LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
251 
acquisition of a needle or an empty cannister. So intent how¬ 
ever were these creatures in obtaining 1 any old pieces of rusty 
iron, or other articles, which might have been thrown from the 
ship as useless, that having discovered the place where the dirt 
of the ship was put, they employed themselves for above an 
hour in scratching amongst it, and if they found an article to 
which they attached any value, they set up a shout of joy, but 
not the least quarrelling or discord was observable amongst 
them. 
On the first acquaintance of the Esquimaux with the Europeans, 
they appeared to possess no other idea of obtaining a particular 
article, than by the way of barter, and in this respect they strongly 
assimilate with other savage nations, whose notions of traffic 
never extend beyond the principle of a fair exchange, and in 
which the relative value of an article is determined not by its 
intrinsic worth, but by the utility with which it is accompanied. 
Thus, we were informed by the late intrepid African traveller, Mr. 
Landers, that fora couple of needles he could obtain an elephants 
tooth; for a piece of scarlet cloth, not worth half-a-crown, he 
had received two hundred cowries, with which, as being the cir¬ 
culating medium of the country, he had procured a sufficiency 
of food to maintain himself and his companions for two months. 
Thus in the system of barter which was established between 
Capt. Ross and the Esquimaux, a needle or a fish-hook was no 
equivalent for the skin of a fox or an ermine, but each was satis¬ 
fied with his bargain, and perhaps each thought the other a 
simpleton for parting with his valuables at so cheap a rate. 
When however Capt. Ross had filled his three flour tubs, with 
the articles which he had obtained in exchange for his needles 
and his fish hooks, and the natives experienced a difficulty in 
adding to their stock ofEuropean wares, owing to the restrictions 
which Capt. Ross had placed upon their commercial undertakings, 
they had recourse to another expedient, which was a system of 
importunate begging, in which however the women were by far 
the greatest adepts ; but then their supplications were accom¬ 
panied by such persuasive looks—such expressive leers—such 
tender ogles, and such pokings out of the nose, that to suppose 
