NORTH POL E. 
fifh of every kind north of 6o°, but whales become more 
numerous.” Various kind of fmall fifh, however, abound 
in the Greenland fea to a much higher latitude than 6o°, 
though probably not to 76°. 
Mufic had no influence on them; and, on tailing bif- 
cuit and falt-meat, they fpat it out with apparent difguft. 
They could not count to more than five, but faid their 
country poflefl'ed many more inhabitants than there were 
pieces of ice floating round the Ihip, which were perhaps 
a thoufand in number. Having lketched portraits of 
thefe natives, they were prefented with fome articles of 
clothing, bifcuits, and wood, and difmiffed, on promifing 
to return as foon as they had eaten and flept; the bifcuits 
they were obferved to throw away, and to fplit the wood 
in pieces and divide it amongft them: the parting was 
attended with the ceremony of pulling noi'es on both lides. 
The circumftance which excited the moll attention on 
the part of the difcoverers, was the finding in the pof- 
feflion of the natives, knives, the blade-part of which 
was of iron. They had already afcertained that wood 
was unknown to thefe newly-found beings, and that the 
only fuel which they had, if fuel it could be called, was a 
fpecies of mofs ; and the ufe made of this mofs feemed to 
be confined to the dipping it in oil, and burning it as a 
torch, or candle. Their fpears confilt of feveral pieces 
of the horn of the fea-unicorn, tied together with thongs 
of flcin ; about one-third from the end is a flop for the 
thumb to prefs againft in throwing it. This, like the 
knife, is of the moll rude contrivance. It is not even 
ftraight in its form, but is curvilinear. Their principal 
food confifts of birds, of which, it appears, the number 
is aftonilhing; thefe they eat raw: the flelh of feals and 
of the fea-unicorn is alfo a part of their nourilhmenti 
The veflels brought home feveral dogs which do not bark, 
nor in common make any particular noife ; but the only 
dog which Capt. Rofs obtained from the natives is Hated 
fo have been loft overboard in a gale of wind, off Cape 
Farewell: from the defcription given of it, it was not 
tinlike (though larger in fize) the dogs which were 
brought from the coaft of a more fouthern latitude. 
Thefe Northern Efquimaux, as we may call them, were 
obferved to employ a variety of implements of iron ; and, 
upon enquiry by Capt. Sabine, he afcertained that it was 
procured from the mountains about thirty miles from the 
coaft. The natives defcribed two large maffes containing 
it: the one was reprefented as nearly pure iron, and they 
had been unable to do more than detach fmall fragments 
of it; the other they faid was a (tone, of which they could 
break fragments which contained fmall globules of iron, 
and which they hammered out between two ftones, and 
thus formed them into two flat pieces about the fize of 
half a ftxpence, and which, let into a bone handle, fide 
by fide, form the edges of their knives. It immediately 
occurred to Capt. Sabine, that this might be meteoric 
iron ; but the fubjeft was not farther attended to till fpe- 
cimens of the knives reached fir Jofeph Banks, by whofe 
defire Mr. Brande examined the iron, and found in it 
snore than 3 per cent, of nickel. This, with the uncom¬ 
mon appearance of the metal, which was perfectly free 
fromruft, and had the peculiarly-filvery whitenefs of me¬ 
teoric iron, puts the fource of the fpecimens alluded to 
out of all doubt. The one mafs, then, is probably en¬ 
tirely iron, and too hard and intraftable for their ma¬ 
nagement ; the other appears to be a meteoric ftone, con¬ 
taining pieces of iron, which they fucceed in removing, 
and extending upon a ftone anvil. In confequence of 
this difeovery, lome experiments are now in progrefs, in 
this country, upon the power of an alloy of iron with 
nickel to refill ruft, and upon its fitnefs for delicate cut- 
ting-inftruments. 
On the lath of Auguft, accurate bearings were taken 
of the land, which was found to form a fpacious bay, 
and it was named after the Prince Regent, in commemo¬ 
ration of his royal highnefs*s birth-day. The next day 
another party of the natives, who had a good report of our 
Vot. XVII. No. 1171. 
