LABRADOR. 
that it ever has had on other nations; it will introduce 
luxury, which will increafe their wants, and urge them 
to much more induftry than they at prefent poflefs. They 
will then purchafe traps, learn to build deathfalls, and 
contrive other devices to kill furs, at luch times as a fuc- 
cefsful feal-chale lhall give them leifure to pay proper at¬ 
tention to that branch of trade.” 
Thel’e people, Mr. Cartwright adds, are a detachment 
from the Greenlanders. That the Greenlanders and the 
Efquimaux agree in every circumftance of cuftoins, and 
manners, and' language, which are demonitrations of an 
original identity of nation, was difcovered near half a 
century ago. Crantz, in his Hiffory of Greenland, (vol. 
i. p. 263.) informs us, that the Moravian brethren, who, 
with the confent and furtherance of fir Hugh Pallifer, 
then governor of Newfoundland, vilited the Elquimaux on 
the Labrador coaft, found that their language and that of 
the Greenlanders do not differ fo much as high and low 
Dutch. Mr. Hearne, in 1771, traced this unhappy race 
farther back, towards that part of the globe from whence 
they had originally coafted along in their fkin-boats; having 
met with fome of them at the mouth of the Copper-mine ri¬ 
ver, in the latitude of 72 0 , and near 500 leagues farther welt 
than PickerfgilPs molt wefterly flation in Davis’s Strait. 
Their being the fame tribe, who now actually inhabit the 
iflandsand coalts on the weft fide of North America, oppofite 
to Kamtfchatka, is a difcovery, the completion of which 
was referved for captain Cook. The reader of his Third 
Voyage will find them at Norton Sound, and at Oonalafhka, 
and Prince William’s Sound ; that is, near 1500 leagues 
diftant from their ftations in Greenland, and 011 the La¬ 
brador coalt. And, left fimilitude of manners fhould be 
thought to deceive us, a table exhibiting proofs of affinity 
of language, drawn up by captain Cook and inferted in the 
Appendix to the work juft cited, will remove every doubt 
from the mind of the moft fcrupulous inquirer after truth. 
The Efquimaux are of a deep-tawny, or rather copper- 
coloured, complexion ; they are inferior in fize to the gene¬ 
rality of Europeans, and there are but few of them who are 
of a good flature. They are flat-vifaged, and have fhort 
nofes j their hair is black and very coarfe; their hands 
and feet are remarkably frnall. The women load their 
heads with large firings of beads, which they fallen to 
their hair above their ears ; and they are fond of a hoop 
of bright brafs, which they wear as a coronet. Their 
drefs is entirely of lkins; and confifts of a fort of hood¬ 
ed clofe fliirt, breeches, dockings, and boots. The drefs 
of the different fexes is the fame, except that the women 
wear very large boots, and their upper garment is orna¬ 
mented with a tail. In the boots they occalionally place 
their children ; but the youngeft is always carried at their 
back, in the hood of their jacket. They have no fort of 
bread, but live chiefly on the flefh of feal, deer, fifh, and 
birds. In the winter they live in houfes, or rather ca¬ 
verns, which are funk in the earth. In the fummer they 
occupy tents, made circular with poles, and covered with 
fkins. They have no fort of beverage among them except 
water, and are not fond of fpirituous liquors. They feem 
to have no Tort of religion, nor to have any objebt of ado¬ 
ration among them. They have no kind of government; 
and no man is fuperior to another, but as he excels in 
flrength or in courage, and in having the greatefi number 
of wives and children. They have no marriage-ceremony; 
a wife is confidered as property ; and a hufband lends one 
of his wives to a friend. The women marry young. The 
men are extremely indolent, and women are mere drudges, 
doing every thing except procuring food. They few 
with the finews of a deer, and their needle-work is very 
neat. They have few difeafes,- and are confequently with¬ 
out phyficians ; but they imagine, that tying to their neck 
or wrilts the particular part of fome fifh or animal, accord¬ 
ing to the complaint, will effebt a cure. Thele Indians 
cannot reckon numerically beyond fix; and their com¬ 
pound numbers reach no farther than twenty-one ; every 
thing beyond this is a multitude. Their dread of the Moun- 
Vol. XII. No. 806. 
