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C ZOOLOGY^

i-

,, ,- ■ :vf55

«..y'-

VOL.

I.

INTRODUCTION.

^^'''ji.l' ■■■'

CLASS t. QJUADRUPEDS..

J^&IMTED BY HENRY HUGHS.

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ADVERTISEMENT.

THIS Work was begun a . great number of years paft,
when the empire of Great Britain was entire, and pof-
;fefled the northern part of the New World with envied fplen-
dor. At that period I formed a deiign of collecting materials
for a partial Hiilory of its Animals ; and with true pains, by
various correfpondencies, made far greater progrefs in my plan
than my moil fanguine expectations had framed. Above a
century ago, an illuftrious predeceiTor in the line of Natural
, Hiflory, who as greatly exceeded me in abilities as he did in
zeal, meditated a voyage to the New World, in purfuance of
a fimilar defign. The gentleman alluded to was Francis
WiLLUGHBY, Efqj who died in 1672, on the point of put-.
; ting his defign in execution. Emulous of fo illuftrious an
^.example, I took up the objed of his purfuit ; but my many
relative duties forbade me from carrying it to the length con-
. ^^ceived by that great and good man. What he would have per-
i^rmed, from an adtual inipedion in the native country of the
.Several fubjeds under coniideration, I n^uft content myfelf to
do, in a lefs perfect manner, from preferred fpecimens tranfmit-
ted to me ; and offer to the world their Natural Hiftory, taken
;,from gentlemen or writers who have paid no fniall attention
:''jto their manners*'--^ '"■ ■■^■^- -.r ■-k-'-'---.\- '''f-^^-^-'^-i-^^f-^^^^^ '

^ Let me repeat, that this Work was deiigned as a iketch of
,tbe Zoology of Norti America, I thought I had a right to

A y^- ■■:-.-., the

■'.'■ ^' ' ^ t

•-'#

■ y.:'^ . ,*v

DVERTISEMENT.

the attempt, at a time I had the honor of calling myfclf a fel-
low-fubjedt with that refpedtable part of our former great em-
pire ; but when the fatal and humiliating hour arrived, which
deprived Britain of power, ftrength, and glory, I felt the morti-
fication which muft ftrike every feeling individual at lofing his
little {hare in the boaft of ruling over half of the New World. I
could no longer fupport my clame of entitling myfelf its humble
Zoologift : yet, unwilling to fling away all my labors, do now
deliver them to the Public under the title of the Arctic
Zoology. I added to them a defcription of the Quadrupeds
and Birds of the north of Europe and of jifia, from latitude 60
to the farthefl known parts of the Arctic World, together
with thofe cf Kamtfchatka, and the parts of America vifitcd
in the laft voyage of the illuftrious Cook. Thefe additional
parts I have flung into the form of an Appendix to each ge-
nus, and diftinguifhed by ^ feur de lis; and the fpecies by-
literal inftead of numeral marks, which diftinguilh thofe of
North America. Thefe will, in a great meafure, fhew the
dilatation of Quadrupeds and Birds, and the migrations of the
feathered tribe, within part of the northern hemifphere.

I have, whenever I could get information, given their refpec-
tive refidences, as vfrell as migrations to far more northern
parts, to fliew to what very remote places the Author of Na-
ture hath impelled them to retire, to breed in fecurity. This
wife provifion preferves the fpecies entire, and enables them
to return by myriads, to contribute to the food or luxuries of
fouthern climates. Whatever is wanting in the American part,
I may forefee, will in time be amply fupplied. The powers
of literature will foon arife, with the other ftrengths of the
new empire, and fome native Naturalift; give perfection to that

4 part

ADVERTISEMENT.

part of the undertaking, by obfervations formed on the fpof,
in the ufes, manners, and migrations. Should, at prefent, no
one be inclined to take the pen out of my hand, remarks from
the other fide of the Atlantic^ from any gentlemen of conge-
nial fludies, will add peculiar pleafure to a favorite purfuit, and
be gratefully received.

I muft reckon among my moft valued correfpondents on the
New Continent, Dodlor Alexander Garden *, who, by
his long refidence in South Carolina, was enabled to commu-
nicate to me variety of curious remarks and fubje(^s, as will
appear in the following pages.

To the rich mufeum of American Birds, prefervcd by Mrs.
Anna Blackburn, oiOrford, near Warrington , I am indebted
for the opportunity of defcribing almoft every one known in
the provinces of Jerfey, New York, and ConneSlicut, They
were fent over to that Lady by her brother, the late Mr.
AJhton Blackburn ; who added to the Ikill and zeal of a fportf-
man, the moft pertinent remarks on the fpecimens he col-
lected for his worthy and philofophical fifter.

In the foremoft rank of the philofophers of the Old Conti-
nent, from whofe correfpondence I have benefited, I muft
place Dodtor Peter Sim. Pallas, at prefent ProfefTor of
Natural Hiftory in the fervice of the illuftrious EMrr^Ess of
Rujia : he not only favored me with the fuUeft reniA'^ks on
the Zoological part of that vaft empire, moft of which he
formed from adual travel and obfervation, but collefted for
my ufe various other remarks from the manufcripts of his
predecefTorsi efpecially what related to Kamtfchatka from thofe

Now refident in L$nJoii.

A a

of

ir=-

ADVERTISEMENT.

of Steller j which have afliaed mc in the hiitory of part«
hitherto but very (lightly iinderftood.

From the correfpondency and labors of Mr. Ederh. Aug,
William Zimmerman, Profeflbr of Mathematics at Brunf-
wic, I have coUeded mofl uncommon inftruQion. His Specimen
Zoologict Geograpbkce ^ladrupeihim'* is a \\\)xk wliich gives a
full view of the clafs of Quadrupeds, and the progrel's they have
made in fprcading over the face of the earth, according to cli-
mates and latitudes. Their limits are defcribed, in general, with
uncommon accuracy. Much is faidof the climates themlelvesj of
the varieties of mankind ) of the efteds of heat and cold on them'
and other animals. A moil curious map is joined to the work,
in which is given the name of every animal in its proper cli-
mate J fo that a view of tlie whole Quadruped creation is placed
before one's eyes, in a manner perfedly new and inftrudtive -j-.

To the following foreigners, diltinguiHied for their literary
knowlege, I muft pay my bell acknowlegcment< for variety
of inoflufeful communications : Dodor Anders Sparman, of
Stockholm; Dovftor Charles P. Thun berg, of IJpJal \ Mr.
And. J. Retzius, Profelfor of Natural Hiftory "iXhiind; Mr.
Martin Thrane Brunnich, ProfefTor of Natural Hiftory,
and Mr. Otho Muller, Author of the Zoologia Danicat botb
of Copenhagen : and let me add my great obligations to the la-
bors of the Reverend Mr. Otto Fabricius, for his mod
finiflied Fauna of Green/and.

• A quarto in LstiH, containing 68; pages, printed at Leja'tn, 1777 ; fold in LmJeM
by Mr. Fadin, Geographer, St. Martin's Lane.

t A new edition of the map has been lately publKhed by the learned Author ; the;
geographical part iscorrcfled according to the late voyages of Captain Cook, and great
additions made to the zoological part. An explanation is given, in the third volume of
the Zgilogia Giografbita, lately publifhed in German by the Author.

To

t i i

ADVERTISEMENT.

To many of my countrymen my bcft thanks are due for
literary afliftanccs. Sir Joseph Banks, Baronet, will, I hope,
accept my thanks for the free admittance to thofe parts of his
cabinet which more immediately related to the fubjedl of the
following flieets.

To Sir AsiiTON Lf.ver, Knight, I am highly indebted, for
the more intimate and clofcr examination of his treafures than
was allowed to the common vifitors of his moft magnificent
mufeum.

To Mr. Samuel Hearn, the great explorer by land of the
Icy Sea, I cannot but fend my moft particular thanks, for his
liberal communication of many zoological remarks, made by
him on the bold and fatiguing adventure he undertook from
Hudjbns Bay to the ne plus ultra of the north on that fide.

Mr. Andrew Graham, long a rcfident in Hud/on s Bay,
obliged me with numbers of obfervations on the country, and
the ufe of multitudes of fpecimens of animals tranfmitted by
him to the late mufeum of the Royal Society, at the inftance
of that liberal patron of fcience, my refpeded friend the Ho-
norable Daines Barrington.

Let me clofe the lift with acknowleging the great afliftance
I have found in the Synopfis of Birds by Mr. John Latham ;
a work now brought almoft to a conclufion, and which contains
a far greater number of defcriptions than any which has gone
before. This is owing not only to the afliduity of the Au-
thor, but alfo to the peculiar fpirit of the EngliJJ} nation,
which has, in its voyages to the moft remote and moft oppofite
parts of the globe, payed attention to every branch of fcience.
The advantages are pointed out by the able pen of the Reverend
Dodtor Douglas, in his Introdudion to the laft Voyage of

our

ADVERTISEMENT.

our great navigator, publiflicd (under the aufpiccs of the Lords
of the Admiralty) in a manner which rctlcds honor on our
country in general, and will prove a mofl: lafting monument
to the memory of the great Officer who to unfortunately pe-
riHied by favagc hands, and his two able conforts, who at
length funk beneath the prelTurc of fatigue, in carrying the
glory of difcovery far beyond the attempts of every preceding
adventurer.

Downing.
F$bru»ry I, 1785.

THOMAS PENNANT.

PLATES.

E S.

V O L. I.

FRONTISPIECE, a winter fcene in Lapland, ytkh Aurora
Borealis : the ArStic Fox, N° lo : Ermine, N* 16 : Snowy
Owl, N' lai : and White Grous, N° 183.
Title-page, with the head of the Elk, N" 3, before it was arrived at

full age.
Tab. I. The caves of Crtw^r in M«rr<jy, — Introd. page xvtii
II. Rocks of fingular forms near Sandjtde, — — xx

III. The Dorebolm, a fmall ide, one of the Sehetlands, per-

forated with a vaft arch — — — xxvii

IV. Bird-catching in one of the Orkney ifles — — xxx

V. Antiquities — — — — xxxiii
N° I. A Burgh of the fmalleft kind, with a fingle cell.

If. The Burgh of Culfiwiti in Schttland, and a fe£\ion of the wail.

III. The Burgh of Burrowfinh on Htlinfta Vot, a holme or fmall ifl«

among the Sthitlandt. It contains eleven celli.

IV. Burgh of Snaiurgh in Uii/l, one of the Schttlaudu
V. Burgh of Ihg/ttir.

VI. Roman camp in Fthhir,
For the drawings from which thefe Antiquities were engra-
ven, I am indebted to the Reverend Mr. Low, Minifter
of Birja in Orkney, who, at my rcqueft, made the voyage
of the Orkney and Schetland ifles in 1778. He hath pre-
pared his journal for the prefs : it is to be hoped, that
the liberality of the public will enable him to give this
addition to my labors, which will complete the account
of the, northern part of the Britijh dominions.
Tab. VI. The Bow defcribed p. cxliv. The place it came
from is uncertain ; but doubtlefsly from the part
of the wcftern coaft of Amerisa frequented by the
Walrus — «— » page cxnr

Tab. VII.

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PLATES.

Tab. VII. The Muflc Cow, with the head of the Bull. See the

Zoological part — — — page i

VIII. A/ull-grown male Elk or Moofe, with the velvet, or
young horns i and a full-grown pair on the ground.
From a painting by Mr. Stubbs^ communicated to
me by the late Dr. Hunter — — 17

VOL.

n.

Title-page, the Pied Duck, N* 488.

IX. St. John's Falcon : Chocolate-colored Falcon — 200

X. Swallow-tailed Falcon — — — 210

XI. Red Owl, N° 1 17 : Mottled Owl, N" 1 18 : Barred

Owl, N" 122 — — — 234

XII. Male and Female Baltimore Orioles, N" 142; with

the neft — — — — 258

XIII. Ferruginous Woodpecker,N''i59:Nuthatch,N'*i70 271

XIV. Faffenger Pigeon, N° 187 : Carolina Pigeon, N' 188 326
XV. Varied Thrufh, N" 1 97 — — — 337

XVI. Spotted Gro/beak, N" 213: White-crowned Bunt-
ing, N° 221 — — — 355
XVII. Black-throated Bunting, N* 228 : Cinereous Bunt-
ing* N" 3:i3 — — — 364

XVIII. Aculeated Swallow, N" 335 : Long-winged Goat-
fucker, N' 337 — — — 436
XIX. EJkimaux Curlew, N" 364: Little Woodcock, N''365 463
XX. Clapper Rail, N" 407 : Semipalmated Snipe, N* 380 490
XXI. American Avofet, N° 42 1 — — 502
XXII. Pied-billed Grebe, N" 418: Marbled Guillemot,

N-438 — — — 517

XXIII. Falcated Duck, p. 574 ; Weftern Duck, N" 497 — 574

The Bookbinder is defired to obferve, that the Second Volume begins
at p. 187, Class II. Birds.

7 INTRO-

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INTRODUCTION.

•\i •.:" :> i:\^ : "1

OF THE

•^'1

ARCTIC WORLD.

\

A

KNOW LEGE of the geography, climate, and foil, and a general
view of the produ£tions of the countries, whofe Zoologic Hiftory ii to
be treated of, are points fo neceflary, that no apology need be made for
introducing them into a prefatory difcourfe. '.'-■■...

It is worthy human curioiity to trace the gradual increafe of the animal world,
from the fcanty pittance given to the rocks of Spttzbtrgttty to the fwarms of beings
which enliven the vegetating plains of Stntgal: to point out the caufes of the local
niggardnefs of certain places, and the prodigious plenty in others. 'The Botanift
ihould attend the fancied voyage I am about to take, to explain the fcanty
herbage of the Ar£fic regions ; or, ihould I at any time hereafter defcend into the
lower latitudes, to inveftigate the luxuriancy of plants in the warmer climates.

The Foffilift Ihould join comp&ny, and point the variations of primaeval crea^
tion, from the folid rock of Spitzhirgtn through all the degrees of terreftrial matter :
the fteps it makes to perfeAion, from the vileft earth to the precious diamond of
Goltenda, The changes in the face of the globe fliould be attended to j the de-
ftru£tionsby vulcanoes ; the ravages of the fea on fome coafts, and the recom-
pence it may have made to others, by the retreat of its waters.

The purfuit of thefe enquiries will alfo have a farther and more important
obje£b. Hiftory ihould be called in, and a brief account given of the population '
of the more remote countries— the motives which induced mankind to feek re-
treats in climates feemingly deftitute of incitements to migration. Particular
attention ihould be paid to the means of peopling the new world, and of Hocking
it with animals, to contribute to the fupport of mankind, after the firfl: coloniza-
tion—the increafe of thofe animals, and their ceflation, and giving place in a
certain latitude to genera entirely different.

a H^re

u

ENGLAND.

Strbiohti
DovfK.

or

Here the fine fludy of Geography (hould flcp in to our afllftance. The outline
of the tcrreftrial globe fhould be traced i the fcvcral approximations between part
and part Hiould be attended to ; the nature of the oceans obfervcd } the various
iflnnds pointed out, as the Acps, the baiting-places where mankind might have
rcfted in its paflagc from an overcharged continent.

The manners of the people ought not lefs to be attended to ; and their changes*
both mental and corporeal, by comparifon of the prefcnt ftate of remote people with
nations with whom they had common anceftors, and who may have been difcovered
Aill to retain their primseval feats. Some leading cuftoms may ftill have been pre-
ferved in both } or fome monuments of antiquity, proofs of congenial b&bitudes,
poflibly no longer extant in the favage than in the cultivated branches of the
common flock.

Let me take my departure northward, from the narrow flreights of Dovir^ the
fite of the iftbmus of the once peninfulated Britain. No ceruin caufe can be
given for the mighty convulflon which tore us from the continent : whether it was
rent by an earthquake, or whether it was worn through by the continual daihing
of the waters, no Pythagoras is left to folvc the Ftriuna Iteorum :

Vidi ego, quoJ futrat qiioitJam foliilifTima tcllui
EfTe fictum

But it is moft probable, that the great philofopher alluded to the partial deftruAion
of the Atlantica in/ulay mentioned by Phto as a diftant tradition in his days *.
It was eiFedled by an earthquake and ^ deluge, which might bav; rent afunder
the narrow iflhmus in queftion, and left Britain, large as it feems at prefent, the
mere wreck of its original flze f. The Scilly ifles, the Htbridtiy Orknitt^ Schet-
lands, and perhaps the Ftrat iflands, may poflibly be no more than fragments of
the once far-extended region. I have no quarrel about the word ijhnd. The
little ifthmus, compared to the whole, might have been a junction never attend-
ed to in the limited navigations of very early times. The peninAila had never
been wholly explored, and it pafled with the antients for a genuine ifland.
The correfpondency of ftrata on part of the oppoflte ibores of Britain and France^
Chalky Sfrata. leaves no room to doubt but that they were once united. The chalky cKfFs of
Blanc-nez, between Calait and Bolognt, and thofe to the weftward of Dover, ex-
a£lly tally : the laft are vaft and continued; the former fliort, and the termina-
tion of the immenfe bed. Between Btltgne and Folkftont (about fix miles from

* Plato died about the year 347 before Christ, aged 8.1. Pytbagtrat, about 4.9;*. agad^o*
\ See this opinion farther diAulTedby Mr, Stmur, Ph Traaf, Airing' >v. ijf?.

the

ENGLAND.

m

RlP«ltAPI.

Op Tin

the latter) it another memorial of the junflion of the twro countries i a narrow
fubmarine hill, called the Rip'tapi^ about a quarter of a mile broad, and ten
miles long, extending eadwards towards the Goodwin Sands. Its materials are
boulder-ftones, adventitious to many ftrata. The depth of water on it, in very
low fpring-tides, is only fourteen feet. The iilhermen from Folkjiont have often
touched it with a fifteen feet oar j fo that it is juftly th« dread of navigators. Many
a tall (hip has periflied on it, and funk inilantly into twcnty<one fathoms water.
In July 1782, the Btlleiftt of fixty-four gurs ftruck, and lay on it during three
hours ; but, by ftarting her beer and water, got clear oS.

Thefe celebrated (Ireights are only twenty-one miles wide in the narrowed part. Width
From the pier at Dtfv/r to that at Co/tfiJ is twenty-four. It is conjectured, that Strkioht*.
their breadth leflens, and that they are two miles narrower than they were in
antient times. An accurate obferver of fifty years, remarks to me, that the
encreafed height of water, from a decreafe of breadth, has been apparent even in
that fpace. The depth of the channel, at a medium, in higheft fpring-tides, is
about twenty-five fathoms. The bottom, either coarfe fand or rugged fears,
which have for ages unknown refifted the attrition of the currents. From the
ftreights, both eaftward and weftward, is a gradual increafe of depth thorough
the channel to a hundred fathoms, till foundings are totally loft or unattend-
ed to.

The fpring-tides in the ftreights rife, on an average, twenty-four feet ; the
neap-tides fifteen. The tide flows from the Gtrman fea, pafl*es the ftreights, and
meets, with a great rippling, the weftern tide from the ocean, between Fairleigh^
near Haftlngty and Bolegne * j a proof, that if the feparation of the land was ef-
fected by the feas, it muft have been by the overpowering weight of thofe of the
north.

It is moft certain, that Britain was peopled from 0(tu/. Similar cuftoms, as
far as can be collected, evince this fa£l. The period is beyond the reach of
hiftory.

DirTH.

Britain, WHEMCI

rsopLio*

* All tlie intelligence refpcAiDg the tidei, &c. in theft parts, I received from Mr. yamtt Hammond
«f thecuflom-houfci Dovir, and Mr. ITtUimn Cowlf, a veteran pilot of the btat place.

»^

fieyonj

IV

ENGLAND.

QSTADRVriOS.

,. Bryond the mcafure vtft of thou|lit,

The work*, iht voitnrd TiMi hmh wrought!

The GauI, it'i held of aiitiiiue rtory,
Saw Briiam link'd lo hi* now advcrle ftrind |

No fre between, nor cliff fublime and hoary,
He pafi'd with unwtt feet throufh all our land.
To the lilown Baltic then, they fay,
The wild wavei fuund another way. Oft.

Coiliin't OJt tt Libitlj.

If, after the event by which our ifland was torn from the continent, the migra-
tion over fo narrow a ftrcight might, in the earlier ages, have been very readily
cffeAed in the vitUia navl^ia or coracles, or the monoxyta or canoes in ufe in the
remote periods } but the numerous fpecies of Quadrupeds never could have fwam
into our idaiid, even over fuch a contra«Sled water, which at all times muft have
been pofTcflTed ')y tides fo rapid, as to baffle their utmod efforts : their paflage*
therefore, muft have been over the antient ifthmus ; for it is contrary to common
ienfe to fuppofe, that our anceftors would have been at the trouble of tranfporting
fuch guefts as wolves and bears, and the numerous train of lefTer rapacious ani-
mals, even had it been practicable. for them to have introduced the domeftic and
ufeful fpecies.

Would they on board or Bears or Lynxei take»
Feed the She<adder, and the brooding Snake '

Prior..

Men and beaftt found their way into Grtat Britain from the fame quarter.
We have no Quadrupeds but what are alfo found in Franct \ and among our
loft animals may be reckoned the Urus, p. 2 \ Wolf, N" 9 } fiear, N" 20 \
Wild Boar ; and the Beaver, N* 40 : all which were once common to
both countries. The Vrui continued among us in a ftate of nature as late
at left as the year 1466 * : and I have feen fome of their defcendants, fcarcely
to be called tame, in confinement in the parks of Drumlanrig and Chilling-
ham f . The Caledonian Bears were exported to Remtt and efteemed for their
fiercenefs J. They continued in Scotland till the year 1057. They exifted ia
ff^alesy perhaps, till the fame period ; for our antient laws ranked them among the
beafts of chace ^. Wolves infefted even the middle counties of England as late as
the year 1281, and continued their ravages in North Britain in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth i nor were they wholly extirpated till the year 1680. The Wild

• Six Wild Bull* were ufed at the inftallation feall of George Nevil, archbifhop of York. Lelaiuts
ColUii' y\, z. t Ttun in Scotland' t 9/Uirtial, Plutarch* % Rait Sjn, ffgad. S14.

S Boars

E N G

AND,

Boari were common in the ji^'i^hborhood ' f" Linden in the reign of Htnry If.
and continued in ouricingdom, ih wild flatc, till 1577 : thry were then only to
be found in the woods of Lord Laiimn , who, we arc informed by Doillor Mou-
fit, took great delight in their chacc •• f-et nic add, from the Jawc authority,
that Roebucki were found at the fame period in IValit, and among the Chtvioi
hilh \ they are now confined to the Highlands of Scotland. Finally, Beaveri in-
habited Tf^alts in ii83, when our hiftorian, Gira/dui, made his progrefs through
the principality. Every one of thcfe animal* are at this time to be found in
Frame., the Urus excepted. Theodtbnt, king of Fiance, pcriOicd in the chace of
one about the year 548 f ; but it is probable that the fpecics muft have exifted
in that vaft kingdom long after that event.

The Elk, N* 3 j Genet, Hi/i. ^d. N» 224 ; Lynx, N» 150 ; Fat Dormoufc,
Hi/}, ^uad. N» 287 i Garden Dormoufe, I/!/i. ^uad. N» 288 j and the Bats
Serotlne, PipiJIreUt, and BarbaJielU, Hifl. ^nd. N''* 408, 409, 410, either never
reached our ifland, or if they did, pcrifhed fo early, that even their very names in
the Britijh tongue, have periflied with them. The Ibex, Hiji. ^ad. N" 13, and
the Chamois, Hi/i. I^ad. N" 17, inhabitants only of the remote Gauli/h Alps and
Pyreneans, probably never reached us. Franet, therefore, pofTcfles forty-nine fpeciet
of Quadrupeds i wc only thirty-nine. I exclude two fpccies of Seals X >" both
reckonings ; being animals which had at all times powers of making themfelvet
inhabitants of the coaOs of each kingdom.

Birds, which have the ready means of wafting themfelves from place to place,
have notwithftanding, in numbers of inftances, their limits. Climate confines
fome within certain bounds, and particular forts of food induce others to remain
within countries not very remote from us j yet, by wonderful inAin£l, birds wilt
follow cultivation, and make themfelves denizens of new regions. The Cross-
bill has followed the apple into England. Glenco, in the Highlands of Scotland,
never knew the Partridge, till its farmers of late years introduced corn into their
lands : nor did Sparrows ever appear in Sibiria, till after the Ruffians had made
arable the vaft waftes of thofe parts of their dominions. Finally, the Rice Bunt-
ings, p. 360, natives of Cuba, after the planting of rice in the Carolinas, annually
quit .he ifland in myriads, and fly over fea and land^ to partake of a harveft intro-
duced there from the diftant India*

Birds*

• Health's Emprtvement. + Ecole Je la Cha/fe, clxt.

I The Common Seal, it common to the ocean and Mediterranean Tea. Pdfllbly the Mediterranean
Seal, ////7. Hjiad. No 376, may be fo likewife.— This work ii always intended, when the name of the
work referred to is not added to the numbers,

FftANCB*,

VI

ENGLAND.

Coasts of Bri-

TAIN.

SuFFOf.K AND

Norfolk.

Francf, as it exceeds in variation of climate, (o it exceeds us in the number of
fpccies of birds. Wc can boaft of only one hundred and thirty-one kinds of land-
birds, aiid one hundred and twenty-one of water-fowl. France, on the contrary,
has one hundred and fifty-fix of the firft, and one hundred and thirteen of the laft.
This computation may not be quite accurate ; for no one has as yet attempted its
Fauna^ which mud be very numerous, in a kingdom which extends from Calais, in
about lat. 51, to CoUioure in the fouth of Roujftllon, on the Mediterranean fea, in
about lat. 42. The northern parts polTefs the birds in common with England: and
in all probability the provinces in the Mediterranean ?inn\ii\\^ are vifited by various
fpecics from northern Africa.

Stupendous aud precipitous ranges of chalky clifFs attend the coafb, from Dover
eaftward, and, from their color, gave the name oi Albion to our ifland. Beneath one
of them anchored Cefar, fifty-five years before Christ, and fo near as to be capable
of being annoyed by the darts of the Britons, After weighing anchor, he failed up a
bay, now occupied by meadows, and landed at RtUupium, Richboretigh, oppofite to
the prefent Sandwich. The walls of the former ftill evince its antient ftrength ;
and the veftiges of a quay, now bounded by a ditch, points out the anchorage of
the Roman commerce. The adjacent Thanei, the Thanaios of the antients, at pre-
fent indiftinguiOiable from the main land, was in old times an ifland, feparated by
a deep channel, from a mile and a half to four miles in width, the fite of Roman
fettlements ; and, in 44.9, celebrated for having been the firft landing-place of the
invading Saxons } to whom it was aiHgned as a place of fecurity by the imprudent
Vortigern. But fuch a change has time efFedled, that Tbarut no more exifts as an
ifland ; and the Britanniarum Portui, in which rode the Roman navies, is now filled
with marfljy meads.

After pafling the lofty chalky promontory, the North Foreland, opens the eftuary
of the Thames, bounded on each fide by low fliorcs, and its channels divided by
numerous fand-banks ; fccurely pafled, by reafon of the perfeiStion of navigation,
by thoufands of ihips frequenting annually London, our emporium, envied nearly
to impending decline.

On the proje£ling coafts of Suffolk and Norfolk, arife, in certain intervals, emi-
nences of different matter. Loamy clifFs appear about Leo/loffe^ Dunwich, &c.
The Crag-pits about If^oodbridge, are prodigious pits of fea-ihclls, many of them
perfect and quite folid ; an inexhauftible fund of manure for arable lands. About
Yarmouth, and from thence beyond Wintertonefs, the coaft is low, flat, and com-
pofcd of fliingle, backed by fand. From Hapfburgh to Cromer are a range of lofty
clayey precipices, rifing from the height of forty to a hundred feet perpendicular ;
a prey to the ocean, which has efFe£ted great changes in thefe parts. About
Sherringham and Cley, it rifes into pretty and gentle hills, Hoping down into a

I rough

i

umber of
of land-
contrary,
the lad:,
ipted its
Calais, in
an fea, in
'and: and
y various

am Dover

ncath one

>e capable

liled up a

ppoHte to

ftrength ;

borage of

:s, at pre-

tarated by

of Roman

ace of the

mprudcnt

cifts as an

now filled

he eftuary
livided by
jvigation,
ed nearly

/als, emi-
vichy &c.
r of them
. About
md com-
e of lofty
ndicular;
. About
rn into a
rough

N G L A N D.

vu

rough (hore, of little rocks and ftones. At Holkham^ fFtlls, and Tf^areham, the
fnndy fhorcs terminate in little hillocks of fand, kept together by the Arundo Jrt-
nan'a, or Betit, the great prefervativr againft the inundations of fand, which would
otherwife deftroy whole traits of country, and in particular foon render ufelefs the
range of falt-marflies which thefe are backed with. Hunjlanton clifF rifes a diftin-
guifhcd feature in this flat XxzSl, The furface is the ufual vegetable mould, about
a foot deep ; beneath that are two feet of fmall broken pieces of chalk : the folid
flratum of the fame, after having been loft for numbers of miles, here again makes
its appearance, and forms a folid bed thirty feet in thicknefs^ rcftrng on a hard red
flone four feet deep, which is often ground and made into a red paint. Seven feet
of loofe friable dirty yellow (lone fuccecds, placed on a bafe of iron-colored plumb-
pudding-ftone, projeiling into the fea, with vaft fragments fcattered over the beach.
This clifFis about eighty feet high, lies on the entrance of the wafhes, the Mttaris
EJluarium of Ptolemy. From hence, all the coafl by Sntitijham to Lynn is low, flat,
and fbingly.

From Holm, the northern promontory of Norfolk, the fea advances deeply weft-
ward, and forms the great bay called the Wajhes, filled with vaft fand-banks, the
fummits of which are dry at low water j but the intervening channels are the
means of prodigious commerce to Lynn in Norfolk, feated on the Ouzey which is
circulated into the very inland parts of our ifland, through the various rivers which
fall into its long courfe. Lynn is mentioned in the Doomfday Book j but became
confiderable for its commerce with Norway as early as the year 1284.

The oppofite fhore is that o( Lincolnjhire, Its great commercial town, Bojlon, LiNcoLNSHjRt,
flands on the Witham, a few miles from the head of the bay. Spring-tides rife at
the quay fourteen feet, and cQnvey there vefTels of above a hundred tons ; but
greater (hips lie at the Scap, the opening of the eftuary. Such is the cafe at Lynn \
for the fluggifli rivers of thefe tame traits want force to form a depth of water.

Lincolnjhire, and part of fix Other counties, are the Pais-bas, the Low Countries
of Britain j the former bounded on the weftern part by a range of elevated land,
which, in this humble county, overlooks, as jflps would the ocean, the remaining
part. This very extenfive trait, from the Scap to the northern headland oppofite
to Hullf prefents to the fea a bow-like and almoft unindented front; and fo low as
to be viAble from fea only at a fmall diftancej and churches, initead of hills, are
the only landmarks to feamen. The whole coaft is fronted with falt-marfhes of
fand-hills, and fecured by artificial banks againft the fury of the fea. Old Holinf-
head gives a long lift of ports on this now inhofpitable coaft. JVaynfleet, once a
noted haven, is at prefent a mere creek. Siegnefs, once a large walled town, witli a
good harbour, is now an inconfiderable place % mile from the fea : and the port of

Grimejliyf

vni

li

V !

ENGLAND.

Grimt/hyy which in the time of Edward III, furnilhcd him with eleven (hips, is now
totally choalced with fand*

The Great Levels which comprehends Htlland in this county, with part of
Northamptonfljire^ Norfolk^ Suffolk^ Cambridgt, and Huntingdon^ a tradt of fixty com-
puted miles in length, and forty in breadth, had been originally a wooded country.
Whole forefts of iirs and oaks hkve been found in digging, far beneath the moor,
nn the folid ground ; oalc« fifteen feet in girth, and Hxtcen yards long, moftly burnt
at the bottoms, the antient method of faflling them : multitudes of others entirely
rooted up, as appears, by the force of the foa burfting in and overwhelming this
whole trad>, and covering it with /thy or the mud which it carried with it from
time to time. Ovid'% beautiful account of the deluge was here verified j for under
Conington Downy in Huntingdon/hire^ wai found the (keleton of a whale near twenty
feet long, which had once fwam fccure to this diftance from its native reftdence.

Et modo qui gt'tcilei gi-am«n earpfetre capellK,
Nunc ibi deforniet ponuiit Am eorpoik phoca.

' fylvAfquc tfntnt d«lphinei| et altit
Incurfant ramii, Rgitatsque roboia pulfitnt.

In procefs of time this tra^St underwent another revolution. The /It or mud
gained fo confiderably as to leave vad fpacei dry, and other parts fo fhallow as to
encourage the Romans to regain thefe fertiliacd countries from the fea. Thofefen-
fibleand indefatigable people firft taught us the art of embanking, and recovered the
valuable lands we now pofTefs. It was the complaint of Galgacusy that they ex-
haufled the flrength of the Britons, in/ylvis et peludibus emuniendis *, ' in clearing
woods and draining marfhes.' After the Romans defertcd our illand, another change
took place. Negled of their labors fuccccdcd : the drains were negleded, and the
whole became fen and fhallow lake, refembling the prefcnt eaft fen ; the haunt of
myriads of water-fowl, or the retreat of banditti. Ely and many little trads
which had the advantage of elevation, were nt thut period literally iAands. Several
of thefe in early times became the retreat of religious. Ely, Thorney, Ramfey,
Spiney, and others, rofe into celebrated abbics, and by the induftry of their inhabi-
tants firft began to reflore the works of the Remans, The country above Thorney
is reprefentcd by an old hiftorian f as a paradile. Conftant vifitations, founded on
wholefome laws, prefervcd this vaft recovered country : but on the rapid and ra-
pacious diflblution, the removal of numbers of the inhabitants, and the neglefl of
the laws of the SezverSf the drains were filled, the culiivatcd laud overflowed, and

fita JigricoU,

I Mali'l/bury, lib. Iv, »94.

the

hips, is now

'ith part of
f fixty corn-
ed country.
1 the moofy
loftly burnt
lers entirely
elming this
vith it from
} for under
near twenty
eftdence.

ENGLAND.

IX

ftlt or mud

allow as to

Thofe fen-

tcovered the

at they ex-

in clearing

her change

ed, and the

haunt of

ttle trads

Several

7, Ramfey,

eir inhabi-

e Thorney

bunded on

id and ra-

negledl of

owed, and

the

the country again reduced to a ufclefs morafi ♦. In the twentieth of EUzalttb tlie
ftate of the country was taken into conflderation f | no great matters were done till
the time of Francii, and fFilliam hit fon, carll of Bittford^ who attempted this
Herculean work, and reclamed thic vad trafl of more than three hundred thoufand
acres ; and the laft received, under fan£tion of parlement, the juft reward of ninety
thoufand acres. I fpeak not of the reliquei of the antient banks which I have ken
in Hollandy LinceJnJhire, now remote from the feat nor yet of the Roman tumuli, the
coins, and other evidences of the refldenco of that nation in thefe parts ; they would
fwell a mere preface to too great a length i and, it is to be hoped, will be undtr^
taken by the pen of fome native, who will perform it from his aAual furvey.

The vaft fenny tra£ls of thefe counties were In old times the haunts of multi-
tudes of water-fowl ; but the happy change, by attention to draining, has fubftitut-
ed in their place thoufands of flieep { or, inftead of reeds, made thofc tra6ts laugh
with corn. The Crane, which once abounded in thefe parts, has even deferted our
ifland. The Common Wild Duck ftill breeds in multitudes in the unrcclamed
parts; and thoufands are fent annually to the London market*, from the numerous
decoys. The Grey Lag Goofe, Br. Zeal, ii, N*' a66, the origin of the Tame,
breeds here, and is refident the whole year ; a few others of the Duck kind breed
here. RufFs, Redflianks, Lapwings, Red-breafted Godwits, and VVhimbrcls,
are found here during fummer ; but, with their young, in autumn, difperfe about
the ifland. The Short-eared Owl migrates here with the Woodcock, and ii
a welcome gueft to the farmer, by clearing the ^elds of mice. Knots fwarm on
the coafts in winter : are taken in numbers in nets : yet none are feen during
fummer %, The moft diftant north is probably the retreat of the multitude of
water-fowl of each order which ftock our Hiores, driven fouthward by the extreme
cold : moft of them regularly, others, whofe nature enables them to brave the
ufual winters of the frigid zone, are with us only accidental guefts, and in fcafons
when the froft rages in their native land with unufual feverity.

From Clea Nefs, the land retires weftward, and, with the oppofite fliore oiYorkJIAre^
bounds the great eftuary of the Humber^ which, winding deep into the country, is
the receptacle of the Trtnt., and all the confjderable rivers of that vaft province;
fome of which arife in its moft remote parti. All thefe coafts of Lincoln/hire are
flat, and have been gained from the fea. Barton and Barrow have not at prefent
the leaft appearance of ports; yet by Holinjhtd were ftylcd good ones §. Similar

* Compare Sir W. DugdaWi maps of this trSfl, in it) mersfly and drained flate. Hifi, Emhauk,
p. 375. 416. t Same, p. 375.

X See Itur in Scotland, 1769 ; lincohjhire, where the fsn biidl sri (nutnerate>^l.
^ Defer, Britain, 108.

•k accidents

N

N D.

Spurn Head.

Bripl'ncton
Bay.

accidents have befallen the upper part of the low tradl: of Holdernefs^ which faces
the congruent fhorcs. Hcdsn^ a few miles below //«//, feveral hundred years
ago a poit of great commerce, is now a mile and a half from the water, and has
long given way to the rifing fortune of the latter (a creation of EdwardY, in 1296)
on account of the excellency of its port. But in return, the fea has made moft
ample rcprifals on the lands of this hundred : the fite, and even the very names of
feveral places, once towns of note upon the Humbei\ are now only recorded in
hiftory : and Raveufpcr was at one time a rival to Hull*; and a port fo very
confiderable in 1332, that Edward Baliol and the confederated Engltjh barons
failed from hence with a great fleet to invade Scotland; and Henry IV. in 1399,
made choice of this port to land at, to efFcil the depofal of Richard II. yet the
whole of it has long fince been devoured by the mercilefs ocean: extenfive fands,
dry at low water, are to be feen in their ftead ; except Sunk IJJand, which, till
about the year 1666, appeared among them like an elevated fhoal, at which period
it was regained, by embankments, from the fea ; and now forms a conQderable eilate,
probably reftored to its priftine condition.

Spurn Headf the Ocelum Promontorium of Ptolemy.^ terminates this fide of the Hum-
ber, at prefent in form of a fickle, near which the wind-bound fliips anchor fecurely.
The place on which the lighthoufes ftand is a vaft beach near two miles long
mixed with fand-hills flung up by the fea within the laft feventy years.

The land from hence for fome miles iscompofcdof very lofty cliffs of brown clay,
perpetually preyed on by the fury of the German fea, which devours whole acres at
a time, and expofes on the fliores confiderable quantities of beautiful amber. Fine
wheat grows on the clay, even to the edge of the clifi^s. A country of the fame
fertility reaches from Kilnfcy, near this place, as far as the village of Sprottly., ex-
tending, in a waved form, for numbers of miles ; and, when I faw it, richly cloathcd
with wheat and beans.

From near Kilnfey the land bends very gently inward, as far as the great promon-
tory of Flamborough ; and is a continuance of high clayey cliff, till about the
village of Hornfey. Near it is a mere, noted for its Eels and Pikes, at prefent fepa-
rated from the fea by fo fmall a fpace as to render its fpeedy def):ru£tion very proba-
ble. A ftreet, called Hornfey Beck, has long fince been fwallowed : and of Hidt^ a
neighboring town, only the tradition is left.

The country grows confiderably lower; and, near the bafe of the promon-
tory, retires fo far in as to form Bridlington bay, antiently called Gabrantovicorum
Sinusy to which the Geographer adds Ei/ai/xik®-, on account of the excellency and

* M»dox> Ant, Excb, i. 421.

fafety

'If

!>VW

ENGL

N D.

XI

ch faces
:d years
and has
in 1296)
ide moft
James of
srded in
fo very
h barons
in 1399,
. yet the
ve fands,
[lich, till
:h period
ble eftate,

the Hum'
fecurely.
iles long

own clay,
* acres at
:r. Fine
the fame
'ottly^ ex-
! cloathcd

promon-
about the
fent fepa-
:ry proba-
of Hidti a

fafcty of its port, where veflcls ride in full fecurity under the flicker of the lofty
head-land. Smithie fand, the only one between Flamborough and Spurn Heady ftretchcs
acrofs the entrance into Bridlington bay, and, in hard gales from the north and north-
eafl, adds to the fecurity of that noble afylum for the coafting veflcls. Surety, an
adjacent village, feems no more than a tranflation from the old appellation. The
iJflwan;, in all probability, had a naval ftationherej for here ends the road, vifible in
many places between this place and ITorii and named, from its founders, the Roman

ridge.

The head is formed of lime-ftone, of a fnowy whitenefs *, of a ftupendous
height, and vaft magnificence, vifible far at fea. If we may depend on Richard of
Cirencejier, the Romans named it Brigantum Extrema^ and the bay Partus Fdix.
The Saxons ftyled the cape Fleamburg, perhaps from the lights which directed the
great Ida^ founder of the Northumberland kingdom, to land here, in 547, with a
great body of their countrymen.

The vaft height of the precipices, and the amazing grandeur of the caverns
which open on the north fide, giving wide and folemn admiffion, through moft
exalted arches, into the body of the mountain ; together with the gradual decline of
light, the deep filence of the place unlefs interrupted by the ftriking of the oar,
the collifion of a fwelling wave againft the fides, or the loui flutter of the pigeons
afirighted from their nefts in the diftant roof j afford pleafures of fccnery which
fuch formations as this alone can yield. Thefe alfo are wonderfully diverfificd.
In fome parts the caverns penetrate far, and end in darknefs j in others are per-
vious, and give a romantic paflage by another opening equally fuperb. Many of the
rocks are infulated, of a pyraoiidal form, and foar to a great height. The bafes of
moft are folid ; but in fome pierced through and arched. All are covered with the
dung of the innumerable flocks of migratory birds which refort here annually to
breed, and fill every little projedion, every holc^ which will give them leave to reft.
Multitudes were fwimming about ; others fwarmed in the air, and ftunned us with

• Soft near the top, and of a crumbling quality when expofed long to the fioft. At the foot of the
cliff it is hard, folid, andfmooth. Boats are employed every fummer in carrying great quantities to
Sunderland, where it is burnt info excellent lime. Moft of the lime-ftone ufed at Scarborough \i made
from ftones flung up by the fea. It may be remarked, that whatfoever degree of harJnefs any lime-
ftone poiTefles in the quarry, the mortar made from it, by proper management, may be made as hard,
but by no means harder. Moft of the houfes in and about London are built with lime made of chalk j
hence the many miferable cafualties there, by the fall of houfes. The workmen, fenfiblc of the weaknefs of
that kind of mortar, endeavour to keep the walls together by lodging frames of timber in them ; which
being confumed in cafes of Are, the whole building tumbles fuddenly, and renders all attempts to ex-
tinguifh the fiie very dangerous,— Mr. Travis.

