That he was led to go in search of them in the beginning of last year, from remembering having, when a boy at school, looked into the sea-journal of an American whaler, in which mention was made of such spots. And that his first attempt was unsuccessful, and nearly proved fatal to himself and all concerned, he and his boat's crew, in exploring the islets, having almost perished from want of water, before they could rejoin their little "surveying vessel ;" and then (she, too, being in want of water), having had to sail 1500 miles before they could obtain a fresh supply. This is a meagre outline of a hazardous and most important enterprise. The details of it, it is to be hoped, will be published; they can hardly fail exciting interest; and they may convey valuable information, either directly or indirectly, on many important points connected with the physical history of a region of which at present so little is known. The result of the voyage, the director of it may well be proud of, contemplating, as he writes to me, by the introduction of some thousands of tons of productive manure, increase of fertility to our soil, to the extent of " producing three bushels of corn where only two were previously grown." THE OAKS, AMBLESIDE, February 29. 1844. On the Physical Characters of the Esquimaux. By RICHARD KING, M.D. (Communicated to this Journal by the Society.) Read before the Ethnological Society, London. Of the circumpolar family, the Esquimaux branch is the most remarkable, owing to the vast extent of country over which it is spread. This race of fishermen inhabit the whole of the northern coast of North America, and as far as Prince William's Sound in the Pacific, and the coast of Labrador in the Atlantic, their western boundary being St Lawrence Island, and their eastern Greenland. Although, for a considerable period, Labrador has been the most southern limit of the Esquimaux, in the direction of the Atlantic, it would appear that, in early times, their migration extended further south, including the occupation, as a summer residence, of the Island of Newfoundland. The Abbé Raynal expressly states, “that no savages have ever been seen on that island, except some Esquimaux from the continent in the hunting season," an opinion I had formed, before this passage in the Abbé Raynal's work came under my observation, from a careful study of the narratives of the early travellers in search of a north-west passage. "Sebastian Cabot," writes Purchas, "brought to England three savages taken in Newfoundland,* who were clothed in beast's skins, and did eat raw flesh, and, in their demeanour, like to brute beasts, whom the king kept a time after; of the which, upon two years after, I saw two apparelled, after the manner of Englishmen, in Westminster Palace, which, at that time, I could not discover from Englishmen till I learned what they were; but, as for speech, I heard none of them utter one word." The account given by Whitbourne of the natives of Newfoundland,† is in accordance with the known habits of the Esquimaux, but has no reference to the Red man of America. Whitbourne has thus expressed himself:-"The naturall inhabitants of the country, as they are but few in number, so are they something rude and savage; having neither knowledge of God, nor living under any kind of civil government. They live altogether in the north and west part of the country, which is seldom frequented by the English. But the French and Biscayans, who resort thither for the whale-fishery, and also for the cod fish, report them to be an ingenious and tractable people (being well used). They are ready to assist them, with great labour and patience, in the killing, cutting, and boyling of whale, and making the traine oyle, without expectation of other reward, than a little bread or some such small hire.” Lieutenant Roger Curtis, in a paper addressed to the Royal Society, informs us that the Esquimaux were settled at different places upon the sea-coast down to the river St John's; but for many years past, whether owing to the quarrels with the mountaineers, or the encroachments of the Europeans, they have taken up their residence far to the north. O'Reilly That he was led to go in search of them in the beginning of last year, from remembering having, when a boy at school. looked into the sea-journal of an American whaler, in which mention was made of such spots. And that his first attempt was unsuccessful, and nearly proved fatal to himself and all concerned, he and his boat's crew, in exploring the islets, having almost perished from want of water, before they could rejoin their little " surveying vessel ;" and then (she, too, being in want of water), having had to sail 1500 miles before they could obtain a fresh supply. 66 This is a meagre outline of a hazardous and most important enterprise. The details of it, it is to be hoped, will be published; they can hardly fail exciting interest; and they may convey valuable information, either directly or indirectly, on many important points connected with the physical history of a region of which at present so little is known. The result of the voyage, the director of it may well be proud of, contemplating, as he writes to me, by the introduction of some thousands of tons of productive manure, increase of fertility to our soil, to the extent of " producing three bushels of corn where only two were previously grown.” THE OAKS, AMBLESIDE, February 29. 1844. On the Physical Characters of the Esquimaux. By RICHARD Read before the Ethnological Society, London. Of the circumpolar family, the Esquimaux branch is the most remarkable, owing to the vast extent of country which it is spread. This race of fishermen inhal of the northern coast of North America. William's Sound in the Pacific, and the Atlantic. their western Island, and their eastern siderable period, Labra of the Esquimaux, in appear that, in ear and, in their deneno kupte peace ou te iz acount H in the north and west part of the counte few n to the river ra owing to the yKET WE chments of the Burnete ce far to the mein Eily has made the same remark,* probably a quotation from Lieut. Roger Curtis. Thorsin, the Icelander, describes the people of Winland as of low stature, having boats covered with leather. Now, it has been contended, and very ably, that Winland was south of the Gulph of St Lawrence; and since we have been able to trace the Esquimaux thus far, it is by no means improbable that they took advantage of the mighty St Lawrence and penetrated inland; for near the Falls of Niagara have been discovered numerous tumuli, attributed by the Red man, who does not adopt this mode of sepulture, to an extinct race that inhabited the country before him. Dr Hodgkin, with his usual intelligence and research, examined a skull exhumed from one of these tumuli, and pointed out its strong resemblance to the skull of a known Esquimaux. A cast of the former and the original of the latter, is to be seen in the Museum of Guy's Hospital, arranged by Dr Hodgkin, a museum deservedly the pride of this country and the admiration of foreigners. Of that all-important branch of science-statistics, in relation to the Esquimaux, our knowledge is but slight. The population of the north-west coast of America, from Prince William's Sound to Point Barrow, was estimated, in 1822, at 1200; of Regent's Inlet, in 1830, at 160; of Melville Peninsula, in 1823, at 219; and of Labrador, in 1773, at 1623. It appears evident, then, as far as our information extends, that the northwest corner of America, Labrador, and Greenland, are better inhabited than the American boundary of the Polar Sea, and that the population gradually increases in the direction from east to west, except in the neighbourhood of the Mackenzie, where perhaps from the resources of the country, compared with any other given area, it is most abundantly peopled. The Esquimaux all speak radically the same language, and even where there exist dialectrical differences, they are so slight, that a native, whether he is located on the shores of the Pacific or of the Atlantic, is able to make himself understood throughout all the various and widely spread communities. The author of "Researches into the Physical History of |