge 

 of a cannon. Immediately afterward a tremulous motion was 

 felt ; some glasses upon the table began to dance about, and pa- 

 pers lying upon the window-sill fell down. After a few seconds 

 it ceased. He thinks the motion originated at the lake, as it was 

 not felt by some people living beyond it, and that it passed from 

 N.E. to S.W. * * * The mountain scenery is really charm- 

 ing. * * * The clergyman of Holsteinborg was born in this 

 colony, and has succeeded his father in the priestly office ; his 

 wife is the only European female in the colony. Being told that 

 fuel was extremely scarce in the Danish houses, and that the 

 priest's wife was blue with the cold, I sent on shore a present of 

 coals." 



The governor invited us to visit the various buildings and the 

 town. "We first directed our steps to the general government 

 store, where we saw almost as much variety as in a country store 

 at home. There was a little of every thing, with a good deal of 

 malt, barley, pease, and dry bread, which will keep for years. 



In a warehouse near the landing I noticed large quantities of 