Flamporough
Head.

b 2

the

XII

N G L

N D.

i '

RocKT Coasts

BEGIN.

the variety of their croaks and fcreams. Kittiwakes and Herring Gulls, Guille*-
mots and Black Guillemots, Auks, Puffins, Shags, and Corvorants, are among the
I'pccies which refort hither. The notes of all fea-fowl are moft harfli and inhar-
monious. I have often reftcd under rocks like thefe, attentive to the various
founds over my head j which, mixed with the deep roar of the waves flowly fwelling,
and retiring from the vaft caverns beneath, have produced a fineeffedl. The ftiarp
voice of the Gulls, the frequent chatter of the Guillemots, the loud notes of the
Auks, the fcream of the Herons, together with the deep periodical croak of the
Corvorants, which ferves as a bafs to the reft, have often furniflied me with a con-
cert, which, joined to the wild fcenery furrounding me, afforded in an high degree
that fpecies of pleafure which refults from the novelty and the gloomy majefty of
the entertainment.

At Flamborough head commence the hard or rocky coafts of this fide of Great Bri-
tainy which continue, with the interruption of a few fandy bays and low land, to the
extremity of the kingdom. It often happens, that the bottom of the fea partakes
of the nature of the neighboring element : thus, about the head, and a few miles
to the northward (in places) the fhores are rocky, and the haunts of lobfters
and other cruftaceous animals. From thefe ftrata a tradl of fine fand, from one
to five liles in breadth, extends (loping eaftward, and from its edge to that of the
Dogger-bank is a deep bottom, rugged, rocky, and cavernous, and in moft parts
avergrown with corallines and fubmarine plants.

This difpofition of fhore gives to the inhabitants of this coafl the advantageous
fifhery which they pofTefs ; for the fhore on one hand, and the edges of the
Dogger-bank on the other, like the fides of a decoy, give a direftion to the im-
menfe fhoals of the Cod genus, which annually migrate from the northern ocean,
to vifit, refide, and fpawn, in the parts adjacent to our coafts. They find plenty
of food from the plants of the rocks, and the worms of the fand, and fecure
ifaetter for their fpawn in the cavernous part of the fcarry bottom. It is in the
channel between the banks and the fhorej, in which the Cod are taken, or in
the hollows between the Doggers and Well-bank ; for they do not like the agita-
tion of the water on the (hallows. On the contrary, the Skates, the Holibuts,
Flounders, and other flat fi(h, bury themfelves in the fand, and fecure themfelves
from the turbulence of the waves.

An amazing (hoal of Haddocks vifit this coafl periodically, :v.a^ illy about
the tenth of December., and extend from the (hore near three miles in breadih,
and in length from Flamborough head to Tinmouth caftle, perhaps further north.
An army of a fmall fpecies of Shark, the Picked, Br. Zool, iii. N" 40, flanks
the outfide of this ihoal to prey upon it j for when the fifliernien caft their lines

beyond

ENGLAND.

XIII

ills, GuiIIe»
e among the
I and inhar-

the various

I'J'y fwelling.

The fharp

notes of the
:roak of the
with a con-
high degree
y majefty of

F Great Bri-

land, to the

fea partakes

a few miles

of lobfters

I from one

that of the

moft parts

Ivantageous
Iges of the

to the im-
jern ocean,
find plenty

and fee u re
t is in the
iken, or in

the agita-

Holibuts,
themfelves

illy about
1 bi'eadih,
her north.
40, flanks
their lines
beyond.

Wi

w

beyond the diftance of three miles from land, they never catch any but thofe vo-

^f tacious fifh *.

' Between Flamborough head and Scarborough projedls Filty Brtgy a ledge of
rocks running far into the fea, the caufe of frequent fhipwrecks. Scarborough
caftle, feated on a vaft rock projecting into the water, fucceeds. The fpring-tides,

, > at the time of the equinoxes, rife here twenty-four feet ; but at other times only
twenty : the neap-tides from twelve to fixteen. Then Whitby^ noted for its
neighboring allum-works, and more for its fine harbour, the only one on the
whole coaft ; the admittance into which is a narrow channel between two high
hills : it expands largely within, and is kept clenn by the river EJk, From
hence to the mouth of the Tiw, the boundary between this county and that of
Durham^ is a high and rude coaft, indented with many bays, and varied with
little fifliing villages, built ftrangely among the cliffs, filling every project-
ing ledge, in the fame manner with thofe of the peafants in the pi£turefque
and rocky parts of China,

The Tees., the northern limit of this great county, opens with a wide mouth
and mudded bottom into the fea. This was the Dunum EjJuarium of Ptolemy ;
and ferves as a brief entrance for navigators into the country. Almoft; all the
northern rivers defcend with a rapid courfe, from their mountanous rife and fup-
ply ;. and afibrd but a fhort navigation. From hence the lead of the mineral parts
of Durham^ and the corn of its more level parts, are imported. In the mud of
this cftuary, more particularly, abounds the Myx'ine Glutlnofa of LinnauSf the Hag
of the neighboring fifliermen } a worm, which enters the mouths of the fifh taken
on hooks, that remain a tide under water, and devours the whole, leaving only
the fkin and bones. This alfu is the worm which converts water into a fort of
glue.

From Scaton Snoei, in the biflioprick of Durham, to Hartlepool, is a feries of
fand-banks, and the fhore a long-continued fandy fhallow. From the Ne/i
Point of Hartlepool to BJackhalls is a rocky lime-ftone coaft, with frequent inter-
vals of fand-bank, and a ftony beach j but Seham and Hartlepool is fo -/ery rugged,
that no enemy could land, or even ftand off the fhore, without the moft imminent
danger : in particular, the coafts about Hawthorn Hive are bold, excavated,, and
formed into grotefque figures, for fevecal miles, and the fhorcs rough with a broken
and heavy fea, by reafon of the hidden rocks and fpits of fands which run out far

• Confult vol. iii. of the Br. Zoology for an account of the fi(h on" this coaft ; alfo the Tour in
Scotland, 1769, To Mr, .Travis, Surgeon ia Scarberiugb, I am indebted for the moft' curious
articles.

Filey Brio.

Tbbm

Durham.

honv

XIV

ENGLAND.

li

^i :

NoRTIlUVtBER.
LAND.

Farn Isles.

fVom land. From Seham to Sunderland are fand-hills and {hallow fandy beaches.
From Jferemoiitb to near Cleadon, low rocks of lime-ftone form the coaft, here
and there intcrfcclcd with fand-hills and flony beaches. From thence to the
mouth of the 7}«f, and even to Dunjlanbrough in Northumberland, the fhore is
fandy, and the land in a few places rocky ; but from thence to Bamborough^ the coafts
arc high and rocky, in many places run far into the fca, and at low tides fhcw
their heads above water.

Bamborough caftle ftands on the laft of the range of rocky cliffs. This fortrefs
was founded by the Saxon monarch Ida. After various fortunes it, has proved
in its difmantlcd ftate of more ufe to mankind than when it boaftcd fome potent
lord and fierce warders. A charitable prelate of the fee of Durham purchafed
the eftate, and left it for the ufe of the diftrefled feamen who might futFer fhip-
wreck on this dangerous coaft, and to unconfined charitable purpofes, at the dif-
cretion of certain truftces. The poor are, in the deareft fcafons, fupplied with
corn at a cheap rate ; the wrecked, found fenfclefs and benumbed with cold,
are taken inftantly into thcfe hofpitable walls, and reftorcd to life by the afliftance
of food, medicine, and warm beds; and if the fliip is capable of relief, that alfo
is faved, by means of machines always ready for the purpofe *.

The Farn ijlands^ or rather rocks, form a group at no great diftance from
fhore ; the ncareft a mile and fixty-eight chains ; the fartheft about feven. Thefe
probably, at fome remote period, have been convulfcd from the land, but now
divided from it by a furious tide, rufliing through a channel from five to twelve
fathoms in depth. The original fca, to the eaft of the Staples, the remoteft rocks,
fuddenly deepens to forty or fifty f. St. Cuihbert firft made thcfe rocks of note :
he occafionally made the largeft of them the feat of his devotion and feclufion
from the world ; expelling, fiiys fuperftition, the malignant fpirits, the pre-oc-
cupants. Some remains of a chapel are ftill to be fcen on it. For ages paft, the
fole tenants are a few cows, wafted over from the main land in the little cobles,
or boats of the country ; and the Eider Ducks, ArH. Zool. ii. N" 480, ftill
diftinguiftied here by the name of the Saint. Numbcrlefs fea-fowls, and of
great variety of kinds, poffcfs the remoter rocks, on which they find a more
fecure retreat than on the low-clifFcd Ihores. To the marine feathered tribe
the whole coaft from Flamhorough head to that of St. Ebb's is inhofpitable.
They feek the loftieft promontories. Where you hear of the haunts of the
Razor-bills and Guillemots, Corvorants and Shags, you maybe well aflured, that

the cl

ifea-g

and

their

■,..."• Fr
0,it ap

|''v cathe(

f

I' and p

ill*

ai

;ipat fir
Mlcapes

wit

1

• Tour ill Scotland, 1769 } and fuller in Mi'. Hutdinjon'i NortkumberUnd, li, 176.
f A(iair. HammonJ, Ihomljln,

the

SCOTLAND.

XV

andy beaches.
e coaft, here
thence to the
the fhore is
w^^A, the coafts
)W tides flievv

This fortrefs
t, has proved

fome potent
"m purchafed
t fuifer fliip-
i> at the dif.
fuppiied with
;d with cold,

the affiftancc
ief, that alfo

iiftance from
ven. Thefe
ud, but now
ive to twelve
moteft roclc?,
3cks of note :
ind feclufion
I the pre-oc-
ges part, the
little cobles,
N» 480, ftill
wis, and of
find a more
thered tribi*
inhofpitable.
lunts of the
aflured, that

Scotland.
St. Edd'« HfAD.-

Ithe clifTs foar to a dilHnguiflied height. Where thofc are wanting, they retire to
Ifea-girt rocks, as fpots the left acceflible to mankind. The five fpecies of Auks
[and Guillemots appear in fpring, and vanifh in autumn ; the other birds prefcrve
fthcir native haunts, or fpread along the neighboring fliores.

From Bamtorougb to the mouth of the Tiveed is a fandy (horc, narrowing as
\\t approaches our fiftcr kingdom. L'nidisfarn^ or the Holy IJIand^ with its ruined
,f;^, cathedral and caftic, lie remote from fliore, acceflible at every rccefs of tide,
,=*:' and poffibly divided from A^^ by the power of the waves in diftant

ages. The tides do not fwdl over this traiS in the ufual manner of apparent flow-
ing and gradual approach ; but ooze gently out of every part of the fand, which
at firft appears a quaggy extent, then, to the terror of the traveller, furrounds
him with a fhining plain of fmooth unruffled water, reflc<Sling the varied land-
fcapcs of the adjoining fliores *.

The Tweed, the antient Alaunus, a narrow geographical boundary between us

and our fellow-fubjeiSls the Scottijh nation, next fuccceds. After a fliort conti-

'vf nuance of low land, St. Ebb's head, a lofty promontory, projcdts into the fca

?'.' (frequented in the fcafon by Razor-bills, Guillemots, and all the birds of the 5<7/},

; ./ excepting the Gannet) and its lower part is hollowed into nioft auguft caverns.

■ This, with Fifenefs, about thirty miles diflant, forms the entrance into that

, magnificent eftuary the firth of Forth, which extends inland fixty miles ; and, Firth of Forth;.

? with the canal from Carron to the firth of Clyde, intirely infulates the antient

Caledonia. The ifle of May appears near the northern fide of the entrance ; the

vaft towering rock, the 5a/}, lies near the fouthern. This lofty ifland is the

fummer refort of birds innumerable, which, after difcharging the firft duty of

e nature, feek, with their young, other ihores or other climates. This is one

of the few fpots in the northern hemifphere on which the Gannets neftle^

Their fize, their fnowy plumage, their eafy flight, and their precipitate plunge

after their prey, diftinguifli them at once from all the reft of the feathered tenants

of the ifle, the Corvorants and Auks, the flights of whom are rapid, and the

Gulls, which move with fluggifh wing.

Near the Bafs ihe entrance narrows, then opens, and bending inwards, forms
on each fide a noble bay. The Firth contradts to a very narrow ftreight at
^eensferry ; then winds ber.utifully, till it terminates beyond Alloa, in the river
to which it owes its name, The fliores are low, in part rocky, in part a plea-
fant beach ; but every where of matchlefs beauty and population. Edinburgh^
the capital, rifes with true grandeur near the (hore, with its port, the great em-

• Mt,Hutcbitt/btt,\\, 151.

ponum>

:-.i

XVI

Jill

B :>

PlRTH OP TaY.

SCOTLAND.

poriuni, Lelthf beneath, where the fpring-tides fometimes rife fifteen and Sixteen
feet, and to fcventeen or eighteen when the water is forced up the firth by a
violent wind from the north-cad. Almoft every league of this great efluary is
terminated with towns or villages, the eflFedls of trade and induftry. The ele-
gant dcfcription of the coaft of Fife, \chuihy John/ion *^ is far froni being ex-
aggerated } and may, with equal juftice, h<'. applied to each (here.

FiFESHiRE, bounded by the firths of F(»r/A and Tajr, projeils far into the fea;
a country flourifliing by its induftry, and happy in numbers of ports, natural,
artificial, or improved. Coal and lime, the native produflions of the county,
arc cxpo-ted in vaft quantities. Excepting the unimportant colliery in Suther-
land., thofc at Largo IVood., midway between the bay and St. yfttdrnvs, arc the laft
on this fide of North Britain. The coafts in general of this vali, province are
rocky and precipitous ; but far from being lofty. The bays, particularly the
beautiful one of Largo, are finely bounded by gravelly or fandy fbores ; and the
land, in moft parts, rifes high to the middle of the county. Towards the
northern end, the river £din, and its little bay, by fimilarity of found point out
the Tinna of the old geographer.

The cftuary of the Tay limits the north of Fifejhire, Before the mouth extends
the fand retaining the Britijh name of Aber-tayy or the place where the Tay dif-
chargcs itfelf into the fea. The ^amawx preferved tht f jtient name, and Latinized
it into Tava. The entrance, at Brough-tay caftle, is stbout three quarters of a
mile wide j after which it expands, and goes about fourteen miles up the coun-
try before it aflumes the form of a river. At the recefs of the tides there ap-
pears a vaft extent of fands, and a very {hallow channel j but the high tides waft,
even as high as Ftrth^ veffcls of a hundred_aad twenty tons. The (bores are low,
and the ground rifes gently inland on the fouthern fide : on the north it continues
low, till it arrives at the foot of the Grampian hills, many miles diftant. In
fome remote age the fea extended on the north fide far beyond its prefent
bounds. At a confiderable diftance above the flourifhing port of Dundee, and
remote inland, anchors have been found deep in the foil f. When thefe parts were
deferted by the fea, it is probable that fome oppofite country was devoured by an
inundation, which occafioned this partial defertion.

From thence to Aberbrothic, in the fhire of Angus, noted for the venerable re-
mains of its abbey, is a low and fandy ftiore. From Aberlrothic almoft to Mon-
trofe, arifes a bold rocky coaft, lofty and precipitous, except where interrupted by
the beautiful femicircular bay of Lunan. Several of the clifFs are penetrated b/

Sec T««r in Scotland, i77z< part ii. p. an.

t Dougloi'f Eaft Coeft of Scotland, 14.

moft

SCOTLAND.

svu

n and iixtcen
le firth by a
at eftuary is
y. The ele-
tn being ex-

nto the Tea ;
>rcs, natural,

the county,
ry in Suther-
} are the lad

province are
ticularly the
es } and the
Fowards the
nd point out

outh extends
the Tayd'ii-
nd Latinized
uarters of a
ip the coun-
es there ap-
li tides waft,
jres are low,

it continues
diflant. In

its prefent
Oundecy and
e parts were
oured by an

;nerable re-

jft to MoH'

errupted by
netrated b/

I

mofl amazing caverns ; fomc open into the fca with a lutrrow entrance, and in-
ternally inftantly rife into high and fpacious vaults and fo extenfively meandring,
that no one as yet has had the courage to explore the end. The entrance of
others (hame the work of art in the noblcft of the Gothic cathedrals. A mag-
nificent portal appears divided in the middle by a great column, the bafts of
which finks deep in the water. Thus the voyager may pafs on one fide in his
boat, furvey the wonders within, and return by the oppofite fide.

The cavern called the Gey lit pot, almoft realifcs in form a fable in the Perftau
Tales. The hardy adventurer may make a long fubtcrraneous voyage, with a
pidurefque fcencry of rock above aiid on every fide. He may be rowed in this
ibiemn Iccne till he finds himfelf fuddenly reftored to the fight of the heavens :
he finds himfelf in a circular chafm, open to the day, with a narrow bottom and
cxtenfive top, widening at the margin to the diameter of two hundred feet. On
attaining the fummit, he finds himfelf at a diftancc from the fea, amidft corn-
fields or verdant pafturcs, with a fine view of the country, and a gentleman's feat
near to the place from which he had emerged. Such may be the amufemcnt of the
curious in fummcr calms ! but when the ftorms are directed from the eaft, the
view from the edge of this hollow i« tremendous ; for, from the height of above
three hundred feet, they may look down on the furious waves, whitened with
foam, and fwelling from their confined paffage.

Peninfulated rocks often jut from the face of the cliffs, precipitous on their fides,
and wa(hed by a great depth of water. I'he iflhmus which joins them to the land,
is often fo extremely narrow as to render it impaflfable for more than two or three
perfons a-breaft; but the tops' fpread into verdant areas, containing veftiges of
rude fortifications, in anticnt and barbarous times the retreat of the neighboring
inhabitants from the rage of a potent inirader *.

Mentreftt peninfulated by the fea, and the bafon itsheautiful harbour, ftands
on a bed of fand and gravel. The tide rufliing furioufly through a narrow en*
trance twice in twenty-four hours, fills the port with a depth of water fufficient to
bring in vefTels of large burden. Unfortunately, at the ebb they muft lie dry j for
none exceeding fixty tons can at that period float, and thofe only in the chan*
nel of the South EJk., which, near Montrofe^ difcbarges itfelf into the fea.

A fandy coaft is continued for a fmall dtflance from Montrofe. Kude rocky
cMis re-commence in the county of Merns., and front the ocean. Among the
highefl is Fowh-heugh^ noted for the refort of multitudes of fea-birds. Bervie
and Stonebive are two fmall ports overhung with xocks j and on the fummit of a

MOMTR.011.

land, 14.

mofl

* Thefe defcripUons bonowed from my own 7turi,

moft

Zflll

SCOTLAND.

BvLLBRs or

60CH<>N«

fiTIRHIAD.

moft exalted one, are the vaft ruins of Dunntur^ once the property of the warlike
family of the Keiths. The rocks adjacent to it, like the preceding, aflume various
and grotefque forms.

A little farther the antient Dtva, or D//, opens into the fca, after forming
a harbour to the fine and flouriHiing town of Abirdun, A fandy coaft continues
for numbers of mites, part of which is fo moveable as ainloft totally to have over-
whelmed the pari(h of Furvu : two farms orily eiCift, out of an eftate, in 1600, va-
lued at five hundred pounds a year.

A majeftic rocky coaft appears again, the Bitlltrs of BuebaH, and the noble
arched rock, fo finely reprefented by the pencil of the Reverend Mr. Cordlner *,
are juftly efteemcd the wonders of this country. The former is an amazing
harbour, with an entrance through a moft auguft arch of great height and length.
The infide is a fecure bafon, environed on every fide by mural rocks : the whole
proje£is far from the main land, and is bounded on each fide by deep creeks )
fo that the traveller who chufes to walk round the narrow battlements, ought firft
to be well aflTured of the ftrength of bis head.

A little farther is PrtirbeaJ, the moft eaftern port of ScitUmi^ the common
retreat of wind<'bound Ihips t and a port which fully merits the attention of go-
vernment, to'rebder it more fei;dre. Kimnaird-htady the Taixahm prtrntntoriumy lies
a little farther north, and, with the north-eaftern extremity of Ctthnefit forms the
firth of Murrajtt\ftTtiM'Mjhnirium^ a bay of vaft extent. Trtuphtad is an-
other Yaft cape, to the weft of the former. The caverns and rocks of that pro-
siNouLAR Rocks: montory yield to none in magnificence and Angularity of fhape : of the latter,
fome emulate the form of lofty towers, others of inclining pyramids with central
arches, pervious to boats. The figures of thefe are the eifedl of chance, and
owing to the collifion of the waves, which wearing away the earth and crumbly
parts, leave them the juftfubje6ts of out admiration. Sea-plants, fhells, and va-
rioih forts of iharlne exfanguious animals, cloath their bafes, wafhed by a deep and
cleari(»; aiid'their fummits refound with the various clang of the feathered tribe.

Fromihence the bay is bounded on the fouth by the extenfive and rich plains
oi Mvtrlij. The ihore wants not its wild beauties. The view of the noble cavern,
called the ro<iks oiCauffiti on the ftiore between j?ttr^/^- Ami/ and LoJJie mouth, drawn
by Mr. dordineri fully evinces the aflertion. ' The bottom of the bay clofes with the
firth of ' Jttvirntfsyfxota whence to the Atlantic ocean is a chain of rivers, lakes, and
bays, with- the interruption only of two miles of land between Loch-oicb and Loch-
hcby. Unite thofe two lakes by a canal, and the reft of North Britain would be
completely infulated.

• JutijHitiei end Sciniry of Scttland, Icttsr vi. phues H. iii.

a To

Cavirns and

HOW FORMBD.

lies

To

SCOTLAND;

XiX

Ord or Cath-

MESS.

To the north the firth of Cromartiiy and the firth of Tayne^ the Vara Mjlua-
rtum, penetrate deep into the land. From Dernach, the coaft of Sutherland is
low and Tandy, except in a few places : one, at the water of Brora, is diftinguifti-
ed by the beauty of the rocky fcenery ; in the midft of which the river precipi-
taies itfelf into the fea, down a lofty precipice. The Scottijh Jlps, which hereto-
fore kept remote from the fliore, now approach very near j and at the great pro-
montory, the Ripa Alta of Ptolemy, the Ord, i. e. Aird of Cathnefs, or the Height
of Cathne/s, terminate in a moft fublime and abrupt manner in the fea. The
upper part is covered with gloomy heath ; the lower is a ftupendous precipice, ex-
cavated into vaft caverns, the haunt of Seals and different fea-fowl. On the
eaftern fide of the kingdom, this is the ftriking termination of the vaft mountains
of Scotland, which form its Highlands, the habitation of the original inhabitants. Highland Alps.
driven from their antient feats by the anceftors of Lowland Scots, defcendants
of Saxons, French, and Normans, congenerous with the Englijh, yet abfurdly
and invidioufly diftinguiflied from them. Language, as well as ftriking natural
boundaries, mark their place. Their mountains face on the weft the Atlantic
ocean ; wind along the weft of Cathnefs ; among which Morvern and ScarabeUy
Ben-Hop and Ben-Lugal arife pre-eminent. Sutherland is entirely Alpine, as are
Rofs'Jhire and Invernefs-Jhire. Their Summa Alpes are, Meal Fourvounich, the Cory-
arich, Benewijb, and Benevijh near Fort William ; the laft of which is reported
to be fourteen hundred and fifty yards in height. Great part of Aherdeenjhire
lies in this traA. It boafts of another Morvern, foaring far beyond the others :
this is in the centre of the Grampian hills, and perhaps the higheft from the fea
of any in Great Britain. jThey again comprehend the eaftern part of Perth-
Jhire, and finilh on the magnificent fliores of Loch-lomond, on the weftern fide of
which Ben-lofitond rifes, diftinguiibed among its fellows. From hence the reft of
North Britain forms a chain of humbler hills j but in Cumberland, part of IVe/i-
moreland, Torkjhire, Lancajhire, 2iaA Dtrbyjhirt, the Alps refume their former ma-
jefty. A long and tame interval fucceeds. The long fublime traA of Wales
arifcs, the antient pofiefllon of the antient Britijh race. From the Ord, the great
mountains recede inland, and leave a vaft fiat between their bafes and the fea,
fronting the waves with a feries of lofty rocky precipices, as far as the little creek
of Staxigo i the whole a bold, but moft inhofpitable ihore for fhipping. ff^sei and
Staxigo have indeed their creeks, or rather chafms, which open between the
cliffs, and may accidentally prove a retreat, unlefs in an eaftern gale, .i

Sinclair and Frefwick bays are fandy, and afford fafe anchorage : from the laft
the country rifes into lofty cliffs, many compofed of fmall ftrata of ftones, as rtf-
guiu as a mafon could lay them ', and before them rife infulated ftackk or co-

c 2 lumns

Ekglish.

Cambrian.

XX

SCOTLAND.

GiRMAM OR

TlDISr milR
DiRCCTlON {.

Darxur.

Jjumns of rimilar materiats, fome hollowed intoircheii others, pillar-Uke, afpire
in heights equal to the Iknd *. Thefv are animated with birds. All their oeco-
nomy may be viewed with cafe from the neighboring cVifft i their loves, incuba-
tion, rxcliifion, and nutritiom

Bungfiy-bfodt the ^ntient Beruiium^ ttrm\mtn the eadern Ade of this kingdom,.
ii Far-nt-itik^ the ohi Tsrwdtmt doet tht weAern. Sttatbj'htad^ the rervt-
Jrum of ?ir«)llr»r|s Km intcmwdiaie. Th* whok CraA fiicei the north, and con-
fifts of various- noted beadhin4H> |ivblj| iwHtf to tuiOMMUii bayer many of which,
penetrate dMp into theMwMirjr, . Xfliim mall*,t||fJt*n^'^ iMmrk,— that nature
hath, with- a ni^ardij hand, detU Mit iMVilwcbiMm't^iftlt.lHl^ coafts of the
Brttijb iflcs } but fhewwi » prafafion air ttohr H^lhn^ )lkhy>i nWhat numberlefs
lochs, with great depthiof water, wind liMO'tll* Wi||h|b itMllMilia of Seetlandr over-
ftadowed and flieltered bf lofty moiHlUifl^l and ilfotififelilllriltides of noble har-^
hours do the weftem pnwincca a# Mimi jyminf tiM JomMttdl 4(^"'<« ocean !

The Tea which waflict die fliona of Btlttib^ iwhiclr Iwva pilled under my re-
view, was originally called, by one oClbf aittienti f,. QtfttimimitaHnieusy form>
ing part of that vaft expanfe which) furfoundt our Iflaii4l« . PUny confined that
title to the fpoce between the mouth .of tht RImu and thatof Ijbe S*iH0 ; and be-
ftowed on this fea the name of J^Milri«iM//4tt and, IVfAtiiiy galled it Germa*-
tiieus : both which it ftill retains^ lliJior^ni cxtramUy Ilea between Dungjby^
btaij. in lat. 58, 35 north, ahd the Am* Utltlide in tha ftmth of Norway, fie^
fore the reparation of Briuin from Oiml it eould lonly bt oonfidered as a vaflr
bay } but that period it beyond tha commaiiiwiiiiltoif iwsord*. The tides flow
into it from the north^^caft to the foutbtwal^ acoodtng.to tbidireaion of the
coaft i but>i mid-iica the leflux fata to tha nartbi lodiAibMfee icfelf through-
the greaC^channel betwctoi the BtktUmi iflei mi4 lUm^ |. T|)e depth of
watery at highefl fpriaf-tidetr in tha ftnlgbttof J3«Mr» it Minty-five fathoms :
it deepen! to thirty-one^ between Ln^ff and tha wottlh tS tbe Mms : between
the WelU-lnmk and DtggirfkHA gaina^ in one plaea onlyr a fiw fathoms. Be-
yond the Digger it deepens from forty-eight to fevanty»two: between Butban-nefs
and Sdmtiuft in Nerwayy within tha Sutlnm ditpir It bu from eighty-ilx to a
hundftd fiathoms ; then decieaiiw» towardi the Orknijf and Stkrtland iiles, from
feventy^five to forty j but between tha Bchttiandi and Bi^tn^ the northern end
ef this fea» the depth is from a hundrai and twenty to a hundred and fifty
lathoms.

« 8ee Mr. Ciriintr't bewtirul view of a fttek of thli kind| tab* av.
lib. iv. c. 19. ^ Mr, WMum Ttrgf^

iMtit.

JWw.
The

The

1 3 ij

SCOTLAND.

zzi

Navisation.

The coafts from Dungfiybtad to Flamhorough-htad are bold and high, and may
Se feen at fea from feven to fourteen leagues : from the laft to Spurn-htai is alfo a-
clear coaft ; but the reft of the coaft of Nvfdk and Suffolk is low, vifible at
finall diftance, and rendered dangerous by the number of fand-banks- projeding
far to fea. After paffing the Sparn-htady navigators fieer between the inner and^
outer Dou/mgt, for the Jleating light kept o» board a fmall veflel (conftruded for
chat purpofe) always anchored at the inner edge of a fand called D^gJInrCi Sbaal,
about eight leagues from the coaft of Linttlhflnrt., in about fifteen fathom water.
From thence they make for Cronur in Norfolk ; and from that point, till they
arrive at the Nortt their track is all the way through % number of narrow chan-
nels near the moft dangerous fands : to which, if we add foggy weather, dark
nights, ftorms, contrary winds, and very near adjacent lee-fliores, it may be very
fairly reckoned the moft dangerous of the much'-frequented aavigations ta the
world.

But fortunately, to the north ofthefe, this fea is much more remarkable for Sanb-Banki.
fand-banks of utility than of danger, and would never have been ohferved but for
the multitudes of fifties which, at different feafons, according to their fpecies,
refort to their fides,, from the great northern deeps, either for the bkt of variety
of food which they yield, or to depofe their ^wn in fecurity. The firft to be
taken notice of does not come within the defcription, yet ihould not be pafTed
over in filence, as it comes within the natnral hiftory of the North fea. An
anonymous (and runs acrofs the channel between Buchan^nefs and the north end
of Ju iff: the left depth of water over it is forty fathoms \ fo that it would
fcarceiy be thought of, did not the water fuddenly deepen again, and form that
place which is Ityled the Buthandteps^

The Long Banky or the Long Fortyt, bears £. S. £. from Buthan-ntfsy about
forty-five miles difbnt, and extends foutbward as far as oppoTite to Newcajili \
i« about fifty leagues in length, and feven in breadth ; and has on it from
thirty-twa to forty-five fathoms of water. The ground is a coarfc gravel, mixed
with marine plants, and is efteemed a good fiihing bank.

The Mar Bank lies between the former and the ihore oppoHte to Berwick}
is oval, about fifteen miles long, and has about twenty-fix fathom of water, and
round it about forty.

The bank called Mtntrofi Pits lies a little to the eaft of the middle of the Long Montrosi Pits.
Fortys. It is about fifty miles long, and moft remarkable for five great pits or hol>
lows, from three to four miles in diameter : on their edges is only forty fathom
water ; yet they fuddenly deepen to feventy, and even a hundred fathom,, on a foft
muddy bottom : the margins on the contrary are gravelly. I enquired whether the

9 furface

Long Fortys.

XXII

Docomt Bank.

WsLL Bank.

Calebonian
Pfia^4

SCOTLAND.

furface of this wonderful bank appeared in any way agitated, as I had fufpicion that
the pits might have been produdliye of whirlpools ; but was informed, that the fea
there exhibited no uncommon appearance.

The noted Doggtrs Bank next fucceeds. It commences at the diftance of twelve
leagues from Flamborough Htad^ and extends acrofs the fea, nearly eaft, above
ieventy-two leagues, joining Horn-riff'^ a very narrow ftrip of fand which ends on
the coaft of Jutland, The greateft breadth is twenty leagues ; and in parts it has
only on it ten or eleven fathoms of water, in others twenty-four or five. To
the fouth of the Dogger is a vaft extent of fand-bank, named, in different parts, the
Well Banit the Swart Bank^ and the Brown Baniy all covered with fufficient depth
of water j but between them and the Britifl) coafts are the Ower and the Lemony
dreaded by mariners, and numbers of others infamous for fhipwrecks. The
channel between the Dogger Bank and the Well Bank deepens even to forty fa-
thoms. This hollow is called the Silver Pits., and is noted for thc,cod-fiihery
which fupplies the London markets. The cod-fifli love the deeps : the flat-fifli the
fliallows. I will not repeat what I have, in another place, fo amply treated of *.
I muft only lament, that the fiflieries of this bank are only fubfervient to the pur-
pofes of luxury. Was (according to the plan of my humane friend, Mr. Travis of
Scarborough) a canal formed from any part of the neighboring coaft to that at Leedty
thoufands of manufadlurers would receive a cheap and wholefome food ; infurrec-
tions in times of fcarcity of grain be prevented ; our manufactures worked at an eafy
rate ; our rivals in trade thereby underfold ; and, in defiance of the probably ap-
proaching decreafe of the Newfoundland fiihery (fince the lofs oi America) contri-
bute to form a nurfery oi feamen fufficient to preferve the fmall remnant we have
left of refpedt from foreign nations.

I have, to the beft of my abilities, enumerated the Britijh fiih, in the third
volume of the Britijh Zoology. The Faunula which I have prefixed to Mr. Light-
foofi Flora ScoticOy contains thofe which frequent the northern coafts of Great
Britain ; in which will be found wanting many of thofe of South Britain. The
Reverend Mr. Lichtfoot, in that work, hath given a moft elaborate account
pf the fubmarine plants of our northern fea.

I will now purfue my voyage from the extreme fliores of North Britain through
a new ocean. Here commences the Oceanus Caledonius, or Deucaledonius, of Ptolemy }
a vaftexpanfe, extending to the weft as far as Greenland^ and northward to the ex-
treme north. This I (hould call the Northern Ocean, diftinguiftiing its parts
})y other names fuitable to the coafts. From Dungjby Head the Orkney iflands

• Se? Br. Zool, iii. Articles Hiddock, Ling, and Turbot,

appear

rel
of

O R K N I E S.

XXIII

iifpicion that
) that the Tea

ice of twelve
' eaft, above
hich ends on
parts it has
r five. To
nt parts, the
icient depth
I the LemoHf
:cks. The
to forty fa-
!,cod.fifliery
flat-fifh the
treated of*,
to the pur-
r. Travis of
lat at LeedTy
i infurrec-
d at an eafy
'obably ap-
ica) contri-
nt we have

1 the third
Mr. Light-
is of Great
'ain. The
te account

'in through
of Ptolemy i
to the ex-
tig its parts
ney illands

' appear

• appear fpreading along the horizon, and yield a mod charming profpe^l. Some

* of them are fo near as diftindlly to exhibit the rocky fronts of thofe bold promon-

• tories which fuftain the weight of the vaft currents from the Ailintic. Others

* (hew more faint: their diftances finely exprefled as they retire from the eye,

* until the mountains of the more remote have fcarcely a deeper azure than the

• Iky, and are hardly difcernible rifing over the furface of the ocean *.

Between thefe and the main land., about tv/o miles from the Cathnefs fliore, lies
Stroma, the Ocetis of Ptolemy., a little ifland, an appertcnance to that county, fertile
by tiic manual labor of about thirty families; pleafant, and lofty enough for the
refort of the Auk tribe. The noted mummies are now loft, occafioned by the doors
of the caverns in which they were depofited being broken down, and admifllon
given to cattle, which have trampled them to pieces. I'his catacomb ftands on a
neck of land bounded by the fea on three fides. The fait air and fpi 4/ expels all
infedts, and is the only prefcrvation the bodies have ; fume of which had been
lodged here a great number of years. In many of the ifles, the inhabitants ufe
no other method for preferving their meat from putrefadlion than hanging it in
caves of the fea, and the method is vindicated by the fuccefs.

This ifland lies in the Pentland Firthy noted for the violence of the tides ; tre-
mendous to the fight, but dangerous only when pafied at improper times. They
fet in from the north-weft : the flood, on the contrary, on the coafts of Lewis, pours
in from the fouth f. The tide of flood upon Stroma (and other iflands fimilarly
fituated in mid-ftream) divides or fplits before it reaches it. A current runs with
great violence on both fides, then unites, at fome diftance from the oppofite end,
and forms a fingle current, running at fpring-tides at the rate of nine knots an
hour ; at neap, at that of three only. The fpacc between the dividing tides, at
difFerent ends of an ifland, is quite ftagnant, and is called the eddy. Some of
them are a mile or two long, and give room for a ftiip to tack to and fro, till the
tides are fo far fpent as to permit it to purfue its voyage.

The moft boifterous parts of the ftreams are at the extremities of the ifland, and
a little beyond the top of the eddy, where they unite. The collifion of thefe oppo-
fite ftreams excite a circular motion, and, when the tide is very ftrong, occafion
whirlpools in form of an inverted bell, the largeft diameter of which may be about
three feet. In fpring-tides they have force enough to turn a veflfel round, but not to
do any damage ; but there have been inftances of fmall boats Leing fwallowed up.
Thefe whirlpools are largeft when firft formed j are carried away with the ftream,
and difappear, but are quickly followed by others. The fpiral motion or fudlioa

ORKNBr

Islands.

• Mr, Ctrdintr^t elegant defcription^ p. 85,

Stroma.

Tivss,

The Swelchie
ov Stroma*

t Macken/tU Cbarti eftbt Orknits, p. +, 5.

does

XXIV

R

N I

S.

ffti

does not extend far beyond the cavity: a boat may pafs within twenty yardb ai
thefc whirlpools with fafety. Fifliermen who happen to Rnd thenifeives within
a dangerous didance, fling in an oar, or any bulicy body, which breaics the con-
tinuity of the furface, and interrupts the vertigiitous motion, and forces the water
to rufli fuddenly in on all Udes and All up the cavity. In flormy weather, the
waves themfelves deHi-oy this phasnomenon. A funk >roclc near the concourfu of
■thefe rapid tides occaflons a moft dreadful appearance. The ftream meeting with
an interruption, falls over with great violence, reaches the 'bottom, and brings up
with it fand, fliells, fifhes, or.whatfoever elfe it meets with i which, with boats, or
whatfoever it happens to meet, is whirled from the centre of the eruption towards
the circumference with amazing velocity, and the troubled furface boils and
bubbles like a great ca^ildron, then darts off with a fucceflton of whirlpools from

ItouiTf. fuccefllve ebullitions. Thefe are called Raujity and are attended with the utmuft

danger tofmarll boats, which are agitated to fuch a degree, that (even ihould they
not be orecfet) the men are flung ou': of them, to.periih without any chance of re-
demption. It is during the ebb that they are tremendous^ and mod fo in that of a
fpring-tide with a weft wind, and that in the calmed weather ; for during flood
they are pafled with the greateft fafety. Veflels in a calm are never in danger of
touching on an ifland or vifible rock, when iliey get into a current, but are always
carried fafe from all danger.

SwoNA. Swonay a little ifland, the mod fouthern of the Orhi'test is aibout four miles beyond

Stroma^ and is noted for its tremendous dreams, and in particular the whirlpools
called the If^eUs of 'Swona.^ which in a higher degree exhibit all the appearances of
the former. What contributes to encreafe the rage of the tides, befides their con-
finement between fo many iflands, is the irregular pofltion of the founds, and their
littledepth of water. The fame ihallownefs extends to every fide of the Orknies ;
an evidence that they had once been part of the mother ifle, rent from it by fome
mighty convulfion. The middle of the channel, between Stroma and the main
land, has only ten fathom water : the greated depth around that ifland is only
eighteen. The founds are from three to forty-fix fathom deep : the greater depths
are between South Ronaldjha and South IValtsi for in general the other founds
are only from three to thirteen ; and the circumambient depth of the whole group
very rarely exceeds twenty-five.

Tiots. About thefe iflands commences a decreaie of the tides. They lie in a great

ocean, in which the waters have room to expand } therefore never experience that
height of flood which is condant iu the contra^fled feas. Here ordinary fpring-
tides do not exceed eight feet ; and very extraordinary fpring-tides fourteen, even
when adled on by the violence of the winds *.

• Murdoch MackcnJU,

Tkc

I ..

DirTH OF

Wate*.

nty yards of
elves within
ales the con-
es the water
weather, the
cojicourfu of
fleeting with
id brings up
ith boats, or
tion towards
;e boils and
irl pools from
h the utmuft
ihould they
:hance of re-
0 in that of a
during flood
in danger of
It are always

miles beyond
ke whirlpools
ppearances of
les their con-
ids, and their

the Orknies ;
m it by fome
and the main
ifland is only
greater depths
; -other founds

whole grou^

' lie in a great
Kperience that
iinary fpring-
Fourteen, even

Tkc

O H tC N I E S.

The imt of the difcovery and population of the Orkniet is unknown. Pro*
bably it was very early ; for we are told that they owe their name to the Gretks.

Orcadei has memorant difl.is a nomine Or*C9 *.

Mtla and Pl'tny take notice of them ; and the lad defcribes their number and
cluftered form with much accuracy f. The fleet of AgrUila failed round them»
and made a conqueft of them ; but the Romans probably never retained any part of
Caledonia. I found no marks of them beyond Orrea ot InchtuthelXf excepting at
Fortingal\ in Breadalbincy where there is a fmall camp, poflibly no more than a
temporary advanced poft. Kotwithftanding this, they mufthave had, by means of
fhipping, a communicated knowlege of the coafts of North Britain even to tlie
Orcades. Ptolemy hath, from information collected by thofc means, given the
names of every nation, condderable river, and head-land, on the eaftern, northern,
and weflern coaft. But the Romans had forgotten the navigation of thefe feas^
otherwife the poet would never have celebrated the courage of his countrymen, in
failing in purfuit of the plundering Saxons through unkntwnjir eights ^ and a naval
vi£lory obtained ofF thefe iflands by the forces fent to the relief of the diftreflfed
Britons by Honorius.

Qu^ld Sidera profunt f
Ignotumque Tretum ? Maduetunt Saxone fufo
Oreades S.

The Orkney ifles in after times became poflTefled by the Piiis j and again by the
Scots. The latter gave way to the Norwegian pirates, who were fubdaed by
Harold Harfargre about the year 875 fl, and the iflands united to the crown of
Norway. They remained under the Norwegians till the year 1263, accepted their
laws, and ufed their language. The Norfe, or Norwegian language was generally
ufed Jn the Orkney and Schetland iflands even to the laft century : but, except in
/iVu/<7, where a few words are ftill known by the aged people, it is quite loft. The
Englijh tongue, with a Norwegian accent, is that of the iflands ; but the appearance
of the people, their manners and genius, evidently fhew their northern origin.
The iflands vary in their form and height. Great part of Hoy is mountanous
and lofty. The noted land-mark, the hill of Hoy^ is faid to be five hundred and
forty yards high. The fides of all thefe hills are covered with long heath, in
which breed multitudes of Curlews, Green Plovers, Rcd(hanks, and other Waders.
The Short-eared Owl is alfo very frequent here, and neftles in the ground. It is

XKV

-—.^■,

LAHCOAef*

Rocks op thi
Okkkics.

