Chap. I. 
tying round the NORTH POLE. 
Courfe he takes, they foftly follow, arid ftrike him. All 
thefe Methods prove, that the Greenlanders are fo tar from 
being ftupid, that they are fubrile and ingenious. 
8. As tliis Affair of their Fithing is in a manner the 
foie Concern of thefe People, fo, from thence we are 
bell enabled to judge of their Charadlers and Capacities. 
Jc is true, that this appears to us a very infignificant Thing ; 
but it is not fo to them ; for upon their Ability in Hunt- 
ing and Fifning depends their Subfiftance, both as IndF 
viduals, and as a Nation, which alters the Cafe extremely, 
fince v/ith refpebl to every People upon Earth, the right 
Management of their principal Concern is what contri- 
butes moft to their own Happinefs, and ought confe- 
quently to fix the Notions of the reft of the World about 
them. In Fifiiing they make Ufe of Hooks of Iron, or 
Bones ; their Lines are made of Whalebones cut very 
fmall and thin, and at the End tacked together ; and 
with fuch Lines they will draw a hundred Fifh, to one 
that our People can catch with their Hemp-Lines ; but to 
catch Holy-Butts, they make ufe of ftrong Lines made 
of Seal-fkins, or thick Hemp -Lines. Their Way of fifla- 
ing for fmall Salmon, or Sea-Trout, is this : At low Water 
they build fmall Inclofures with Stone, near the River’s 
Mouth, or any other Place where the Salmon runs along ; 
and when it begins to flow, and the Tide comes in, the 
Salmon retreats to the River, and in high Water .paffes 
over the Enclofure, an 4 remains in the River till the 
Water falls again ; and then the Salmon ftrives to return 
to the Sea ; but theFiiliermen way-lay him at the Inclofure, 
and ftop his Paffage ; and foon after, when the Water 
is quite fallen, and it is low Ebb, the Salmon remains 
upon dry Land, and may be caught with Hand ; and 
when they are left in Holes, they take them with an In- 
ftrument made for this Purpofe, viz. a Perch headed 
with two ftiarp-hooked Bones, or with one or two Iron 
Hooks. 
The Rogn-fifli, or Roe-fifli, fo named from the great 
Qiiantity of Roe that is found in it •, as he is commonly 
found in fliallow Water, and upon the Sands, fo is catched 
like the Salmon with the afore-mentioned Inftrument. 
There is fuch abundance of thefe Fifir that, as they 
cannot confume them while frefii, they are obliged to dry 
them on the Rocks, and keep them for Winter Provifion : 
V/hen catching of them is over, which happens in the 
Month of M.ay^ the Groenland.ers retire into the Bays and 
Creeks where the Stint-fiflnng then takes place ; there are 
fuch numberlefs Shoals of them near the Shore, that they 
catch them in a kind of Sieves faftened upon long Poles, 
and throw them upon the Shore. They open and dry 
them upon the Rocks, keeping them for their Winter 
Stock. This Fifti is not either agreeable or wholefome 
when eaten frefn ; befides, they have a naufeous Smell, 
but when dried they are tolerable ; ' the Natives eat them 
with a bit of Fat, or foufed in Train-oil, and fothey do all 
other forts of Fifties. What the Greenlanders cannot con- 
fume frefti, they dry upon the Rocks in the Sun, or in 
the Wind, and lay them up for Winter’s Provifions. 
As to the Greenlanders Boats, there are two forts of 
them ; the one, of which the Men alone make ufe, is a 
fmall VelTel,' ftiarp, and pointed at both Ends, three 
Fathom in Length, and at moft but three Quarters of a 
Yard Broad, with a great Flole in the Midft, juft large 
enough for a Man’s Body to enter it and fit down : The 
Infide of the Boat is made of thin Rafts, tacked to- 
gether with the Sinews of Animals, and the Outfide is 
covered with Seal-lkin dreifed, and without Hair ; one 
only can fit in it, who faftens it fo tight about his Vf afte, 
that no Water can enter it. In thefe fmall Boats they go 
to Sea, managing them with one Oar of a Fathom’s length 
broad at both Ends, with which they paddle, fometimes 
on one fide, and fometimes on the other, with fo much 
Strength and Swiftnefs, that they are faid to row ten or 
twelve Miles in a Day ^ they chiefly make ufe of 
them in catching of Seals and Sea-Fowls, which they 
can approach on a fudden and unawares : Whereas in our 
large Boats we can very feldom come fo near as to touch 
them.^ They have no fear in venturing out to Sea in 
them in the greateft Storms, becaufe they fwim as light 
iargeft Waves as a Bird can. fly j. and when tte 
onl^ 
Waves come upon them with all their Fury, 
turn the Side of their Boat towards them, to let them paf^’ 
without the leaft Danger of being funk ; for though they 
may be overfet, yet they eafily raife themfelves up again 
with the Paddle ; but if they are overfet unawares,' as i£ 
often happens, and the Boat be not clofe and tight about 
their Wafte, they are inevitably drowned. 
