386 History Countries Book IL 
Groenlanders., who being out at Sea a Seal-catching, were 
bewildered, and not being able to find the Shore again, 
were taken up into Heaven. Urfa Major j the great Bear 
Star, is ftiled by thofe who dwell in the 64th Degree, 
Tugto^ or Rain-Deer j while they that live in the Bay of 
Difco, at 99 Degrees, call it AJfelluit^ the Name of a 
Tree to which they tie their Line when they fiioot Seals. 
'Taurus j the fecond Sign in the Zodiac^ is named Kelluck- 
turfet^ or Kennel of Hounds y who feem to have a Bear 
among them ; by this Conftellation they reckon their 
Hours by Night. Iverfucky that is two Perfons that con- 
tend with Songs or Verfes in taunting one another, as 
is cuftomary among the Groehlanders. Thefe two Stars 
are in the Conftellation TauruSy of "which we have al- 
ready fpoken, and there too is AldebareUy or Nennerroak, 
that is, a Light who lights the two Singers. 
Cams Major is called Neleragneky v/hich is a Name of 
a Man amiongft them. This they fay has got on a Coat 
ef Rain-Deer Skin. Gemini, Auriga, and Cupella, are 
named Killauh Kuttiiky that is the Breaft-Bone ot Heaven. 
"When two Stars feem to meet together, they fay they are 
vifiting one another j others will have it to be two Wo- 
men, who being Rivals, take one another by the Hair. 
Concerning Thunder and Lightning, they fay that two 
old Women live together in one Houfe in the Air, who 
now and then fall out and quarrel about a thick and ftiff 
out-ftretched Seal-Skin •, becaufe fuch a Skin, if beaten 
as a Drum, has fome Likenefs to the Noife of Thunder \ 
whilft they are thus by the Ears together, down comes 
the Houfe with great bouncing and cracking, and the 
Lamps are broken, the Fires and broken Pieces fly about 
the Air, and this, in their Philofophy, is Thunder and 
Liglitning. In their aftronomicai Syftem, the Heaven 
turns about the Point of a huge Rock. 
The Snow, according to their Fancy, is the Blood of 
the Dead, on account that it turns reddifli if you keep it 
in the Mouth. The Rain comes from a Ditch or River 
above in Heaven.. When it overflows there, it rains 
here below. They have no Kalendar or Almanacks, nor 
do they compute or meafure the Time by Weeks or 
Years, but only by Months, beginning their Computa- 
tion from the Sun’s firft rifing above their Horizon in the 
Y/inter, from whence they tell the Month, in order to 
know exadily the Seafon in which every fort of Fifli, Sea- 
Animals, or Birds, feek the Land, according to v/hich 
they order their Bufinefs. As to their Diverfions, they 
have many, fuch as Running, Leaping, V/reftling, Foot- 
ball and Dancing. 
The moft fingular Circumftance however in this Re- 
fpeft is, their Talent for, and mighty Delight in. Poetry. 
In this, from the Specimens we have received in the Re- 
lations of Groenland lately publifh’d, it appears that they 
are far from wantino; either Genius or Method. The 
Poems they compofe are a kind ol Lyric Odes, the Har- 
mony of v;hich depends both upon Rhyme and Quan- 
tity, there being a vifible Regularity in the Number of 
Syllables of v/hich their Verfes are compofed, and a plain 
Regard to Cadence even in our Manner of reading them. 
They Life this fort of Poetry, v/hich, all Things con- 
fidered, is as far from being rude as it is from being 
exad, to exprefs all their Pafiions, fuch as Love, Joy, 
Grief, but more efpecially Anger-, for when two People 
quarrel in this Country, they challenge each other not to 
fight, for that they never do but in Jeft, or by way of 
Diverfion, but to contend in Verfe and he who firft 
wants Words to exprefs himfelf in this poetical Duel, is 
held to be conquered, and fo the Controverfy ends with- 
out either Blood or Law-fuit. 
13. We have given this large Defcription of this Coun- 
try, and thefe People, becaufe both were very much 
wanted \ nothing of this kind having occurred in any 
ot our Colledlions of Voyages. It accounts for what 
happened to Capt. D-at/A and his People, which we have 
related in the former Book j as alfo, for what befel Capt. 