• Claudlan..
I Same p, 15.

t Mela, lib. iii. c. 6. PUn. lib. iv. c. 16. % four Scotl. 1772. p. 70.

§ Claudiaii, de iv. Conf. Hmiorii. ^ Itrfttm Rtr. OrcaJ. lib. i. c. 3. p. 10.

d probable

XXVI

O R K N I E S.

M

^5

probable thnt it is from hence, as well as from Norway^ that it inigrates» itv the
beginning of winter, to the more fouthern parts of Britain. Moft of the Waders
migrate J but they muft receive coniidcrable reinforcements from the moft diftant
parts of the north, to fill the numbers which cover our fhores. The cliffs are of
a moft ftupcndous height, and quite mural to the very fcs. The Berry Head is an
Birds. exalted precipice, with an auguft cave at the bottom, opening into the fea. The

£rn Eagles pofTefs, by diftant pairs, the upper part of the rocks : neither thefe nor
any other Falcons will bear fociety j but, as P/»V{y elegantly exprefTes it, Adultosper-
fequitur parens et longefugaty amulos fci licet rapina. Et alioquin unum par aquilarum
magna ad populandum tra£Iu, ut fatietur^ indiget *. Auks, Corvorants, and all the
tribes which love exalted fituations, breed by thoufands in the other parts. The
Tyfte, or Black Guillemot, N° 236, fecures itfelf in a crack in the rock, or by
fcraping a burrow in the little earth it may find } there it lays a fmgle egg,
of a dirty olive blotched with a darker. This fpecies never migrates from the
Orknies. The Foolifli Guillemot, N"» 436, continues till Navembfr. The
Litt]9 Auk, N" 429, a rare bird in other parts of Britain^ breeds in the holes
of the lof;ty precipices. And tue Lyre, or the Sheerwater, N" 462, burrows in
the earth among the rocks of Hiy and Eda^ and forms an article of com-
merce with its feathers, and of food with its flefh, which is falted and kept
for the prpvifion of the winter. In that feafon they are feen fkimming the ocean
nt moft furprizing diftances from land. The Stormy Petrel, N" 464, breeds fre-
quently among the loofe ftones ; then takes to fea and affrights the fuperftitious
failor with its appearance. Woodcocks fcarcely ever appear here. Fieldfares make
this a fhort baiting-place : and the Snow Bunting, N* i22»often alights and covers
whole trades of coi-ntry, driven by the froft from the farthcft north.

A few Wild Swans breed iw fome lochs in Mainland i but the greatcft part of
thefe birds, all the Bernacles, Brent Geefe, and feveral other palmated birds,
retire in the fpring to more northern latitudes. But to the Swallow-tailed Duck,
the Pintail, and a few others, this is a warm climate j for they retire here to pafs
their winters in the (heltered bays. Any other remarks may be intermixed with
thofe on Schetland ; for there is great nmiliarity of fubje£ts in both the groups.

The laft lie about fixty miles to the north-eaft of the moft northern Orkney. Mid-
FjAlR Isle, ^^X '* ^*"' Jfl<'"'^i » 'pot about three miles long, with high and rocky (bores, in-
habited by about a hundred and feventy people: an induftrious racej the men
fiihers ; the women knitters and fpinners. The depth of water round varies to
twenty-fix fathoms. The tide divides at the north end, runs with great velocity,
and forms on the eaft fide a confidcrable eddy.

Uift. Nat. lib. X. c. 3.

Sthetland

grates, itv the
f the Wadcrg
: moft diftant
! cliffs are of
ry Head is an
le fea. The
her thefe nor
, Adultos per-
iar aquilarutn
s, and all the
parts. The
I rock, or by
I fingle egg,
tes from the
mbfr. The
in the holes
, burrows in
:le of corn-
ed and kept
ng the ocean
., breeds fre-
fuperftitious
Idfares make
:s and covers

/ m

ateft part of
nated birds,
failed Duck,
here to pafs
rmixed with
groups.
rkney. Mid-
^ fhores, in-
:e ; the men
nd varies to
;at velocity.

Schrtland

f

11

I

X

PI

0

Q

?■

1

M

%

V

o
©

SCHETLAND.

Schtthnd conftfts of feveral iflands. Mainland, the principal, extends from
fouth to north twenty-eight leagues, and is mod fingularly formed \ confiiling of
Ml infinite aurabci of ftniiffiJ^ conncded by very narrow lAhmufes. That called
Mavi/gtmdimhklA^ unitei tHe puri^ of North Mavtn, is only eighty yards broad.
But th« im|tll}«r ihape of tbif Upnd occafions it to abound with the fineft and moll
fecure fottit liiiM h(9re vtA^I^ BK>ft providential difpenfation in a fea which
fwarma witkAkMi of the maiftrfilMm ufe. The adjacent iflandt are in general (o
near to tha tfMlltor iOaod, and tlnir tueadlands point fo ex a<5lly to its correfponding
capes, (hat St H highly pcobable that they once made a part of the AfainUind, The
i-oclcs and ftacks aflume great variety of forms, fuch as fteeples and Gothic cathe-
drals ri^ng out of the w«(er, fleets of ihips, and other fancied (hapes. The Dort-
holm, in dMiparifll of .AlMy^ Mlntn^ is very Angular : part is rounded, the reft fecms
a ruinf oompofed of aimgk diin fragment of rock, with a magnificent arch within,
feventy fiset in height. :*/*,'?'■'

To ixk the words of Captain TbtHiat Trtflon^ to whom we are indebted for an
excellefat chart of this group, * the land is wild, barren, and mountanous \ nor

* is there fo much as a bufli or a tree to be feen. The (hores are difficult, and in

* many parts inaccefliblerfiidCyAeep, and iron-like; the fight of which ftrikcs

* the mind with dread and'b'dtfoj's'and fuch monftroul precipices and hideous rocks

* as bring all Bnhdingnag before /our thoughts. - Th6fe iflands lie between lat. 60
"* to 61. In winter the fun fets foon after it rifei, and in fummer rifes loon after it

* fets \ fo that in that feafon the nights are almoft at light as the day \ as on the

* contrary, in Dtamb*r the day is nearly as dark as the night. About the fullHce,

* we fee every night the aurtra borealit, or, as|-they are called by the natives, the

* merry danctrt, which fpr^ad a broad jlarii^. appearance over the whole northern

* hemifphere*.' .

They are the conftant. attendants of the clear evenings in all thefe northern
iflands, and firove great ^elief^ amidft the gloom of the long winter nights. They
commonly appear at twilight near the horizon, of a dun Color, approaching to yellow:
ibmetimes continuing in that ftate for feveral hours without any fenfible motion ;
after which they break out into ftreams of ftronger light, fpreading into columns,
and altering ilowly into, ten thoufand different fhapes, varying their colors from all
the tints of yellow to theobfcureft ruflet. They often cover the whole hemifphere,
and then make the moft brilliant appearance. Their motions at thefe times are
moft amazinjgly quick ^ and they aftonifh the fpedator with the rapid change of
their form. They break out in places where none were feen before, fkimming

XXVII

SCHITLANO.

Aurora BoRt>

ALI5.

• Pill, Tranf, abr, xi. i\x%.
d2

briflcly

X^VZII

■)!'

'I

&VOIIUS,
IIEKIINC!.

SCHETLAND AND

brifkly along the heavens: are fuddenly extinguiflied, and leave behind an uniform
dufky trad);. This again is brilliantly illuminated in the fame manner, and as fud-
denly left a dull blank. In certain nights they aflume the appearance of vaft co-
lumns, on one fide of the deepeft yellow, on the other declining away till it becomes
undiftinguifhed from the (ky. They have generally a ftrong tremulous motioik
from end to end, which continues till the whole vaniflies. In a word, we, who only
fee the extremities of thefe northern phoenomena, have but a faint idea of their
fplendor, and their motions. According to the ftate of the atmofphere they differ
in colors. They often put on the color of blood, and make a moft dreadful ap-
pearance. The ruftic fages become prophetic, and terrify the gazing fpe&ators
with the dread of war, peflilencc, and famine. This fuperftttion was not peculiar
to the northern iflands ; nor are thefe appearances of recent date. The antients
called them Chafmata^ and Trabes^ and Bolides^ accorcf ing to their forms or colors *.
In old times they were extremely rare, and on that account were the more taken
notice of. From the days of Plut-arch to thofe of our fage hiftorian Sir Richard
BaiiKt they were fuppofed to have been portentous of great events ; and timid
imagination (haped them into aerial confli£ls.

Fierce fiery warriorii fight upon the clouds

In ranks and fquadrons and right form of war.

After, I fuppofe, a very long intermiflion, they appeared with great brilliancy in
Englandt on March 6rh, 1715-16. The philofophers paid a proper attention f.
T'he vulgar confidered them as marking the introdu(Stion of a foreign race of
princes. The novelty is now ceafed, and their caufe perhaps properly attributed
to the greater abundance of cleilrical matter.

The tempcfts which reign over thefe iflands during winter is aftonifuing. The
cold is moderate j the fogs great and frequent ; but the ftorms agitate the water
even to the bottom of thefe comparatively ihallow feas. The fiflj feek the bottom
of the great deeps : and the Herrings, which appear ofF the Schttlands in amazing
columns in Jtm*t perform the circuit of our ifland, and retire beyond the know-
lege of man. When the main body of thefe fiih approaches from the north, it
a-'ters thevery appearance of the ocean. It is divided into columns of five or fix
miles in length, and three or four in breadth, and they drive the water before them
with a fort of rippling current. Sometimes they fink for a fmall fpace, then rift
sjain i and in bright weather reflet a variety of fplendid colors, like a field of moft

• Ariftl. Mttimlcg. lib. i. c. j. flht. Nat. Hi/I. lib. ii. c. a6.

t See various accounu of them in tbef£i/.7rtf«/. Air. iv. pact ii. 139.

precious

O R K N I E S.

XXfX

I uniform
nd as fud-
f vaft co-
t becomes
s motion
who only
of their
hey di^r
adful ap-
fpedators
t peculiar
e antients
colors *.
iore taken
r Richard
ind timid

liancy in
tention f.
n race of
attributed

ng. The
the water
le bottom

amazing
he know-
; north, it
five or fix
!fore them

then rife
;ld of moft

precious

precious gems. Birds and fi(h of prey attend and mark their progrefs. The
Whales of feveral kinds keep on the outfide, and, deliberately opening their
vaft mouths, take them in by hundreds. Gannets and Gulls dart down upon
them; and the diving tribe aid their perfecution, with the cetaceous fifties*.
Mankind joins in the chace ; for this ufeful fpecies gives food to millions> medi-
ately and immediately. Dutch^ Frtnehf FUmingSy Dants, and Englifi, rendezvous in
Braja found to meet thefe treafures of the ocean : and return to diftribute their
booty even to the diftant AntiHes,

Cod, Ling, and Torjk f, furnifti cargoes to other adventurers. I wifli I could
fpe^k with the fame fatisfadtion of this as of the free fifhery of the Herring; but
in thefe diftant iflands, the hand of oppreffion reigns uncontrolled. The poor
vaflals (in defiance of laws ftill kept in bondage) are compelled to flave, and hazard
their lives in the capture, to deliver their fi(h to their lords for a trifling fum, who
fell them to adventurers from different parts at a high price.

Among other fcarcer fifties the Opah, Br.\Zj)el. iii. N° loi. is found in abundancet
It feems a fifti of the north as well as the Tarjk ; the laft is not found fouth of
the Orknies j the former extends even to the banks of Nnufourtdiandi

The birds of thefe iflands are the fame with thofe of the Orkniti<, except the
Skua, p. 531, which breeds only in Fiula and Unjl. Among the few land-birds
which migrate to t^em in fummer, is the Golden-crefted Wren, N" 153. Its
fiiorteft flight muft be fixty miles, except it fliould reft midway on Fair ijland;
a furprifing flight for fo diminutive a bird!

Multitudes of the inhabitants of each clufter of iflands feed, during the feafon,
on the eggs of the birds of the clifts. The method of taking them is fo very
hazardous, as to fatisfy one of the extremity to which the poor people are
driven for want of food. Copinjha., Hundoy Hsy^ Foula^ and Nofs beady are the
moft celebrated rocks j and the neighboring natives the moft expert climbers and
adventurers after the game of the precipice. The height of fome is above fifty
fathoms j their faces roughened with flielves or ledges, fufficient only forthe birds
to reft and lay their eggs. To thefe the dauntlefs fowlers will afcend, pafs in-
trepidly from one to the ©♦herj coUeft the eggs and birds, and defcend with
the fame indifference.. In moft places, the attempt is made from above : they are
lowered from, the flope contiguoiis to the brink, by a rope, fometimes made of
ftraw, fometimes of the briftles of the hog : they psefer the laft, even to ropes
of hemp, as it is not liaWe to be cut by the fliarpnefs of the rock*.; the former
is apt to untwift. They truft themfelves to a fingle afliftant, who lets his
companion down, ard holds the rope,, depending on his flrength alone ; which

• 5e« B»y Voy.tt lie Hthridei, and Br, Zttl. iii. for thehiftory of the Herring. fBr. tool. iii. N» 89..

often.

COB'FIIH.

Opah*.

BiRBS.

EoWItlNC.

•I )

XXX

SCHETLAND AND

i

QUADRUrBDS.

Thbsc Isles onCB

WOODBD.

often fails, and the adventurer it fure to be da(hed to pieces, or drowned in the
fubjacent Tea. The rope it often ihifted from place to place, with the impend-
ing weight of the fowler and hit booty. The perfon above receives fignals for
the purpofe, his afTociate being far out of fight } who, during the operation, by
help of a ftafF, fprings from the face of the rocki, to ayoid injury frptn^the pro-

jcaing parts. , ..;„,.. r %^^>''.^.MMi^;ltiB:n0i:^mtA^:v. \

In Fouky they will truft to « fmall ftake dHven Into the gro|indy or to a rmall
(iaggcr, which the natives vfually Cfirry a^ut, t^emt and w.hich th(^^ will ftick
into the ground,, and, twifting, rouQd, {t.a fiih|ng cord, defcend b]; that to
climbing places, and, after finishing thcir>Ml|ijK^^ fear.

Few who make a pra^ice of thii comfl toi t,n*tiinil death. | Thfy have a common
faying, * Such a one's Gutchtr went over the Snttki and jny. father went over
* the Sneak too.' It is.a pity that the old ^«rw4f /«« U\y waa nothere in force. It
confidered this kind . of death ai a fpeclei of fuicide. The next of kin (in cafe
the body could be/een) was directed to g9 the fame wayj if he rc&ii^, t!fa|B corpfe
was not to be admitted into holy ground *• ; ^^^ • .,^^

But the moft Angular fpecies of fowling ii on the holm of Noft^ a vaft rock fevered
from the ifle of N9f$ hy feme unknown convulflon, and only about fixteen fathoms
diftant. It is of the fame ftupendoui height ai the oppofite precipice f, with a raging
fea between; fothat the interveoiDgchafmiiofmatchleft horror. Some adventurous
climber has reached the rock in a boat| gained the height* and faftenpd feveral flakes
on thefmall^portiot^ of earth- whlch.il to be found on the^qp: correfpondent flakes
are placed on the edge of the. correfpondent cliffit A rope is fixed to the ^akes on
both fides, along which A macbinei Called a cradlci ii cof\triyql to Aide; and, by
thi; h^lp of a fmall parallel cord fattened in like manner, the adventurer wafts
himfelf aver, and returns with. hit booty, which if titfi eggs or young of the
Black-b9cked Gull, N" 45r, and the Herring Oull, N* 452.

The number of wild Quadrupeds which have reached the Orkney and Schtt-
land iAands are only five \ the Otter, Brown Rat, Common Mouife, Fetid
Shrew, and Bat» Rabbets are not of Brittjh origin, but naturalized in every
part. In the fandy ifles of Orkntyt they arfi found in myriads, and their flcins
are a great article of commerce | but the injury they do in (etting the unftable
foil in motion, greatly counter-vales the profit.

In many parts of tbefe iOands arc evident markr of their having been a wooded
country. In the parifli o( St, Jndrtw in t!:? Orknttt^ in North Mavtriy and
even in /0f</a in the iS;^;//<2n(/;, often large tracts are difcovercJ filled with the
remains of large trees, which are ufually found after fome violent tempeft hath

• Dtbtt, Hift. ftrrti f/Itt, 1 54. f 410 -feet.

3 Mown

vned in the
the im penci-
ls fignals for
peration, by
•pm the pro-

r/'toa fmall
ley will ftick
bjf that to
iritHQUt fear.
/e a common
;r went over
in force. It
kin (in cafe
id., tb^ corpfe

I rock -fevered

(teen fathoms

with a raging

e adventurous

feveral flakes

tondent flakes

the ^kes on

ide I and, by

inturer wafts

pung of the

'■-0 ■ :'■■

ley and Schet-

/Loak, Fetid

ized in every

their fkins

the unflable

een a wooded
Maveftf and
ed with the
tempeft hath

Uown

O R K N I E

XXXI

blown away the incumbent ftrata of fand or gravel with which they have been
j*^overed. They are lodged in a morafly ground, and often ten feet beneath the
^/fpeat. Some (land in the pofition in which they grew ; others lie horizontally,
«:^nd all the fame way, as if they had either been blown down, or overturned by a
i Partial deluge. Yet at prefent no kind of wood can be made to grow ; and even
Ihe loweft and moft common flirub is cultivated with the greateft difficulty. The
lazel, the herbaceous, reticulated, creeping, and common willow, are the only
irubs of the iiland, and thofe are fcattered with a fparing hand. I fhall, in an-
ther place, confider the decreafe of vegetation in this northern progrefs.
The great quantity of turf which Providence hath beftowed on all thefe iflands,
jexcepting Sanda, is another proof of the abundance of trees and other vegetables,
;^^ong fince loft from the furface. The application of this humus vegetabilis for the
iSpurpofe of fuel, is laid to have been firft taught the natives by Binary a Nor-
Miuegian, furnamed, from that circumftance, Torf-einary Einar it Cefpite *. Had
t'^e lived in Greece, he could not have efcaped deification for fo ufeful a dif-
■j^overy.

'I Before I quit the laft of Britijb ifles, I fhall, as fupplemental to the antiquities
'Imentioned in my Tours in Scotland^ give a brief account of others found in thefe
l^roups.

]^ The Orkniesy the Schetlandsy Cathntfsy Sutherlandy and Rofs-Jhire, with the He-
Thridesy were, for centuries, pofTefled by the Norwegians; and, in many inftances,
they adopted their cuftoms. Of the antient monuments ftill remaining, feveral
are common to Scandinavia and the old inhabitants of Britain : others feem
peculiar to their northern conquerors. Among thofe are the circular buildings,
known by the names of Piiiijh Koufes, Burghsy -nd- Duns': the firft arc of mo-
dern date, and to be exploded, as they never were the work of the Piits i
the fecond are afTuredly right, and point out the founders, who at the fame time
beftowed on. them their natal name of Borgy a defence or caftlc t> ^ Sueo-Gothic
word } and the Highlanders univerfally apply to thefe places the Celtic name
Duny fignifying a hill defended by a tower J. This alfo furnilhes the proof of
their ufe, was there no other to be difcovered. They are confined to the coun-
ties once fubje£t to the crown of Norway. With few exceptions, they are
boilt within fight of the fea, and one or more within fight of the other ; fo
that on a fignal by fire, by flag, or by trumpet, they could give notice of ap-
proaching danger, and yield a mutual fuccour. In the Schetland and Orkney

• Torfaus Rer. Oread, lib. i. c. 7. f See Ibre Gkffarium Sueo-Gothkum, where the

word is defined, munimentum, deiived from Berga cuftodire, w Bjrgia claudire, t Baxter.

Clojf, Antiq, Brit.. X09,

iflandsj

ANTI<y;iTlES.

XXX n

SCHETLAND AND

iilands, they are moft frequently called ffart or Wardhilh^ which Ihews that
they were garrifoned. They had their wardmadher *, or watchman, a fort of
centinel, who ftood on the top, and challenged all who came in fight. The
gackman \ was an officer of the fame kind, who not only was on the watch
againft furpriee j but was to give notice if he faw any {hips in diftrefs. ITe
was allowed a large horn of generous liquor, which he had always by him, to
keep up his fpirits %, Along the Orkney and Schetland Ihores, they almoft form <t
chain ; and by that means not only kept the natives in fubjeftion, but were
-fituated commodioufly for covering the landing of their countrymen, who were
perpetually roving on piratical expeditions. Thefe towers were even made ufe of
as ftate-prifons ; for we learn from Torfaui^ that after Sutm had furprlzed Patilj
count of Cathnefiy he carried him into Sutherland^ and confined him there in a
Norwegian tower §. So much has been faid on this fubjed by the Reverend
Mr. Cordhier and myfelf, that I (hall only refer to the pages, after faying, that
out of our kingdom, no buildings fimilar to thefe are to be found, except in
Standinavta. On the mountain Swalberg || in Norway is one ; the Stir-bijkop f ,
at Upfal in Sweden^ is another ; and Um/eborg, in the fame kingdom, is a third **.

Thefe towers vary in their inner flru£lure j but externally are univerfally the
fame ; yet fome have an addition of flrength on the outfide. The burgh of Culf-
wUk in Schetlandt notwithflanding it is built on the top of a hill, is furrounded
with a dry ditch thirteen feet broad ; that of Snaburgh in Unjl^ has both a wet
and a dry ditch ; the firfl cut, with great labor, through the live rock. The burgh
of Moura is furrounded by a wall, now reduced to a heap df flones, and the
infide is cylindrical, not taper, as ufual with others. The burgh of Hogflfer,
upon an ifle in a loch of the fame name, has alfo its addition of a wall ; a pecu-
liarity in a caufeway, to join it to the main land, and a fingular internal flru£ture.
Numbers of little burghs, with fingle cells, are fcattered about thefe iflands, in the
neighborhood of the greater \ and which probably were built by the poorer fort of
people, in order to enjoy their protection. A multitude of places in thefe iflands
have the addition of burgh to their names, notwithflanding there is not a veflige
of a tower near them j the materials having long fince been carried away,
and applied to various ufes. One was, by way of pre-eminence, called Coningf-
burght or the burgh of the king. I lament its lofs the more, as it might have
proved fimilar to its namefake in Torkjhiret and furnifhed additional materials to

• Ibre Gloff. Sueo-Goth. 1085. t Crit. Dijf. by Jobn Macpherfitit D. D. 345. J Torfaut

Rer. Oread. 8. § Baxter, Glojf. Antiq, Brit. 109. || Information by letter from Mr. Suhm

of Copenhagen. «|[ Dalhberg, tab. 64. •• The fame, tab. 300.— For niore ample

account*, fee Mr. Cor Jitter's Letteri, 7], 105, iig, and my 79urt in Seailand,

2 my

I

4-'

my

■■'' .J j;^it,j^. ■■^- "-;ir.7^'*«^"'j';-f'ji. .■'•*■*•'* : ■■'_. ;.■./»."■ "-■..-■^jm

J^..^/iZlacu^/4'j ^'/-tomi ORK

.^•■*,

'>*>■

■■■. .-. . t.^ - . ^ . •. ■-:■,, '5iv;

U.

I I I

4

^/^:)

fj ^/-i-^y/^ ORKWUX <?C SHETIiAWB , Z^/r.J ,

»\itv

\\

Us^n*

r

^?/n.,^.

M:^

*J/lo?na^^ C^z^rriJt e/??^ (^e^^ir.

\'

^mHmk-'

M

t ^///^Z- f//^e^/^

y//y//AL

~^^H ^^^1

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^P -*r^**^.---^n*^

K%S^

'P:

-^"" : z.m-

t^}^*^.

S\\i

m'

'^^i^fr^^

1

1

1

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^<^ <

/"'

^<m

'e^€^y9\

^

t

f

^7

O R K N I E S.

XXXIII

^A'^a

my worthy friend, Edward King^ Efq; for his mod elaborate hiftory of Engltfl)
cafties *. The plates, with explanatory accounts, (hali fupply what farther can
elucidate thefe curious antiquities.

After the cxpulfion of the Ntnutgiansy the -coafts of Sutland^ which they
poflelTed, were ftill prote^ed by caftles} many of which, fuch as Oldwick^ ex-
hibit very fmall improvements on the model left by the antient Scandinavian
architects: a few deviated from the original manner, were f^uare, had great thick-
ncfs of wall, furniOicd with cells like tbofe in the round towers or burghs.
Borvt cattle, in Catbntft^ is a little more advanced. This was the refidence of
Thoritl^ a famous freebooter in the tenth century. It is a fmall fquare building,
en a rock projefling iiito tfaefea, adjoined to the main land by an ifthmus hot ten
feet wide ; and beneath the cattle is a magnificent paiTage for boats, which pierces
the rock from fide to fide, and is covered by a match4efs natural arch.

I canoot but revert to the fiorroer fubje£t, to mention the Snaburgh \nTrt-
lert one of the moft remote of the Sthttland ifles. It is in the form of a Roman
camp \ and when entire, had in the middle a rectangular area furrounded by a
wall, and that by an earthen rampart of the fame figure, at fome dittance from
it. .Two fides of the walled area have the additional defence of another rampart
of earth } which commences on the infide of one of the narrower fides, and,
preferving the fame diftance from the lefler area as the two other fides of the
outward fence do, terminates at the latter, near an artificial well. That this was
Romany I greatly iufytSt. The care for water was a peculiar objeiEl with that
wife natioh } but negleded -by barbaritiM. This is inclofed within the rampart,
and at a fmall diftanoe on the outfide, had the proteAien of a mount, which once
probably had its caftellet, garrrfdhed for the further fecurivy f* The regular
poria are wanting 4 in other refpeds it refembles a Roman camp. The fea, over
which it impends, has deftro]red one half : the entire part is given in the plate,
and .the reft fupplied with. dotted lines. > ;;..

I know but of two periods in which the Remans vifited thefe iflands : one at
the time when the fleet of Agricola fubdued them ; the other, when the fleet of
Honor in t defeated the Saxens in the feas of Orknty. A copper medal of Vef-
pa/tan.) with Judtta deviifa % on the reverfe, was found on the fouth fide of
Main-iandj probably loft there by the firft invaders, who might venerate Vtfpaftan^
under whom many of them had ferved, and who might naturally carry with them
fuch honorable memorials of his, reign. The only antiquities found near

BOftVI CAtTLI.

RoifAN Camp r

* See his curious account of Cening/horougb caftle, which he juftly compueg to the Scollijb Duns ;
and iudicioully afcribe* to it a very early date. Jrebteelcgia, vi. 334. tab. xxiii.
t Frgttitu dt ri Milit. lib. iv. c. 10. J Mr. Lew,

e this

■ ^i^^v^-TI*"''--!"^ '

KXXIV

SroM WiAroNi.

ClK9tlt.

SiMlCIRCLSIt

PiAIN COtVMM.

SCULPTVUID Co-
LUMNSi

SCHETLAND AND

thii place, were fix piecet of brafs, caft into a form the neareft refembling fet-
tcrt. Thejr were wrapped in a piece of raw hide } but we cannot pretend to
fay that they belonged to the occupiers of the camp.

Flint heads of ^rows, flint axes, fwords made of the bones of a whale, ftonei,
beads, and antiquities, muft be referred to the earlieft inhabitants, at a period in
which thcfe kingdoms were on a level with the natives of new-difcovered iflands
in the South Sta. Druidical circles of ftones, the temples of primeval religion
of our ifland, are not uncommon. The fineft and moft entire are thofe at Sunnht
in one of the Orknty ifles. The diameter of the circle is about a hundred and ten
yards. The higheft ftone fourteen feet. The whole is itngularly furrounded
with a broad and deep ditch, probably to keep at a diftance the unhallowed
vulgar.

At the fame place is a noble femickrcle, confifling of four vaft ftones entire^
and one broken. The higheft are twenty feet high above ground. Behind them
is a mound of earth, conformable to their pofition.. If there never was a num-
ber of ftones to complete a circle, this antiquity was one of the kind which the
learned DoiSlor Borlaft calls a theatre, and fuppofes was deftgned for the exhi-
bition of dramatical performances *. I fufpedi them to have been either for the
purpofes of religion, or judicial tranfa£lions } for the age was probably not fuf-
ficiently refined for the former amufements. Upright ftones, either memorials of
the dead, or vi£lories obtained on the fpot, are very numerous. The moft re-
markable is the ftone of Saiory in the ifle of EJa. It is a flag, fifteen feet high,
five and a half broad, and only nine inches thick. Its ftory is quite unknown ;
but it probably refts over a hero of that name. Notwithftanding the long refi-
dence of the Norwtgians in thefe iflands, I find only one ftone with a Runie in-
fcription, which runs along the fides. The reft of the ftone is plain, and defti-
tute of the fculptures fo frequent on thofe found in Scan^tumia..

In the wall of the church at Sand^tfty is a ftone with three circles, a femi-
circle, and a fquare figure, engraven on it. This is the only one which bears
any refemblance to the elegant carved columns at Mtiglt and Glamts, and which
extend, after a very long interval, as far as the church-yard of Fary on the ex-
treme northern coaft of Cathntfs. Several of thefe have been before attended to.
I can only remark, that they are extremely local, and were, by their fimilarity,
only the work of a (hort period. We imagine that the firft, about which we
can form any conjecture, was erefled in 994, on the defeat of Camusy the Dan0:.
the laft in 1034, on the murder of A/o/fe/m the Second.

* Antlq, Ctrmuatt, 195.

2 lii.

N I

S.

XXX¥

In the ifle o(UhJI are twofingular circlet, near each other. The Urged ii dftj
feet in diameter, to the outmoft ring ; for it confids of three, concentrical i the
outmoft it formed of fmall ftonei, the two inner of earth ; through all of which is a
fingle narrow entrance to a tumulut^which rifet in the centre. The other circle it
only twenty-two feet in diameter, and has only two ringi, formed of earth : in the
centre ii a barrow, the fidei of which are fenced with ftones. No marks of their
having been places of interment have been found, yet mod probably that was
their ufe.

The links or fands of SiaU, in Sandwich., one of the Orini*tj abound in rounc
harrowt. Some are formed of earth alone, others of ftonc c iverect with earth
Ip the former was found a coffin, made of fix flat ftones. T) ay are too (hr.it to
receive a body at full length : the (keletons found in them lie wi'^h the Lneet
preflfed to the breaft, and the legs doubled along the thighs. A Dag, made of
ruflies, has been found at the feet of fome of thefe (keletons, containing to--, bones,
moft probably, of another of the family. In one were to be feen multitudes of
fmall beetles. Whether they were placed there by defign, or lodged there by ace •
dent, I will not determine ; but, as 1 have difcovered fimilar infefts ' s bag
which inclofed the facred Ibisy we may fuppofe that the Egyptiansy and the . \tion
to whom theCe tumuli did belong, might have had the fame fuperftition refpedting
them. On fome of the corpfes interred in this ifland, the mode of burning was
obferved. The alhes, dcpofited in an urn which was covered on the to]f< with a
flat ftone, have been found in the cell of one of the barrows. This coffin or cell
was placed on the ground, then covered with aheap of ftones, and i:hat again
cafed with earth and fods. Both barrow and contents evince them to be of a dif-
ferent age from the former. Thefe tumuli were in the nature of family vaults :
in them have been found two tiers of coffins *. It is probable, that on the death of
any one of the family, the tumulus was opened, and the body interred near its
kindred bones.

The violence of the winds have, by blowing away th- •? -.9 in a certain part of
Wejircy one of the Scbetlandsy difcovered an extenfive burying-place, once covered
with the thicknefs of twenty feet. This feems to have belonged to different na-
tions. One is marked by the tumuli confiftin/; ox ftones and rubbiffa ; fome
rounded, others flat at top like truncated con s. Near them are multitudes of
graves, which are difcoverable only by one, two, three, four, and fometimes even
more ihort upright ftones, fet in t'' e level fand. The corpfe was interred a few
feet deep, and covered with a layer of fine clay, to keep the fand from touching it.

SiPULCHRAt

Anti^uitik,

ClKCVLAR.

BARaowt*

Gravb3 or

Westra.

* See Mr. Lo<w''% account, and plate, Arcbaologia, iii. 276. tab. xiii.

e 2

Not

.^■JV'' ^i -"'- f j; 'fp ■^-':

XXXVI

In SCAKBtJtAVIA.

SCHETLAND AND

Not only human bones> but thofe of oxen, horfes, dogs, and (hcep, hnve been
found in thefe graves. Befides, were feveral forts of warlike inftruments, battlie-
axes,two- banded fwords, broad fwcrds, brazen daggers ami fciiH-cap°, and fwords
made of the bones of the whale : knives and <ymbs : beads, ' retches, and- chains
of ornament : a metal fpoon, and a neat glafs cup greatly curr)ded : fmall flat cir-
cular pieces of marble: ftones (haped like whetftoiies, and fiherical ftones per-
forated, fuch as were in former ufe in Scotland for turning of fpindks : but the moft
lingular thing was a thigh-bone clofcly incircled by a ring of gold. The tumuli
feem to have been the places of fepulture of the inhabitants of the iflcs : the
graves, thofc of fome foreign, natioa who. had landed here, had a conflict, and prov-
ed victorious. T foujnd my conjedure on the arms and other matters found in
them. I'he brafs were Nwtuegian *, the iron belonging to the natives ; but the
weapons of conquerors and conquered were, with ceremonies refembling thofe at
the funeral oi Pallas^ flung into the graves of the victorious party.

■ . . . \

Hinc alii Tpolia occifit direpta LaitHU

Conjiciunt igni| galeat cnfefque decoros,

Frenaque, ferventefque rotas : part muncra nota,

I\>roiuin clypeos } ct non felicia tela i
. c . J , . Malta bourn circa maAaiuur corpora mortii

The antiquities of this clafs found in Standinavia are very numerous, and of a>
magnitude which evince the extreme population of the country. I difcover only
three kinds. The firft may be exemplified' in the vaft rounded earthen tumulus in
Smahndf with a rudte monumental upright ft'one at top \ and near it a fpherical
ftone, beautiftilly carved, flung up in honor of fngo King of Swedetiyin the latter
end of the ninth century f : others in honor of Humblusy and Laudur brother
ro King Angantjr \ the laft furrounded at its bafe with a circle of rude ftones :{^.
The Ramhora Ralle is a mount of earth, with three upright pillars, placed fo as to
form a triangular fpace |* Other tumuli conHft entirely of vaft heaps of ftones.
Several of the fepulchral memorials are formed of ftones difpofed in a circular
form : fome of low ftones, like that of the Dantjh King Harald Hyldtland^ placed
round the edge of the flat area of a low mount. He was flain in battle by Kangt
King of Sweden §, who paid him all funeral honors, burnt his body with great
pomp, and placed around his tumulus the numerous bodies of his faithful fol-
lowers who were flain around their prince ; and their places of reft are marked by
multitudes of fmall earthen barrows, with a fmgle ftone at the top of each. On

* tTermii Mtn. Dm, 50. Dalbbtrg Saetia /bttiqua, tt Hodiernai tab. 314. f Dablherg Sutcia-
ilff/ijiM, tab. jas. I Tkefame, ]r5. | Theiamc, jaj. %Sax9Cr4imm,i\j,

9

the

O R k N I E S. .

XXXVII

the regal mount is a flat ftone, with five hollows in it, bafons to receive the biood
of the vidlims ♦. Others confill of fmall (lones with Matrr-hirion, as the ff^elfi ftyle
them, lofty rude pillars, intermixed. In fome the Icflerftoncs depart from the circu-
lar form, are oval or oblong : their edges are often contiguous, and thofe parts are
often marked with a lofty pillar f. Two pillars are fometimcs found, with an enor-
mous ftone fet from top to top, fo as to form the refemblance of a gateway %. Co-
lumnsof great height are alfo found, furrounded at their bafe with twocirclesof fmall
ftonesfl. Finally, the ftones arc difpoied fo as to form wedges, fquarcs, long rows,
as well as circles. The firft denoted that armies of foot and horfe had prevaled :
the fccond, tro6ps of warriors : the third, duels of champions : and the laft, the
burials of families §. Multitudes of fingle obdifcs are fcattered over the country i
fome quite plain ; others inlcribed with Runic charadters^ memorial of the dead,
intermixed with wclUfancied ornaments ||.

In many of the tumuli are found the weapons and other matters which had
been depodted with the burnt bones of the deceafed. In thufe of the earliefl
ages are the llone weapons, fuch as axes and fpears heads made of flint. la
others have been met with a fmall lamp, a key, and fwords of brafs of the fame,
form with fome of the Reman fwords ••• A fuperflition attending the fwords was
fmgular : thofe of highefl temper were fuppofed to have been made by Duergi^
dwarfs or fairies, arid were thought to have been irrefiflible. The reader will
not be difpleafed with the elegant verfion ft of a Runic poem, defcrtbing the in-
cantations of a fair heroine, to obtaia the magical fword out of the tomb of hec
deceafisd father.

The Runic I N VOC ATION of Hervor, the Daughter of Anoantyr,.
Who demands, at her Father's Tomb, a certain Sword,
called Ttrfingi which was buried with him*

H B R V O R-

Awake, Jagmtyr I To thy tomb.
With fleep-expelling charmut I come.
Break thy drowry fetters, break I
'Tis Htrvtr calls— Awake t awake 1

Ttrfii^,m»At hy fairy hand*,.
Htrvor from thy tomb demands.
HtrvarJuTt Wtrvardwr, hear I
Lift, oh lift, my father dear !'

• Dahlbtrg, tab. 315. f The fame, and tab. it 1 . J OJmi Magnus. % Wormi Man. Dau. p. 6 j.

S I do not well underftand fome of thefe diftinftion* \ but give them from Olmu Magnus^ lib. i. c. s».
Moft of them are exemplified at Fittfa in Sweden. See Dablberg, tab. 1W4, and PerinfHild Monum.
Sueo-Gitb, p. ii<*.

II irornM Monum. Dan. 64, & paOim. •• Dahlbtrg, tab. jr^.. tf By mj fHead, the

Reverend Mt.WiUiamt of Fron.

EKk

««'■-, .fCv

in -

XXXVIII

RUNIC INVOCATION.

Each from hit Alent tomb I cull |
Gkofti of the de«d, awaken all I
With helmet, fliield, and coat of mail,
With fword and fpear, I bid ye hail I
Where twifted roots of oak abound |
And undermine the hollow ground,
Each from hit narrow cell I call i
Ohoftt of the dead, awaken all I
In what darkfome cavern deep,
Do the font of Angiym fleep f
Duft and alhet tho' ye be,
Soni of ingrym, anfwer me.
Lift'ning in your clay-cold bedi,
Sona of Ejvtr, lift your heada.
Rife, Hitrvardur, rife and fpeakf
hervardur, thy long filence break.
Duft and a(hei tho' ye be.
One and all, oh anfwer me.
Never, oh never may ye reft \
But rot and putrefy unbleft'd.
If ye refufe the magic blade,
And belt, by fairy fingert made I

AnCANTTIm

Ccafe, oh daughter, ccafe to call m« \
Didft thou know what will befall thcti
Thou hadft never hither fped,
With Runic fpellt to wake the dead t
Thou, that in evil hour art come
To brave the terron of the tomb.
Nor friend, nor weeping father, gave
Ai^aHtjr'* rcliquet to the grave)
And Tirfing, that alUconqu'ring fword,
No longer calls Angantyr lord.
A living warrior wears it now—

H B » V 0 K.

'Til falfe, Augantyr j only thou.
So may great Odin ever keep
In peace the turf where thou doft fleep |
A« TirfiHg ftill befide thee liet,
Th' attendant of thy obfeq^iet i
My juft inheritance I claim {
Conjure thee by a daughter'! name,
Thy only child 1

Anoamtyk.
Too well I knew
TItou woulJft demand what thou (halt me.
By T/»yfw|'i fatal point fliall die
The biavelt of thy progeny.
A warlike fon Ihall Htrvor bear,
Hirvtr't pride, and Tirfing't heir ;
Already, daughter, I forcfee
niidrik the hero't name will bet
To him, the young, the bold, the ftrong,
77r/«|f hereafter will belong.

H ■ R V 0 K.

Ne'er Atill my inchantments ceafe,
Nor you, ye (]i>lritt, reft in peace.
Until ye grant what I demand.
And Tirfing glittert in my hand.

Amoantyr.
Oh Virgin, more than woman bold !
Of wirlike mien, and manly mould I
What hai induc'd thy feet to tread
The gloomy manfioni of the dead,
At thli lone hour, devoid of fear.
With (Word, and (hield, and magic fpear 1

Hi R V OR.
The eaufii thou know'ft, why to thy tomb
I've wander'd thro* the midnight gloom t
Yield then the Fairiei work divine %
Thou irt no father elfe of mine i
But gtMii dttmn'd,

Anoantyr.

Then hear me, Maid,
That art not ev'n of death afraid !
Hiafmar't bane thou flialt command i
The fatal fword it in my hand :
But lee the flamit that round it rife I
Doft thou the furioui fire defpife t

H I R V 0 R.

Vai I I dire fclie, amidft the fire.
The ob)«A of my foul'i defire }
Nor do theft eyii behold with dread.
The flame that playi around the dead.

Anoantyr.
Rifli Maid I will nothing then controul
The purpoft of thji daring foul )

But

FEROE ISLES.

XXXIX

But hold — ere thou (houlJft fall a prey
To thefe firrce flame* that round it pla/i
The fword from out the tomb I'll bf'iigi
Go, and the fong of triumph Hng.

H B R VO R.

offspring of king* ! I know thee now,
And thut before thy prefence bow j
Father, Hero, Prince, and Friend I
To thee my grateful kneea I bend.
Not half fo happy had I been,
Tho' Scandinavia hail'd me queen.

ANOANTYa.

How art thou to thy int'reft blind.
Weak woman, tho* of danntlef* mind I
Tirfing, the objeft of thy joy.
Thy future oifapriQg (hall deflroy.

H E R V O R.

My feamen call } I muft away t
AdieU: O King I I cannot flay.
Fate, do thy worfti in times to comt
Be what it nay, my children's doom I

Ancantyr.
Take then, and keep Hialmar't bane,
Dy'd in the blood of heroes fiain.

Long (hall lh« fatal pledge be thine,
Hirvir, If truly I divine \
Th« fill, devouring, poifon'd blade,
For d«alh and for dvAruAion made.

H I II VOR.