The other Kind of Boats are large and open, like ours,| 
fome of them twenty Yards long, and thofe are called 
Cone-Boats^ that is, Womens-Boats, becaufe the Women 
commonly row them, for they think it unbecoming a, 
Man to row fuch a Boat, unlefs great NeceiTity requires 
it. And when they firft fet out for the Whale-fifhing^ 
the Men fit in a very negligent PofturCj with their Face 
turned towards the Prow, pulling with their little ordi 
nary Paddle ; but the Women fit in the ordinary Way. 
with their Faces towards the Stern, rowing with long 
Oars : The infide of thofe Boats is compofed of thin 
Rafts, and the Outfides covered with thick Seal-ftcins. In 
thofe Boats they tranfport their Baggage, as Tents, and the 
little Flouftiold Furniture, when they go to fettle in fome 
diftant Places, for Conveniency of Provifion j in thefe Boats 
they alfo carry Sails made of the Infide of Seals-Guts, faften- 
ed to the Deck at the lower-end •, fo they neither want Braces, 
Bowlines, or Sheet-ropes, and with thefe Sails they fail well 
enough with the Wind, but not otherwife : Thefe Boats, 
as they are flat-bottomed, are foon overfet. The Meri 
meddle, at home, with nothing but what concerns their 
Tools for hunting, and their Fiftiing-Tackle, wz. 
their Boats, Bows, Arrows, and the like •, all other Work, 
even of building and repairing their Houfes, belong to 
the Women, who are to the full as induftrious, dextrous^ 
and fearlefs as the Men. 
9. As to their Houfes, they have one for the Winter, 
and another for the Summer-feafon : Their Winter-habi- 
tation is a low Hut, built with Stone and Turf, mo or 
three Yards high with a fiat Roof ; In this Hut the Win- 
dows are on one Side, made of Seals Guts dreffed, and 
fewed together, or of the Maws of Holy-butts, and are 
white and tranfparent : On the other Side the Beds are 
placed, which confift of Shelves or Benches, made of 
Deal-Boards raifed half a Yard from the Ground ; Their 
Bedding is made of Seals and Rain-Deer Skins. Several 
Families live in one of thefe Huts, each Family occupy- 
ing a Room by itfelf, feparated from the reft by a wooden 
Poft, by which the Roof is fupported ; before it there 
is a Hearth, in which there is a great Lamp, in the Form 
of a Halt-Moon ; on a Trivet, over this, are hung their 
Kettles, of Brafs, Copper, or Marble, in which they boil 
their Vidluals ; under the Roof, juft above the Lamp 
they have a fort of a Shelf to put their wet Cloaths upon, 
to dry. 
The Fore-door, or Entry of the Houfe, is very low, 
fo that they muft creep upon their Hands and Feet to 
get in at it, which is contrived fo to keep the cold Air 
out as much as it is polTible •, the Infide of the Floufe 
is covered, or lined with old Skins, which before have 
lerved for their Boats j fome of thefe Houfes are fo large 
that they afford Lodgings for feven or eight Fariiilies. 
Upon the Benches, or Shelves, where their Beds are placed, 
is the Seat ot the Women, attending their Work ot 
fewing, and making up of the Cloathing. The Men, 
with their Sons, fit on the foremoft Parts of the Benches, 
turning their Backs to the Women. On the oppofite 
Side, under the Windows, the Men belonging to the 
famiily, or Strangers, take their Scats upon Benches 
placed for that Purpofe. I cannot forbear taking Notice 
that though in one of thefe Houfes there are ten or 
twenty Train-Lamps *, one does not perceive the Steam 
or Smoke thereof to fill thefe fmall Cottages ; the Rea- 
fon probably is, the Care they take in trimming thefe 
Lamps, viz. They take dry Mofs' rubbed very fmall, 
which they lay on one fide /of the Lamp, which, being 
lighted, burns foftly, and does not catife any Smoke if 
they do not lay i't on too thick, or in Lumps. This 
Fire gives fuch a Heat that it not only ferves to boil 
their Viduals, but alfo heats their Rooms to that Degree, 
that they are as hot as a Bagnio j but to thofe who are not 
ufed to this Metliqd the Smell i.3 very difagreeable, 'as - 
. well 
I 