9 
taineers makes them live always upon the fea-fliores. Their 
canoes are extremely long in proportion to their breadth, 
being upwards of twenty feet by two, and contain only one 
perfon ; they are covered with fkins, and extremely light, 
fo that they are eafily overlet. They navigate their lhal- 
lops without a compafs, in the thickefi fogs, and are very 
good coafters. Their dogs, of which they have a great 
number, ferve as a guard, and as food ; their ikins fupply 
them with clothing ; and in winter they draw their fledges. 
They cannot bark, but make a moll hideous howl ; they 
are large, and have a head like a fox ; whereas the dogs of 
the Mountaineers are very frnall. The weapons of thefe 
Indians are the dart, and the bow and arrow ; but they 
are not very expert in the ufe of either- Their popula¬ 
tion cannot be accurately afcertained ; Mr. Curtis made 
fome attempt for this purpofe, by counting the number 
belonging to each tribe, eftimated by the number of boat9, 
and by that of the men, women, and children, belonging 
to each boat; ellimating them in this way, he reckons 
their number to be 162;. 
For the amufement of our readers, we fball extrabl from 
Mr. Cartwright’s Journal an account of the behaviour of 
thofe Efquimaux Indians who accompanied him on his 
return to England, at the conclufion of his firfl voyage. 
“Dec. n-13, 1772.—At three o'clock this afternoon we 
came to an anchor in the Downs, and took a pilot on¬ 
board. We failed from thence the next morning, am! 
in twenty-four hours came to an anchor in Gravefend 
Road ; I landed with the two men, and fet off for Lon¬ 
don in a poft-chaife, where we arrived at three in tl.e after¬ 
noon. 
“Dec. 14.—I went down the river this morning, met the 
veffel in the Pool, and brought the women on-fliore. 
They were greatly allonifhed at the number of flapping 
which they law in the river ; for they did not fuppofe that 
there were fo many in the whole world; but I was ex¬ 
ceedingly difappointed to obferve them pal's through Lon¬ 
don Bridge without taking much notice of it. I foon dif¬ 
covered that they took it for a natural rock which ex¬ 
tended acrofs the river. They laughed at me when I told 
them it was the work of men ; nor could I make therm 
believe it, till we came to Blackfriars’ Bridge, which I 
caufed them to examine with more attention ; fhowing 
them the joints, and pointing out the marks of the chi- 
fels upon the Hones. They no fooner comprehended by 
what means fuch a ftrublure could be erebted, than they 
expreffed their wonder with aftonifhing fignificancy of 
countenance. On landing at Weftminfter Bridge, we 
were immediately furrounded by a great concourfeof peo¬ 
ple ; attracted not only by the uncommon appearance of 
the Indians, who were in their feal-fkin drefles, but alfo by 
a beautiful eagle, and an Efquimau dog, which had much 
the refemblance of a wolf, and a remarkable wildnefs of 
look. I put them all into coaches with as much expe¬ 
dition as pofiible, and drove off to the lodgings which I 
had prepared in Leicefter-ftreet. 
“ In a few days time, I had fo many applications for ad¬ 
mittance to fee the new vifitors, that my time was wholly 
taken up in gratifying the curiofity of my friends and 
their acquaintance ; and the numbers who came made my 
lodgings very inconvenient to the landlord as well as to 
rnylelf. I therefore refolved to look out for a houfe. I 
foon hired afmall one, ready turnifhed, for ten guineas a- 
month, in Little Callle-ltreet, Oxford Market, and re¬ 
moved thither. Being willing, as far as lay in my power, 
to comply with the incell'ant applications of my friends 
for a fight of the Indians, and finding it impolfible either 
to have any retl, or time to tranfaft bufinefs, I appropri¬ 
ated two days a-week to that purpofe, viz. Tuefdays and 
Fridays. On thofe days, not only my houfe was filled, 
even to an inconvenience, but the ftreet was fo much 
crowded with carriages and people, that my refidence was 
a great nuifance to the neighbourhood. As their Ikin- 
drefies had a dirty appearance and an offenfive lrnell, I 
provided a quantity of broad-cloth, flannel, and beads, 
D together 