With |oy lh« two adg'd fword I take,
Nur reck lb* havoek It will make }
PolT'^iriiig which, I little rue
Whate'er my frantic font may do.

Anoantyr.

Diugliter, farewell t a* thou doft live,
To thee th« dtath of tw«lve I give :
To that, 0 maid of warlike mind.
What AHgrjm't font have left behind.

H I ft V 0 a.
AngMljr, reft In piaee I and all
Ye ghofli, who hava obey'd my call;
Reft In your mould'ring vaults below I
Whila from thli houfe of death I go,
Whert, burfting from the vap'rous ground,
Mattori fliMi, and blaie around.

I {hall juft mention, that the antient StandiMavhnt htd alfo therr CromUhs *. I
can trace but one inftance, and that on the top of a tumului in ZtalanJ; which,
with two other barrows, is included in a fquare of ftonei.

Circles, for the purpofe of religious ritei, were not wanting here. The Ettejlupa,
or circle of lofty rude columns in H^0/i Gtthlandt wai celebrated for the facrifices
of the heathens f ; and the great ftonei at Flnfladt dl())ofed in form of a cell,
and called St. Birgitta's Oratory %, waa no other than a temple of worfhip, ana-
logous, probably, to that of the Druidi.

The next ftep is to the Ferob iflands, a group about two hundred and ten miles to
the north-weft of the noithcrn Schtihndf between lat. 6l» 15. and 62, 30. There are
feventeen which are habitable, each of which ii a lofty mountain arifing out of the
waves, divided from the others by deep and rapid currenti. Some of them are
deeply indented with fecure harbours { providence feemiftg to have favored manlcind
with the fafeft retreats in the moft boifteroui feai< All are very fteep, and moft of

* fFormii Mm, Dan, p. It

t Dalbttrg, lib. lie.

{ The fame, 105.

Fsaoi IiLis.

them

XL

P E R O E ISLES.

Land Birds.

Fo-"LIHO.

From above,

ihem faced with moft tremendous precipices. The furface of tlie mountains con-
fills of a (hallow foil of remarkable /ertility ; for barley, the only corn fown here,
yields above twenty for one ; and the grafs affords abundant pafturage for fheep.
The exports are falted mutton and tallow, goofe quils, feathers, and Eider down ;
and, by the induftry of the inhabitants, knit woollen waiftcoats, caps, and (lock-
ings. No trees beyond the fize of juniper, or ftunted willows, will grow here :
nor are any wild quadrupeds to be met with, except rats and mice, originally
cfczped from the fliipping.

The lift of land birds is very fmall :— The Cinereous Eagle, p. 214. B ; the
Lanner, p>. 225. K; the Sparrow Ifawk, p. 226. N* j a fpec'.-s of Owl; the
Raven, N''i34; and Hooded Crow, p. 251. B. are the pernicious fpecies.
Ravens were fo deftru6live to the Lambs an J Sheep, that in old times every boat-
man was obliged to bring into the feffions-houfe, on St. O/jux's day, the beak of
one of thofe birds, or pay one (kin, which was called the Raven-fine^ in cafe of
negled. The remaining land fowl are Wild Pigeons and Stares, White Wagtails,
Wrens, and fometimes the Swallow. The Snow Bunting only refts here in
fpring, on its pa(rage riorthward. The Heron is fometimes met with. The Spoon-
Bill is Common f. The Sea Picj Water Rail, and Lapwing, are fcen here. The
birds of the rocks, fuch as Puffins, Razor Bills, and Little Auks, Fooli(h and
Black Guillemots, fwarm here ; and the Geyir-fugly or Great Auk, at certain
periods vifits thefe iflands. The laft, by reafon of its (hort wing incapable of flight,
neftles at the foot of the cliffs. The Skua, Ar£tic, Black-backed, and Herring
Culls, Fulmars, Manks, Stormy Petrels, Imber and Northern Divers, Wild
JSwans and Goefe, (the Swans only vernal paiTengers towards the north) Eider
Ducks, Havelda or Long-tailed Duck«, Corvorants, and the Sula Gannet, form
the .fum.of the palmated fowl of thefe inhoipitable fpots.1

The manner of fowling is fo very ftrai\ge and hazardous that the defcription
ihould by no means be omitted. Neceffity compels mankind to wonderful attempts.
The cliffs which contain the objedls q{ their fearch are often two hundred fathoms
in height, and are attempted from above »nd below. In the firft cafe, the fowlers
provide themfelves with a rope eighty or a hundred fathoms in length. The
fowler faftens one end about his waift and between his legs, recommends himfelf
to the protedion of the Almighty, and is lowered down by fix others, who place a
piece of timber on the margin of the rock, to preferve the rope from wearing againft
the (harp edge. They have befides a fmall line faftened to the body of the ad-
venturer, by which he gives fignals that they may lower or raife him, or (hift hiai

• Tbf fe on the authority of Mr. Debet, who wrote the hiftory of thefe ifles in 1670.
\ Brumich, p. 46.

from

I— »^"-
.'-■.•Wfsv-

FEROE ISLE ST:

from place to place. The laft operation is attended with great danger, by ths
loofening of the ftoneSi which often fall on his head, and would infallibly dcftroy
h(m, was it not proteAed by a ftrong thick cap ; but even that is found unequal
to fave him againft the weight of the larger fragments of rock. The dexterity of
the fowlers is amazing ; they will place their feet againft the front of the preci-
pice, and dart themfelves fome fathoms from it, with a cool eye furvey the places
where the birds neftle, and again fiioot into their haunts. In fome places the birds
lodge in deep recefles. The fowler will alight there, difengage himfelf from the
rope, fix it to a ftone, and at his leifure collect the booty, faften it to his girdle,
and refume his pendulous feat. At times he will again fpring from the rock, and in
that attitude, with a fowling net placed at the end of a ftafF, catch the old birds
which are flying to and from their retreats. When he hath finiflied his dreadful
employ, he gives a flgnal to his friends above, who pull him up, and (hare the hard-
earned profit. The feathers are preferved for exportation : the fleOi is partly eaten
frefh : but the greater portion dried for winter's provifion.

The fowling from below has its fliare of danger. The party goes on the expe-
dition in a boat ; and when it has attained the bafe of the precipice, one of the moft
daring, having faftened a rope about his waift, and furniflied himfelf with a long
pole with an iron hook at one end, either climbs, or is thruft up by his companions,
who place a pole under his breech, to the next footing fpot he can reach *. He,
by means of the rope, brings up one of the boats crew ; the reft are drawn up in
the fame manner, and each is furniftied with his rope and fowling-ftaiF. They
then continue their pr^^^^refs upwards in the fame manner, till they arrive at the
region of birds i and wanderabout thefaceof theclifFinfearch of them. They then
ai^ in pairs ; one faftens himfelf to the end of his aflbciate's rope, and, in places
where birds have neftled beneath his footing, he permits himfelf to be lowered
down, depending for his fccurity t6 the ftrength of his companion, who is to haul
him up again ; but it fometimes happens that the perfon above is overpowered by
the weight, and both inevitably perifb. They fling the fowl down to the boat^
which attends their motions, and receives the booty. They often pafs feven or
eight days in this tremendous employ, and lodge in the crannies which they find
in the face of the precipice.

The fea which furrounds thefe iflands is extremely turbulent. The tides vary
greatly on the weftem and eaftern fides. On the firft, where is received the un-
interrupted flood of the ocean from the remote Greenland^ the tide rifes feven fa-
thoms : on the eaftern fide it rifes only three. Dreadful whirlwinds, called by the
DaneSi oesy agitate the fea to a ftrange degree ; catch up a vaft quantity of water.

XM

FHOM BSLOVr.

* In Poutopp'tdmU Hi/. Ntriuaj, ii. 6i. it a plate cxprdTive of this manner of fowling.

f

fo

XIII

ICILAND.

FEROi: ISLES.

fo as to leave a great temporary chafm in the fpot on which it falls, and carries rmj
with it, to an amazing di fiance, any iiOies which may happen to be within reach
of its fury. Thus great flioals of Herrings have been found on the higheft moun-
tains of Feroe. It is equally refiftlers on land, tearing up trees, flones, and animalt>
and carrying them to very diflant places. We muft no longer laugh at the good
archbifliop*, who gravely tells us, that at times, the Rats called Lemming are
poured down from the clouds in great fliowers on the Jlps of Norway. We
aflent to the fa£l ; but muft folve the phcenomenon by afcribing it to a whirlwind,
as he does in one place ; yet immediately fuopofes they may be bred in the upper
regions out of feculent matter.

Among the numerous whirlpools of thefe feas, that of Suderoe., near the ifland of
the fame name, is the moft noted. It is occafioned by a crater, Hxty-one fathoms
in depth in the centre, and from fifty to fifty-Hvc on the fides. The water forms
four fierce circumgirations. The point they begin at is on the fide of a large bafon,
where commences a range of rocks running fpirally, and terminattngat the verge
of the crater. This range is extremely rugged, and covered with water from the
depth of twelve to eight fathoms only. It forms four equidiftant wreaths, with a
channel from thirty-five to twenty fathoms in depth between each. On the outfide,
beyond that depth, the fea fuddenly finks to eighty and ninety. On the fouth border
of the bafon is a lofty rock, called Sumboe Munky noted for the multitude of birds
which frequent it. On one fide, the water is only three or four fathoms deep ; on
the other fifteen. The danger at moft times, efpecially in ftorms, is very great.
Ships are irrefiftibly drawn in : the rudder lofes ks power, and the waves beat as
high as the mafts j fo that an efcape is almoft miraculous : yet at the reflux, and
in very ftill weather, the inhabitants will verdure in boats, for the fake of fifliing.
Mr. Debet omits the times of greateft danger. It is to be hoped that attention will
be paid to the various periodical appearances of a phcenomenon, the caufe of
which is very fatisfa£)torily explained by the worthy paftor f.

Mankind found their way to thefe iflands fome time before the difcovery of
Iceland. Naddtdd., a Norwegian pirate, had retired here, as the only place of fecurity
he could find %. About this time, Harold Harfagre pofTefTed YiimkM oi Norway^
and flung off the Danipi yoke. A party was formed againft him j but it was foon
fubdued, and the malecontcnts quitting the kingdom, retired tothe Hebrides^ Orkniesy
Schetland, and Feroty and gave rife to the Norwegian reign in all thofe iflands.

From the Feroe iflands,Jthe hardy Scandinavians made the next ftep, in their nor-
thern migrations, to Iceland. I muft premife, that there is the higheft pro-
bability that this ifland was difcovered in an age moft remote to theirs : and
that it was the Thule of PytheaSy an illuftrious MarfeilliaHy at left cotemporary with

* OUi^s Magnus, Archb. of Upfal. f ^'c '>>' P'»<> P- 5** X Iflandt Landnamabok, 5.

Jri/}:*U

I C E

AND,

XLIII

JriJiotU*., and who puflied his difcoveries towards the north, as his countryman
Euthymtnts did beyond the line. Pytheas arrived at Thuli^ an ifland, fays he, fix
days failing northward from Britain, where, he informs us, was continual day and
night for fix months alternately f. He docs not exactly hit on the length of day
and night ; but he could have been at no other, at that diftance from Britain^ but
Iceland^ in which there was a moft remarkable abfence of light. As to Naddodd,
in 86 1, he was accidentally driven by a tempeft to the eaftern fide of Iceland, to
a place now called Rtidarfiall, He found the country covered with fnow, and
therefore named it Snceland; yet he returned home full of its praifcs. Soon after,
Gardafy a Swede, experienced the fame fortune. On a voyage to the Hebrides, he
was tempeft-driven to the fame ifland ; on which, by the advice of his mother, who
was a fort of diviner, he landed at Horn. At this period Iceland was cloathed witli
wood from the fhore to the very tops of the mountains. He wintered there, and
likewife returned full of its praifes %>

Floke, a celebrated pirate, was the next adventurer. He took with him three
Ravens, and, like another Noah, made them the augury of the land. Before he
failed, he performed a great facrifice for the fuccefs, upon a vaft pile of flones, which
he raifed for the pvirpofe. This points out another origin of the vaft tumuli we fo
frequently fee. He made the Schetland znd the Feree ifles his firft fteps ; and loofed
from the laft for Iceland, the neareft point of which is about five hundred and forty
miles diftant. His firft Raven returned to Feree : the fecond flew back to the (hip :
the third directed him to the wi(hed-for land §. He wintered there. The cattle
he brought with him perifhed through want. The fpring proved unufually cold,
and the fea appeared full of ice } for which reafon he beftowed on the ifland the
name it at prefent bears. Fleie yiras fick of his voyage : returned full of difpraifes
of the country. This did not difcourage other adventurers, all of them Scandi-
navitttu, thruft out of the exuberant northern hive. The reft of the world, which
their countrymen ravaged, was afTuredly too fmall for them, otherwife they never
would have colonized almoft the moft wretched fpot in the northern hemifphere.
Ambition poflibly aAuated the leaders, who might think it

Better to reign in hell than fcrve in hearen.

Colony after colony arrived. They confederated, and formed a republic, which
exifted near four hundred years ; but with as many feuds and flaughters as could

* The worki of Pjtbeeu had been read by Dicnartbue, a difciple of Jrijlotte'u See Strabo, lib. ii.
p. lA).
t Flin, lib. ii. c. 75. % Same, p. 7. % Same, p, 8. Torfaut' Hifi, Norvtg. ii. 97.

f 2 happen

xiir

ICELAND.

WoonS LOKG
LOST.

Drift-wood.

happen In a climate where luxury might pamper and corrupt the inhabitants. la
1261, wearied with their diflenfions, they voluntarily re-united themfelves to
their mother*country, Norway., under the reign of its monarch Haqutn. It is re-
markable, that the poetic genius of their aboriginal country flourifhed witli equal
lublimity in every climate. The SealJsy or bardt, retained their fire in the inhof-
pitable climate of IcelaneL, as vigoroufly as when they attended on their chieftains
to the mild air of Spaing or Sicily^ and fung their valiant deeds.

Every thing which furnifhed topics to the poets of other countries, was, in the
moft remote period, wanting here. Groves, verdant meadows, purling ftreams,
and gentle zephyrs, were totally unknown ; and in their ftead, ftunted flirubs, a
thin herbage, rude torrents, and fierce gales, reign in every part. Wc admit the
apology of the learned Torfceus for the prefent (late of his country*. Violent
tempers might cover whole trails with the unliable fand, eruptions of water from
the mountains defolate fomc parts, earthquakes bury vaft extents of fertile land
with fragments of rocks, and inundations of the fea change the face of others.
But foft fcenery was not requifite to infpire poets who were to fing only the pre-
parations for warlike exploits, the flaughter of a battle, the deeds of their heroes^
and the magic folemnities of fuperftitions.

The ifland, at prefent, exhibits to the traveller amazing flopes of lava, which
once ftreamed from the vulcanoes, and terminated in the fea. Such is the appear-
ance, about three miles from Hafnatfoird^ in lat. 64. 4. of vaft mafles of lava piled
to a montanous height upon each other, broken, vitrified, fliarp, rude, and black.
In parts, fandy tra£ls intervene : in others, a foil peculiar to the place, a tufa,
originated from the violent eruptions of impure water which rufh from the moun-
tains, attendant on the fiery eruptions. Vallies compofed of a very thin foil, afford
grafs for a numerous breed of cattle and (beep. Here is found variety of fpecies of
the beft grades ; of the aira^poayfejlucay and cartx. Part is harvefted againft winter ;
but not in fuch plenty, but that the farmer is obliged often to feed his flock with
the wolf-fifh, or the heads of cod-fifh beaten fmall, and mixed with a quarter part
of hay. To what food will not neceffity compel both man and beaft to recur !

The woods of Iceland have long fince vanifhed, unlefs we except a few flunted
birch, fcarcely ten feet high, and four inches in diameter ; and a few fpecies of
willow, fo fmall and fo rare as fcarcely to be of ufe to the inhabitants. But they
are abundantly fupplied with drift-wood from Europt and America^ as appears by
the fpecies found on the fhores, efpecially on all the northern coaft, as Latjganefs on
the north-eafl, and Humjlrandt on the north-weft. That woods were found here

• U^, iftrwtg. i. I a.

in

ICELAND.

xir

or.

in very remote periods, is very evident, from the quantity of fulur brand tntt with

in feveral parts } which ftill retains traces of its vegetable origin } the marks

of branches, and circles of the annual growth of the wood : fome pieces are

even capable of being planed. It is found in the fiflures of the rocks, much

comprefled by their weight, and in pieces fometimes big enough to make a

middle-fized table. This is fometimes ufed as fuel ; but the want of it is fup-

plied, in fome meafure, by the drift-wood, by peat, and by feveral flrange fubftt-

tutes, the efFe£t of nccefllty. Smiths prefer the futurhrand to fea-coal in their

bufinefs. The beds of this foflil ftrongly refute the notion of Iceland having

been entirely formed by vulcanic violence, (ince the original creation ; and

raifed out of the fea in later times, as others have been known to have done.

Dtloi and Rhadosy in very remote ages; TherOt the modern Santtrini, and

Thera/uit in the 135th Olympiad; Thioy in the time of Pliny *i and in the beginning

of this century another fprung from the fea, by the force of fubterraneous fires, near

to Santorini t : a^^d, while I am now writing, an ifland is forming by the fame

caufe, not remote from the Reicitnejy part of the very ifland in queftion. But thefe

futur or forte brands are certainly the remains of antient forefts, overturned and

buried by earthquakes, after the golden age of the ifland. Let me add to this

another proof, from the number of its vegetables: there being found on it not Plants, nvmbsr

fewer than three hundred and nine perfect, and two hundred and thirty-three

cryptogamous plants. On the ifle of Afcenfion^ which is totally and aboriginally

vulcanic, a Flora of not more than feven plants is to be feen %.

This vaft ifland extends from 63. 15. to about 67. 18. north latitude: i»
reckoned to be five hundred and fixty Englijh miles long, and about two hundred
and fifty broad ||. It has a rugged coafl, indented deeply with fecure bays ; but
faced with very few ifles. It lies in the Hyperborean ocean, divided from Greenland
by a fea about thirty-five leagues wide §. The whole is traverfed with great ridges
of mountains ; the higheft naked, and ufually frtt from fnow, by reafon of the
falineand fulphurous particles with which they abound. The lower, called Joh-
}eler, are cafed with eternal ice and fnow ; and are the glacieres of Iceland. Of thefe,
Snitjiall Jokkely which hangs over the fea in the wefl part of the ifland, is far the
higheft f . Out of thefe, at different periods, have been tremendous eruptions of fire
and water, the burfl of which is attended with a mofl terrific noife : flames and balls
of fire iffue out with the fmoke : and fliowers of ftones are vomited up } of which there
has been an iivftance of one weighing near three hundred pounds being flung to the

• Htft. Nat. lib. ii. c. 87. + Moft admirably defcribed in the W, Tranf. Jbridg. v. 196, &ca

t 0>f*V %. it. 98. f?r/<rV Fey. ii. 57 j. 5,76. | AMf/, i. »s. ^ Kerguelin, tjs.

fl See Olafftn, i. tab, xvii.

2 diftanc*

XLVI

HtfERt, 0% BOIt<
INO JETI O'lAVX,

ICELAND.

diftance of four miles. The heights of the mountains have not been taken i but
that of the Htcla-fiall is not far ihort of feventeen hundred yards. Of this fpecies of
mountain, Htcla has been moft celebrated : the records of Ictland enumerate ten
of its eruptions fince the arrival of the NortuegtaHs. It was the hell of the nor-
thern nations { but they feem divided in their opinions, whether the pains of the
damned arofe from fire, or, what was more tremendous to the natives of thefe
countries, from the cold *.

To hathe in fieiy floodt, or to reflde
In thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice.

Htcla has been known to have had only ten eruptions between the years 1 104 and
1693; fromthe laftto 1766, when it burft out in flames and /tfva. It emitted flames
in 1771 and 177a ; but did not overflow with Stenna, or a flone flood. But other
vulcanoes have, in the prcfent century, proved the fpiracles to the internal fires of
Ictlamd. The vallies between the mountains are in general fandy and fterile. Fiery
eruptions are not confined to the mountains. Laft year they burft out of the fulphure-
ous foil of the low parts of SkafiafitldSyJftl or province ; and the lava has overflown
the country for the fpace of thirty miles, and has at laft reached the fea, deftroying
every thing in its progrefs. It dries up the rivers, and fills their beds with lava.
Moors in fome places ftop its courfe ; but it tottlly changes their nature. It has
taken to the deferts of the fame province, and begins to fpread to the eaft, or
MuU Syjilt the moft populous and fruitful part of the iiland ; nor were there any
figns of its ceafing at the time when this account was fent to me f.

Thi Fountains of many of the vallies are of a moft extraordinary nature;
are called Hutrty and form at timc» jets d'eaux of fcalding water, ninety- four feet
high, and thirty in diameter, creating the moft magnificent gtrtts in nature !
efpecially when backed by the fetting fun. They arife out of cylindrical tubes
of unknown depths : near the furface they expand into apertures of a funnel
fliape, and the mouths fpread into large extent of ftala£litical matter, formed of fuc-
ceffive fcaly cnncentric undulations. The playing of thefe ftupendous fpouts
is foretold by noifes roaring like the cataract of Niagara, The cylinder be-
gins to fill : it rifes gradually to the furface, and gradually encreafes its height,
fmoking amazingly, and flinging up great ftones. After attaining its greateft
height, it gradually finks, till it totally difappears. Boiling jtts d'taux, and
boiling fprings, are frequent in moft parts of the ifland. In many parts they
are applied to the culinary ufes of the natives. The moft capital is that which is

tarthtHuui it Ctntmptu MertUt 359.

t Letter from Mr. BruitnUb, dated Offtbtr 31, 1783.
5 called

ICELAND.

XLVII

called Gtyir^ in a plain rifing into fmall hills, and in the mldft of ftii amphi-
theatre, bounded by the mod magnificent and various-fliaped icy mounuini }
among which the three-headed Hecla foars pre-eminent.

Thefe Hutrs are not confined to the land. They rife in the very Tea, and form In thb Sia.
icalding fountains amidft the waves. Their diftance from the land is unknown }
but the new vulcanic ifle, twelve miles oflT the point of Reicktntty emitting fire and
fmoke, proves that the fubterraneous fires and wate.^ extend to that fpace ; for thofe
aweful effefls arife from the united fury of thefe twc elements •. The depth of
water between this new creation and the Giir-fugl Skhr^ is forty-four fathoms }
ten leagues to the weft, two hundred and five: and ihe bottom compofed of
black fand f ; doubtlefs no other than the Pumtx arenaceus, ihe frequent evomition
of vulcames. How irur-h paft human comprehenfion muft the powers have been,
that could force up materials for an ifland, even from thr. medium depth I have
given I and how deep beneath the bottom of the ocean mjft have been the caufes
which could fupply ftone, or pumice, or lava, to fill the fpace which this ifland oc-
cupies, many miles m circumference, and poflibly abcve a hundred fathoms in
depth I

If Tome iflands fpring out of thefe feas, others are Swallowed by the force of
earthquakes. Their foundations are undermined by the t'ury of the fubterraneous
elements, which carries off the materials of their bafis, and difcharges it in
lava, or different forms, through the vulcanic fpiracula. The earthquakes (hatter
the cruft on which they ftand, and they tumble into the great abyfs. Such
was the fate of the nine ifles of Goubermaiti which lay about four leagues from
Sandanefsy between Patrixfiori and Cape Nerty all which fuddenly difappeared.
Their names flill exift in feveral maps ; but their place is only diftinguifhable
by the fuperior depth of water in the fpot on which they ftood %,

The number of inhabitants in luUud'ts computed not to exceed fixty thoufand. Pfopii, iro-MBta
Confidering the ungenial furface of this vaft ifland, probably the number is
equal to the means of fupport. Writers apologize for the fewnefs of inhabi-
tants, by attributing it to the almoft depopulation of the place by Xht forte died,
or black death, a peftilence which commenced in Catbaff or Chinny in 1 346, fpread
over all Jfigy and Africa^ reached the fouth of Eur$pe in 1347} and in 1348
fpread itfelf over Britaitty Germanjy and northern Europe., even to the extremity
of the inhabited north. The fmalUpox, and other epidemics, are mentioned as
contributing to thin the ifland. During the time of the plague, tradition relaten

OF.

PlITlllHCI*

• See Mr. mUeburJFs Theory,
par M. dt Kergtulm, 69.

t Sable noir comme la poudre a canon. Foj/mgt a» NorJ,
X The GuDe, 654 ((.

IR

vzr - ■ ■',#■■

I

If

i^'Hl

r*

itnu I C E L A N D. , • ^ •

in terms moft griphically horrid, that the perfont who efcapcd to the moun*
tainSf faw the whole low country covered with a thick peftifcrous fog. A guefii
may be made at the number of inhabitants in the eleventh century } for a biOiop
of ScMbok caufed, in itigo, all who were liable to pay tribute to be numbered :
four thoufand of that rank were found { fo that, giving five to a family, the
Turn ia twenty thoufand *. Much of the labor in the northern world falls to the
female part ef the family i and in thofe patriarchal timet, the fon» alfo Hiarcd
the toil. I cannot therefore under-rate the number of commonalty, or untaxable
people, heads of families, at ten thoufand } which, by the fame rule, will give
fifty thoufand of the lower rank. Befides the dearth of food in this rude ifland,
other caufes contribute to prevent the increafe of inhabitants. Neccfllty forces
the men to feek from the fea fubfiftence, denied by their niggardly land. Con-
Aant wet, cold, and hard labor, abridge the days of thoufands} and that labor is in-
creafed tenfold, to fupply the rapacity of their maftcrs. Incredible as it may feem,
a late V\ng of Dtnmark (old the whole illand, and itn inhabitants, to 'a company of
merchants, for the annual rent of one thoufand pounds. This company en-
flave the poor natives { who are bound to fell their fifli, the ftaple of the ifland,
at a low price to thefe monopolizers ; who, dreading refiftance, even have taken
from them the ufe of fire-arms ! Here is given a ftronger caufe of depopulation,
perhaps, than the others ; for JJymtn can have but faint votaries in the land from
whence liberty is baniftied. But for thefe caufes, here ought to be found the
genuine fpecies of the Norman race, unmixed with foreign blood } as rauft be
the cafe with every place remote from the refl of the world. Here are to bs
fought the antient cuiloms ^nd diet of their original ftock, which are now pro-
bably worn out in the land of their diftant apceftors. The luxury of food has
- fo little crept in among them, that their meat and drink in general is peculiar
^ to themfelves ; and much of the former compofed of herbs negleded in other

places.
Dattt. The drefs'of the natives feems unchanged for a very confiderable time : that of

the men is fimple, not unlike that of the Norwegian peafants f ; that of the fe«
males is graceful, elegant, »nd peculiar to them, and perhaps fome very old-
faihioned Nerwegutrt lady. They ornament themfelves with Alver chains and
rich plates of filver, beautifuliy wrought. On their head is a' lofty flender drefs,
n»t unlike a Phrygian bonnet. I cannot compare this to any antient European
faihion. Jfabel of Frante^ queen to Edward II. wore a head-drefs of an enor-

• Arngrim Jetuu's Comment. IteUmd. in HacUuyt, i. 556.
ttfpidan, ii. tab. p. ^^%.

t See Olaffen, i. tab. iii. P««>

mous

ICELAND.-

XLII

mous height, of a flcnder conic form * ; but which, for want of the flexure at
top, gave place in elegance to the tade of the hilandic fair.

Mr. Trail awakens our curiofity about the Lilandit antiquities i fpeaks of
cables, and heathen temples, and burying-places, and upright ftones, and mountk.
Of the firft I am felicitous to gain fome further kauwiege, for poifibl/ thejr
might dire£l to the origin of the round buildings in the Httridts, Orknw^ Sshtt-
landt and the north of Scotland f : others fecm to me the various Sca»dinavHtn
antiquities, admirably exemplified in Baron Dahlhtrg's Sutcia Aniiqua it Mtdtma.

The fpecics of quadrupeds of this ^ifland are very few. Smi-vil horfes of a
hardy kind i cows in great abundance, and moftly bornlefs, the Aefh and bidet
of which are confiderable articles of exportation. Sheep are met with in great
flocks in every farm ; the wool is manufactured at home, the meat falted, and,
with the flcins, much of it is fold to the Company, at the twenty-two ports al-
lotted for the purpofcs of traffic. It is remarkable, that the climate difpofes their
horns to grow vei-y large, and even to exceed the number of thofe of the Oieep
of other countries j examples of three, four, and Ave, being extremely frequent.
Goats and fwine are very fcarce ; the flrA, for want of Ihrubs to brouze, the laft
through deficiency of their ufual food, and the fupply which the farm-yards of
other countries afford. . »

The dogs are (harp-tiofed, have fhort and fliarp upright ears, bufliy tails,
and are full of hair. Here are domedic cats; but numbets are grown wild,
and multiply among the rocks, fo as to become noxious. The reader need not be
reminded, that thefe, and every fpecies of domeilic animals, were originally in*
troduced into Iceland by the Norwegians.

An attempt has been made to introduce the Rein Deer, Arif. Zool. N* 4.
Thofe which furvived the voyage have bred frequently. There can be little
doubt of their fucceeding, as Iceland has, in common with Lapland., moft of the
plants for their fummer food t> ^^^ abundance of the Rein Deer Ikhtn for
their winter provifion.

Rats and Mice feem to have been involuntarily tranfported. Both the domeilic
fpecies are found here } and the white variety of the Moufe, called in the Icelandic^
Shgar MySf is fommon in the bu(hes. I fufpeA that there is a native fpecies,
allied, as Doctor Pallas imagines, to the CEconomic, Ar£f, Zool. p. 134, A. ; for,
like that, it lays in a great magazine of berries by way of winter- flores. This
fpecies is particularly plentiful in the wood of Hu/afels. In a country where

DOMIITIC QUA-
DRUPIDt.

Rats.

• Monfaucon Monum. de la Monarchit Fr. iirtab. xlii. f roj/. Hebrides,

Olajfen, ii. 134. and Ameen. Acad. iv. rji.

g

% Confer.

berries

."wjmjuj.'J'.fj--

ICE L A N U.

berries are but thinly difperfed, thefe little animals are obliged to crofs rivers to tnake^
their diftant forages. In their return with the booty to their magazines, they are
obliged to repafs the ftream ; of which Mr. Olaffen gives the following account :-—
" The party,, which confifts of from fix to ten, feledl a flat piece of dried cow>dung,
on which they place the berries in a heap in the middle; then, by their united' force,
bring it to the water's edge, and after launching it, embark, and place themfVlves
round the heap, with their heads joined over it, and their backs to the water, their
tails pendent in the ftream, ferving the purpofe of rudders *." When I confider the
wonderful fagacity of Beavers, and> think of the management of the Squirrel,
which, in cafes of fimilar neceffity, make a piece of bark their boat, and tail their
fail t, I nO' longer hefttate to credit the relationv

FoxBS. The Common Fox, ArEi. Z'otl. N» ii, and the Ar£lic, N» lO, are frequent ;,

arc profcribed, and killed for the^fake'of a reward, in order to pre /en t the
b^vock they would make among the (heept

Bears. The Polar Bear, N*j8, is often tranfported from (?r««A7«</j on the iflands of

ice ; but no fooner is its landing difcovered, than a general alarm is fpread, and
purfuit made till it is deftroyed. The Icelanders are very intrepid in thsir attack
on this animal ; and a fingle man, armed only with a fpear, frequently enters the
lifts with this tremendous beaft, and never fails of viAory. A perfon who lived
near Langentfs^ the extreme northern point, where the Bears moft frequently land,
is ftill celebrated for having flain not fewer than twenty in fingle combat; There
is a reward for every fkin, which muft be delivered to the next magiftrate^

The Common Bat^ p. L85, A. is fometimes found in this ifland, and finUhes the
lift of the lanf' :;iiimals of the country.

The amphibious quadrupeds, er Seals, are very numerous. Iceland^ being
blefTed with domeftic animals, has lefs ufe of this race than other ^r<7;V coun-
tries ; yet they are of confiderable advantage. The fkins are ufed for cloathing ;
a goodone is equal in value to the ficin of a Cheep, or the hide of a cow; and
the fat fupplies the lamps in the long nights with oil. The Common, during
winter, is excefllvely fatj and will yield fixty pounds^.

SzALfr. The /«/<i«</<rx have two fpecies of native Seals : the Common, N* 72, called

by them Land-Salur., becaufe it keeps near the coaft; the other, the Great,
"ii'lly otVt-Salur. They are taken in nets placed in the creeks and narrow
bays, which they paf& through to get on (hore. When it begins to grow dark
the hunters make a. fire, and fling into it the {havings of horns, or any thing that
finells ftrong ; this allures the Seals, who ftrike into the nets, and are taken.

Qle^gen, at related to him*

f Unn*us, KUin, Rzacxinfii, Sdefer,

At

ICELAND.

V

At other times, a ioder or lure is tied to a rope, and placed before the nets ; to
which the Seals, fuppofing it to be fome ftrange animal, will eagerly fwim, and
ftrike into the nets, paying with their lives for their curiofity. This carries them
foinetimes fo far, that they will ftray to a confiderable diftance inland, attrafted
by a candle, or the fire in a fmith's forge. If they are taken young, they are
capable of being tamed : they will follow their mailer, and Come to him like a
dog, when called by the name which is given them. The Icelanders have a
ftraiige fuperftition about thefe animals : they believe they refemble the human
fpecies more than sny other, and that they are the offspring of Pharaoh and his
hoft, who were converted into Seals when they were overwhelmed in the Red Sea.

Other fpecies of Seals are migratory. Among them is the Harp, N" 77,
or Vade-Selur. Thefe quit the feas of Iceland in March^ and fwim through the
itreights of Davies., by fome unknown opening, to the fartheft north ; bring forth
their young, and return, by the north of Greenlaridy in May^ extremely lean, to
the north of Iceland \ continue their route, and return to that ifland about Chrijl-
maSf chiefly upon the drift-ice, on which they are either (hot, or harpooned.
The Hooded Seal, ^^'' 76, or Bladru Seal, is rarely taken here. The Walrus,
N" ji, or Roji-unger., is fometimes wafted here from Greenland on the ice.

It cannot be expedled, that many of the feathered tribe fhould inhabit an
ifland fo very fevere in its climate, and fo remote from the more fouthern continent
and iflands. It is, like all other ArSlic countries, the afylum to water-fowl,
to breed and educate their young; but, being an inhabited place, fewer refort
here than to the untrodden waftes of the more diflant north. The Guland
Duck, p. 572. E. may poffibly be a local bird. The reft, whether land or water,
are common to Norway^ and many other parts of Europe. The Great Auks,
N* 428, are found here in greater numbers than elfewhere : they inhabit and
breed on the rocks, called from them Geir-fugl Skier^ off the point of Rakenes^
the moft fouthern part of the ifland. Notwithstanding they are furrounded with
a fwelling fea, and tremendous breakers, the Icelander! venture there annually, in
order to colledt the eggs, to contribute to the provifion of the year. I can only
reckon fixtcen land- birds * : twenty cloven-footed water- fowl ; four with pinnated

• Sea Eagle, N" S7.
Cinereous Eagle, p. 114, B.
Iceland Falcon, - si6, D.
Gyrfalcon, - - iii,F.

Raven, - - N" 134.

White Grous, - N<> i8j.

Hazel Groiis ? -,. - P- 3'7j F-

Siare, - -p. ■\]x. A.

Lanner, - - 1*5, K.. Red-wing Thrufti, p, 34.1. D.

Sl!c;t-ear'dOwl?N''ii6 1.

LefTcr Field-Lark,

- P-

395.

Snow Bunting, -

- N'

1^1

White Wagtail, -

- r-

39S

Wheat-ear,

- p-

4»o

Wien, -

- N»

r^^

B;aDs.

+ Oltfin, ii. tab, xlyi. givtj the f guw of an Ow! refembjin ; l»!s fpet'cs.

g 2

iect,

'^y^^f^"-^y-ii^'^''iF\^-''^-'''

m

ICELAND.

feet, and forty>three with webbed feet, nativei or frequenters of the ifland. I
have omitted, in the Zoologic part, th^ Leiler Ouillemot, Br. Zoel. ii. N" 235,
which is a native of Icelandt and called there Ringuia, It ought to have had a
place in an appendage to the Guillemoti, p. 517.

The Raven holds the firft rank among the land-birds in the Scandinavian
mythology. We fee the ufe made of them by the chieftain Ftokt. The Bards,
in their fongs, give them the claflical attribute of 'the power of prefage. Thus
they make Thromundr and Thorbiarn^ before a feudal battle, explain the foreboding
voice of this bird, and its intereft in the fteld of battlo *.

Thr. Hark ! the Raven's croak 1 hear,
Lo ! the bird of Fate is near.
In the dawn, with dufky wingi,
Hoarfe the fong of death flie fingi.

Thus in days of yore /he fang,
When the din of battle rang }
When the hour of death drew nigh,
And mighty chiefs were doom'd to dit.

Thok. Th« Rnven croaks 1 the warriors (Iain,
With blood hir duflcy wings diftain j
Tir'd htr morning prey fhe feeks,
And with blood and carnage reeks.

Thus, pet'chM upon an aged oak.
The boding bird was heard to croak ;
When oil the plain with blood was fpread,
Thirfting for (he mighty dead.

R. W.

The Raven had ftill higher honors in the northern nai\/ns. It was facred to
Odirti the hero and god of the north. On the facred flag of the Dants was em-
broidered this bird. Odin was faid to have been always attended by two, which
fate on his (boulders ; whence he was called the Ged of Ravens: one was ftyled
Hugin% or Thought ; the other Muninny or Mtmery, They whifpered in his ear all
they faw or heard. In the earlieft dawHi he fcnt them to fly round the world,
and they returned before dinner, fraught with intelligence. Odin thus fang their
importance :

Huginn and Mmiiiin, my dalight i

Speed thro' the world ihclr diily flight 1

From their fond lord they both art flown,

Perhaps eternally arK gon«.

Tho' HugiHii'% loft I (hould dcjilore

Yet Mumnn't wruld affiiA mt mors f.

R. W.

r havf! already fpoken of the excellent Fal ions of this ifland : Ut me add,
that Falcons were among the animals facriAccd to Odin t» being birds of the firfl
courage, and which delighted in blood.

* Ijlamt's Landnammbo!;, 17a,
*)/'/ Nortl'trn Antiq. ii. 131.

t Bartbitimtt d$ Cm\fii ttnltmpta Mtrlii, &c. 4*9.

t Mal-

The

ICELAND.

nil

The fea which furrounds Iceland i« faid to be more fait than uAial in other
countries. It leaves great faline incru.i^ationi on the rocits, which the natives
fcrapeofFand ufe. I can, with no certainty, give the depth of the water, ex->
cept where Mr. Kerguelln founded, ten leagues to the weft of Gtir-fugl Skiery
where he found it to be two hundred and five fathoms*. The equinodial
tides rife as high as fixteen feet : the ordinary tides twelve f. The coafts altnoft
univerfally bold, thofe of the inloti excepted, where there appears a fmall
ftrand.

The bays, efpecially thofe of the fouth, which lie under the influence of the cold
of Greenland, are annually frozen overi that of Patrixfiord vim fliut up even as
late as the 14th of May % ' but the fea near the coafts never feels the influence
of the froft. It is in thofe places deep, and agitated by a moft turbulent motion.
The dreaded ice is what floats from Grtinlartd and Spitzbergen^ and often fills,
during the whole fummer, the ftreight between the former and this ifland ||, and even
extends along the northern coaft, covering the fea to a vaft diftance from land. It
confifts of the two fpecies, the mountanous ice, called i i^l'jakar j and the fmooth
ice of inconfiderable thicknefs, ftyled Hellu-ii, Thcfc arrive generally in Ja-
nuary, and go away in March. Sometimes it does not touch the land till April,
when it fixes for a confiderable time, and brings to the Inlanders the moft tre-
mendous evils ; a multitude of polar bears, which fpread their ravages far and
wide among the cattle ; and a cold of incredible violence, which chills the air
for many miles, and even caufes the horfcs and (hccp to drop down dead §. To
this is attributed the ftunted ftate of the miferable woods of the country ; which
caufe muft have exifted from the commencement of its iron age ; for there feems to
have been a period in which there had been confidef^ble wooded tradls ^.

The bottom of the fea is probably rocky \ for it abounds with greater variety of
fuel than Great Britqin, which give (hcUcr to filhes innumerable j a fource of wealth
to the natives (were they permitted the free ufe) as they are of food to diftant
nations, the veflels of which aunually rcfort here to fiftl, but without any com-
merce with the Icelanders, which is >1ri(Jlly prohibited. In 1767, two hundred.
Dutch^ and eighty French doggers, of about a hundred tons each, were employ-
ed, thofe of each nation under the orders and protection of a frigate. They
ketp from four to fix leagues from (hore, and f.ih with hooks baited commonly,
with large muflels, in forty or fifty fathoms water. Others go to the diftance
of fifteen leagues, and fifh in the depth of A hundrd fathoms. The great cap -

$EA.

Bays frozeit.

Floatino Ice.

• Fqyage em Mer du Nor J, 69.

Troill, 4.8, ",.9. § Kerguelin, »o, 175.

t Hembfw, tot.
(|I 8«i p, xlv.

I Kerguelin, ji.

tiure

IIV

ICELAND.

mi

A

\

!^ m

ture is Cod. As foon as ib* fiftiermcn take one, they cut off the head, wafli,
gut, and fait it in cafks, with either rock-falt or that of Lijbon. The fifliery
commences in Marchy and ends in Septemhtr. It begins at the point of Breder-
uiici, and extends round the North Captf by the ifle of Grim, to the point of
Langene/s,

The Englijh have entirely deferted this fifliery fince they have been in poflcfllon
of Newfoundland. It had been, in very early times, the refort of our veffels, as is
evident by the proclamation of Henry V. in order to give fatisfadion for the ill
conduiH: of fome of his fubjeiSls, in 1415, on thecoafts of this ifland *, in which
he forbids them to refort to the ifles oi Denmark And Norway, efpecially to Jceland,
otherwife than had been antiently cuftomary. In 1429, the EngUjh parlement
enforced this order, by making it penal for any of our fubjeiSls to trade in the
Danijh ports, except in North Earn or Bergen^ At length, the Danijh monarch
wifely refolved to referve the benefits of the fifheries to his own fubjecfls; and in
1465 made it capital for any Englijhman to trade in th? ports of Iceland f.
Even thofe of Helgeland and Finmark were ihut againfl them, unlefs tliey were
driven in by a ftorm. I imagine that this feverity muft have arifen from fome
glaring infolence of our countrymen. But the antient. treaties were revived, which
were renewable by a frefli grant every feven years J. In later times, even
Queen Elizabeth deigned to afk leave of Chrijiian IV. to fifli in thofe feas ; but
afterwards inftru£ted her ambaflador to ijifift on the right of a free and univerfal
fifhery. The anfwer does not appear : but in the reign of her fucceflbr, we had
not fewer than a hundred and fifty vefleis employed in this fifliery. Poffibly we
might comply with the regulations infifted on by the kingof Z)*«w<7r/f} or perhaps
a greater indulgence was given, by reafon of the marriage of James with his fifter
Jnne. I obfcrve, that the Danijh prince excepts the port of ^^ff/^ny, it' being
referved for the peculiar fupply of the royal court ||.

