last voyage of CAPT. ROSS. 
353 
at the other. It is calculated that of a population of 80 persons, 
twenty are carried off in the spring by febrile diseases, and it 
is rather singular that the births are in no proportion to the 
deaths, thereby almost intimating that the race of the Esquimaux 
is gradually dwindling away. The death of a woman in child¬ 
birth is very rare amongst the Esquimaux people, although it 
may be truly said, that a cow in England has greater attention 
paid her in the hour of parturition, than an Esquimaux woman. 
Nature undertakes the whole performance of the operation— 
no gabbling officious nurse attends with her cup of caudle, usurp¬ 
ing the sovereignty of the apartment, and extolling the beauty 
of the new-born infant, though perhaps it has been formed in one 
of the ugliest moulds, which could be found in the whole of 
Nature’s magazine. The Esquimaux woman gives birth to her 
child; a draught of seal’s blood invigorates her after her travail, 
and she rises from her bed of snow, to attend upon her puppies, 
or to dress a seal cutlet for her expectant husband. 
The 20th being Saturday, the usual occupation was pursued of 
cleaning the ship inside and outside, during which operation, 
Capt. Ross went on a shooting expedition, and Mr. Thoms and 
Mr. Mc’Diarmid set out on a long walk into the interior. It cano* 
be supposed that the Esquimaux had acquired any information 
of the temporary absence of Capt. Ross, but he had not departed 
long, before a party of them presented themselves, both from the 
south east, and from the north, bringing with them two seals 
and two skins. Had it been any other day than cleaning day, the 
absences ailors would have bought the whole lot, and have skinned, 
the seals previously to the return of Capt Ross, but his from the 
ship was never of long duration, his walks extending to the ut¬ 
most to two or three miles, The opportunity, however, was not 
lost by them of purchasing the skins, which were obtained for 
a rusty knife and half a dozen nails. The Esquimaux made 
known to the sailors, they would conceal the seals in a place 
from which they might fetch them at their leisure, but although 
they had the utmost confidence in the integrity of the natives in 
transactions of that kind, yet they feared that the plan could 
not be carried into effect without being detected by Capt. Ross, 
15 2 z 