Hudfon^s Crew, after they had bafely deferred their Cap- 
tain. It thews how confiftent thofe Relations may be 
with Truth, which feem- to be inconfiftent with them- 
felves, by the wing that Savages, that are gentle, kind, 
and humane to each other, may be faithlefs, thievith, 
I 
and cruel to Strangers, as thefe People really are from 
Principle becaufe they look upon the reft of Mankind 
to be of a different Race, and therefore they don’t think 
that they are obliged to treat them as txhey do one ano- 
ther. 
We may likewife fee from hence, how ingenious thofe 
People are in providing Neceffaries for themfelves, who 
difcover, notwithftanding, very little Genius or good 
Senfe in contriving for the Conveniencies of Life. The 
Boats of the Greenlanders are 'very perfedt in their Kind ; 
their Cloaths not only fufficient for Covering, and very 
warm and ftrong, but alfo well-fhaped and neatly put 
together ; and their Inftruments for Hunting an'd Fifhing 
admirably contrived in every refpedl ; but then their 
Houfes are very poor, their Manner of living verf 
wretched, and the Bounds of their Knowledge almoft as 
confined as the Animals upon which they feed. Their 
Skill andSuccefs in former Inftances plainly fhew that they 
they do not want Capacity and the Rudenefs of their Con- 
dition in other Refpedls, is plainly owing to their Want of 
Educationj or, if I may be allowed to ufe theWord, becaufe 
it expreffes my Meaning better. Cultivation ; Their 
Minds are not barren, but produce few Things for Want 
of a Variety of Seed fown in them ; and this Ihews the 
Advantage of Commerce, not only for improving the 
Circumftances, but for enlarging and bettering the Un- 
derftandings, of any People. 
Trade will not mend the Climate of Groenland, but it 
may enable the People to live more comfortably there: 
Fifh, Train-Oil, Skins, Furs, and whatever elfe the Coun- 
try produces, or can be made to produce, when converted 
into Commodities, will bring the Inhabitants Variety of 
Conveniences, will enable them to convert their Huts 
into Houfes, and change their inhofpitable Deferts, not 
into a fine and pleafant, but into a tolerable. Country *, 
and at the fame time v/ill enrich tliofe who take the Pains 
to trade with, and civilize, thefe People. If this could be 
done effedually, they might be made ufe of to perfebt 
thofe Difeoveries, that politer and wifer Nations have not 
hitherto been able to make. They may be employed to find 
out how far the Country behind them is inhabited to the 
North ; and whether, after advancing nearer the Pole, 
the Climate continues to grow more rigorous, or, as fome 
have imagined, not altogether without Reafon, becomes 
milder. 
Our general Notions, with refpeCc to the Situation of 
the different Parts of the Globe, are not always confirmed 
by Experience : The Ancients thought the T vrrid Zone 
uninhabitable, on the Score of Heat, but we now know 
with Certainty, that they were miftaken neither is it 
impoflible that in thinking the Land or Sea abfolutely 
frozen under the Pole, we may be miftaken likewife. 
That an Experiment of this Kind would not be impracti- 
cable to the Greenlanders, appears from hence , that as 
cold as their Country is in 69 Degrees, there are Perfons 
living, who have advanced full ten Degrees farther North, 
without .finding the leaft Inconveniency from the Cold, in 
the Day-time. Upon this Occafion, I will take the 
Liberty of obferving, that there is no Country in the 
World, the Inhabitants of which might make Difeoveries 
of more Importance than the Greenlanders, as may ap- 
pear from what the Reverend Mr. Egede tells us he learned 
among them : “• According, fays he, to the Relation 
“ and Opinion of thofe that inhabit the Gulph of Difeo,, 
“ their Country is an Ifland, which they incur from the 
“ ftrong Current that runs from the North, and keeps 
“ the Ice open, even in the Midft of the Sea. They 
“ will alfo tell you, they have fpoken with People dif- 
“ ferent from' themfelves, on the other fide of the Ice, 
“ and haled them. Their Language, they fay, is the 
“ fame; but the Perfons different , fo that a fmall Streight 
“ only divides Groenland from America. The Streights 
“ are fo narrow, that Men on both Sides can ftioot, at 
“ one and the fame Fifh. The Continent fartheft to the 
“ North, is all covered with Ice, the Iflands only un- 
“ covered, where Rain- Deer, Geefe, and other wild Birds, 
“ are found in great Numbers.” 
k muft confefs, I am not very well fatisfied with this 
Account, and believe that the Banes may with little 
Trouble, 