The oppreflcd natives fifh in the bays in boats, containing one, and :'cver
more than four men. If they venture to fea, which they feldom do to above
eight miles diftance, they have larger boats, manned with twelve or fixtcen hands ;
in thefe they flave for the benefit of the monopol-fts, to whom they are com-
pelled to fell their fifll at a trifling price. How weak muft be the feelings of
that government which can add mifery to mifcry ; and not attempt rather to be-
ftow comforts on fubjcils condemned to fuch a d.cadful abode !

The fpecies of fifli in thefe feas are few ; but the multitudes, under fevcral 0/
the moft ufcful kinds, are amazing ; thofe of Cod in particular. Herrings pafs by

* Hymet'tFtni.'ix. 3»». t Ibid. xvi. 443. } Ibid. xv. 443. %Camiidfn's UJe

(tf^ten Elizabith, in the Complete Bijl. of England, ii. 550.

ihis

i-- , '

FLANDERS AND HOLLAND.

ir

this ifland in their annual migrations from the north, and for a fliort fpace fill
every bay. Poverty and want of fait make fhefe riches of other nations a
tantalizing appearance to the unfortunate natives. This is the moft northern
place in which the Herring is feen : they are not found in the fhallow water of
Spitzbergen ; neither is it probable that they double Greenland^ and retire to the
frozen ocean, equally wanting in depth of water j— are they not rather loft in the Vast depths of
vaft profundity of thcfe very feas, in the depth of fix hundred and eighty-three water.

fathoms, in lat. 65, between this ifland and the north of Norway, or in the un-
fathomable depths a little farther north, where the water was found bottomlefs with
feven hundred and eighty fathoms * ? The other filhes of Iceland are in general
common to Greenland : my remarks rcfpeding them (hall be deferred till I treat
of that icy region.

In order to view the correfpondent (bores of the trail I have pafTtd over, I (hall
return to the ftreights of Dover. Calais is feated in a low wet tra6l ; and the whole
coaft, from thence to the extremity of //s//fl«</, isfandy, and fronted with fand-hills j
providentially higheft in that loweft of countries, in which the ftrongcft protedion
againft the fury of the fea is r.eceffary. The coaft of Flanders., the rich bait of ambi-
tion, ftained with blood, is dangerous by reafon of frequent narrow fand-banks,
difpofed in parallel rows, according to the diredlion of the land. The coafts of
Holland ZK alfo greatly infelled with funds ; but between them and the land is a
clear channel. From between Dunkirk and Calais,even to the Scar^ at the extremity
of Jutland, is low land, not to be feen but nt a fmall diftance, unlefs at Campcrden
in Holland; Heilegiland, off the mouths of the Elbe and Wefer ; and Rohfnout, and
Hartjhal, in Jutland. While the oppofite cuafls oi England are comparatively high,
and the cha--:! 1 deep, thefe are univerfally cbftru'fled wirh fand : the great German
rivers bring down by their floods amazing quantitier of iand and mudj thecourfe
of which is impeded at fea by the violence of the winds, blowing at fouth and weft
two-thirds of the year f. Thefe, with the help of the tides, arreft the progrefs of
the fand into the open fea, and form the numerous banks which, fatal as they may
be to mariners, are the fecurity of Holland, in particular, from naval invafions.
The fpring-tides at Calais rife twenty feet j at the pier head at Dover^ to twenty-
five i the caufe of the variation is fuppofed, by Mr. Cowley, to be the different dif-
tances of the two piers from low- water mark, the firll being half a mile, the laft
only a hundred yards ; at Ojlend it rifes to eighteen } at Flujhing, fixteen and a
half; at Helvoetjluys zr\^ the Textl, twelve; and on the coafls of Holflein znA Jut-
land, where the fea expands to a more confide/able breadth, the tides grow more
irregular, and weaken both in height and ftrength j at the £/if they do not ex-

• LordMulgrave's Foy. towards the North Pole. f Yarrahtoii't England's Impro'vemeni, 4, 5.

g 4 ceed

Stbeichtj op
Dover.

Sand-banks ofp
Flanders and
Holland.

IBBti

tw

i

Antibnt Flan-
ders auo h0l«

LAND.

Animals.

FLANDERS AND HOLLAND.

ceed fevcn or eight feet j on the coaft of Jutland only two or three ; a Angular
pheenomenon^ as they are fo greatly higher on the correfpondent coafts of England.
The flood on the weft coaft of Holland fets to the northward, contrary to the
courfe of the tides on the eaft coafts of England znA Scotland.

Flanders and Brabant formed part of the Gallia Belgtca of Cefar ; and Holland
the Batavorutn Infula. The rivers are the Scaldis, Mo/ay and Rhenus, the modern
Scheld, Mae/i, and Rhine. The two firft probably do not vary greatly in their dif-
< haig3 into the fea : the laft has experienced a moft confiderable change. The right
isianch of »his river runs, for fome fpace, as it did in antient times, when it formed
the lake Flevo, then refumed the form of a ftream, and discharged itfclf into the fea
at a place ftill called the Ftie-Jlroom^ between the ifles of Flie-landt and Schellingy ^t
the mouth of the Ztiydcr-7.ee. Long after that period the country was dry, firm, and
well inhabited ; a mighty inundation totally changed the face of it, and enlarged
.he Flcvo lacus into the prefent Zuyder-zec^ and broke the coaft into the chain of
ifiands which now front the fliore, evsn as far as the mouth of the Wefer. The
Dutch hiftcrians date this accident \,\ 1421 : it Teems to have been the operation
of a length of time j for the pafiage through theTV*^/ was forced open in 1400, and
gave rife to the profperity of Amjlerdam *. This country was firft peopled by the
Catti, a German nation ; thefe were thinned alm.oft to extirpation by the fwarms
from the great northern hive, in their expeditions by land to other parts of Europe.
For a very long fpace Flanders and Holland ■were a feat of banditti : the vaft foreft
oi Ardennes gave protedtion tn them in one country ; the morafTcs fecured them in
the other. Government at length took place, in Holland under its counts, in
Flanders under its forefters. Thefe provinces fell at laft under the dominion of
the dukes of Burgundy ; from them to ths houfe oi Aujiria and crown of Spain.
The revelations from that are well known. Holland rece'wed its fecond popula-
tion fro; 1 Germany, happily (for a country whofe exiftence depends on induftryja
moft i<iduflrious race. The Rhine annually brings down multitudes of people, to
rep'.ir the lofs of men ocr; fione'' by diftant voyages, and by the moft unwholefome
colonies in the £a/?and Jftji Indies. Holland is, fr6m its climate, unfavorable to
the encreafe of mankind : it cannot deper ' on itfelf for the reparation of the lofs
of people, but muft look Jfewheic for Aipplies.

Flanders has many of the fame fpeciei of animals with Great Britain;
but, from the nature of its coaft, wants moft of the water- fowl, a few
cloven-footed birds excepted, which breed on fandy fhores. Holland has ftill
fewer quadrupeds and b.rds. Of the quadrupeds which we want, are a few
Beavers in the Rhine and Maefe. The Wolf is common in Flandersy and is found

10

• Anderkns Dili, i. 215.

in

HOLLAND.

LVII

in the parts of HeUand bordering on Gtrmany. Both countries have a few birds
which never appear in BritaiHy except forced by the violence of weather or purfuit
of fome bird of prey.

The antient Germany next fucceeds. Holland Vfis a fort of neutral country, a
retreat of the German Catti, and not Germany itfelf. As at prefent, the bordering
parts were divided into petty ftates. The rivers which derive their origin far up
the country, arc the Emsy the IVefery and the Elb^ the antient Am'tfiui^ Vijurgisy
and AMs.

Oppofite to the mouth of the eftuary of the Wefer and the Elb., is the remnant of
the Infuloy Cajlum Nemus, celebrated by Tacitus., with his ufual elegance, for the
worfliip of Herthum, or Mother Earth., by the neighboring nations. Eji in
infula oceaniy Castum Nemus, dicatum in eo vehiculum vejle tonte£2um, attingere
uni facerdoti conctjfum. Is adijfe penetrali Deam intelligit., veiiamqut bubus feminis
multa cum vtneratione profequitur, Lati tunc dies, fejia loca, quacumque adventu
hofpitioque dtgnatur. Non Leila ineunt, non armafumunt, claufum omne ferrum. Pax
et quies tunc tantHm nota, tunc tantHm amata. Donee idem facer dos fatiatam converfa^
tione mortalium Deam templo reddat. Mox vehiculum et vejles^ et,Ji credere velisy numen
ipfum, fecreio lacu abluitur. Servi minijlrant, quosjiatim idem lacus haurit. Arcanus
hinc terror, fanSiaque ignorantia, quid Jit illud quod tcintum perituri vidit *. The
worfhip was continued very long after that period, and the ifland was diftinguifhed
by the name of Fojialandy Farria, Infula Sacra, or Hcilgeland, or the Holy ifle^ from
the facrifices made there to the goddefs Fofia, or Fofeta, the fame with Vejioy
Herthum, or the Earth. She was called by the Scandinavians, Goya. The
victims to her were precipitated into a pit : if they fur>k at once, the facriiice was
thought to be accepted : the reverfe if they fwam any time on the furface \. This
ifland was vifited, out of refpedt to the goddefs, by people of high rank. Radbo-
thus I. king of the Frijians, was here in 690, when Winbertusy and other Chri-
ftian miflionaries, landed, overthrew the temples, and put an end to the pagan
rites t« It had been an ifland of great extent ; but by different inundations, be-
tween the years 800 and 1649, was reduced to its prefent contemptible fize §. The
great ifland ol Nordjlrandt (one of the Infula Saxonum) not remote from this, in
1634 was reduced, by the fame caufe, from twenty parifbes to one : fifty thoufand
head of cattle, and between fix and feven thoufand fouls, were fwept away. Such
are the calamities to which thefe low countries are liable.

Insula Sacra,

Oft

flEILOELANn.

• Dt Mor, German, c. 40. f Mallet's North. Antiq, Tranjl. i. 136.

FWs. 129. ed, Franck. § Bufching Ceogr, i. 157. 167,

J Emmii Hi/}. Rer.

Jutland

j.yiii

JUTLAND.

ClUBKIAN
DELVCI,

Jul LAND. Jutland and Holjhin, the antient Cimbrica Cherfontfus ♦, and Cartri$ f, terminat-

ing in the low point called the Skagen^ or Scaxvy (Iretches oqt in form of a penin-
fula, bounded by the North fca and the Kattegatte, the oblique approach into the
Baltic. It is a very narrow trac^, and only the refting-place of birds in their way
from Scandinavia, and the farther north, the refidencc of numerous fpecies.
The rich marflies, in a climate mild from its fituation between two feas, afford
numbers of wholefome plants, the food of a remarMbly fine breed of cattle. Be-
fides the home confumption, thefe provinces fend out annually thirty-two thoufand
head. The nobility do not think it beneath them to preftde over the d«try : and
their number of cows is princely. M. De Rantzau had not fewer than fix hundred
milch cows.

What the extent of this country might have been in very early times is un-
known : it muft have been prodigioufiy great, otherwife it never could have pour-
ed out that amazing number of people it did, in their eruption into France, when
they were defeated by Marius^ in lOi before Chr(st. Their army was comput-
ed to confift of three hundred thoufand fighting men (including the Teutoni) be-
fides women and children. About feven years before, they had fuffered a great
calamity from an inundation of the fea, which bad deftroyed great part of their
country ; and compelled the furvivors, then crouded in the narrow Cherfintfus, to
apply to the Romans for other lands. Tatitus fpeaks of the vefliges of this once
n)ighty people, in the lines, vifible in his time, on each (bore. I pcefume that the
inundations to which this coafl is fubjeA from the fea, hath utterly deftroyed every
trace of them. The charts plainly point out their overwhelmed territories in
Juts-riff, and the neighboring fand-banks. The firfl might have been the con-
tinuation of land from the end of Jutlandy beginning at the Skaw^ and running
out into the North fea in form of a fey the, not very remote from land, and ter-
minating a I-ittle fouth of Bergen in Norway, leaving between its banks and that
kingdom a deeper channel into the Baltic.

The Kattegatte lies between part of Jutland and the coaft of Sweden: the laft
covered with ifles innumerable. It is almoft clofed at the extremity, by the low
Danijh iftands of Selandand Funetty which had in old times been (with Ci'jeden) the
Thk Sovm d. feat of the Suiona. Between the &r& and the coaft of Sweekn, is the famous Sound,
the pafTage tributary to the Danes by thoufands of fliips. Thefe ifles were of old
called Codonania^, and gave to the Kattegatte t\iz name of Sintu Cadamis. The
proper Baltic feems to have been the Mare Suevicum of the antients ; and the far-
theft pait, the Mare Sarmaticum, and part of the Mare Stythicum, As a na-

* flaltm. lib. ii, c. ti. f Plin, Nat, hifi, lib. iv. c. 13.

S Mela, lib. iii. c. 3. 8. '
turalift,

THE BALTIC.

X.IX

Roman plibt.

turalift, I muft mention, that when Linnjeus fpeaks of the Mart Occldtntalt^ he
intends the KatUgatu. Its greateft depth is thirty-five fathoms, it decreafes as
it approaches the Sound } which begins with Axteen fathoms, and near Coptnhagm
fliallows to even four.

The Roman fleet, under the command of GermanUuty failed, according to PHnyt Votaob of the
found Gtrmany., and even doubled the Cimbricum Promontor'tum^ and arrived at the
iflands which fill the bottom of the KatUgatu • ; either by obfervation or infor-
mation, the Romans were acquainted with twenty-three. One they called GUJfariay
from its amber, a foflil abundant to this day on part of the fouth fide of the
Baltic, A Roman knight was employed by Nero's maftcr of the gladiators, to col-
let, in thefe parts, that precious produ£tion, by which he came perfectly ac-
quainted with this country t* I cannot fuppofe that the Romans ever fettled in
any part of the neighborhood, yet there was fome commerce between them, either
dired^, or by the intervention of merchants. Many filver coins have been found
at Kivikkty in Schonen in Sweden^ of Hadrian^ Antoninus Pius, CommoduSy and
Albinus t- Among the iflands, Pliny makes Norway one, under the name of
Scandinavia incomperta magnitudinis, and Baltia another, immenfa magnitudinisy
probably part of the fame, and which might give name to the Sounds called the
BeltSy and to the Baltic itfelf. The geographer Mela had the jufleft information of
this great water, which he defcribes with great elegance, * Hac re mart (Codanus

* sinus) quod gremio littorum accipitur, nunquam late patety nee \}sq\3AiA mari si-

* MILE verum aquis pajjim interjluentibus ac fape tranfgrejjis vagum at que diffufum

* facie amnium fpargitur, qua littora attingity ripis contentum infularum tion longe dif-

* tantibusy et ubique paene tantundemy it angujium et par FRETo curvanfque ft fubindty

* longo fupercilio infexum ejl.' The different nations which inhabited its coafts
fliall hereafter be mentioned.

I would, like Mehy prefer giving to the Baltic the name of a gulph rather than
a fea j for it wants many requiiltes to merit that title. It wants depth, having in
no one place more than a hundred and ten fathoms. From the eaftern mouth of
the Sound to the ifle of Bornbolm it has from nine to thirty : from thence to
Stockholmy from fifteen to fifty : and a little fouth of Lindoy fixty. It has in this
courfe many fand- banks, but all in great depths of water. Between Alands Haffy
amidfl the great archipelago, the Aland ifles, and the ifle of Ofel in the gulph of
RigOy the depths are various, from fixty to a hundred and ten ||. Many frefli-water
lakes exceed it in that refpe6^.

The Baltic a

GULPH.
DiPTH.

• ?lm. lib. ii. c. 67. lib. iv. c, ij. f Lib. xxxvii. C. 3.

KtvUenfe, p. 27. H /?tf^<i« and other charts.

h 2

t Forffmui dt Mouum.

It

tx

No Tioei.

Not salt.

I 1

Few species of

PISH.

"^i*:

Le-noth and

aUBADTII or THE

Baltic.
-or theGulph or

JBOTHNIA.

THE BALTIC.

It wants tides, therefore experience! no difference of hci>;l>t, except when the
winds are violent. At fuch times there is a current in and out of the Baltic^ ac«
cording to the points they blow from ; wh ch forces the water through the Sound
with the velocity of two or three Dan'ijh miles in the hour. When the wind blows
violently from the German fca, the water rifcs ui the feveral Ba/tic harbours, and
gives thofe in the weftern part a temporary faltnefs ; otherwifc the Bailie lofes
that other property of a fea, by reafon of the want of tide, and the quantity of
vaft rivers it receives, which fweeten it Co much as to render it, in many places,
fit for domeftic ufes. In all the Baltic^ Linmeus enumerates but three/«rt*, plants
of the fca : in the gulph of Bothnia^ which is beyond the reach of fait water, not
onet-

The fewnefs of fpecies of fi(h in the Baltic is another difference between it and
a genuine fea. I can enumerate only nineteen % which are found in this vafl ex-
tent of water : and may add one cetaceous fifli, the Porpeffe. No others venture
beyond the narrow ftreights which divide the Baltic from the KatUgattti yet the
great Swedijh Fauniji reckons eighty-feven belonging to his country, which is
wafhed ody by thofe two waters. Let me mention the Herring as a fpecies which
has from very early times enriched the neighboring cities. There was, between the
years 1169 and 1203, a vaft refort of Chrijlian ftiipS to fifli off the ifle o( Rugtn,
tlie feat of the antient Rugii, infomuch that the Danes cloathed thetnfelves with
fcarlet and purple, an 1 fine linen.

The Hornfimpa^ or Cottus Quadricornis, Feun. Suec. N" 321, and the
SvNGNATHUS TypHLE, Or Blind Pipe-fifh, N" 377, are unknown in the Britijb
feas : the firft feems peculiar to the gulph of Bothnia^ and is a fifh of Angular
figure, with four flat hornlike proceffes on the head ||.

The extent of the Baltic in length is very great. From Heljingory where it
prnperly begins, to Cronjladt^ at the end of the gulph oi Finlandy is eight hundred
and ten EngHJh fea miles. Its breadth, between Saltwicy in Smalandy and the oppo-
fite Ihore, two hundred and thirty-fcven. The gulph of Bothnia^ which runs due
north, forms an extent almoft equal to the firft, being, from Ternea in Laplandy to

• Flora Suec.
X Porpeffe,

Sea Lamprey,

Sturgeon,

Lannee,

SwoiU-fifli,

f Flora Lapp.
Striated Co(l-(i(h,
Viviparous Blenny,
Beardlefs Ophidion,
Lump,
Hornfimpa,

Tiirbot,

Floundrr,

Salmon,

Gar-ti/h,

Smelt,

Herring, -
Sprat,

Liule Pipe-fi(h,
Shorter P.
Blind P.

I find that the Afimu Callarias is common to the Bailie and our Teas, therefore mud be added to the
lift of Britijh fi(h.
il Muf, Fr, Adolf b, i. 70. tab. xxxii. fig. 4.

the

/■

LAPLAND.

m>

the (hore near Datitzici not lefs than feven hundred and Teventy-eight : an amazing
fpace, to be fo ill (locked with fiihy inhabitants.

From the ifle of Rugtn^ the courfe of the Baltic is ftrait and open, except where
interrupted by the famous ifle of Gottland^ the place of rendezvous from whence the
Gotht made their naval excurdons. In Sil* on this ifland, was founded the famous
town of JViJbuyt the great emporium of the north : it was, for ages, the refort of
every Chriftian nation. The Englijh long traded here, before they ventured on'the
diftant voyage of the Mtdlttrranian. It became an independent city, and made its
maritime laws the Aandard of all Europe to the n^ f Spain. In 1361, fFaldt'
mar III. of Denmarkj attacked, ravaged, and plui cd it of immcnfe riches ; all
which perifhed a^ fea after they were ihipped *. Its prefent inhabitants are huf«
bandmen and Bflierme.i, fecure from the calamities of war by the happy want of
exuberant wealth.

Beyond Stockholm the Baltic divides into the gulphs of Bothnia and Finland :
the firft runs deeply to the north, and the country is compofed chiefly of granite
rock, or flrewed over with detached maflTes of the fame. Its greateft breadth is
between Gtflt and Abo, in Finland, where it meafures a hundred and fixty-two
miles: its greateft depth a hundred and ninety-five yards f. It terminates in
Laplandy a country divided by the river Tornea, y/h'ich runs navigable far up between
a continued mountanous foreft. It is fuppofed to have been peopled in the
eleventh century by the Finni : a fadt not eafy to be admitted i for the Finniy or
Fennones, are a brawny race, with long yellow hair, and brown irides. The
Laplanders are, on the contrary, fmall in body, have fhort black hair, and black
irides. It is certain that a party of Fins deferted their r tive country, Finland, in
the age before mentioned, rather than relinquifli the bru^iality of heathenifm.
Their offspring remain converted, and in fome meafure reclamed, b-tween Nor-
way and Sweden || } but are a moft diftindl race from the Laplanders, who pofl"efled
their country long before. In the ninth century, the hero Regner flew its king or
leader in battle § : at that period it was in a favage ftate ; nor was its conqucft at-
tempted by Sweden till 1277, when Waldemar added it to his kingdom, and in vain
attempted its converfion f . Scarcely two centuries have elapfed fince it has fin-
cerely embraced the doftrines of Chriftianity. In confequence of which, cultiva-
tion and civilization have fo well fucceeded in the fouthern parts, that many deferts
are peopled, moraflies drained, and the reafon of the natives fo greatly improved,
that they h: 'e united with the Swedes, and even fent their reprefentatives to the

ISLI OP GOTT-
J.ANO.

Lapland.

• Hiji. Abregi de Nord. i. ao6. f Prof. Ritziut of Lund.

p. 44. § Hip, Abregi du Nerd. ii. 59, ^ The fame, p. j.

II Pb, Tr, Abr, vii. part ir.

Houfe

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

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(716) S72-4S03

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Si

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IKII

m

BiKDI.

FlIH.

Alakd Isl1«.

GULPH OV
J'iNLAND.

PiTIRSBUIlC.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

Houfe of PeaTants in the national diet *. But thefe were at all times the mod
cultivated of this diftin<St race. They trained the Rein-deer to the fledge, domefti*
cated it from its wild fhte, and made it the fubftitute for the Cow.

Their country, which penetrates even to the Northern ocean, conftfts of favage
mountains, woods, vaft marihes, rivers, and lakes, the haunts of myriads of water-
fowl, which refort here in fummer to breed, free from the difturbance of mankind.
LiNKJEUS, the great explorer of thefe deferts, my venerated example! mentions
them as exceeding in numbers the armies of Xerxts ; re-migrating, with him, in
autumn, eight entire days and nights, to feek fuftenance on the (bores and waters
of more favorable climates f.

Their lakes and rivers abound in iiih; yet the number of fpecies are few.
Thefe are the Ten-fpined Stickle-back, Br. Zool. iii. N° 130 j Salmon, N* 143,
in great abundance, which force their way to the very heads of the furious rivers
of Ttrnea and AT/Vm/, to depoftt their fpawn ; Char, N° 149, are found in the
lakes in great abundance ; and Graylings, N' 150, in the rivers ; Gwiniads, N*
152, are taken of eight or ten pounds weight; Pikes, N* 153, fometimes eight
feet long ; and Perch, N" 124, of an incredible ftze § ; and the Salmo Albula,
Faun. Suec. N" 353, clofes the lift of thofe of the Lapland lakes and rivers.

The mouth of the gulph of Bothnia is filled with a prodigious clufter of little
iflands and rocks, dangerous to mariners. Aland is the chief, an ifland of fur-
prifing rockinefs, and with all the other afpedls as if torn front the continent by
fome mighty convulfion. The gulph of Finland extends from thence due eaft,
and has, on its northern coaft, a chain of fimilar iflands, and a few fprinkled over
the channel. All the coaft and all its ifles are compofed of red or grey granite ;
and all the coafts of Sweden are the fame, mixed in places with fand-ftones. Fin-
land and Carelia arc the bounds of the gulph on this ilde : Livonioy the granary of
the north, and Ingria, on the other. Thefe countries, with RuJ/hy made part of
the European Seythia^ or Sarmaiia\ and this part of the Baltic has been fometimes
ftyled Mart Seythieuntt and Mare Sarmaticum |. The gulph decreafes in depth
from fixty to five fathoms, as you advance towards Cron^adty the great naval
arfenal of RuJJIa. From thence is twelve miles of (hallow water to Peter/burg^
that glorious creation of Peter the Great } the inlet of wealth and fcience into
his vaft dominions, before his time inaccefBble to the reft of Europe, unlets by the
tedious voyage of the White Tea ; and a country unknown, but by the report of the
fplendid barbarlfm of its tyrants. Peter was formed with a lingular mixture of

* Atkttrjin, ii. /^if,
I Pttlemy.

t Am0it. Acad, iv. 570. Fl, Lap. a;}.

5 Schtfftr''s Lapland,
endowments

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

endowments for the purpofe of civilizing a rude and barbarous people : his mind
was pregnant with great defigns, obflinate perfeverance, and unrelenting feverity in
the exertion of punifhment on all who dared to oppofe the execution of his fyftem
for the good of the whole. A mind filled with the milkinefs of human nature,
would never have been able to deal with the favage uninformed Rufftam. Peter
hewed bis work into (hape : for the laft polifh. Heaven formed another Cathe-
rine, the admiration of Europe^ the bleffing of an empire which forms at left one
eleventh of the globe, extending from the northern point of Neva Zemlja, in the
frozen latitude of near 78, to the influx of the Ttrtk into the Cafpian fea, in the
warm Utitude of about 43 and a half; or, to give it the iborteft breadth, from the
cuaft of the Frozen ocean, at the extremity of the country of the Tfthutki^ lat. 73,
to the mouth of the Aimakan^ in the gulph of Othotv^ in lat. 54. Its length is ftill
more prodigious, from Peterjburgh as far as the J/iatic fide of the ftreights of
Bering,

In the following work, I have, by the affiftance of that celebrated naturalift
Do£lor Pallas, given a defcription of the Quadrupeds and Birds of this vaft em-
pire, as far as was compatible with my plan, which was confined between the higheft
known latitudes of the northern hemifphere, as low as that of 60. The remainder
will be comprehended in the great defign formed by the Imperial Academy, and ex-
ecuted by profeffors whofe glory it is to prove themfelves worthy of their illuftri-
ous and munificent patronefs, under whofe aufpices they have pervaded every part
of her extenfive dominions in fearch of ufeful knowledge.

To Peterjburgh this corner of the empire, is brought, as to a vafl emporium, the
commerce of the mofl diflant parts 1 and from hence are circulated the European
articles to fupply even the remote China, The place of traffic is on the Chinefe
borders, at KjackiOy a town without women ; for none are allowed to attend their
husbands. By this route the furs of HuJ/on's-Bey find their way to warm the luxuri-
ous inhabitants of Ptkin, the animals of the neighboring Tartary and Sibiria being
inadequate to the increafed demand. The want of a maritime intercourfe is no
obftacle to this enterprifiog nation to the carrying on a trade with India. It has
encouraged above a hundred Banians^ all males, from Multany to fettle at Afiracan\
and their number is kept up by a fupply of young unmarried relations from home.
Thefe fupport the moft important trade of JfiraeoHy by carrying through AJirabad
to the inland parts of the Mogol empire. I ftray a little from my plan } but it may
be excufed on account of the novelty of the relation, and becaufe it points out a
more fouthern inland road than was known in the middle ages, when the merchants
vent by the way of Beehara and SamarcandtQthc northern cities of Inditi, Cmdahar

and Cabul,

la

IXIII

I
I

■li-i

txiv FINLAND.

Sakmata. In my return to the German Tea, let me review the antient inhabitants of the

Baltic. The wandering Sarmata, of Scythian defcent, poflTefled all the country
from lake Onega to the Vijiula ; and part of the vaft Hercynian foreft, famous of old
for its wild beads, occupied mofl: of this country, fiifons with their great manes :
Uri with their enormous horns, which the natives bound with filver and quaffed at
their great feafts : the Alces, or Elk, then fabled to have jointlefs legs : and Wild
Horfes, were among the quadrupeds of this tradt *. I fmile at the defcription of
certain birds of the Hercynian wood, whofe feathers (hone in the night, and often
proved the guide to the bewildered traveller f. The refplendent plumage of the
Strix Ny£tea, the Snowy Owl, N" 121, might probably have ftruck the eye of the
benighted wanderer, and given rife totheftrange relation.
Eningia. Eningia was the oppoHte fiiore, and the fame with the modern Finlandy inhabited

by people of amazing favagenefs and fqualid poverty ; who lived by the chace,
headed their arrows with bones, cloathed themfelves with Ikins, lay on the ground,
and had no other (belter for their infants than a few interwoven boughs t. They
were then, what the people of Terra del Fuego are now. There is no certainty
OoNJK. refpediing the Oona \ iflanders, who fed, as many do at prefent, on the eggs of wild

fowl and on oats || ; but moft probably they were the natives of the ifles of Jland,
and the adjacent archipelago } for Alela exprefsly places them oppofite to the
HippoFOD*. Sarmatte. We may add, that the Hippepoda and Panoti might be the inhabitants
of the northern part of the Bothnian gulph ; the firft fabled to have hoofs like
horfes, the laft ears fo large as to ferve inftead of cloaks. The Hippopoda were
certainly the fame fort of people as the Finni Lignipedes of Olaus^ and the Skride
Finnus of Ohthere. They wore fnow-fhoes, which might fairly give the idea of
their being, like horfes, hoofed and fbod. As to the Panoti^ they baffle my ima-
gination.

The Bothnian and /Vn/<7n</gulphs feem to me to have been, in the time of Ta-
citust part of s Mart pigrum ac itnmotumf which, with part of the Hyper-
borean ocean, really infiiated Scandinavia, and which he places beyond the
Suiones, or modern Sweden. Pliny gives, I fuppofe from the relation of Britijh or
other voyagers, to part of this fea, probably the mofl northern, the title of Mo-
rimarufa^ or Dead Sea, and Cranium. The learned Forjler^ with great ingenuity,
derives the word from the Gaelic and Celtic language^ The firfl, from the IVelJh,
mer, fea, and marw, dead ; the other from the Irijh, muir-croinny the coagulated,
/. e. congealed fea. Tacitut- adds to his account, that it was believed to encir-

• Cefar Ml. Gall. lib. iv, Plitt. lib. viii, c. 15.
I Tatitut de Mor. Germ. | ForJIer't Obf. 96,

t StliHUt, c. 3«. Pliit. X. c. 47.

cle

ANTIENT STREIGHTS.

txr

3X. Plin.x.c,^j.

cle the whole globe, and thatthe laftlightof the fetting fun continued fovery vivid'
as to obfcure the ftars themfelves. There is not a fingle circumftance of exag-
geration in all this : every winter the gulph is frozen, and becomes motionlefs.
Many inftances may be adduced even of the Baltic itfelf being frozen *. The
ilars are frequently loft in the amazing fplendor and various colors of the aurora
barealis. The HilleviotieSy an antient people of Sweden^ ftyled Scandinavia^ al-
terum erhtm ttrrarum, and their defcendants, long carolled the jundlion of the
Bothnian gulph with the northern ocean, traditionally rehearfed in old Swtdijh
fongs. Tacitus ufes the two laft words to exprefs the world furrounded by this
fea. In the days of the geographer Mtlot there certainly was a ftrong tide in
this upper part of the Baltic; for, fpeaking of the illands oS Finland., he fays,
'* Que Sarmstis adverfa funt, ob alternos acceflus recurfufque pelagi, et quod
*' fpatia queis diftant, mod6 operiuntur undis, modo nuda funt} alias infulae
** videntur, alias una et continens terra." With propriety, therefore, in
another place, does he compare it to a ftreight, par firetot notwithilanding
he was ignorant of its other entrance. DoAor Fallot moft juftly afcribcs
the formation of not only the Baltic^ but its former communication with
the White Sta^ to the eSt&s of a deluge. The whole intermediate country is
a proof; the foundatfon being what is called the old rock, and that covered
with variety of matter; fuch ^s beds of pebble and gravel, and fragments of
granite, torn from the great mafs. Parts of the channel which formed the
infulation of Scandinavia^ are the chain of lakes, from that of Ladoga to the
Whit. Seat fi>cb as Onegay and others, often connected by rivers, and lying
in a lov country, tilled with the proofs above-mentioned. This was the ftreight
through which the tide poured itfelf from the Hyperborean ocean, and covered, at
its flux, the iflands defcribed by Mela. This, like the other northern feas,
was annually frozen over, and could be no obftacle to the ftocking of Scandinavia
with quadrupeds. There is no fixing the period in which this pafTage was ob-
ftru£led. An influx of fand, or an earthquake, might clofe it up. As foon as
this event took place, the Baltic felt the want of its ufual feed : it loft the pro-
perty of a fea ; and, by a conftant exhalation, from that time decreafed in the
quantity of water. Modern philofophers have proved the great lofs it has fuf-
tained, and that it decreafes from forty to fifty inches in a century : that, near
Pitbeay the gulph of Bothnia has retired from the land half a mile in forty-five
years ; and near Lulea^ a mile in twenty-eight. Notwithftanding its prefent
ftate, when we confider the, accounts given by the antients, the old Swedijh tra-
ditions, and the prefent veftiges of the former channel, we can, without any

• ForJItr's Obf, So.

1 force

Antibwt
Stkfights EC-

TWeiN

THE Baltic and
Whit* Sia.

n

IXVI

'

r.i

StiIONBS.

NORWAT.

Ths Nazb.

NORWAY.

fore* oF fancy, give full credit to the infulated form of Scandinavia, given in
one of Cluverius's maps * j which, he fays, is drawn from the erroneous ac-
counts of the antients.

The Suiones poflefled the modern SwedeH^ and extended even to the ocean,,
and were a potent naval power. Their (hips were \o conftruAed, with prows
at each end» that they were always ready to advance. Thefe people, in aftec
times, proved, under the common name of Nerimans, the peft and conquerors of
great part of fbuthern Europt ; their ikill in maritime aiFairs fitting them for
diftant expeditions. In the fixth century they were called Suethans, and were
famous foe their cavalry. In their time, the Sable, N" 30, was common in.
their country : fornandeiy therefore, obferves, that notwithilanding they lived,
poorly, they were moft richly cloathed : he alfo informs us, that, they fuppliedt
the Romans with thefe precious furs, through the means of numbers of interven-
ing nations t* Scandinavia^ in that period, had got the name of Scanzia ; and>
as it was then called an i/Iand, and by Jornandes. Xt a native of the country,,
there is all the reafon to imagine,, that the paflage into the Hy^trborean ocean was.
not in his time clofcd.

After repafling the Sound,, appear. Schonen^ Hallandy and Bohujlandy. Swedijh pro-
vinces, bounded by the Katttgattt, Hal/and, from fome fimilitude of found, is
fuppofed to have been the feat of the HilUvionts^ a moft populous nation } perhaps,
the fame with the Suiones of Tacitus i for beyond them he places the Sitenes, or the
country of Norway^ who were a great naval people ; as the hiftorian fays that they
differed not from the Suianes, except in being under a female government. The pro-
montory of the Nazt^, vifible at eight or ten. leagues diftancs, with the low land of
Bevinbtrgtn in Jutland^ forms the entrance into the German fea. The Bemmel,,
and the Drommelt high mountains to, the eaft of it; and the high land of £//?, ».
vaft mountain,, gradually rifing from the fhore, to the weft, are noted guides to.
mariners. It is reafonably fuppofed, that Pliny intended this vaft region by his
ifland of Nerigon, from whence, fays he, was a paiTage to Thule, He fpeaks alfo of
Bergosy which, from agreement of found, is thought to be the prefent province of.
Bergen, The promontorium Rubeas is guefled to be the North Cape^ between which,
and the Cimbri, PhiUmen § places the Mart Merimarufa,. or the Dead Sea, fo
called from the clouded fky that ufually reigned there.

Our firft certain knowlege of the inhabitants of this country, was from the
defolation they brought on the fouthern nations by their piratical invaftons.

* At the end.of hii ftcond vol. of Germania A»tiqua. f Jtrnandet de Reb.Ctlicit, c ii!,.

4 The fame, c. in ^ As quoted by Pliny, lib. iv. c. 1 jj

Thcin

NORWAY.

tXTIt

avraj given in
erroneous ac>

to the ocean^
i, with prows
eople, in after

conquerors of
ting them for
anst and were
IS common in.
ng they lived.

they fupplied<
rs of interven-

Scanzia ; andi

the country^
'tan ocean was.

f/». Swtdtjh pro«^
e of found) is.
ition } perhaps
! Sitonesy or the.
1 fays that they
ent. The pro-
he low land of.
The Bemmelf,
land of Le^f ».
oted guides to.
I region by his
! fpeaks alfo ofv
!nt province of.
letween which.
Dead Sea, fo

was from the
ical invadons.

lib. Ctticis, c it!..

ThciA

Their country had, before that period, the name of Nortmannalandt »nd the in-
habitants ATor^/Bflwj ; a title which included other adjacent people. Great BrJtaim NoaruAnt.'
and Ireland were ravaged by them in 845 •, and they continued their invafion
till they efFe£led the conqueft of England^ under their leader, Canute the Great.
Thsy went up the Seine as far as Parisy burnt the town, and forced its weak monarch
to purchafe their abfence at the price of fourteen thoufand marks. They plun-
dered Spaint and at length carried their excurfions through the Mediterranean to
Italy^ and even into Sicily. They ufed narrow veflels, like their aaceilors the
Sitones ; and, befides oars, added the improvement of two fails : and victualled
them with falted provifions, bifcuit, cheefe, and beer. Their fliips were at
iirft fmall ; but in after times they were large enough to hold a hundred or a
hundred and twenty men. But the multitude of vcfTels was amazing. The fleet
of Harold Blaatand confilied of feven hundred *. A hundred thoufand of thefe
favages have at once fallied from Scandinavia, fo juftly ftyled Officina Gentium,
aut certe velut vagina natienum t> Probably neceffity, more than ambition, caufed
them to difcharge their country of its exuberant numbers. Multitudes were
deftroyed ; but multitudes remained, and peopled more favorable climes.

Their king, Olaus, was a convert to Chriftianity in 994 ; Bernard, an Eng-
lishman^ had the honor of baptizing him, when Olaut happened to touch at one
of the Scilly iflands. He plundered with great fpirit during feveral years ; and
in 1006 received the crown of martyrdom from his pagan fubjeCls. But reli-
gious zeal firft gave the reft of Europe a knowlege of their country, and the fweets
of its commerce. The Hanfe towns poured in their miflionaries, and reaped
a temporal harveft. By the year 1204, the merchants obtained from the wife
prince Suer every encouragement to commerce j and by that means introduced
wealth and civilization into his barren kingdom. England, by every method,
cheri(hed the advantages refulting from an intercourfe with Norway ; and Bergen
was th'te emporium, Henry III. in 121 7, entered into a league with its monarch
Haquin, by which both princes ftipulated for free accefs for their fubje£ls into their
refpeAive kingdoms, free trade and fecurity to their perfons. In 1269, /firnry
entered into another treaty with Magnus, in which it was agreed, that no goods
fliould be exported from either kingdom except they had been paid for ; and
there is befides a humane provifion on both fides, for the fecurity of the perfons
and efFedts of the fubje£ts who (hould fufFer (hipwrcck on their feveral coafts.

This country extends above fifteen hundred miles in length, and exhibits a Coa^ti.

moft wonderful appearance of coaft. It runs due north to Cape Staff, the

• Mallet^ I htrod. i. 157.

f Jornandcs, c. 4.

1 2

wcftcrn

V-

Pi

UC1UM

Sm,

DVBRKNOES.

Chain of Is>

LANDS.

TlDM..

RiTlRtf

NORWAY.

weftern point of Stndmar^ then winds north-eaft to its extremity tt the Ntrlik
Capt, High and precipitous rocks compofe the front, with a fea generally from
one to three hundred fathoms deep waOiing their bafe *. Multitudes of narrow
creeks penetrate deep into the land, overlhadowed by ftupendous mountains. The
fides of thefe chafms have depth equal to that of the adjacent fea }■ but in the-
niiddle is a channel called Dyltrendesy \. e. deep courfes, from fifty to a hundred fa>
thoms broad, and of the difproportlonable depth of four hundred f, feemingly
time-worn by the ftrength of the current from the torrent-rivers which pour
into them. Fifli innumerable refort to their edges. Thefe creeks are, in many
places, the roads of the country ; for the vallies which traverfe it are often fo
precipitous as to be impervious, unlefs by water. Some, which' want thefe con«
vcniences, are left uninhabited by reafon of the impoffibility of conveying to
and from them the articles of commerce.

Millions of iilands, large and fmall, fkerrles, or rocks, follow the greateflr
part of this wondrous coaft. The iflands are rude and mountanous, and foar corre-^
fpondent to the Jlps of the oppofite continent. Thofe of Lotfforty on the north-
fide of the dreadful whirlpool Mael/iremt engraven by Lt Bruyn^ give a full
idea of the nature of the coafts %. The fea near the iflands is fo deep and rocky,
that the Norwegian kings caufed vaft iron rings to be fattened with lead § to the
iidcs, to-enable ihips to moor in fecurity, or to affift them in warping out. A
few of the former give (belter to the fifliermen and their fmall ftock of cattle ;
the reft rife in columns of grotefque forms. On the outftde of thefe natural
oounterfcarps, are multitudes of haubrott or fea-breakers, longitudinal banks of
fand, running north and fouth, from the diftance of four to fixteen leagues
£rom the continent,. and from ten to fifteen- fathoms below the furface of tbo
water ; the haunts of myriads ofufeful fifh.

The tides ofF the Nazt., and mofl of the ctuSis of Norwayt are very inconfider-
able. At the North Cape^ the fpring tides have been obferved to rife to the
height of eight feet one inch ; the neap to fix feet eight inches ||. Mr. ff^iU
Ham Fergufeuy an able pilot, who had often the conduct of our fleets in the
North fea, informed me, that on the Naze, and many other parts of Norway, the
tides were hardly perceptible, except with ftrong wefterly winds,^when they rofe
two or three feet, and fell with the eaflerly winds.

Into the ends of moft of the Dybrendes ruih the- furious rivers, or rather tor-
rents, of the mountains ; . ufelefs for navigation, but moft Angularly advantageous

* Ponttppiiian, i. f. The fame, i. 68. |- Le BruytTs V^ages, i. tab. i. § Olaus

Idagtuti, Cent,Stptentr. lib. ii. c. xi. | Mr. Bajley, in Pbil.Tramf.Wjt. 170.