205 
voyages, ventured near enough to be invited on-board by 
Sackhoufe. The following is an account of their ma¬ 
nagement of their (ledges, one of which was of bone, in 
length four feet ten inches, and one foot ten inches wide. 
“ It being propofed that they fliould drive clofe to the 
(hips on their fledges, for this purpofe the eldeft got into 
his fledge, and we had thus an opportunity of witnefling 
the mode in which he managed his dogs. Thefe were lix 
in number, each having a collar of feal-lkin, two inches 
wide, to which the one end of a thong, made of ilrong 
hide, about three yards long, was tied ; the other end 
being faftened to the fore-part of the fledge; thus they 
all flood nearly abreaft, each drawing by a Angle trace, 
without reins. No fooner did they hear the crack of a 
whip, than they fet off at full fpeed, while he feemed to 
manage them with the greateft eafe, guiding them partly 
by his voice, and partly by the found of the whip. On 
approaching ourfailors, however, they became fo terrified, 
that it was with fome difficulty they could be Hopped. 
They were at length faftened to the ice ; and one of the 
younger men, who had come up behind, was left in charge 
of the whole.” 
The party who came to fee the Ihip confided of the 
father, about forty years of age, and his two foils : he 
promiled to bring his wife on-board, but never kept his 
word. Another party of natives afterwards came on¬ 
board; and it was attempted to difcover the nature of 
their amufements. “ One of them accordingly began 
immediately to diftort his face, and turn up his eyes in 
a manner foexadlly refembling the appearance of a perfon 
in a fit of epileply, that we were convinced this accident 
had happened, and I was about to call for affiltance from 
thefurgeon. I was, however, loon undeceived, as he im¬ 
mediately proceeded to execute, in fucceffion, a variety 
of extraordinary geltures and attitudes, accompanied by 
the moll hideous dillortions of countenance. Like the 
fimilar amufements of very different climates, thefe con¬ 
tained the indecent allufions which are well known to 
form an eftential feature in the dance of many nations, 
in other refpefls far advanced in civilization. The bodv 
was generally in a Hooping pofture, and the hands reding 
on the knees. After a few minutes, the performer began 
to fing Amnah ajali; and in a very (hort time the fecond 
performer, who had been looking at the other in filence, 
began, as if infpired, to diftort his face, and imitate the 
indelicate attitudes of the firft, and foon after to fing as 
chorus, Hejau hejau. After this had continued within- 
creafing energy for ten minutes, the tune was fuddenly 
changed to a flirill note, in which the words Weeh.ce, 
weehee, were uttered with great rapidity. They then ap¬ 
proached each other, by flipping their feet forward, grin¬ 
ning, and in great agitation, until their nofes touched, 
when a favage laugh ended this extraordinary perform¬ 
ance.” 
Having already ftated fo much as to the conduit of the 
natives as came on-board the (hips, we (hall now give 
fome general account of them, and of the country they 
inhabit: “ The country, to which I have given the name 
of Av6tic Highlands, is lituated in the north-eall corner of 
Baffin’s Bay, between the latitudes of 76. and 77. 40. N 
and the longitudes of 60. and 72. W. thus extending on 
the fea-fhore for 120 miles in a north-weft direition ; the 
breadth where wideft does not exceed twenty miles, and 
towards the extremities is reduced to nothing. It is 
bounded on the fouth by an immenfe barrier of moun¬ 
tains covered with ice, which takes its rife in lat. 74. 30. 
and extends to 76. N. As far as could be judged from 
the (hips, this barrier is impaffable, and in many places the 
folid ice extends for feveral miles into the fea from the 
precipices with which it is connebted. The interior 
country prefents an irregulargroup of mountainous land, 
declining gradually from the high ridge before men¬ 
tioned towards the fea, which it reaches in an irregular 
manner, and ftill at a confiderable elevation; the fe»- 
elift's ranging from 500 to 1000 feet in height. This trail 
3 G is 