NORWAY.

txis

;a :. but in the-

Lbntzii.

for the conveyance of the great article of commerce, the mafta and timber of the
country, from the otherwife inacceffible forefts. The trees are cut down, and at
prefent conveyed from fome diftance to the rivers, down which they are precipi-
tated over rocics and ftupendous cataract, until they arrive at the LtHtztt or
booms *, placed obliquely in the ftream in fit placet. To them the owners of the
timber refort ; and, on paying a certain rate to the proprietors, receive their
pieces, which are all marked before they are committed to the water } but numbers
are injured or deftroyed in the rough paflfage.

The fpecics which is of fuch great value to Norway, is the Fyr or Furtt our
Scotch Pine, znd tht Pinus Sylvejiris oi Linnaut, It grows in the drieft places,
and attains the vaft age of four hundred years f } and is of univerfal ufe in the
northern world. Such trees as are not deftined for mafts are fquared, and arrive
in England under the name of Balk : the reft are fawed on the fpot, in hundreds
cf mills, turned by the torrents, and reach us in form of planks. An immenfe quan-
tity of tar is made from the trees, and even from the roots, very long after they
have been divided from the trunk. The Gran, Pinus Abies, or what we call Nor-
tuay Fir, is in little efteem. Thoufands are cut down annually by the peafants,
who feed their cattle with the tender fhoots. It is the talleft of European trees,
growing to the height of a hundred and fixty feet. In winter, the branches are
deprelTed to the ground with fnow, and form beneath them the dens of wild beafts.

I muft here mention the adventitious fruits, fuch as nuts and other vegetable
produdions, which are brought by the waves to thefe ihores, thofe of Feroe, and
the Orknies, from Jamaica and other neighboring parts |. We muft have re-
courfe to a. caufe very remote from this place-. Their vehicle is the gulph->ftream Gulph-stream.
from the gulph of Mexico, The- trade-winds force the great body of thr ocean
from the weftward through the Jntilles into that gulph, when it is forced Ixk-
ward along the (hore from the mouth of the MiJJiJJipi to Cape Florida; doubles
that cape in the narrow fea between it and Cuba, and from Cape Florida to Cape
Cannaveral runs nearly north, at the diftance of from five to (even leagues from
ihore, and extends in breadth from fifteen to eighteen leagues. There are re-
gular foundings from the land to the edge of the ftream, where the depth is ge-
nerally feventy fathoms; after that no bottom can be found. The foundings
off Cape Cannaveral itc very fteep and uncertain, as the water (hallows (o quick, ,
that from forty fathoms it will immediately leflen to fifteen, and from that to
four, or lefs ; fo that, without great care, a (hip may he in a few minutes on
fliore. It muft be obferved, that, notwithftanding the gulph-ftream in general

Exotic fruits
found on thi

SHORES.

* PtHtoppidan, !• 9^. tab. vii. f JtiutM* AeaJ. ir.

} Koy. Hebrides,

!»■<

IXX

GULPH-STREAM.

'

is faii to begin where founding! end, yet its influence extends feveral leaguei
vrit.iin the foundings j and veiTeli often find a confiderable current fetting to
the northward all along the coaft, till they get into eight or ten fathom water,
«ven where the foundings flretch to twenty leagues from the ftiore ; but their
current is generally augmented or leflened by the prevaling winds, the force
■of which, however, can but little affei^ the grand unfathomable ftream. From
Cape Cannavtral to Cape Hatttras the foundings begin to widen in the extent
of their run from the (horc to the inner edge of the ftream, the didance being
^nerally near twenty leagues, and the foundings very regular to about fcventy
fathoms near the edge of the ftream, where no bottom can be afterwards found.
Abreaft of Savannah river, the current fets nearly north ; after whicli, as if from
a bay, it ftretches north-eaft to Cape Hatttras ( and from thence it fets eaft-
north-eaft, till it has loft its force. As Cape Hatttras runs a great way into tlie
fea, the edge of the ftream is only from Hv: to feven leagues diftant from the
cape } and the force and rapidity of the main ftream has fuch influence, within
that diftance, over (hips bound to the fouthward, that in very high foul winds, or
in calms, they have frequently been hurried back to the northward, which has often
occafioned great difappointment both to merchant (hips and to men of war, as was
often experienced in the late war. In D;f«m/(;r 1754, an exceeding good failing (hip,
bound from Philatlilphia to Charltflown, got abreaft of Cape Hatttras every day
during thirteen days, fometimes even vith the tide, and in a middle diftance be-
tween the cape and the inner edge of the ftream } yet the (hip was forced back
regularly, and could only recover its loft way with the morning breeze, till the
fourteenth day, when a brifk gale helped it to ftem the current, and get to
the fouthward of the Cape. This (hews the impoflibility of any thing which
has fallen into the ftream returning, or ftopping in its courfe.

On the outfide of the ftream is a ftrong eddy or contrary current towards the
ocean } and on the infide, next to Amtrita^ a ftrong tide fets againft it. When
it fets oiF from Cape Hatttras^ it takes a current nearly north-eaft ; but in
its courfe meets a great current that fets from the north, and probably comes
from Hudfons Bay., along the coaft of Labrador^ till the ifland of Ntwfoundland
divides it i part fetting along the coaft through the ftreights of Btlltijlt^ and fweep-
ing paft Cape Brttcn^ runs obliquely againft the gulph-ftream, and gives it a
more caftern dircAion : the other part of the northern current is thought to
join it on the eaftern dde of Ntwfoundland. The influence of thefe joint cur-
rents muft be far felt ; yet poflibly its force is not io great, nor contracted
in fuch a pointed and circumfcribed direction as before they encountered. The
jprcvaling winds all over this part of the ocean are the weft and north-weft, and con-

X fequently

N O R W

Y.

UXi

Tcquently the whole body of the weftern ocean ieems, from their influence, to
have what the mariners call a fit to the eaftward, or to the north-eaft by eaft.
Thus the produftions of 'Jamaica^ and other places bordeting on the gulph of
Mtxice^ may be firft brought by the flream out of the gulph, inveloped in the
fargajfo or alga of the gulph round Cape Florida^ and hurried by the current ei-
ther along the Ameriean (hore, or feat into the ocean in the courfe along the
fiream, and then by the fct of the flream, and the prcvaling winds, which generally
blow two-thirds of the year, wafted to the fliores of Europty where they are
found *.

The maft of the TilbKry. man of war, burnt at Jamaica, was thus conveyed to
the wcftern fide of Scotland; and among the amazing quantity of drift-wood, or
timber, annually flung on the coafts of Icilandy are fame fpecies which grow in
Virginia and Carolina f. All the great rivers of thofe countries contribute their
Ihare } the Alatamahat. Santte,. and Roaneky, and all the rivers which flow into the
Chefapeai,. fend down in floods numberlefs trees % ;, but Iceland is alfo obliged to
Europe for much of its drift-wood ; for the common pine, fir, lime, and willows,
are among thofe enumerated by Mr. Troille v all which,, probably, were wafted
from Norway.

The mountains of Norway might prove a boundlefs fubjc<^ of fpeculation to
the traveller. Their extent is prodigious, and the variety of plants, animals,
and fifhes of the lakes, are funds of conflant amufement. The filver mines,
wrought ever fince 1623, are fources of wealth to the kingdom, and afford the
fined fpecimens of the native kinds yet known. Gold was found in a confider-
able quantity in 1697. ChriJlianV . caufed ducats to be coined with it ; the in«
fcription was the words of Jobt von mittbrnacht komt gold, out of the north
umet GOLD II. Copper and iron are found in abundance ; lead in lefs quantities:
tin does not extend to this northern region. It is difficult to fay which ie
the beginning of this enormous chain. In Scandinavia it begins in the great
Koelen rock, at the extremity of Finmark. It enters Norway in the diocefe of
Dronlheim, bends weftward towards the fea, and terminates at a vafl precipice, I
think, the Heire/o/ty about three Norwegian miles from Lijier. Another branch
of this mountain divides Norway from Sweden^ fills Lapland^ and rifes into>

Mountains..

McTALt*

* For this curious account, lam indebted to Do£lor Garden, who, by his long refidcnce in Cbarltf
town, is extremely well acquainted with the fubjefl.

t Troille" t Fiy. to Iceland, 47. % DoAor Garden.

H Ptnioppidatt, i. 179. Mufeum.Rigium HavtiU, pars!!, fefl, r. tab. xx, N° it.— With more
(ruth, perhaps, our vtrfion has it, oulof tie north cometb cold,.

tbc

ISXIl

NORWAY.

Romantic
Viiwi.

HllOHTI OP
MOVJfTAINI.

the d!ftingu!(bed fummlti of Horrtkahro^ Avafaxa^ and JT/l/iV, tnd endi in feat-
tered maiTes of granite, in the low province of Finland. It inclofes Scandinavia
in form of a horfe-ihoe, and divides it from the vafl plains of Rujfta. The an<
tient name of this chain was Stv$ mgnt, to this day retained in the modern name
Sivthtrg. Pliny compares it to the Riphman hills, and truly fays, it forms an
immenfe bay, even to the Cimbrian promontory *.

The mountains and iflands break into very grotefque forms, and would furnifli
admirable fubjeds for the pencil. Among the defiderata of thefe days, is a
tour into thofe parts by a man of fortune, properly qualified, and properly at-
tended by artifts, to fearch into the great variety of matter which this northern
region would furnifli, and which would give great light into the hiftory of a
race, to which half Eurtpi owes its population. Among the views, the moun-
tains of the Stvtn Sijitrs in Htlgiland f, and the amazing rock of Terg'hatttn t,
rifing majeftically out of the fea, with its pervious cavern, three thoufand
ells y long, and a hundred and fifty high, with the fun at times radiating through
it, are the moft capital. Not to mention the tops of many, broken into imagi-
nary forms of towers and Gothic edifices, forts, and caAles, with regular walls and
baftions.

I agree with the Comte De Buffon^ in thinking that the heights of the Scan-
dinavian mountains, given by Bifbop Pontoppidan^ and Mr. Brttualliust are ex-
tremely exaggerated §. They are by no means to be compared with thofe of
the Htlvttian Alps, and lefs fo with many near the equator. The fober accounts
I have received from my northern friends, ferve to confirm the opinion, that
there is an increafe of height of mountains from the north towards the equato-
rial countries. M. yf/caniust profefTor of mineralogy at Dnntheimy afTures me,
that from fome late furveys, the higheft in that diocefe are not above fix hun-
dred fathoms above the furface of the fea ; that the mountains fall to the weftern
.fide from the diftance of eight or ten Norwegian miles f ; but to the eaflern,
fVom that of forty. The highefl is Dovrt-fial in Drontheim, and Tillt in Ber-
gen. They rife flowly, and do not ftrike the eye like Ram/dale- born f and Hern-
alenf which foar majeftically from the fea. In Sweden., only one mountain has
been properly meafured to the fea. ProfefTor Ritzius of Lundy acquaints me,
that Kinnekulle in JVtJiro-Gothia is only eight hundred and fifteen Englijh feet

• Sevi roons ibi immenfus, nee Riflueij jugit minor, immanem ad Cimbrorum ufque pronionto-
rium (fficit Hnum, qui CoJanuiswiciMt. Lib. iv. c. 13.

f Ponttfpidan, i. 46. tab. iii. J The fame, !. 47. tab. iii. 0 Of iwo Danifi feet eacb.

^Epo^uei </f /o^d/Mr;, Suppl.tom, vi.p. i}(. tA\u Amfltrdam, ^ Of it, oo* feet each.

.abovi;

NORWAY.

txxtic

m ufque pronionto-

above the lake /T/ff/rn, or nine hundred and thirty-one above the Tea. He add*,
the following have been only meafurcd to their bafcs, or to the next adjacent waters :
Aorjkata^ a folitary mountain oi Jamtlandy about four or hvc Swtdijh miles from
the higheft ^Ipt^ which feparate Norway and Swtt/en, is fald tu be fix thuufand one
hundred and fixty-two Engliflj feet above the ncareft rivers ; Swuciujlo/, within
the border! of Norway^ four thoufand fix hundred and fifty-cij^ht above lake
fifmund', and that lake is thought to be two or three thoufand above the fea : and
finaUyy Sylfitellttif on the borien of Jttmiiandt is three thoufand one hundred and
thirty-two feet perpendicular, from the height to the bafe. PontoppUlan gives the
mountains of Norway the height of three thoufand fathoms: Browalllus thofc of
Sweden two thoufand three hundred and thirty-three, which makes them nearly
equal to the higheft jtlps of Savoys or the ftill higher fummits of the Pcruvion
Andes.

In Finmariy the mountains in fome places run into the fca: in others recede far,
and leave extcnfivc plains between their bafes and the water. Their extreme hci<jht
is on the Fiall-ryggtn., dorfum yfjpium, or tad of the Alps, a name given to the higheft
courfc of the whole chain : the fummits of which are clad with eternal rnow« 'ihefe
are flcirted by lower mountains, compofcd of hard fandy earth, deftitute of every
vegetable, except where it is mixed with fragments of rock, on which appear the Saxi-
frages of feveral kinds j Diapenfta Lapponica, Fl. Lapp. N' 88 ; Azalea Procumbens,
N* go; the Andromeda Cat u lea t N" 164; and Hypnoides, N" 165, thinly fcatter-
cd. Lower down are vaft woods of fiirch, N" 34.1, a tree of equal ufe to the
LaplanderSy and the northern Indians of America. On the lower Alps abound the
Rein-deer Lichen^ N° 437, the fupport of their only cattle , the Dwarf Birch,
N° 342, the feeds of which are the food of the White Grows beneath the fnow,
during the long and rigorous winter ; the Arbutus Alpina, N' 161 ; and Arhutut
Uva Urfay N" 162 ; and, finally, the Empetrum Nigrum^ or Black Heath Berriet^
ufed by the Laplanders in their ambrofial difli the Kappif almas*.

The Scotch Pine, N" 346, and Norway Fir, N" 347, form the immenfe forefts of
Lapland, alTociated with the Birch : the Pine affedls tlie dry, the Fir the wet places,
and grow to a vaft fizc ; but, being inaccefllblc, are loft to the great ufes of man«
kind. On their northern fides they are almoft naked, and deprived of boughs by the
piercing winds ; the wandering Laplander remarks this, and ufes it as a compafs
to fteer by, amidft thefe wilds of wood. Whole trails are oft-times fired by light-
ning ; then proftrated by the next florm. The natives make, of the under part of
the wood (which acquires vaft hardnefs by length of time) their fnow-fhoesj and

* Fl. Lat>p. p.
k

loS.

FiNMAKK.

Plants.

ioxm

uucir

SCANDINAVIA.

I in! !

QvADRVPBDt CV

Scamdinmvia.

form theicbows forfliooting the fquirrel with pieces united with glue, made from
the (kin of the perch. Their fragile boats are formed of the thinneft boards : their
ropes of the iibrous roots : and finally, the inner bark, pulverized and baked, is the
fubfiitute for bread to a people deftincd to this rigorous climate. Thefe three tr^es,
the Dwarf Birch., N" 341, the Aldtr^ N° 340, and not lefs than twenty-three fpecies
of Willows, form the whole of the trees of Lapland. Every other SwtdiJL tree
vanifhes on approaching that country.

There is a great analogy between the plants of thefe northern Alps, and thofe of
the Scottijh Highlands. A botanift is never furprized with meeting (imilar plants
on hills of the fame height, be their diftance ever fo great. It may be remarked,
that out of the three hundred and feventy-nine perfe£l plants which grow in
Lapland, two hundred and ninety-one are found in Stttland; and of the hundred
and fifty cryptogamous, ninety-feven arc to be met with in North Britain,

The AlpSy the woods, and marflies of the vaft region of Scandinavia (for I will

confider it in the great) giveflielter to numbers of quadrupeds unknown to Britain.

Thofe which brave the feverity of the extreme north of this country are diftin-

guiflied by the addition of the Lapland name. The Elk, N" 3 of this Work, is

found in many parts : the Rein, Godde, N° 4, is confined to the chillieft places : the

Wolf, Kumpi, N» 9, is a peft to the whole : the At&ic Fox, Njaly N" 10, (kirts

the (bores of all the northern regions: the Crofs Fox, Raude, N^ 11. j3, and the

Black Fox, N" 11. a. is fcattered every where : the Lynx, Jlbos *, N" 15, inhabits

the thickeft woods : the Bear, Guouzhia, N" 20, and Glutton, Gjeed^k, N^ 2i>

have the fame haunts : the Sable, N° 30, which continued in Lapland till the

middle of the laft century, is now extindl : the LeiTer Otter, or Maenk, of the

Swedes, is confined to Finland : the Beaver, Majag, N° 90, is ftill found in an un«

fociable ftate in feveral parts : the Flying Squirrel, p. 124, the Orava of the Fin-

landers, is found in their forefts f, and thofe oi Lapland: the Lemmus, Lumenik,

p. 136, is at feafons the i^c^ oi Norway, ifluing like a torrent from the iT^^/^/r

chain : The Walrus, Morjh, N" 71, is fometimes found in the Finmark feas : the

Harp Seal, Dalja, N» 77, the Rough Seal, N" 74, the Hooded, Oanide? N" 76,

and the Little Seal, Hijl. ^uad. ii. N" 386, omitted by me in this Work, inhabit

* I have no proof of this b«t the name. The L)hx inhabits Nor^vay and Siveden, and all the
woody parts of Sib'tria; a circumftance I omitted in p. 50, of this Work. I fcarceiy know whether I
Ihould apologize for the omiflion of the Fiichet, Hifl, ^ua.i. i. N° 195 { the Mufiela Putorius, N* iC,
Faun, Suec. Linn^us fpeaks with uncertainty of its being found in Scania, and that ii a latitud»
rather too far fouth for my plan,

t See Mr. Cabriil BonfJorff't account of the animals of Finland, p. 14.

the

SCANDINAVIA.

UtXf

the fame place *. The laft, fays Biihop Ounntr, is eaten falted, not only by the
Laplandtrs-i but by the better fort of people in Finmark.

Of animals found in Britain^ the Fox, Ruopfok^ N* xi ; Pine Martin, AT*?///,
N''27J Ermine, Boaaidf, N°26; Weefel, Seibujh^ N" 25 i Otter, ZhieonariSy
N"'34; Varying Hare, Njaumely N° 37 j Common Squirrel, Orre^ p. 122. A;
Moufe, N» 60 ; Field Moufc, N" 61 } Water Rat, N" 5g ; and the Shrew,
Vandis and Ziehaiy N" 67, are feen as high as Finmark : the Common Seal,
Nuorrojhf N" 72, and the Great Seal, N" 73, alfo frequent the (hores. All the
other quadrupeds, common to Scandinavia^ ceafe in Norway^ and fome even in
Sweden. Scandinavia received its animals from the eaft; but their farther progrefs
was prevented by the intervention of the North fe& between that region and Britain.
Our extiniSl fpecies, the Bear, the Wolf, and the Beaver, came into this ifland, out
of Gauly before our feparation from the continent. Some of the northern animals
never reached us : neither did the north ever receive the Fallow Deer, Br. Zool.
tf' 7 i the Harveft Moufe, N' 29 ; the Water Shrew, N" 33 } nor yet the Brown
Rat, N" 57, of this Work { notwithftanding it familiarly goes under the name of
the Norway J.

This great tra£l has very few birds which are not found in Britain. We may
except the Collared Falcon, p. 222. G } the Scandinavian Owl, p. 237 ; Roclc
Crow, p. 352. F i Roller, p. 253 j Black Wooilpecker, p. 276 ; Grey-headed,
p. 277 i Three-toed, N** 168 ; the Rehufak Grous, p. 316. B ; and the
Hazel Grous, p. 316. F. The Ortolan, p. 367. D ; the Ardtic Finch, p. 379. A ;
and the Lulean F. p. 380. B. The Grey Redftart Warbler, p. 4i7> Cj the
Blue Throat W. p. 417. £ ; Bogruih W. p. 419. I ; Fig-eater, 419. K ; and
Kruka W. p. 422. U. All the cloven-footed water-fowl, except the Spoon-bill,
p. 441. A i the Crane, p. 453. A ; White and Black Storks, p. 455, 456. CD)
Finmark Snipe, p. 471. D } Striated Sandpiper, N° 383 ; Selninger, p. 480. C ;
Waved, p. 481. E ; Shore, p. 481. F j Wood, p. 482. G ; Alwargrim Plover, N»
39S } and Aiexandrine^ p. 4S8. B. And all the web-footed kinds, except the Harle-
quin Duck, N''490, and LapmarAy p. 576. M. are common to both countries ; but
during fummer, Fieldfares, Redwings, Woodcocks, and moft of the water-fowl,
retire from Britain into Scandinavia^ to breed in fecurity : and numbers of both
land and water-fowl quit this frozen country during winter^ compelled) for want
of food, to feek a milder climate.

Biros.

* ConAilt Ltenu Lapm. X14, 11 j, iifi. Alfo for the Moufe, ^c. which want the Lapland Toxavt.

t Letmt, 110.

it It ie » native «f the Eoji hdiei. Sec Hiji, Sljfod. ii. N* 44.

k a

The

CVRIOUS riSHE9.

txxTi NORWAY.

The /iihes of this extenfive coaft amount to only one hundred and eleven, and
are inferior in number to thofe of Britain by twenty- eight. The fpecies of the
North Sea which differ from the Britljh, are not numerous. The depth of water,
and the foreAs of marine plants which cover the bottom of the Norwegian feas,
are afluredly the caufe of the preference of certain kinds, in their refidence in
them. Infinite numbers of rare Vermes, Shells, Lithophytes, and Zoophytes, arc
found there, fcveral of which, before their difcovery by Bifhop Pontoppidan, were
the fuppofed inhabitants of only the more remote feas *. Among the fifhes which
have hitherto (hunned our fhures, are the Raia Clavata, Muller, N° 309; Squalus
Spinax, 312 1> Sq. Centrina, 313, which extends to the Mediterranean; Chimera
Monfirofa^ 370, a moft fmgularfifh ; Sygnathus Typhle, and Mquoreusy 324, 328; the
Regalecus Glefve, 335, Afcan. Icon. tab. xi.j Gadus Brofme, 341 ; G. Dypterygius., os
Byrke-lange^ 346 ; Blennius RaninuSy & FufcuSy 359, 360; Echeneis Rcmora^ 36 1.;
Coryphana Novaeula^ & Rupejirisy 362, 363 } Gobius Jozo, 365 ; PlearoneEies
Cynoglojfus., Limanda^ & Linguatula^ 372, 375, 377 ; Sparus Erythrinus, 380 ; Labrus
Suillusy 381 ; Perca Norvegica^ and Lucio-perca, 390, 391 j Scomber Pelagicus, 3985
Silurus yf/otus, 404 ; Clupea Villofa, 425.
Thssi op use. Thefe are not the fifties of general ufe. Providence hath, in thefe parts, bellow-

ed with munificence the fpecies which contribute to the fupport of mankind ; and
made thereby the kingdom oi Norway a coaft of hardy fifiiermen. The chain of
iflands, and the fliores, are the populous parts. It is the fea which yields them a
harveft j and near to it fland all the capital towns : the fiaples of the produce of
the ocean on one hand, and of the more thinly inhabited mountains on the other.
The farther you advance inland, the Icfs numerous is the race of man.
iNGs. The Herring, the Cod, the Ling, and the Salmon, are the maritime wealth of

this country. The Herring has two emigrations into this fea: the firft is from
Chrijimas to Candlemas^ when a large Species arrives, preceded by two fpecies of
Whales, who, by inftindV, wait its coming, The fifhermen poft themfelves oa
feme high cliff, impatiently waiting for the cetaceous fifti, the harbingers of the
others. They look for them at the moon Tsrre, or the firft new one after Chriji-
masy and the moon G/o, which immediately follows.

Thefe Herrings frequent the great fand-banks,,wherethey depofit their fpawn.
They are followed by the Spring Herrings, a leffer fifli, which approach much nearer
to the fliore } after which arrive the Summer Herring, which almoft literally fill
every creek : the whole fifliery is of immenfe profit. From January to OSioher^

Herr

• See the Plates in Ponloppidan'i Hift, Norway,

t In the Briiijb Zoology^ ill, N» 40. the trivial Spinax it infelted inftead of Aeautiiof,

1752,

nd eleven, and
fpecies of the
epth of water,
forwegian feas,
r refidence in
roophytes, are
toppidatit were
le fiflies which
309; Squalus
nean; Chimera
324,328; the
DypterygiuSy or
Remora, 361,}
^ ; PUarone£Ies
, 380 ; Lahrtis
'elagicusy 3981

parts, beftow-
mankind ; and
The chain of
yields them a
the produce of
5 on the other.
3n.

time wealth of
; fir ft is from
two fpecies of
themfelves oa
lingers of the
,e after Chriji'

their fpawn.
h much nearer
•ft literally fill
ry to O^obtr^

it.

1752,

NORWAY.

r7S^> were ntported, from Bergen alone, eleven thoufand and thirteen lafts ; and
it was expedled that as many more would be (hipped off before the expiration of
the year. The Herrings which vifit this coaft are only part of the vaft northern
army which annually quits the great deeps, and gives wealth and food to numbers
of European nations.

The Cod yields another fifliery of great profit. They firft arrive immediately
after the earlicft Herrings, and grow fo pampered with their fry, that they rejedl: a
bait; and are taken in vaft nets, which are fet down in fifty or feventy fathom
water, and taken up every twenty-four hours, with four or five hundred great fifti
entangled in them. As the Herrings retire, the Cod grows hungry ; and after that
is taken with hook and line, baited with Herring. In. more advanced feafon, other
varieties of Cod arrive, and are taken, in common with Turbot and other fifli, with
long lines, to which two hundred ftiort lines with hooks are faftened : the whole is
funk to the bottom ; its place is marked by a buoy faftened to it by another line of
fit length. The extent of the Cod-fifticry may be judged of on hearing that
40,000 tender, of four buftiels each, of French and Spani/h fait, are annually im-
ported into Bergen for that purpofe only.

The Ling is taken on the great fand-bank during fummer, by hook and line,
and, being a fifti noted for being capable of long prefervation, is much fought after
for diftant voyages.

The Salmon, a moft univerfal northern fifti, arrive in the Norwegian rivers, and
vaft quanties are fent, fmoke-dried or pickled, into various countries.

The praefcfture ct Kfordbnd, is the fartheft part of the kingdom of Norway. In
it is the diftridl of Helgelatid, remarkable for that uncommon genius, Oifher, or
Ohthere, who, in a frozen climate, and fo early as the ninth century, did
fliew a paflion for difcovery, equal perhaps v/ith that of the prefent. His country
was at that time the laft in the north which had the left tinfture of humanity.
In the year 890 he was attracted by the fame of our renowned Alfred. He vifited
his court, and related to him his voyages. He told the monarch that he was deter-
mined to prove if there was any land beyond the deferts which bounded his country*
It appears that he failed due north, and left, on his ftarboard fide, a wafte, the pre-
fent Finmark, occafionally frequented by the Finnas, or wandering Laplanders^ for
the fake of fifliing and fowling. He went as far as the IVhale-fiJhers ufually ven-
tured : a proof that the men of Norway pradtifed that fifliery many centuries before
the Englijh. He doubled the North Cape, and entered the Cwen Sea, or ff'hite Sea, and
even anchored in the mouth of the Dwina. He was to thefe parts what Columbus
was to America : but the knowlege of this country was loft for centuries after the
days oi Oiiber. He mentioned the Stride /''/««<7/, who lived to the north-weft of

the

IXXVII

Co

9i

LiNa«

Salmon.

NORDLAND.

Of Octher*.

NORWIGIANS
A riNB RACE*

ixxviii NORWAY.

the Ctuen Sea, and who wore fnow-flioes. The country about the Dwtna was well
inhabited by a people called Beormas^ far more civilized than the Finnat. The
map attending Alfred'^ Oroftus places them in the country of the Samoiedsy a race
at prefent as uncultivated as mankind can be : we therefore mud fuppofe thofe
Btormas to have been Rufftans. Oilher fays, that in this fea he met with Horfe-
Whales {Walrufes) and produced to the prince fpecimens of their great teeth,
and of thong-ropes made of their (kins i a mark of his attention to every thing
curious which occurred to him *.

I muft not leave Norway without notice of its chief of animals, Man. Scandt-
naviot in the courfe of population, received its inhabitants by colonies of hardy
Scythians^ who, under the name of Sarmatiam^ extended themfelves to the coafts
of the BaltU, In after-times their virtue wr.s exalted by the arrival of their coun-
tryman, Odin, and the heroes he fettled in every part of the country. The feverity
of the climate has not checked the grov/th, or diftorted the human form. Man
here is tall, robuft, of juft fymmetry in limbs, and fhews ftrongly the human face
divine. Their hair is light: their eyes light grey. The male pcafants of the
mountains are hairy on their breafts as Bears, and not lefs hardy : adtive in body :
LoDCBViTT. clear and intelligent in their minds. Theirs certainly is length of days j for out of
fix thou fand nine hundred and twenty-nine, v^rho died in 1761, in the diocefe of
Chrifiiana, three hundred and ninety-four lived to the age of nintey j fixty-three to
that of a hundred ; and feven to that of a hundred and one \. The Norwegiam
juftlyhold themfelves of high value; and flightingly call their fellow-fubjedts, the
the Danes, JutetX. The Danes tacitly acknowlege the fuperiority, by compoflng
almoft their whole army out of thefe defcendants of the all-conquering Normans.

I (hall here fupply an omiflion in my account of the Scandinavian antiquities,
p. xxxvi. by mentioning the famous tomb, about feven Stvedijh yards long and two
broad, found at Kivike, a parifli of Schonen in Sweden, in the centre of a vaft tumu-
lus of round (tones. It was oblong, and confifled of feveral flat ftones, the infide
of which is carved with figures of men and animals, and the weapons of the age,
axes and (fears iteads. A figure is placed in a triumphal car ; cornets feem found-
ing : captives with their hands bound behind, guarded by armed men ; and figures,
fuppofed to be female, form part of the conquered people, k is fuppofed that the
Roman fleet made an accidental defcent here, had a fuccefsful (kirmi(h with the
natives, might have loft their leader, and left this mark of their victory amidft the

• The TranJUttMn tfOreJius, by the Hon. Daines Barrhtgtofi, p. 9, &c. and Hackluyt, i. 4.
•^ Pbil, Tumf. vol. lix. 1 17. X LtrdMoUfwortb's Aceemit of Denmark, 25.

Iiarbarous

F I N M A R K.

tToax

barbarous conqvered. The tomb had been broken open by the country people,
and whatfoever it might have contained was ftolen away and }oft *.

Within the JrSfic circle, begins Finmarky a narrow tra£t, which winds about the FiifUABX*
fliores eaftwards, and bends into the JVhitt Sea : a country divided between Ner-
tvay and Ruffta. The view firom the Tea is a flat, bounded, a little inland, by a chain
of lofty mountains covered with fnow. The depth of water off the fliore is from a
hundred to a hundred and fifty fathoms f. The inhabitants quit their hovels in
winter, and return to them in the fummer : and, in the middle of that feafon, even
the Alpini Laplanders vifit thefe parts for the fake of fifliing ; and, like the antient
Scythians, remove with their tents, their herds, and furniture, and return to their
mountains in autumn %. Some of them, from living near the fea, have long been
called Sia Finnic and See Lappernes.

In this country begins inftantly a new race of men. Their ftature is from four
to four feet and a half: their hair fhort, black, and coarfe : eyes tranfverfely nar-
row : irides black : their heads great : cheek-bones high : mouth wide : lips
thick : their cbeAs broad : waifts flender : fkin fwarthy : (hanks fpindle ||. From
ufe, they run up rocks like goats, and fwarm trees like fquirrels : are fo ftrong in
their arms that they can draw a bow which a ftout Norwegian can hardly bend;
yet lazy even to torpidity, when not incited by neceiltty ; and pufillanimous and
nervous to an hyfterical degree. With a few variations, and very few exceptions^
are the inhabitants of all the Ariiic coafts of Europe^ Afut, and America. They are
nearly a diftindl fpecies in minds and bodies, and not to be derived from the ad-
jacent nations, or any of their better-proportioned neighbors.

The feas and rivers of Finmark abound with fi(h» The Alien of JVeJl Finmarky
after a gentle courfe through mountains and forefts, forms a noble cataraiSl, which
tumbles down an immenfe'rock into a fine bafon, the receptacle of numbers of
vefTels which refort here to fifli or traffic for Salmon §. The Tana, and the Kola
of the extreme north fwarm with them. In the Alten they are taken by the natives
in weirs built after the Norwegian model j and form, with the merchants of Bergeity
a great article of commerce. Thefe fiflieries are far from recent : that on the
Kola was noted above two centuries ago for the vaft concourfe of Englijb and Dutch,
for the fake of the fifli-oil and Salmon f .
The moft northern fortrefs in the world, and of unknown antiquity tt> >s ff^ard- Varomuy*.

SaLMOV FlIH-
ERIB8,

* See Mr. far^/MM's curious diflTertation on this antiquity, printed M Luitd, 1780.
t Antb. Jtnkinfon'i Vy. inHaeiluyt, i. 311. J Leemt, 169. || Scheffer, i», and tin,

faun. Suec. i. § Leems, 341, f Hackluyt, i. 416. tf Torfai Hifl, NerwegU, i. 96.

hu}3t

Li*>/i'''

txxx

C H E R I E ISLAND.

SmHuoH WiL-

LOUOHBY.

7}uySi fituatcd in a good harbour, in the ifle of irardoty at the extremity of Finm^ri;
probably built for the protedtion of the iifhing trade, the oiiiy obje^ it could have
in this remote place.

A little farther eaftward, in Mufcovitijh Flnmarky is Jrzi'na, noted for the fad
fate of that gallant gentleman. Sir Hugh TVilhughby., who, in 1553, commanded the
firft voyage on the difcovery by fea of Mufcovia., by the north-eaft ; a country at that
time fcarcely known to the reft oi Europe. He unfortunately loft his paffagc, was
driven by tempefts into this port, where he and all his crew were found the fol-
lowing year frozen to death. His more fortunate confort, Riihard Chancellor
captain and pilot major, purfued his voyage, and renewed the difcovery of the
ff^ite Sea, or Bay of 5/, Nicholas; a place totally forgotten fince the days of
OSiher. The circumftances attending his arrival, exadlly refemble thofe of the firft
difcovcrers of America. He admired the barbarity of the Rujjian inhabitants : they
in return were in amaze at the fize of his fliip : they fell down and would have
kifled his feet } and when they left him fpread abroad the arrival of 'a ftrange
nation, of fingular gentlenefte and courtefie *.'" He vifited in fledges the court of
Baftlowitz II. then at MofcotUy and layed the foundation of immenfe commerce to
this country for a feries of years, even to the remote and unthought-of Perjia.

I (hall take my departure from the extreme north of the continent of Europe, or
rather from its (battered fragments, the \{[c of Maggeroe, and other iflands, which lie
off the coaft, in lat. 71. 33. At the remote end of Maggeroe is the North Cape,
high and flat at top, or what the failors call Table-land f. Thefc are but the con-
tinuation of the great chain of mountains which divides Scandinavia, and finks
and rifes through the ocean, in different places, to the Seven Sijlers, in about lat.
80. 30, the neareft land to the pole which we are acquainted with.
Chbr4E Island. Its firft appearance above water, from this group, is at Cherie I/land, in lat. 74.
30. a moft folrtary fpot, rather more than midway between the North Cape and
Spitzbergen, or about a hundred and fifty miles from the latter. Its figure is nearly
round : its furface rifes into lofty mountanous fummits, craggy, and covered with
perpetual fnow : one of them is truly called Mount Aliftry. The horror of this
ifle to the fiift difcoverers muft have been unfpeakable. The profpe£t dreary,
black, where not hid with fnow, and broken into a thoufand precipices. No
founds but of the da(hing of the waves, the crafhing collifion of floating ice, the
difcordant notes of myriads of fea-fcwl, the yelping of yfr^/V Foxes, the fnorting
of the Walrufes, or the roaring of the Polar Bears.

NonTH Cape.

-* Hiukluyt, i. 346. f Sec a view of thefe iflands in ?bil, Tranf, vol. lix. tab. xiv.

This

SPITZBERGEN.

LXXXl

lix. tab. xiv.

This ifland wai probably difcovered by Stephen Bennet in 1603 ♦, employed by
Alderman Cbtritt in honor of whom the place was named. The anchorage near
it is twenty and thirty fathoms. He found there the tooth of a fFalrust but faw
none of the animals, their feafon here being paft : this was the 17th of Augu/i.
Encouraged by the hopes of profit, Bennet made a fecond voyage the next year, and
arrived at the ifland the 9th of July } when be found the Walrufes lying huddled
on one ayother, a thoufand in a heap. For want of experience, he killed only a
fewi but in fucceeding voyages the adventurers killed, in i6c6, in fix hours time,
feven or eight hundred ; in 1608, nine hundred or a thoufand in feven hours } and
in i6io, above feven hundred. The profit, in the teeth, oil, and (kins, was ver/
confiderable t i but the flaughter made among the animals frightened the furvivors
away, fo that the benefit of the bufinefs was loft, and the ifland no more frequented.
But from this deficiency originated the commencementof the Whalc-fiihery by the
Englijh.

It is remarkable that this ifland produces excellent coals t ; yet none are known
nearer than the diocefe of Aggerhuys^ in the fouth of Norway^ and there in very
fmall quantities. Lead ore is alfo found, both in Cherie Ijland and a little one
adjacent, called Gull Ifland I.

About a hundred and fifty miles almoft due north, is South Cape^ north lat.
76. 30, the extreme fouthern point of Spitzbergen^ the largeft of the group of
frozen iflands which go under that name, or New Greenland. From this to Fer-
Ugan-hooky north lat. 80. 7, the northern extremity, is above three hundred miles ;
and the greateft breadth of the group is from Haciluyt's Headland to the extreme
eaft point of Narth Eajiland^ comprizing from 9. to near 24. eaft longitude.
The Ihores are ragged and indented. A very deep bay runs into the eaft fide from
fouth to north j and a large trifurcated one from north^to fouth. States Forland is
a large ifland rent from the fouthern part of the eaft fide. North Eajlland is
divided from the north-eaft fide by the Waygat and Hinlopen ftraits, ufually
blocked up with ice, and fo (hallow as to be, in one part, only three fathoms deep §.
The long iflc of King Charles lies parallel to the weft fide. At the fouthern end is
Black Point \ the coaft high, black, and inacceflible j in parts feeniing foaring above
the clouds ; and the interjacent vallies filled with ice and fnow. Fair Foreland^
or Vogel-hookt is the northern headland, made by failors. And due north of it, at
the weftern point of Spitzbergeny is the fmall lofty ifle of Hackluyt's Headland^ ano»
ther objedl of the mariners fearch.

To the north of the great group is Moffen's Ifle, in lat. 80, oppofite to the
mouth of Leifde bay. This ifland is very low, and fufpe£lcd to be a new creation.

• Purchas, iii. 566.
H The fame, s 5 8. 564*

+ Thefame, pp. 560. 565.
§ Banington'} Mi/cel, 35.

J The fame, 564.
by

Walrushs.

Coals.

Lead.

Spitzbbrcek.

Mopi'en's Isle.

LXXXII

SPITZBERGEN.

how Island.
Basaltic.

Plants.
Animals.

Birds.

Drikt-wood.

by the mfeting of the ftrcams from the great ocean, rufhing along the weft fide of
Spitzbergcn^ and through the ff^ayjat, and forcing up the gravelly bottom of this
fhallow part, where the lead touches the bottom at from two to five fathoms water,
at half a mile from its weftcrn fide *.

To the cafl ward of this is another low rfland, almoft oppofite to the mouth of the
IVaygat : it is remarkable for being part of the Bafaltic chain, which appears in fo
many places in the northern hemifphere. The columns were from eighteen to
thirty inches in diameter, moftly hexagonal, and formed a moft convenient pave-
ment. The middle of the iflc was covered with vegetables. Modes, Sorel, Scurvy
Grafs, and Ranunculufes in bloom on July 30th. Of quadrupeds, the Rein-
deer fattened here into excellent venifon ; the Ar£lic Fox ; and a fmall animal
larger than a Wcefel, with (hort ears, long tail, and fpotted with black and white,
were feen. Small Snipes, like Jack Snipes; Ducks, then hatching} and Wild
Geefe feeding, helped to animate this dreary fcenc f.

The beach was formed of an antient aggregate of fand, whale-bones, and old
timber, or drift-wood. Fir-trees feventy feet long, fome torn up by the roots,
others fre(h from the axe, and marked with it into twelve feet lengths, lay con-
fufedly fixteen or eighteen feet above the level of the fea, intermixed with pipe-
ftaves, and wood faihioned for ufe ; all brought into this elevated fituation by the
fwell of the furious furges.

The appearance of drift-wood is very frequent in many parts of thefe high lati-
tudes : in the feas of Greenland^ in Davis's ftreights, and in thofe of Hud/on ; and
again on the coafts of Nova Zemlja. I have only two places from whence I can
derive the quantity of floating timber which appears on the coaft of Nova Zemlja
and thefe iflands : the firft is from the banks of the Oby^ and perhaps other great
rivers, which pour out their waters into the Frozen ocean. In the fpring, at the
breaking up of the ice, vaft inundations fpread over the land, and fweep away whole
forefts, with the aid of the vaft fragments of ice ; thefe are carried off, rootipd up,
and appear entire in various places. Such as are found marked into lengths,
together with pipe-ftaves, and other faOiioned woods, are fwept by the Norwegian
floods out of the rivers, on the breaking of a lentze t, a misfortune which fometimes
happens, to the bankruptcy of multitudes of timber-merchants. At fuch times
not only the trees which are floating down the torrents, but the faw-mills, and al^
other places .^n which bufinefs is carried on, undergo the fame calamity; and the
timber, in whatfoever form it happens to be, is forced into the ocean, and con-
teyed by tides or tempefts to the moft diftant parts of the north.

• Pbips, 54. f The fame, 58, J Purcbai, iii. 317,

Lee

SPITilBEROEN.

LXXXIII

Let no one be ftaggcrcd at the remotcnefs of the voyaje : I have before Ihcwii
nftances, but from a contrary courfe, from weft to caft. Part of the mafts of
the Tilbury^ burnt at Jamaica^ was taken up on the weftern coaft of Scot-
land; and multitudes of feed or fruits of the fame ifland, and other hot parts of
Amtrica^ are annually driven on (horc, not only on the weftern fide of Scotland | ,
but even on thofc of more diftant Norway J, and JceUnd.

Theiflandsof the i?^<n5//7/rx, lad of known land, lie due north from North-Eajl-
land: the extreme point of the moft remote is in lat. So. 42. They arc all high
primxval ifles : from a high mountain on the fartheft, the hardy navigators of
1773 had a fight of ten or twelve leagues of fmooth unbroken ice to the caft and
iiorth-eaft, bounded only by the horizon; and to the fouth-eaft certain land laid
down in the Dutch maps. Midway between thefe iflands and North- Eajllan/i,
Lord ^«/^r<iv/, after every effort which the moft finifhcd feaman could make to Voyaok b«
accompliih the end of his voyage, was caught in the ice, and was near experiencing Lord Mulgr aye,
the unhappy fate of the gallant Englijhmant Sir Hugh IVilhughby^ who was frozen '" '7''^'

in 1553) ^'^^ ^'^ ^'^ crew* in his unhappy expedition.

The fcene, divefted of the horror from the eventful expectation of change, was
the moft beautiful and pi£turefque : — Two large (hips becalmed in a vaft bafon,
furrounded on all fides by iflands of various forms: the weather clear : the fun
gilding the circumambient ice, which was low, fmooth, and even ; covered with
fnow, excepting where the pools of water on part of the furface appeared cryftalline
with the young ice y : the fmall fpace of fea they were confined in perfectly
fmooth. After fruitlefs attempts to force a way through the fields of ice, their
limits were perpetually contracted by its clofing; till at length it befet each
vefTel till they became immoveably fixed §. The fmooth extent of furface was foon
loft : the prefTure of the pieces of ice, by the violence of the fwell, caufed them
to pack ; fragment rofe upon fragment, till they were in many places higher than
the main-yard. The movements of the ihips were tremendous and involuntary, in
conjunftion with the furrounding ice, actuated by the currents. The water ftioal-
ed to fourteen fathoms. The grounding of the ice or of the fliips would have been
equally fatal : the force of the ice might have cruihed them to atoms, or have
lifted them out of the water and overfet them, or have left them fufpended on the
fummits of the pieces of ice at a tremendous height, expofed to the fury of the winds,
or to the rifque of being daihed to pieces by the failure of their frozen dock f . An

• P. II. of this Work. f ^"J' *' '*' Hibridei. X Anutn. Acad. vij. Rarkrt

Horveg\ci, 477. !| ?h\fi Voy, tab. iv. § Same, tab. iii.

f See thefe diftrefsful fituations in tab. B. of fr. Wartin's royage, and Gerard U ^er, fiy. au NorJ,
p, 19, edition 1(06.

1 2 attempt

txxxiv

SPITZBEROEN.

Ic«.

attempt was made to cut a paflfage through the ice ; after a perfeverance worthy
of Britons, it proved fruitlefs. The commander, at all times maftcr of himfcjf,
dlirc£ted the boats to be made ready to be hauled over the ice, till they arrived at
navigable water (a tafk alone of fevcn days) and in them to make their voyage to
England. The boats were drawn progreflively three whole days •• At length a
wind fprung up, the ice fcparated fufKciently to yield to the preiTure of the full-
failed (hips, which, after laboring againft the reftding fields of ice f, arrived on the
loth of Augujl in the harbor of Smttringbtrgy at the weft end of Spitzbergen, be-
tween it and Haciluyt's Htadland.

It was the hard fortune of Lord Mulgravt, at this feafon, to meet with one of
thofe amazing ihoals of ice which cover, at times, thefe feas, for multitudes of
leagues. He made the fulled trial, from longt a to ii eaft, and from about lat.
80. 40, as low as about 78. 30, oppofed by a face of ice without the leaft opening,
and with all the appearance of a folid wall. It is well known, that the coafts of
Sibiria are, after a northern tempeft, rendered inacceflible for a vaft extent, by the
polar ice being fet in motion. It is as well known, that a ftrong fouthern wind
will again drive them to their former feats, and make the fhores of the Frozen ocean
as clear as the equatorial feas. A farther difcovery on this fide was denied to the
noble navigator. His misfortune will for ever redound to his honor, as it proved
his fpirit, his perfeverance, and a foul fertile in expedients among the greateft dif-
ficulties !

That navigators have gone into higher latitudes I cannot deny : the authenticated
inftances only ihew their accidental good fortune, in having the ice driven towards
the pole, and in making a retreat before they were enveloped in the returning ice.
The Rujpans, under vice-admiral Tjhitjhaghif^ within thefe very few years, made an
attempt to fail to the pole by the eaftern fide of Spitzbtrgen } but after fuiFering
great hardfliips, returned without effecting any difcovery. Curiofity has been
amply fatisHed : and I believe we may reft fully content with the common paf-
fage to Indiot on the convidlion of this tra£l being totally impra£licable.

The forms aftumed by the ice in this chilling clichate, are extremely pleafing to
even the moft incurious eye. The furface of that which is congealed from the
fea-water (for I muft allow it two origins) is flat and even, hard, opake, refembling
white fugar, and incapa'ble of being flid on, like the Britijh ice %. The greater
pieces, or fields, are many leagues in length : the lefTer, are the meadow»

• Phips Foj, tab. v.
f Same, tab. vii
X Grant*, \. )i.

•f

SPITZBERGEN.

tXXXT

0f the Seals, on which thofe animals at times frolic by hundreds. The motion of
the lefler pieces is as rapid as the currents : the greater, which arc fometimes two
hundred leagues long, and fixty or eighty broad *, move flow and majeftically ; often
fix for a time, immoveable by the power of the ocean, and then produce near the
horizon that bright white appearance, called by mariners the lilini of the ice \,
The approximation of two great fields produces a mod fingular phznomenon \ it
forces the lefTer (if the term can be applied to pieces of feveral acres fquarc) out of
the water, and adds them to their furfacc : a fecoad, and often a third fucceeds ; fo
that the whole forms an aggregate of a tremendous height. Thefe float in the fea
like fo many rugged mountains, and are fometimes five or fix hundred yards thick % ;
but the far greater part is concealed beneath the water. Thefe are continually
cncreafed in height by the freezing of the fpray of the fea, or of the melting of
thefnow, which falls on them. Thofe which remain in this frozen climate, re-
ceive continual growth ; others are gradually wafted by the northern winds into
fouthern latitudes, and melt by degrees, by the heat of the fun, till they wafle away,
or difappear in the boundlefs element.

The collifion of the great fields of ice, in high latitudes, is often attended with a
noife that for a time takes away the fenfe of hearing any thing elfe ; and the lefTer
with a grinding of unfpeakable horror.

The water which dafhes againfl the mountanous ice freezes into an infinite
variety of forms ; and gives the voyager ideal towns, flreets, churches, fteeples,
and every (hape which imagination can frame ||.

The IcebergSy or Glacieres of the north-eafl of Spitzbergeriy are among the ca-
pital wonders of the country ; they are feven in number, but at confiderable
diflances from each other : each fills the vallies for tra£ls unknown, in a region
totally inacceflible in the internal parts. The glacieres of Switzerland feem con-
temptible to thefe ; but prefent often a fimilar front into fome lower valley. The
laft exhibits over the fea a front three hundred feet high, emulating the emerald
in color: catarafls of melted fnow precipitate down various parts, and black fpir-
ing mountains, flreaked with white, bound the fides, and rife crag above crag,
as far as eye can reach in the back ground §.

At times immenfe fragments break off, and tumble into the water, with a mofl
alarming dafhing. A piece of this vivid green fubflance has fallen, and grounded
in twenty-four fathoms water, and fpired above the furface fifty feet **. Simi-

[^ICEDERCS.

* Crantz, i. 31. f Phip:, 71. J JJ//hV Foy, 117.

i. 31. S See the beautiful plate in Tblpi't f^oj, tab. vii.

II Marten, 37.
•• Phipt, p.

70.

Cratitz,

lar

ixx.iivi

SPITZBERGEN.

Snow.

SSAtONt.

Bears.

FOXBS.
FOWLI-

lar icdtrgi are frequent in all the JriJic regions ; and to their Japfcs is owing the
folid mnuntanoui ice which infeAi thofe feaf.

Frofl fporti alfo with thcfe ictbtrgi., and gives them majcflic as well as other mod
fmi^iilar forma. MaiTes havt been feen, alTuming the (hape of a Gothic church,
with arched windows and doors, and all the rich tracery of that flyle, compofed ut
wh.it an /Irahiun u\c would fcarcely dare to relate, of cryAal of the richeft fup.
phirine blue : tables with one or more feet ( and often immcnfc flat-roofcd templet,
like thofe of Luxxor on the MV/, fupported by round tranfparent column* of c«.
rulcan hue, float by the adonifhcd fpedlator *.

Thefe icebergi are the creation of ages, and receive annually additional height
by the falling of fnows and of rain, which often inflantly freezes, and more than
repairs the lofs by the influence of the melting fun f.

The fnow of thefc high latitudes is as fingular as the' ice. It is firft fmall
and hard as the fined fand :|: ; changes its form to that of an hexagonal fhield,
into the (hape of needles, crofles, cinqucfoils, and ftars, plain and with ferrated
rays. Their forms depend on the difpofition of the atmofphere^ and in calm wea«
ther itcoalefces, and falls in cluders §.

Thunder and lightning arc unknown here. The air in fummer is generally
clear ; but the fky loaden with hard white clouds. The one night of this dread-
ful country begins about OiJober 20th, O. S. i the fun then fets, and never appears
till about the 3d of February \\ : a glimmering indeed continues fome weeks after
its fetting : then fucceed clouds and thick darknefs, broken by the light of the
moon, which is luminous as that in England^ and (bines without intermiffion during
the long night f. Such alfo it the cafe in JVst/a Z/m^'a **. The cold, according
to the Englijh proverb, ftrengthens with the new year ; and the fun is uOiered in
with unufual feverity of froft. The fplendor of that luminary on the fnowy
fummits of the mountains was the mod glorious of fights to the Angle party who
furvived to relate the account. The Bears ftalk forth at the fame time from their
dens, attended by their young cubs. By the beginning of Marchy the chearful
light grows ftrong : the Jr£fic Foxes leave their holes, and the fca«fowls refort
in great multitudes to their breeding-places ff.

• Marten, 43. f The Tame. % '^^* f^"*** § '^he fame, 51. || Relation of

Eight Englijbmen, &c. Churchill's Coll. iv. 81 B.— Relation of Seven Dutchmen, Sec. Churchill, ii. 430.

fl Narrative of Four Rujian failors, 94. •• De Cer, iroit Voy, au Nord. xa, b. -f f Relation
ai 'E,\ght Englifimen, Sec, 817,818,819.

The

SPITZBERGEN.

IXXXVII

Japfcs is owing the

The fun, in the height of fummer, has at times hfat enough to melt the
tar on the decic* of {hips. It fcts no more after i '"" third of /i^/y, O. 8. Diftinc-
tion of day and night is loft; unlcfs it be fad what Fr. i*/<ir/*« alleges, that
during the fumtncr night of ihc-fc countries, the fun appears wilh all the fajnf-
nefs of the moon *. This is denied by Lord Mulgrave \, From Augufl the
power of the fun declines, it fcts faft j in Stpttmhtr Azy is hardly diftinguifhable;
and by the middle of OSlcltr takes a long leave of this country j the bays be-
come frozen i and winter reigns triumphant.

Nature, in the formation of thcfe iflands, preferves the fame rule which (he
docs in other places : the higheft mountains arc on the wcllern fide ; and they
gradually lower to the eaft. 7'he altitude of the moft lofty which has been taken by
Lord Mulgtav/f feems to have been one a little to the north oi Black Pointy which
was found by the megameter to be fifteen hundred and three yards % : that of a hill on
the little ifle, the Norways^ a fmall diftance to the north-eaft of SpitKbtrgtny was two
thoufand four hundred feet : one on Vogel Sang^ fixteen hundred and fifty; an-
other, on the ifle near Chvtn Cliffy in about lat. 80, eight hundred and fixty-
five; a third on that near Cook's Holt., fcven hundred and eleven ; and one on
HackluyVs IJJandt only three hundred and twenty-one §. Thcfe are the moft
northern lands which ever were meafured ; ar>d the experiments favor the fyftcm
of the dccreafe of the heights of the mountains toward the poles.

Earth and foil are denied to thofe dreadful regions : their compofition is ftone,
formed by the fublime hand of Almighty Power ; not frittered into fegments by
fiflures, tranfverfe or perpendicular, but at once caft into one immenfe and folid
mafs } a mountain is but a fingle ftone throughout, deftitute of fiflures, except in
places cracked by the refiftlefs power of froft, which often caufes lapfes, attend-
ed with a noife like thunder, fcattcring over their bafes rude and extenfive ruins.
The ftone is granite,, moftly grey and black ; fome red, white, and yellow. I
ftrongly fufpeft, that veins of iron are intermixed j for the meltings of the fnow
tinge the rocks frequently with a ferruginous ochre. A potter's clay and a gypfum
are to be met with on the eaftern part of the iflands ||.

The vallies, or rather glens, of this country, are filled with eternal ice or
fnow } are totally inacce/Hblc, and known only by the divided courfe of the-
mountains, or where they terminate in the fea in form of a glaciere. No ftreams
water thefe dreary bottoms ; even fprings are denied ; and it is to the periodical

Day and Night*

Mountains.

V

ALLIED!.*

• Marten, 48. f *'»> ?«• t fhtpt Fey. 33,

I Narrative of Four Ruffian failort, 78,(9.

i The fame, on tab.viii.

catarads

LXXXVIII

SPIT2BERGEN.

Harbour*'

Tide and Sua.

Soil !

PLAMTSt

cataraAs of melted fnow of the fhort fummer, or to the pools in the middle of
the fields of ice, to which the mariners are indebted for frefh water.

The harbours on the weft fide are frequent , penetrate deep into the ifland of
Spitxbirgen } and are the only channels by which the iiight knowlege of the interior
parts is attained. North Harbour is a fcene of pidurefque horror, bounded by
blacic craggy Jlps^ ftreaked with fnow } the narrow entrance divide'd by an iAand ;
and at feafons affording a land-locked {belter to multitudes of ihips.

The tide at the Vogel Sang flows only four feet, and the flood appears to come
from the fouth. The depth of the fea is very irregular: near the fbore it is
generally fhallow : off Low IJland only from ten to twenty fathoms j yet fud-
denly deepens to a hundred and feventeen : off Cloven Cliff from fourteen to
twenty-eight, and deepens to two hundred. The {hallows are ufually on rock ;
the great depths on fuft mud : the former I look -on as fubmarine iflands ; but,
from the fmall number of fifh, the bottoms muft be univerfally barren.

The grit worn from the mountains by the power of the winds, or attrition of ca*
tara£t$ of melted fnow, is the only thing which refembles foil, and is the bed for
the few vegetables found here. This indeed is aififted by the putrefied lichens of the
rocks, and the dung of birds, brought down by the fame means.

Even here Flora deigns to make a {hort vifit, and fcatter over the baibs of the
hills a fcanty flock. Her efforts never rife beyond a few humble herbs, which {hoot,
flower, and feed, in the fhort warrmh of June and July j then wither into refl till
the fucceeding year.— Let mc here weave a flender garland from the lap of the
goddefs, of fuch, and perhaps all, which fhe hath beftowed on a country fo repug-
nant to her bounty. Let the falubrious Scurvy Grafs, the refource of diflempered
feamen, be remarked as providentially moft abundant in the compofition.

Let me firft mention its only tree, the Salix Herhacea^ or Dwarf Willow, de-
fcribed by Marten^ p. 65, Fhips^ 202, which feldom exceeds two inches in
height, yet has a juft title to the name. The plants are, a new fpecitfs of Grafs,
now named Agrojlis Algida : Tillaa Aquaticoy Sp. PI. 186. Fl. Suec. 156: Juncus
CampeJIrisy Fl. Sc. i. 186 : Sibbaldia Procumbens ? Y\. Lap. ill. ; Marten's Spitz.
tab. H. fig. b : Polygonum Fiviparum, Fl. Lap. 152) Marten's Spitz, tab. I. fig. a:
Saxifraga OppofttafoHoy Fl. Lap. 179, 222 : Sax. Cernuay Sp, Fl. i. 577 j Fl. Lap.
172: Sax. Rivularisy Sp. PI. 577 j Fl. Lap. 174: Sax. Cafpitofay Sp. PI. 578;
Fl. Suec. 376 : Sedum Jnnuum ? Sp. PI. 620 ; Marten's Spitz, tab. F. fig. c :
Ctrajlium Alpinuniy Sp. PI. 628 \ Fl. Lap. 192 : Ranunculus Sulphureusy Phips
Voy. 202 ; Mart. Spitz. 58 : R. Lapponicusy Fl. La"}). 461, 503 : R. Nivalis f 232;
Mart. Spitz, tab. F. fig. a : Cechltaria Danicoy Sp. PI. 903 j Fl. Suec. 578, 579 :

Cochl,

SPITZBERGEN.

LXXXIX

Cochl. GfcenlaHdica^ Sp. PI. 904 : Polytrichum commune^ Fl. Lap. 395 : Brjum
HypnoideSf Fl. Lap. 396 : Bryum Trichoides? Dill. 391'; Mufc. tab. 50, fig. 61 :
Bryum Hypnoidet ? Dill. Mufo. 394, tab. 50, fig. 64, C : Hypnum Aduncum^ Sp.
PI. 1592; Fl. Suec. 879, 1025: Jungermannia Julaceay Sp. PI. 1601 : Jung.
like the Lichenajirum Ramoftus^ fol. trif. Dill. Mufc. 489, tab. 70, fig. 15: Li-
chen Ericetorum, Fl. Lap. 936, 1068 : L. IJlandicus., 959, 1085 : L. Nivalis^
446: L. Camnusj 441 : L. Polyrhizost Sp. Pi. 1618 ; Fl. Suec. 1108: L. Pyxi'
datus, Fl. Lap. 428: i. Carwa/wj, 434 : L. Rangi/erinusy 437 : L. Globiferus.,
Lin. Mantiir. 133 : L. Pafchalisy Fl. Lap. 439 : L. Chalybeiformis, Sp. PI. 1623 ;
Fl. Suec. 988, 1 127 : and the Futus Saccharinus ? Fl. Lap. 460; Mart. Spitz,
tab. F. fig. 6.

It is matter of curiofity to trace the decreafe of vegetables from our own ifland
to this fpot, where fo few are to be found. They decreafe with the numbers
of herbivorous animals, and the wants of mankind. The following catalogue
may not be quite juft, but is probably pretty near the truth :

England has

Scotland

The Orknies

Sweden

Lapland

Iceland

Perfeft.
1,124

804

354
933

379
3^9

Iinperfe£l.

428
144
366

233

Total.

I.714
1,232

498
1,299

534
542

Thofe of Spitzbergen are given above.

The three terreftrial quadrupeds of thefe iflands are confined here without
poffibility of migration. The Polar Bears pafs the greateft part of the winter in
a torpid ftate : appear in numbers at the firft return of the fun, when, probably,
they take to the ice, in queft of their prey. Seals, or dead Whales.

It is difficult to account for the means which the Foxes find for fupport, as
the ifland is deftitute of birds during the whole winter; and, the bays being totally
frozen up, they can find no fubfiftence from the fea. Perhaps they lay up pro-
vifion for winter, on which they fubfift till the arrival ok the birds in March ; at
which feafon they have been obferved firft to quit their holes, and appear in
multitudes *. The Rein Deer have at all times their favorite lichen., which they
can readily get at, by help of their palmated horns.

Walrusss and Seals are found in great abundance ; the latter are often the
obje(S of chace, for the fake both of oil and flcin* : the RuJJians make voyages oa

QUADIlUP«0l.

• Cburcbill, iv, 819.
m

purpofc.

xc

SPITZBERGEK.

purpofe. In 1743, four unhappy mariners of that nation were accidentally left oir
iliore on North Eajlland, called by the Rujfians Mahy Broun, Here three (the fourth
died in the laft year) lived till Auguft 15th 1749 ; when they were providentially
relieved by th« arrival of a fliip, after paffing fix years, real'izing in ingenious
contrivances the celebrated Engl'ijh fable of Robinfon Crujhe *.

In the year ^633 feven Dutch failors were left voluntarily on theweftern ^art
of Spitzbergen, to pafs the winter, and form their remarks. They were fur-
niflied with medicines, and every requifite to preferve life ; but every one perifhed'
by the efFedls of the fcurvy. In the next year, feven other unhappy men devoted
themfelvcs, and died in the fame manner. Of the firfV fet, it appeared by his
journal, that the laft was alive the 30th of jfpril 1634 ; of the fecond, the life of
the laft furvivor did nor continue far beyond the 28th of February 1635 t* Yet
eight Englijhmeny left in 1630 in the fame country, by accident, and unprovided
wit4i every- thing, framed themfelves a hut from fome old materials, and were
found by the returning fhips, on Miiy %%X\^ 1631, in good health %: Thus Ruffian
hardinefs and BritiJI) fpirit. braved, a climate, which the phlegmatic conftitution
of a Dutchman could not refift.
Biros. To meet with the Snow Bunting, N"» 222,. a bird whofe bill, in common with

the reft of that genus, is calculated for granivorous life, is a^kind of miracle.
The country has a very fcanty provifion of feedsv} the earth yields no wocms, the
air no infedts ; yet thefe birds are feen in flocks innumerable, and that, chiefly
on the ice around Spitzbergen ; as it breeds early, pofltbly the old and young may
have quitted the land, and collected on the ice at the time of. the arrival of the
{hips.
Of cloven-footed water-fowl, the Purre, N" 390, alone is foen here.
Of web-footed, the Puffin Auk, N» 427 ; the Razor Bill, N''425; the Little
Auk, N" 429 ; the Foolifli Guillemot, N" 436 ; the Black Guillemot, N" 437 ;
the Northern Diver, N" 439 j the Ivory Gull, N° 457 ; the Herring Gull, N" 452 ;
the Arftic Gull, N° 459;, the Kittiwake, N» 456} and the Greater Tern^
N" 448 : thefe, with the Eider Duck, N» 480, complete the Ihort lift of -the
feathered tribe of Spitzbergen. All thefe breed in the froft-rent cracks of ths
mountains, and appear even in thefe regions before the i6th of March §.
puH, The Whale is lord paramount of thefe feas j and, like a monftrous tyrant^

feems to have terrified almoft every other fpecies of iUh away. A few Coal FiQi,
Br. Zool. iii. N" 78, and two of the undtuous Suckers, N* 58* were the whole
which were taken by Lord Mulgrave, after feveral trials by . hook and by nct>

* See the curious Narrative*
% The fame, p. 81 S.

t CburchiU's CeW.ii.41 5, 4*7.

X The fame, iv. 80S.

I can

SPITZBERGEN.

SCI

I CM never Imagine that the (hallow, barren, and turbulent Hiores of the polar
regions receive, as is popularly thought, the immenfe fhoals of Herrings and Cod
which annually repair to other more fouthern feas. Their retreat muft be in the
great depths before defcribed *, where they are fecure from the greateft ftorms,
and probably enjoy a bottom luxuriant in plants and vermes.

The Whale which inhabits thcfe feas, and occafions the great refort of (hip-
ping, is the common fpecies, Br. Zool. iii. N" i6. I have in that Work given
its hiflory ; therefore (hall add no more, than that during fpring thefe animals
keep near Greenland and the ifland of John Mayen ; and towards fummer they ap-
pear in the feas of SpitzbergeH. The Fin Fi(h, Br. Zool, iii. N° i8, is another
fpecies : on their appearance, the Common Whale makes its retreat. The Beluga
or White Whale, p. 183 of this Work, is feen here in fummer, and prognofti-
cates a good fifhery.

The infefls, vermes^ and (hells, of Spitzbergen, are very few. The Prawn,
Br. Zool' iv. N" 28, and Sea Flea, N** 33, are found there. The Cancer Boreas, Am~
pullof and Nugax, are three new fpecies f, added to the genus by the noble na^
vigator.

Of the known fpecies of vermes, the Afcidia Gelattnofa, Lin. Syft. 1087 : the
Afiidia Rujiica, 1087, 5 : the Lernea BranchialtSy 1092 : and t\ie Clio Helicina, the
fmall Slime Fi(h of A'larten, p. 141, tab. Q. fig. e : and the Clio Limacina^ the Sea
May Fly of the fame, p. 169, tab. P. fig. 5 : the Sipunculus Lendir, a new fpecies,
Phips, 194, tab. xiii. are found here: the two laft, the fuppofed food of the Com-
mon Whale, are met with in vaft abundance % : the Medufa Capillata, the Ajler'ias
Pappofa, Lin. Syft. 1098 : Aji. Rubens, 1099 ; Ajl. PeSiinata, iioi ; Br. Zool. iv.
N» 70 : A/i. Ophitira, 1100 ; Br. Zool. iv. N" 62 : and Aji. Caput Medufa, Lin.
Syft. iioi ; Br. Zool. Iv. N<» 73. And of Shells, t\\c Chiton Ruber, U07 ; Lapet
Tintinnabulum, 1168: \hc Mya Truncata, 11 12; Br. Zool. N' i^: ^nd Mytilus
Rugofus, 1156 ; Br. Z.ool. iv. N» 72 : the Buccinum Carinotum, a new fpecies, Phips,
197, tab. xiii : "Turbo Helicinus of the fame, 198 : the Serpula Spirorbis, Lin.
Syft. 1265 } Br. Zeol. iv. N" 155 : Serpula Triquetra, 1265 v Br. Zool. iv. N" 156:
and the Sabella Frujlulofa, Phips, 198, complete the lift of this clafs. Among the
Zoophytes is the Millepora Polymorpba, Lin. Syft. 1285 ; and Millcp. 1286; and a
moft curious new genus, difcovered in the voyage, named the Synoicum Turgens,
199, tab. xiii : ^}Sit Flujlra Pilafa, Lin. Syft. znA Fl. Memhranacca, 1301,3,5:
and, to conclude, that very curious Zoophyte, the foundation of the foffil Enaini,

* Seep.

f Phips Foj' 190, &c. tab. xii.

m 2

X The fame, p. 194, 195.

the

XCTI

Discovery op

SriTZBSRGENt

White Ska,

Archangil,

SPITZBERGEN.

the Vort'icella Encrinus^ Lin. Syft. N' 1317, engraven in our Tranfa£Hon»,
vol. xlviii. p. 305, and taken in lat. 79, off this coaft : two of them being drawn
up with the founding-line, in 236 fathom water.

The priority of difcovery of thefe iflands has been a great matter of controverfjr
between the Englijh and the Dutch. We clame it from the fight which Sir
Hugh Willoughby is pretended to have had of it in his unfortunate voyage;
but if what he faw, in lat. 72, was not a fog-bank, we mud fuppofe it to
have been either John Mayens ifle, or part of EaJI Greenland. The abfurd
zeal of the Englijh compilers makes Stephen Boroughs the fecond difcoverer of this
country, in 1556 ; but it is very certain, that he never got higher than lat.
70. 42, nor ever meant any difcovery but a paflage to the river Ob ♦. It doubt-
lefsly was firft difcovered by the Dutch Barentx; who, in his third voyage, in
1596, for the finding out the north-eaft paflage, met \yith a land in lat. 79 |»
and anchored in a good road, in eighteen fathom water. Heafterwards failed as high
as 80, and found two of the iflands of which Spitzbergen is compofed f . Embar-
rafled with ice, he took a fouthern courfe, and was foon after wrecked on the
coaft of Nova Zemlja : but the Englijh and Dutch purfued the hint ; and the
Whale-fifliery, which before was chiefly carried on by the Bifcayeners in the bay of
St. Laurence., was commenced here with great fuccefs. So adlive were jgcs^ that
t>ur fhips frequented the place within two years after its difcovery.

I now return to the North Cape on the coaft of Finmark ; and after pafllng by
the feveral places mentioned in pages Ixxix. and Ixxx. enter a ftreight, bounded by
Mujcovitijh Finmarky confifting of low hills, and the flat province of Mefen^
on the eaft. This leads into the Bioele Mari^ or White Sea, or, more pro-
perly, gulph J for its waters are {hallow, its bottom full of mud, brought by
the great rivers which difcharge themfelves into it, which almoft deprive it
of faltncfs. This was the Cwen (ea of O^ her ; but had been forgotten fince
his time. The Dwina, or Double River, is the greateft, which takes
its name from being formed by the Suchona and the Tug, very remote from its
mouth. It is navigable to a great diftance, and brings the commodities of the
interior parts of the empire to Archangel, a city feated on its banks, about fix miles
from the fea. It rofe from a caftle built there by Baftlewitz II. to protect the in-

• Haciluyt, i. 474, 180.

t Trfljj f^ojagti au Nord, ice, par Cirard dt Ver, p. 14, 15.

creafing

ARCHANGEL.

XCIIl

creafing trade brought here on the difcovery of the Tf^itt Sea by the EngUJh \ for
(hips of all nations reforted to this port, even as far as from Venice. Its exports, in
1655, amounted to three hundred and thirty thoufand pounds*. Peter the Great,
intent on aggrandizing his creation, Peterjburgy prohibited all trade to Archangel.^
except from the neighboring provinces. Still its exports of tar were confiderable :
in 1730, to the amount of forty thoufand lafts, of eleven barrels each f. It fends,
during winter, great quantities of the NawagOy a fmall fpecies of tbree-Anned
Cod:(, to Peterjburgy frozen, as Kola does Herrings in the lame date.-

The White Sea is every winter filled with ice from the Frozen ocean,.which brings
with it the Harp Seal, N° 77 ; and the Leporine, N" 75, frequent it during fum-
mer. Whoever furveys the maps of the provinces between this fea and the gulphs
of Bothnia and Finlandt will obferve them to be more occupied by lakes than land,
and be at once fatisfied of the probability of the once-infulated ftate of Scandinavia.
As foon as thefe ftreights were clofed, the White Sea loft its depth,.and is at prefent
kept open only by the force of its great rivers.

On the eallern fide of the entrance into the ftreight is the ifle of KandinoSy often
fpoken of by our early navigators in their way to the WaygatZy in their fearch for a
north-eaft paiTage. Between it and the main land is a very narrow channel. After
doubling the cape of Kandines, the fea forms two great bays. A confiderable part
of the fliore to the eaft confifls of low fandy hills ||. Into the mod remote bay flows,
in lat. 68. 30, b^ many mouths, the vaft river Peczoroy a place of great trade before
the time of Peter I. Thoufands of Samoieds and other favages reforted to the
town, with feathers of White Grous,and other birds^ Sables, and the moft valuable
furs; (kins of Elks and other deer; the oil from the Walrus, N° 71, from the
fieluga, p. 182.; and different fort of fifh§. Here was, in 1611, a great fifhery of
Beluga: above fifty boats, with three men each, were employed to harpoon thera^.
The entrance into the river is dangerx>us, by reafon of a fandy (hoal. The tide
rifes there only four feet.

The coafts eaft of Archangel^ even as far as the river Oby are inhabited by
ihe Samoieds i a race as (hort as the Laplanders, more ugly, and infinitely more
brutalized ; their food being the carcafTes of horfes, or any other animals.
They ufe the Rein Deer to draw their fledges,, but are not civilized enough to

Samoieds.

* AnJerfin's Di3.\,^T. f The fame, 31 S. t ^''V* Ccmm. Pz/rff^, xiv. 484. tab. xii. Its
length does not exceed eleven inches. || Hackluyt, i. 277. § Purchaty'i. 541S.

% The fame, 549.

m 3

make.

xcrr

Urallian
Chai<n.

Its height.

tTRALLIAN CHAIN.

make it the fubftitute for the Cow. Thefe are in fiSt the HttUntots of the
north.
To the eaft of the Peczora commences the continent of

ASIA,

Which has moft natural and ftrongly-marked limits. Here appear the Wercho^
turlan mountains, or famous Urallian chain, which begins diAindly (for it may be
traced interruptedly farther fouth) near the town of Kungur^ in the government of
Ka/atif in lat. 57. 20, runs north, and ends oppofite to the fyaygatz freight, and
rifes again in the ifle of Nova Zemlja. The Ruffians alfo call this range Semennoi
Pciasy or the Girdle of the Worldy from a fuppofition that it encircled the univerfe.
Thefe were the Riphtei monies : Pars mundi damnata a natura rerum, tt denfa merfa
Caligine *, of which only the fouthern part was known to the antients, and that {q
little as to give rife to numberlefs fables. Beyond thefe were placed the happy
Hyperborei^ a fiflion moft beautifully related by Pomponius Mela f. Moderns have
not been behind-hand in exaggerating feveral circumftances relative to thefe noted
hills. TJbrand Jdesy who crofled them in his embafTy to Chinas aflferts that they are
five thoufand toifes or fathoms high : others, that they are covered with eternal fnow.
The laft may be "^rue in their more northern parts ; but in the ufual pailages over
them, they are free from it three or four months.

The heights of part of this chain have been taken by M. PJbbed'jfuieroehei who,
with many alTurances of his accuracy, fays, that the height of the mobntain Kyria,
near Solikam/kaiaf in lat. 60, does not exceed four hundred and feventy-one toifes
from the level of the fea, or two hundred and eighty-fix from the ground on which
it ftands %. But, according to M. Gmelin^ the mountain Pauda is much higher, be-
ing feven hundred and fifty-two toifes above the fea \. From Petersburg to this chain

• fluni Hiji. Nat. lib. iv. e. i».

■\ In Afiatico littore primi Hyptrborei, Aiper aquilonem Ripbttofque montes, fub ipfo fiderum cardine
jacent } ubi fol non quotidie, tit nobis, fed primum verno ^quinoAio exortus, autumnali demiim occidit ;
ct idea fex menfibus die«, &.tolidem aliis nox ufque continua eft. Terra augufta, aprica, per fe fertilia.
Cultores juftifllmi, et diirtius quam ulli mortalium & beatius vivunt. Qjiippe fefto Temper otio l»ti, non
bella novere, non jurgia ; facris operati, maxime Apollinis\ quorum primitias Delon mififle, initio per
virgines fuas, deinde per popuios fubinde tradentes ulterioribus ; moremque eum diu, & donee vitio
gentium temeratu* eft, fervaffe referuntur. Habitant lucos fylvafque ; et ubi eo8 vivtndl fatietas n,dg'
quam taedium cepit, hilares, redimiti fertis, femet ipfi in pelagus ex certa rupe prsecipiti dant. l\ ti$
f ;nu8 eximium eft. Lib. iii. c. 5.

X Vv^age de laSiberie, ii. 605. |1 Preface to f/»r, Sibir, t. 54,

•I . is

e Hettentots of the

ALTAIC CHAIN.

xcr

secipiti dant. l\ us

;S a vaft plain, mixed with certain elevations or platforms, like iflands in the
midft of an ocean. The caftern fide defcends gradually to a great diftance into the
wooded and morafly Sibiriot which forms an immenfe inclined plane to the Icy Sea.
This is evident from all the great rivers taking their rife on that fide, fome at the
amazing diftance of lat. 46 ; and, after a courfe of above tweiity-fevcn degrees,
falling into the Frozen ocean in lat. 73. 30. The Taik alone, which rifes near the
fouthern part of the eaftern fide, takes a fouthern direction, and drops into the
Cafpian fea. The Dwina^ the Peczoroy and a few other rivers in European Rujftay
fhew the inclined plane of that part : all of them run to the northern fea ; but
their courfe is comparatively fhort. Another inclination dire(5ls the Dnieper and
tlie Don into the Euxine^ and the vaft Wolga into the Cafpian Sea.

The Jltaic Chaln,hs fouthern boundary, which begins at the vaft mountain Altaic Chain.
Bogdsy pafles above the head c^ the Irtifchy and then takes a courfe rugged, precipi-
tous, cloathed with fnow, and rich in minerals, between the Irtifch and Ob; then How distri.
proceeds by the lake Telezkei, the rife of the Ob ; after which it retires, in order to butbd,

comprehend the great rivers which form the Jenefeiy and are locked up in thefe
high mountains } finally, under the name of the Sainnesy is uninterruptedly con-
tinued to the lake oi Baikal*. A branch infinuates itfelf between the fources of
the rivers Onon and Ingodoy and tho(e of Jchiioi, accompanied with very high moun-
tains, running without interruption to the north-eaft, and dividing the river of
jfmury which difchargcs itfelf into the eaft, in the CAin^ dominions, from the river
Ltnaind \akeBaikal. Another branch ftretchesalong the 0/ffm«,cro{res the £;»a below
Jakoutjky and is continued between the two rivers Tongoujka to thejene/ei, where it
is loft in wooded andmorafty plains. The principal chain, rugged with fharp-point-
ed rocks, approaches and keeps near the fhores of the fea of Ockhizt, and paifing by
the fources of the rivers Outhy Jldan, and Maioy is diftributed in fmall branches,
which' range between the eaftern rivers which fall into the Icy Sea; befides two
principal branches, one of which, turning fouth, runs through all Kamtfchatkay and
is broken, from the cape Lopatkay into the numerous Kurile ifles, and to the eaft
forms another marine chain, in the iflands which range from Kamtfchatka to
America; moft of them, as well zs Kamtfchatka \x.k\iy diftinguifticd by fierce vul-
canoes, or the traces of vulcanic fires. The laft chain forms chiefly the great
cape Tfchutjkiy with its promontories and rocky broken fliores.— — — I have Co fae
pillaged the labors of my friend fj to trace the boundaries of the vaft region which
has fo amply furniihed my Zoologic part.— To that, and the Table of Quadrupeds, .
I refer the feveral peculiarities of their fituations.

• Obftrvationsfur la'Formation dei Montagnet, par P. S. Pallas, p. i8>

f Doft;r Pali AS'.
At

xcri

RIVER

O B.

Thb river Ob.

At the northern end of the great Urallian chain, is the JVaygatz flreiglit, which
cuts them from Nowfta Zemljot Neva Zembla, or the New Land. The paljTage is
narrovr, obftru£led by Ulands, and very frequently by ice. The flux and reflux is.
here uncertain, by reafon of the winds j but the tide has been obferved to rife only
four feet • : the depth from ten to fourteen fathoms. It was difcovcred by Stephen
Boroughs^ in 1556 } and the navigation was often attempted by the Dutch^'in hopes
of a paflage that way to China. Continual obftruftions from the floating ice
baffled their defigns, and obliged them to return.

Nova Zemlja confifts of five iflands i but the channels between them are always
filled with ice \. It is quite uninhabited, but is occafionally frequented by the
people of Mefen^ who go there to kill Seals, Walrufes, ArUic Foxes, and White
Bears, the fole ?.nimals of the place, excepting a few Rein Deer. Attempts have
been made to find a way to the Eafi Indies to the north of it ; but with equal bad
fuccefs as through the IVaygatz. Bartntz juft doubled the eaftcrn end in 1596;.
fufFered ftiipwreck there with his crew ; and pafied there a moft miferable winter,
continually befieged by the Polar Bears : feveral of the crew died of the fcurvy or
excefs of cold ; the furvivors made a veflel of the remains of their ftiip, and ar-
rived fafe in Europe the following yearj but their great pilot funk under the
fatigue %•

The fouthcrn coafts of thefe iflands are in a manner unknown. Between them
and the continent is the Kara fea, which forms a deep bay to the fouth, in which
the tide has been obferved to flow two feet nine inches. Fiftiing people annually
come here from the Peczora through the Waygatz^ for the fake of a fmuggling trade
in furs with the Samoieds of the government of Toboljkil. In the reign of the
Emprefs Anne attempts were made to double the great cape Jalmal., between the
gulph oi Kara and that of the Ob; one of which (in 1738) only fucceeded, and
that after encountering the greateft difSculties §. Had the difcovery of Sibiria
depended on its approach by fea, it might have ftill remained unknown.

The mouth of the Ob lies in a deep bay, which opens into the Icy Sea^ in lat.
73. 30. This is the firfl and greateft of the Sibirian rivers : it rifes from a large
lake in lat. 52, has a gentle courfe through eight hundred leagues of country,
navigable almoft to its fourcef : is augmented by the vaft river Irtifchy in lat.
61, which again receives on each bank a multitude of vaft rivers in its extenfive pro-
grefs. Toboljki, capital of Sibiria^ lies on the forks, where it takes in the ToboL The

• Hacklujt. i. 2?». f Doflor Pallas. J See this curious voyage, as related

by De Veer. \ Pallas. § Coxe"! Ruffian DifcoveiUs, 306. ^ Gmelin Introd. Fl. Sil>.

vii. XXX. By Leuca be feems to mean a Vcr^O, of which 104 1 make a degree. See cxxiii. and

Mr. Cexe's Ritffian Difcoveries, lulroJ. xiii.

c banks

RIVER JENESEI. LAKE BAIKAL.

xcrii

eir ftiip» and ar-
)t funk under the

Itj annual

STENCH.

I)ank8 of the Jrtifch atld Oi, and other Sihirtan rivers, are, in many places, covered
with immenfe forefts, growing on a foft foil ; which being torn up by the refiftlefs
force of the vaft fragments of ice brought down by the torrents occafioned by the
melting of the fnows, are conveyed into the Icy and other feas, and form the drift-
wood I have before fpolcen of. The channel of the Oby from its fource to the Ktty
is ftony : from that river to the mouth it runs through a fat land. After it has
been frozen fome time, the water grows foul and fetid. This is owing to the vaft
morafles it in fome places goes through, to the flownefs of the current, and to the
tarth-falt (erd/altz) with which fome of the rivers which run into it are impregnated.
. The fifli therefore fliun the waters of the Ob, and refort in vaft {heals to the mouths
of thofe rivers which rufh into it from ftony countries, and in fuch places are taken
in great abundance. This ftench continues till the river is purified in the fpring
by the melting of the fnow. The Taz, another river which empties itfelf into the
eaft of the gulph of 0^, is liable to the fame impurity.

The Jent/ii next fucceeds. Mr. Gmelitty as a naturalift, would confider this as Jcnisbi kiver
the boundary between Europi and Jjia. From its eaftern banks every thing puts
on a new appearance: a certain new and unufual vigour reigns in every thing.
The mountains, which to the weftward, as far as t\\eUrallian chain, appeared only
fcattered, now take full pofleffion, and are interfperfed with moft beautiful vallies.
New animals, fuch as the Argalit p. 12, and Mujky p. 34, and feveral others, begin
to ftiew themfelves. Many European plants difappear, and others peculiar to jifia^
gradually mark the alteration *. This river is fcarcely inferior to the Ob. It
rifes from the two rivers Ulu-kem and Bei-ientt in north lat. 51. 30, long. 1 1 1, and
runs due north into the Icy Seny forming a mouth filled with multitudes of iflands:
its channel for the moft part ftony or gravelly : its courfe fwift : its fifties moft
delicate: its banks, efpecially the eaftern, mountanous and rocky } but from the
fort of Saiaenes to the river Dubtches, rich, black, and cultivated. It is fed by
numbers of rivers. The Tungu/ca, and the lower Tungufca, are the moft noted.
The firft rufhes, near Iriuiz, out of the great lake Baikal., under the name of the
Angara, between two vaft rocks, natural, but with all the appearance of being cut
through by art, and tumbling over huge ftones in a bed a mile wide, and .for a
fpace nearly the fame \. The collifion of the waters agaiiift the ftones is. attended
with a moft dreadful noife, which, with the magnificence of the fcenery, forms the
moft awful approach imaginable to this facred water. A deity prefided ovir the
lake; and no one dared call it by that degrading name, for fear of incurring the pe-
nalty of the difrefped. Inftead of lake, the borderers ftyle it the Holy Sea; and
its vaft mountains, the Holy Mountains, St. Nicholas prefldes over them, and has

Laxe Baikai,

• Pref. f/. Sibir, xlir.

t BeWi Travels, 8vo. ed, I. »79»
n

here

xcviri

Seals.

Town op Man.

OAZEA.

Caps Taimvra.

TOWN OF MANOAZltA.

here his chapel. The mountains are cloathcd with foreils : of large trW» 6n th*
lower parts ; with fewer and leffijr as they gain the heights. Thefe are the Retreat
of the Wild Boar, and variety of game. Its depth of water is very great : its
clearnefs perfedV : free from iflands, except the Olchon and Sartchta: navigable irt
all parts : and in ftorms, the waves like thofe of the fea. Its length is a hundred
and twenty-five common leagues : its breadth from four to fevcn •. The Com-
mon Seal abounds in this lake. It is a fmall variety, but fo fat as to appear almoft
ftapelef^. Thefe animals muft have been here aboriginally ; for, befides the vaft
diftance from the fea, their paflage muft have been entirely obftrudtcd by the cata-
ra£ts which intervene, I am got eight degrees beyond my plan ; but I could not
refifl; the defcrtption of this prince of lakes.

The Angara runs nearly due north for a great way } then afTumes the name of
Tungufcat turns weftward, and joins the Jmtfti in lat. 58. The lower Tungufca
rifes far to the fouth-weft, approaches very near to the Lena^ and falls into the
Jentfei in lat. 65. 40. Above its junction ftands the town of Mangazea^ cele-
brated for its great fair of furs of every kind, brought the^e by the furrounding
pagans, who pafs the long winter in the chace. Many Ruffians have alfo migrated,
and fettled here for the fame purpofe, and draw great profit from the fpoils of the
animals. This neighborhood is, during fummer, the great rcfort of multitudes of
fpecies of water-fowl. About the feaft of St. PiUVy here Flora begins to Mfllofe her
beauties : the country is covered with the moft beautiful Sibhrian flowers ^ many of
which enliven the gardens of our more fouthern climate. The fowls now exult,
and unite in emitting their various notes ; none particularly melodious in them-
felves, but together form a concert far from difagreeable f ; perhaps from the hear-
er being confcious that they are the notes of happinefs, at the enjoyment of the
reviving rays of the ftin.

In antient times, Mangazea, or, as rt was then called, Mongoxeyy and Mongolmy,
was feated near the mouth of the Taz % ; but was removed by the inhabitants into
a milder climate, /. e. juft to the fouth fide of the Arific circle. Before that
period it was a place of great trade, and was eagerly vifited from Archangel^ through
a complication of difficulties, by fea, by rivers, by land, by rein-drawn fledges,
and by drawing the veflels from river to river over frequent carrying-places ||.
Thefe tracts were certainly Le pais prtfque inacctjjiblt a caufe dt boiiesy ^ di glactf%
and, Le pais dt tenebres^ fpoken of by Marco Polo §, as the regions from whence the
Chams of Tartary procured the richeft furs.

From the mouth of the Jtneftit the immenfe promontory Taimura ftretches

• Foyagt en Sibtritt i. Jij. t Same, ii. 5<. % Same, 57,

Purcbas, iii, $39. ^ la Bergeron's ColkBivis, liOf 161,

% Same, and
fartheft

ii

RIVER LENA. COAST OF THE ICY SEA.

xcu

to .MfHofe h«r

farth«ft north of all thisMgion into the /r> 5m, nearly into lat. 78. To the eaft of it the
Chatunfat Anabara^ and Oltntkt rivers little known, fall into the fea, and have before
the mouth of each a confiderable bay. Remarks have been made on the tide which
flows into the Katanga^ that at the full and new moon it rifes two feet ; at other times
is much lefs *. We may conclude, that if it flows no higher in this contraAed place,
and that of the gulph of Kara., its encreafe muft be very fmall on the open Hiores
of the ley Sea. The coafts are in general (hallow, which has proved a fafety to
the few fmall veflfels which have navigated this feai for the ihoalnefs of the water
preferves them from the montanous ice, which grounds before it can reach them.

Beyond the Oienek, the vaft Ltna, which rifes near lake lUiia/, after a gentle
and free courfe over a fandy or gravelly bottom, difchargcs itfelf by five great mouths,
the eaftern and wcftern moft remote from each other. The middle, or moft northerly,
is in lat. 73. 20. To form an idea of the fize of this river, I muft remark, that at
lakutjky in lat. 61, twelve degrees from its difcharge, the breadth is near three
leagues f. Beyond this river the land contracts itfelf, and is bounded to the fouth
by the gulph of Ochotz. The rivers Janay Indigirjhat and Kolyma or Kwiyma^ have
a comparatively (hort courfe. The laft is the moft eafterly of the great rivers
which fall into the Uy Sea. Beyond it is a woodlefs tra£t, which cuts off the Bea-
ver, the Squirrels, and many other animals to whom trees are eflential in their occo-
nomy. No forefts can exift farther north than lat. 68 i and at 70, brufli-wood
will fcarcely grow. All within lat. 68, form the Jrilic Fiatt, the fummer haunts
of water-fowl } a bare heath or moor, mixed with rocky mounuins : «nd beyond
the river Anadyr., which in lat. 65. falls into the Kamtfchatkan Sea^ the remainder of
the tratil between it and the Icy Sea has not a Angle tree %.

1 (ball now take a review of the vaft extent of (hore which borders on the ley Sea.
The Jeuratzkaint coaft, which lies between the Ob and the Jenefei, is high but not
mountanous, and almoft entirely compofed of gravel or fand } but in many places
there are low trails. Not only on thefe, but on more elevated fituatipns, are
found great fragments of wood, and often entire trees, ail of the fame fpecies ; Fir,
Larch, and Pine, green and fre(h i in other places, elevated beyond the reach of the
fea, are alfo great quantities oi Jltattd wood, antient, dried, and rotting §. This
is not the only proof of the lofs of water in the Icy as well as other feas j fur in thefe
places is.feen a fpecies of clay, called by the Ruffians^ 11^ which is exa^ly like the
kinds ufually depofited by the water : and of this there is, in thefe parts, a bed about
eight inches thick, which univerfally forms the upper ftratum ||. Still farther tp

RivCR LE^ A.

Arctic Flats
woodless.

* Voy. en Siberie, ii. 30.
^ roj, en Sifitrit, ii. »7, ^9.

t PoTibly Ferfit. See Koy. en Siberie, t, 407.
I Sfti&e, ii. 361.

t Doflor Pallas.

the

ICY SEA.

Frbezino op thb
Icy Sia.

the eaO, it grows mountanous, covered with ftones, and full of coal. On the
fummit of the chain, to the eaft of Simavit Rttchino'ity \i an amazing bed of fmall
MufTels, of a fprcies not obfcrved in the fubjacent fca. I think them brought there
by fea-fowl, to eat at Icifurc } for it is not wonderful that numbers of objcifts of
natural hidory fhould efcape the eye in fuch a fea as this. Many parts again are
low ; but in moft places the fca near the fliore is rugged with pointed rocks. The
coaft about the bay of cape Tfchutjkiy the moft eaftcrn extremity of Afta^ ii in
fome places rocky, in others Hoping and verdant ; but within land rifing into a
double ridge of high mountains.

About the end of fiuguJI^ there is not a day in which this fea might not be frozen ;
but in general it never cfcapes later than the firft of O£lobtr. The thaw commences
about the twelfth of Junt^ at the fame time with that of the mouth of the Jtntfti*.
From the great headlands, there is at all times a fixed, rugged, and mountanous
ice, which projeds far into the fea. No fea is of fo uncertain and dangerous navi-
gation : it is, in one part or other, always abundant in floating ice. During fum-
mer, the wind never blows hard twenty-four hours from the north, but every part
of the fliore is filled for a vaft diftance with ice \ even the ftreights of Bering are
obftruftcd with it \. On the reverfe, a ftrong fouth wind drives it towards the
pole, and leaves the coaft free from all except the fixed ice. During winter, the fea
is covered, to the diftance of at left fix degrees from land. Markoffy a hardy Cojfacy
on March 15th, O. S. in the year 171 5, attempted, with nine other perfons, a
journey from the mouth of the Jana, in 71 nerth lat. to the north, over the ice, on
fledges drawn by dogs. He went on fuccefsfully fome days, till he had reached
lat. 7y. or 78 : he was then impeded by moft mountanous ice. He climbed to the
fummit of one of the Icebtrgs; and feeing nothing but ice as far as his eye could
reach, returned on Jpril 3d, with the utmoft difficulty : feveral of his dogs died,
and ferved as food for the reft t.

I fliall juft mention fome of the attempts made to pafs through the ley Siti to
that of Kamtfchatka. The firft was in 1636, from the fettlement of Yakutzk. The
rivers from the Jana to the Kolyma were in confequence difcovered. In 1646 a
company of Rujftan adventurers, called Promyfchleniy or Sable-hunters, made a
voyage from the Kolyma to the country of the Tfchutjkiy and traded with thofe peo-
ple for the teeth of the Walrui. A fecond, but unfuccefsful voyage was made in
the next year ; but in 1648 one Defchnew^ on the 20th oijunty began his memo-
rable voyage, was fortunate in a feafon free from ice, doubled the Tfchutjki-nofsy
arrived near the river Olutoroy fouth of the river Anadyr^ where he fuffcred (hip-

• Foy.enSiberie, ii. 15;
Safi Spitzbtrgen, 55.

t Pallas ; Alfo Narrative of fmt 'Ruffian failors caft away on
X Forfitr'tObf.ii, ■

wreck,

ICY SEA.

wreck, but efcaped to tnjoy the honor of his difcovrrjr. Many other attempts were
made, but the moft which the .' venturer* have done wa» to get from the mouth of
one great river to another in the courfeof a fummcr. I find very few names, ex-
cept of rivers, in a tradt fo vaft as it is, on account of its being fo little frcquu-ntcd.
To the cart of the promontory Tiiimura, that of St. Transfigurationis bounds the
caft fide of the bay of Chatanga, in lat. 74. 40, long, from Ferro 125. Sxualloi-nofs^
or the Hoi]) Cape, in lat. 73. 15, is a far-prcijc«Sling licuitland, and, with th j illcs
of the Lena, ^nd another intervening headland, formj two vaft bays. Out of the
moft caftcrn, into which the river Tana difchargcs itfcif, one Schalourof, a Irokcn
RuJ/ian merchant, took his departure for an eaftcrn difcovery. He began his v.jyagc
in 'JiiJy 1760 from the Lena, but was fo obflrudcd with ice that he was forced into
the Tana, where he was detained the whole winter, by the fame caufe, till Jyly agth,
1761. He doubled the Swaitoi-nofs September the 6th j according to fume, faw t'>
the north a montanous land, pofllbly an ifland. He was eight days in getting;
thi u ;h the paflage between the continent and the ifle of 5/. Dlomede, which lies
a little to the foutheaft of the No/s. He pafled with a favorable wind the mouths
of the Indigtrka and Alaxeioy and getting entangled among the ice between the
Alidvitdiie 0/frova, or Bear JJlands, was obliged to lay up his veflel in one of the
mouths of the Kolyma during winter, where he fubfifted on rein-deer, which
frequented thofe parts in great herds during the feverc feafon ; and on various
fpccics of falmon and trout, which were pufliing their way up the river before it
was frozen. After this he made two other attempts. In the year 1763 he paiTed
the Pefzcanoi-nofsy and got into a deep bay, called Tfchaoun Skaja Goula, with the
ifle of Sabedei at its mouth ; the great Schalatjkoi-nofs to the caft j and at its bottom
the little river Tfchaoun, which difcharges itfelf here out of the land of the Tfchutjki,
fomeof whom he faw on the ftiore, but they fled on his appearance. He found no
means of fubfifting in this bay, therefore was obliged to return to the Lena, and
was greatly aflifted in his paflage by the ftrength of the current, which uni-
formly fet from the eaft. In 1764 he made his laft attempt, and was, as is
conjcdured, flain by the Tfchutjki ; but whether he doubled the famous cape of
that name, is left uncertain. A MS. map, which Doi^or Pallas favored me
with, places the montanous ifle before mentioned in lat. 75, oppofitc to the
cape Schalatjkoi *. Thus clofes all the accounts I can colled of the voyages along

• This was fuppored to have been part of the continent of America i but in 1768, M. Tchitfcheri/t,
governor cf Sibiria, put the matter out of doubt ; for lie fent there three young ollkers in the winter,
on the ice. They found fome fniall dcfart ifles, wiihout the lel\ appearance of land on the north ; but
on one they met with a fort of defence, formed of floating wood, on the fide of a precipice, but by
whom formed, or againll what enemy, is hard to guel's, Pallas. MS,

e this

Clf

Aurora Borba<

LIS.

Fish.

ICY SEA.

this diftant coaft. Part is talccn from Mr. Coxe^s Rujfian Difavtrtes ♦, and part
from a manufcript for which I am indebted to the learned Profeflbr before men-
tioned.

The wind which pafles over the ice of this polar fca, has rendered Sibiria the
coldeft of inhabited countries : its efFedls may perhaps extend much farther. Ac
Chatnnanning, in Thibet^ in lat. 30. 44. (according to Major Rentiers claffical
map) Mr. Bogle found, during winter, the thermometer in his room at 29" be-
low the freezing point. In the middle of Jpril the (landing waters were all
frozen, and heavy fnows perpetually fell f.. I have heard of ice even at Paina,
in lat. 25. 35 ; and of the Seapoys who had flept on the ground being found in the
inorning torpid. Near the fort of Argurif not higher than lat. 52, the ground
feldom thaws deeper than a yard and a half J. At lakutjky in lat. 62, the foil is
eternally frozen even in fummer, from the depth of three feet below the furface.
An inhabitant, who by the labor of two fummers funic a well to the depth of
ninety-one feet, loft his labor, and found his fartheft fearches frozen §. Birds
fall down, overcome with the cold ; and even the wild beafts fometimes perifh.
The very air is frozen, and exhibits a moft melancholy gloom l|.

The Aurora Borealis is as common here as in Europe^ and ufually exhibits
ftmilar variations : one fpecies regularly appears between the north-eafl: and call,
like a luminous rainbow, with numbers of columns of light radiating from
it : beneath the arch is a darknefs, through which the ilars appear with feme
brilliancy. This fpecies is thought by the natives to be a forerunner of
fiorms. There is another kind, which begins with certain infulated rays from
the north', and others from the north-eaft. They augment little by little, till
they fill the whole fky, and form a fplendor of colors rich as gold, rubies, and
emeralds : but the attendant phxnomena ftrike the beholders with horror, for
they crackle, fparkle, hifs, make a whiftling found, and a noife even equal to
artificial fire-works. The idea of an eledrical caufe is fo ftrongly imprefTed by
this defcription, that there can remain no doubt of the origin of thcfe appear-
ances. The inhabitants fay, on this occaiion, it is a troop of men furioufly mad
which are pafltng by. Every animal is flruck with terror j even the dogs of the
hunters are feized with fuch dread, that they will fall on the ground and become
immoveable till the caufe is over f .

I am (lightly acquainted with the fifh of the Icy fea, except the anadromous
kinds, or thofe which afcend from it into the Sibirian rivers. The Ob^ and other

• P. 31} to j»9. • f Pb, Tranf. Ixvii. 471. J Pref. Flora Sib. 7 J. § ForJIer'i

Obf. Sj. quoted hotaGmelia. I Pref. FhraSib. 73. ^ %. en Siberie, ii. 31, 5z.

Sibirian

ICY SEA.

cm

S'lHrian rivers, are vlfited by the Beluga Whale, the common Sturgeon, and the
Sterlet or Acipenfer Ruthenusy Lin Syft. 403 ; but I am informed by Dodlor
Pallas^ that they have neither Carps, Bream, Barbels, nor others of that genus,
nor yet Eels, Silurus Giants^ Lin. Syft. 501 } Perca Lucioperca, 481 j or common
Trout : all which are found in the Amur, and other rivers which run into the
eaftern ocean : in the latter, our common Cray-fifh is found. In return, the Sz-
hirian rivers abound in vaft variety of the Salmon kind, and many unknown to
us in Europe., which delight in the chilly waters of thefe regions. The common
Salmon, Br. Zool, iii. N*» 143, is one of the fcarc?r kinds : the Salmo Nelma, Fallas
Itin. ii. 716, or Salmon Leucichthys oi Guldenflaedty Nov. Com. Petrop. xiv. 531,
is a large fpecies, growing to the length of three feet : the head greatly protradted :
the lower jaw much the longeft : the body of a filvery white : fcales oblong : tail
bifid. P. D. Rad. 14. The Salmo Tai'merty or Hucho, Pallas, ii. 716, grows to
the weight of ten or fifteen pounds, and the length of a yard and a half: the
color of the back is dufky ; towards the fides filvery : the belly white : fpotted
with dufky on the back : anul fin of a deep red : tail bifurcated : fleih white :
Salmo Lavaretus, iii. 705, or Gwiniad, Br. Zool. iii. N" 152 : Salmo Albula^ Lin.
Syft. 512: Salmo Schokur, Pallas Itin. iii. 795 ; a fpecies about two feet long, not
unlike the Gwiniad : the Salmo Pldfchian., Pallas Itin. iii. 705 ; about two fpans long,
broader than the Gwiniad^ and with a gibbous back : Salmo tVimba^ Lin Syft.
512 : and Salmo Nafus, Pallas Itin. iii. 705 *, are extremely common in the
Ob. Others fhun that ftill river, and fcek the "Jenefei, and other rapid ftreams
with ftony bottoms. Such are the Salmo Lenoi, Pallas Itin. ii. 716 f: Salmo
Oxyrhynchus, Lin. Syft. 512 : and Salmo Autumnalist or Omul, Pallas Itin. iii. 705 ;
which annually force their way from the fea, from lat. 73. to lat. 51. 40,
into lake Baikal, a diflance of more than twenty-one degrees, or near thirteen
hundred miles. The Omul even croffes the lake, and afcends in Augujl the ri-
ver SelingOy where it is taken by the inhabitants in great quantities, and is pre-
ferved for the provifion of the whole year. After dropping its fpawn in the ftony
beds of the river, it again returns to the fea. The Salmo ArSlicus, Pallas Itin. iii. 206 ;
and S. Thymallus, or Grayling, Br. Zool. iii. N" 150; may be added to the fifli
of the Sibirian rivers. The Salmo Cylindraceus, or JValok of the Ruffians, is a
fifli very flender, and almoft cylindrical, with a very fmall mouth, large filvery
fcaks, and the under fins reddifh. This is found only in the Lena, the Kawyma,

Surprizing ui*
orations op
Fish.

* The Schokur and Nafus are two fpecies of Coregoni, or Salmons, with very fmall teeth,
t f^oy. en Siberie, i. 137. It alfo afcends through the Jenefti and the Tuba to the Madjb»r, a hkp
an amazing diflance in the mountains.

o 2 and

CIV

ARCTIC COASTS.

and Indighfka, M. Gmelin and the Abhi D^Juterocht affure us, that Pikes, Perch,
Kafir's, Carp, Bream, Tench, Crucians, Roach, Bleaks, and GuJgeons, are alio
met with in the Ob., and different rivers of this country ♦. I cannot reconcile
this to the former account given me by fo able a naturali(V, to whom I owe this
hiftory of the JrSfic fifh. The Salmo Kundjha^ Pallas Itin. iii. 706, abounds in
the gulphs of the Icy fea, but does rot afccnd the rivers ; and the Plcurone£iis
GlactaUsy Pallas Itin. iii. 706, is frequent on the Tandy ihores.

To review the inhabitants of the ArSilc coafts, I fhall return as far as Fin'
mark. I refer the reader to p. Lxxix. for what I have faid of the Laplanders. The
Samoieds line the coafts from the eaft fide of the White fea, as far (according to
the Ruffian maps) as the river Oi, and even the Anabara^ which falls into the Icy
fea in lat. 73. 30 ; and poflefs the wifdeft. of countries inland, as low a> lat. 65.
After them fucceeds, to the eafl-, a race of middle fize ; and, extraordinary to fay;
inftead of degeneracy, a fine race of men is found in the Tfchutjkiy in a climate
equally fevere, and in a country equally unproductive of the fupports of life, as
any part of thefe inhofpitable regions. The manners of all are brutal, favage,
and nearly animal ; their loves the fiime ; their living fqualid and filthy beyond
conception : yet on the fite of fome of thefe nations Mela hath placed the elegant
Hyperborei : and our poet. Prior., giving free loofe to his imagination, paints the
manners of thefe Ar£iic people in the followmg beautiful fidtion, after deferibing
the condition of the natives of the torrid zone.

And may not thofe, whofe diftant lot is caft
North beyond Tartar/i extended Wafle j
Where, thro* the plains of one continual day,
Six fliining months purfue their even way,
And fix fucceeding urge their duflcy flight,
Obfcur'd with vapors, and o'erwlielm'd in night {
May not, I aflc, the natives of thefe climes
(As annals may inform fucceeding times)
To our quotidian change of heaven prefer
Their own viciflltude, and equal fliare
Of day and night, difparted thro' the year i
May they not fcorn our fun's repeated race,
To narrow bounds prefcrib'd, and little fpace,

■J

Haft'ning from morn, and headlong driven from

noon,
Half of our daily toil yet fcarcely done ?
May they not juftly to our climes upbraid
Shortnefs of night, and penury of (hade f
That, ere our weary'd limbs are juftly bleft
With wholefome fleep, and necelTary reft,
Another fun demands return of care,
The remnant toil of ycfterday 10 bear ?
Whiift, when the folar beams falute their fight,
Bold and fecure in half a year of light,
Uninterrupted voyages they take
To the remoteft wood, and farthell lake }

• foy en Siberie, p»r Cmelin, i. 84, 891 141. ii. 167, 170, »i9.— r»y. en Siberie, par VAbbe
D'^Httrtcbe, i. aoo. £ngl. £</. 231.

Manage

ARCTIC COASTS.

cv

n as far as Fin

sadlong driven fiom

Man''g« f'^f fi/hing, ami pui-fue the courfe .
With more extended nerves, and ^ore continued

force ?
And when declining day forfake* their /ley \
When gathering clouds fpeak gloomy Win ter nigh,
With plenty for the coming Ceafon blelt,
Six folid months (an a^e) they live releas'J
From all the labor, procefs, clamor, woe,
Which our fad fcenes of daily aflion know s

They light the fliining lamp, prepare the feaft,
And with full mirth receive the welcome gueft i
Or tell their tender love« (the only care
Which now they fufter) to the lift'ning Fairj
And rais'd in pleafurc, or repos'd in eafi;,
(Grateful alternates of fuhftaniial peace)
They blefs the long noflurnal influence flied
On the crown'd goblet, and the .genial bed.

With greater reality fpeaks tbat;f6ft^ bbferver ef nature, the naturalift's poet,
of the inhabitants of this very country, [as a true contrail to the foregoing
lines :

Hard by thefe fliores, where fcarce his freezing

ftieani
Rolls the wild Obj, live the laft of men }
And half enliven'd by the diftant fun,
That rears and ripens man as well as plants.
Here human nature wears its rudeft form.
Deep from the piercing feafon, funk in caves.
Here, by dull fires, and with unjoyous chear,

They wafte the tedious gloom. Immers'd in

furs.
Doze the grofs race. Nor fjjrightly jeft, nor fong,
Nor tendcrnefs they know ; nor aught of life.
Beyond the kindred bears that ftalk without.
Till morn appears, her rofes dropping all.
Sheds a long twilight biight'ningo'er the fields,
And calls the quiverM lavage to the chace.

Thomson.

This amazing extent of the Aftaiic Ruffian dominions remained undifcovered
to a very late period. The Cxars^ immerfed in fenfuality, or engaged in wars,
had neither tafte or leifure to explore new countries. A plundering excurfion
was made into it in the reign of Bafttovitz I ; a fecond was made under his fuc-
ceflbr ; but a ftranger. the celebrated Cojfact Tcrmac^ driven from his country
on the (bores of the Cafpian fea, pufhed his way with a rcfolute band as far as
Orely near the bead of the Kama., on the weftern fide of the U. allian chain.
There he met with one Strogonofft a Ruffian merchant, recently fettled in thofe
parts for the fake of the traiSc of furs. He continued in that neighborhood the
whole winter, and was fupplied by the Ruffians with all neceffaries. In the fpring ha
turned his arms againft Kutchum Chan., one of the mod powerful of the petty princes
of the country which now forms part of the government of Toboljki. In 1581,
he fought a decifive battle with the Chan, overthrew him, and feated himfcif
on the throne. Finding hia fituation precarious, he ceded his conquers to Ba"
ftlovitZf who feized on the opportunity of adding this country to his dominions.
He fent Yermac a fupply of men. But at length his good fortune forfook him.
He was furprized by the Chan j and, after performing all that a hero could do,
periihed in attempting to efcape.

The

CVI

ARCTIC COASTS.

Planti.

The Rujftans, on the death of their ally, retired out of S'tbiria \ but they foon
returned, recovered the conquefls made by Yermac, and, before the middle of the
following century, added to their antient pofleffions a territory fourteen hundred
and fcventy leagues in length, and near feven hundred in breadth (without in-
cluding the Rujjian colonies on the ifland of Oonalajhka^ on the coaft of America*)
yet is fo thinly peopled, and with fuch barbarians, as to add no ftrength to the
empire by any fupplies to the army or navy. They are almoft torpid with inadlion;
lazy to thehigheft degree, from their neceflary confinement to their ftoves during
the long winter of the country. In that feafon, the ground is clad with deep fnow,
and the froft moft tremendoufly fevere. The fpring, if fo it may be called, is dif-
tinguiihed by the muddied torrents of melting fnovvs, which ru{h from the moun-
tains, and give a fea-like appearance to the plains. Mifts, and rain, and fnow,
are the variations of that feafon, and they continue even to the fourth of 'June,
The fliort fummer is hot, . id favorable to vegetation. Corn may be feen a
foot high by the 22d of June; and the grafs is moft luxuriant. Culinary plants
will fcarcely grow about Toboljki. Fruits of every kind, except a currant, are un-
known. A fingle crab-like apple, raifed in a hot-houfe, was once produced there,
iTicrd in a large di/h, at a great entertainment, and ferved up with as much
uftentation as we would in England a pine-apple.

The animals of Sibiria, the furs of which were the original obje£t of its
conqueft, are now fo reduced, that the Ruffians are obliged to have recourfe to
England for a fupply from North Jmericoy which they add to their own ftock of
furs exported into China. Metals feem the ftaple trade of the country. Thofe
of iron and copper are abundant and excellent. Gold and filver are found in
feveral places, and in fuch abundance, as to form a moft important article in the
revenues of RuJ/ia. The copper mines of Kolyvan, from which thofe pretious
metals are extracted, employ above forty thoufand people, moftly colonifts. The
filver mines of Nerifchinjk^ beyond lake Baikal,, above fourteen thoufand. The
whole revenue arifing from the mines of different metals, is not lefs than
/;. 679,182. 13 J. t

Next to the difcovery of the new world, no place has added more to the en-
tertainment of naturalifts than Sibiria. As has been before obferved, nature
there aflumes a new appearance in the animal world : it does the fame in the
vegetable j at left, very few trees are found common to Europe and Ajia, Let
me juft mention the nobler kinds : the Oak, frequent as it is in Ruffia and in
Cafan^ is not to be feen in this vaft region nearer than the banks of the Argun

* D'Auterecke, Foy, en Siberie, i, 83.

t Coxe^s Travels.

and

ARCTIC COASTS.

and Amurt in the Chintfi dominions. The White Poplar, Populm alha\ and the
Afpen, Populut tremula^ are extremely common. The Black Poplar, Populus
nigra \ the Common Sallow, Salix caprea \ Sweet Willow, Salix ptntandra \
White Willow, Salix alia, are very frequent. The Hazel, Corylus Avtllana, is
circumftanced like the Oak. The Common Birch, Betula alba^ is mod abundant ;
and, as in all northern nations, of univerfal ufe. The Dwarf Birch, Betula
nana, is confined to the neighborhood of lake Baikal. The Alder, Betula Alnus,
is very frequent. The Pinafter, Pinui Pinea ; the Pine with edible feeds, or Pinus
Cembra; and Larch, Pinus Larix; all trees of the firft ufe, medicinal or cecono-
mical, cover many parts of the country. The Norway F\r, Pinus Abies, and
the Silver Fir, Pinus Picea, form, in moft parts of the country, great forefts :
the firft grows in this country not farther north than lat. 60 ; the laft not higher
than lat. 58 ; yet the former flourifbes in Europe, and compofes in Lapmark, far
beyond the Ariitc circle, woods of great extent : a proof of the fupcrior rigour of
cold in the AJiatic north. Thefe form the fum of European trees growing in
Sibiria. Of other plants, common to both continents, M. Gmelin gives the reader,
in p. xciv. of his Preface, a flender lift of fuch which fell under his obfcrva*
tion.

The trees or flirubs peculiar to Sibiria and Tartary, are the Acer Tartaricunty
Sp. PI. ii. 1495 : the Ulmus pumila, 327 : Prunus Sibirica, Amman. Ruth.
272, tab. 29 : Pyrus baccata, 274 : Robinia Caragana, frutefcens, and pygmaay
Sp. PI. ii. 104 I may alfo obferve, that the Taccamahacca, or Populus balfo'
mifera, 1463, common alfo to North America, abounds about the upper part of
the Lena, the Angara, and Jenefei, and between the Onon and Aga. An
infufion of its buds is ufed by the natives as an excellent remedy for an infa-
mous diforder, frequent in this great country.

Europe is obliged to Sibiria for that excellent fpecies of Oat, the Avena
Sibirica, Fl. Sib. i. 113. tab. 22. Lin. Sp. PI. i. 117; and our gardens are in
a moft peculiar manner enlivened with the gay and brilliant flowers introduced
from that diftant and fevere climate. I ftiall only feledl a few out of the mul-
titude *. Veronica Sibirica, Iris Sibirica, Fl. Sib. i. 28. Eryngium planum, i. 185.
Lilium bulbiferum, 1.41. L, pomponium, i. 42. L. Martagon, i. 44. Delphi'
nium grandifloruniy Sp. PI. i. 749. Erythronium Dens canis, i. 39. tab. 7.
Hemerocallis jiava, i. 37. Saxifraga crafftfolia, Sp. Pl. i. 573. Lychnis thalce-
donica, Sp. PI. i. 625. Pyrus baccata, Lythrum virgatum, Sp. PI. 642. Amyg-

* This lift was communicated to me by an able botanift } but I think fome of the plants are alfo
found in Europe.

CVII

10

dolus

CVIII

TSCHUTSKI.

TSCHUTSKI.

I I'

dalus nana^ Sp. PI. 677. Peeenia tenuifcUa., Sp. PI. i. 748. Clematis intfgri/ellat
Sp. PI. i. 767. /idonis vernaUs^ Sp. PI. i. 771. JJiragalus ahpeiuroides^ Sp,
PI. ii. IC64. Hypericum Afcyron^ Sp.Pl. ii. 1102. Echinops RitrOtFl. Sib. ii. 100.
Veratium nigrum^ Fl. Sib. i. 76. f

hhet the conqueft oi Sibiria., the Tfchutjki were the firft people difcovered by
the RuJftanSi who were indebted to the adventure of Defchnew for the knowlcgC
of them. They are a free and brave race, and in fize and figure fuperior to every
neighboring nation ; tall, ftout, and finely made, and with long and agreeable
countenances i a race inlulated ftrangely by a lefler variety of men. They
wore no beards. Their hair was black, and cut fliort, and covered either with a
clofe cap, or hood large enough to cover the fhoulders. Some hung beads in their
cars, but none had the barbarifm to bore either nofcs or lips. They wore a fhort
and clofe frock, breeches, and fhort boots : fome had trowfers. The materials of
their cloathing was leather admirably drefled, cither with or without the hair*.
It is faid that at times they wear jackets made of the inteftincs of whales t» like
the EJkimaux j probably when they go to fea, for they excel their neighbors in
fifhing, and ufe open boats covered with fkins J, and like the women's boats of
the Greenlanders. They have alfo the lefler or kajak. They make ufe of fledges,
and have large fox like dogs of different colors, with long foft woolly hair, which
are probably defigned for the draught. Some fay that they ufe rein-deer, of
which they have vafl: abundance, but neither milk them nor kill them for food,
preferring the flefh of fea animals, except one dies by chance, or is killed by the
wolves. They are a brave and warlike people j are armed with bows and arrows ;
the lafl pointed with flone or bone. They had fpontoons headed with fteel, pro-
cured by traffic from the Rujfians; thefe they ufually flung over their right fhoul-
der; and a leathern quiver of mofl elegant workmanfhip hung over the left §.
The Rujfians have often gained dear-bought vidlories over this brave people, but
never were able to efFe£l their conquefl. They retained an high fcnfe of liberty,
and conflantly refufed to pay tribute \ and the ambitious European mifcallcd them
rebels. They will not on any confideration partwith their weapons : poflibly a
Tfchutfii may think a difarmed man difhonored. Captain Cook, in his three
hours vifit to them, found their attachment to their arms, notwithftanding they
willingly parted with any thing elfe, and even without the profpedt of exchange.
They treated him with great civility, but prudent caution : faluted him by bow-

Ii

• Voyage, ii. 45*, tab. ji.
§ See tab. ji of the Voyage,

f Hiji. Kamtfchatka, Fr.

X Voyage, ii. 452.

illg

TSCHUTSKI.

«u

matls inUgrifoltay
tlopecuroideSf Sp.
7, Fl. Sib. ii. 100.

)le difcovered by

ar the knowlege

fuperior to every

ig and agreeable

of men. They

red either with a

ing beads in their

hey wore a fhort

The materials of

;hout the hair*.

>f whales f, like

:ir neighbors in

vomen's boats of

ke ufe of fledges,

>olly hair, which

ife rein-deer, of

11 them for foci,

is killed by the

)ws and arrows;

with fteel, pro-

icir right flioul-

over the left §.

ave people, but

cnfe of liberty,

mifcallcd them

)ons : poffibly a

, in his three

thftanding they

cl of exchange.

d him by bow-

t l^ojage, ii. 452.

ing

ing and pulling oiF their caps, poflibly a piece of politenefs they learned from the
Rujftam. They treated him with a fong and dance, and parted friends ; but not
without a moft remarkable and confequential event : — A year after the interview
between Captain Cook and the Tfchutjkif a party of thefe people came to the
frontier poft of the RuJJianst *"*' voluntarily offered friendfhip and tiibute. Thefe
generous people, whom fear could not influence, were overcome by the civility
and good condu£l of our illuftrious commander : they miftook him and his people
for Rujfiansy and, imagining that a change of behaviour had taken place, tendered
to their invaders a lading league •. Poflibly the munificent emprefs may blufli
at the obligaticn conferred by means of Britijh fubjedls, in procuring to her empire
a generous ally, at the inftant her armed neutrality contributed to deprive us of
millions of lawful fubje^ls.

From the fhortnefs of the interview little knowlege could be gained of their
cuftoms. I ftjall only obferve, that they bury their dead under heaps of Hones, or Tumuli.

carnedds : feveral were feen here with the rib of a whale on the top inftead of a
pillar t ; a proof of the univerfality of thefe memorials of the dead.

The country of the Tfchutjki forms the moft north-eafterly part of Afta. It is a
peninfula, bounded by the bay of Tchaoun^ by the Icy Sea^ the ftreights of Bering,
and the gulph and river of Anadir^ which open into the fea of Kawtfchatka. It is a
mountanous traft, totally deftitute of wood, andconfequently of animals which re-
' quire the (belter of forefts. The promontory Schalotjkoiy before mentioned, is the
moft wefterly part. Whether it extends fo far north as lat. 74, as the Ruffians
place it, is very doubtful : there is the opinion of our great navigator againft it.
From his own reafonings he fuppofed that the tra<a from the Indigirjka^ eaftward, is Corrhctioni itr
laid down in the maps two degrees to the northward of its true pofition %. From a Geook aphy bt
map he had in his pofteffiOn, and from information he received from the Ruffians^ he
places the mouth of the Kowyma., in lat. 68, inftead of lat. 71. 20, as the Peterjburg
map makes it. It is therefore probable, that no part of Afta in this neighborhood
extends further than lat. 7*, in which we muft place the Schalotfkei Nofs \ and
after the example of Mr. Campbelly who formed his map of this country chiefly
from the papers of Captain Bering §, give the land which lies to the eaft of that
promontory a very fouthern trend. As Captain Cook had caufe to imagine that
the former charts erred in longitude as well as latitude, it is probable that he
reached within fixty miles of the Schalotjkoi Nofs\\. There we find him on
Augujl 29th, 1778, and from this period are enabled, from his remarks, to pro-
ceed fecurely accurate.

• Voy, iii. 417.
Harrii'tyoy. ii. xoi6.

f Ellii's Narrative, i. 33*.
11 l^oyagt iii. a;©.

J Voyage iii. i6S,

§ In
After

ex

ICY SEA.

After croffing the Icy Sea from the mod extreme part of the coaft of America
which he could attain, he fell in with land. It appeared low near the fea, and
high inland ; and between both lay a great lake. To a fteep and rocky point,
nearly in lat. 68. 56, and long. 180. 51, his ne plus ultra on the Afiatic fide, he
Capk North. gave the name of Cape North ; beyond which he could not fee any land, nctwith-
flanding the weather was pretty clear. The fea, at three miles diftance from the
fhorc, was only eight fathoms deep : this, with a rifmg wind, approaching fog,
and apprehenfion of the coming down of the ice, obliging him to defift from
farther attempts in thcfe parts, he proceeded as near to the coaft as he could with

BuRNEv't Isle, prudence, towards the fouth-eift, and found it retain the fame appearance. In
lat. 67. 45, he difcovcrcd a fmall ifle, about three leagues from the main, with
lleep and rocky {hores, on which be beftowed the name of Burney, in honor of
one of his officers j gratefully immortalizing the companions of his voyage, in this
and other inftances. After paffing the ifland, the contincuit inland rofe into
mountains of confiderable height, the termination of the great chain I before
dtfcribed.

Serdze Kamek. I" '^f* 67- J> long. 188. 11, he fell in with Serdze Kamen *, a lofty promontory,
faced towards the fca with a fteep rocky clifF. To the eaftward the coaft continues
high and bold, towards the h:orth Cape low, being a continuation of the Ar£fic
flats.* This was the northern limit of the voyage of another illuftrious navigator,

Capt. Bering. Captain Vitus Bering, a Dane by birth, and employed on the fame plan of
difcovcry in thcfe parts as our great countryman was in the late voyage. He
was in the fervice of Peter the Great ; who, by the ftrcngth of an extenfivc
genius, conceiving an opinion of the vicinity of America to his Aftatic dominions,
l^d down a plan of difcovery worthy of fo extraordinary a monarch, but died
before the attempt was begun j but his fpirit furvived in his fucceflbr. Bering,
after a tedious and fatiguing journey through the wilds of Sibiria., arrived in Kami'
fchatka, attended with the fcanty materials for his voyage, the greateft part of
which he was obliged to bring with him through a thcufand difficulties. Several
of the circumflances of his adventures will be occafionally mentioned f. I fhall
only fay here, that he failed from the river of Kamtfchatka on 'July 15th, 1728 j
on the 15th 0^ Augujl faw Serdze Kamen y or the heart- fliaped rock, a name be-
ftowed on it by the firft difcoverer.
Eait Cafe. From Serdze Kamen to a promontory named by Captain Cook EaJ} CapeXj the

land trends fouth-eaft. The laft is a circular peninfula of high clifFs, projeiling

• See tab. 84. of tlie l^oyage. t The account of the voyage is extremely worthy of perufal,

and is preferved by tlie able Do£\or Campbell, in HarritU CoUeiiion, ii. loili. X See tab. 84

of the Foya^e,

far

B E R I N G/S S T R E I G H T S.

txi

• BlRINO's
STIlllGHTt.

Depth.

CURRBNT.

far into the fca Hue eatl, and joined to the land by a long and very narrov; ifthmuf,
in lat. 66.6. This is the7yfAtt//J/ A'*?/} of our navigators, and forms the beginning
of the narrow ftreights or divifion of the old and new world. The diftance between
Afia and America in this place is only thirteen leagues. The country about the cape,
and to the north-weft of it, was inhabited. About mid-channd arc two finall iflands,
named by the Rujftam the ifles of St. Diomedes ; neither of them above three or
four leagues in circuit f. It is extremely extraordinary that Bering fliould
have failed through this confined pafTage, and yet that the objeA of his miflion
ibould have efcaped him. His misfortune could only be attributed to the foggy
weather, which he muft have met with in a region notorious for mifts X ; for he
fays that he faw land neither to the north nor to the eaft §. Our generous
commander, determined to give him every honor his merit could clame, has dig-
nified thefe with the name of Bering's Streights.

The depth of thefe ftreights is from twelve to twenty-nine or thirty fathoms.
The greateft depth is in the middle, which has a flimy bottom ; the fhalloweft
parts are near each (hore, which confifts of fand mixed with bones and (hells.
The current or tide very inconfiderable, and what there was came from the weft.

From Eaji Cape the land trends fouth by weft. In lat. 65. 36, is the bay in
which Captain Cook had the interview with the Tfchutjki. Immediately beyond
is the bay of St. Laurtnciy about five leagues broad in the entrance, and four deep,
bounded at the bottom by high land. A little beyond is a large bay, either
bounded by low land at the bottom, or fo extendve as to have the end invifible.
To the fouth uf this arc two other bays j and in lat. 64. 13, long. 186. 36, is the
extreme fouthern point of the land of the Tfchutjki. This formerly was called
the Anadirjkoi Nofs. Near it Bering had converfation with eight men, who
came off to him in a baidar^ or boat covered with the (kins of feals ; from which
Bering and others have named it the Tfchutjki Nojs. A few leagues to the
fouth-eaft of this point lies Gierke's ifland, in lat 63. 15, difcovered by Capt. Cook; Isles or Clkrki
and immediately beyond a larger, on which Bering beftowed the name of St. g and
Laurence: the laft, the refort of the Tfchutjki in their fifliing parties 1|. Both
of thefe confift of high clifFs, joined by low land. A fmall ifland was feen about
nineteen leagues from St. Laurence\ in a north-eaft by eaft half eaft direction ;
I fufpe£): it to be that which Capt. Cook named Anderfon'sy in memory of his
furgeon, who died ofF it, and from his amiable character feems to have well

• See the chart of them, Voyage, vol. ii. tab. 53. f f^<S> «•• 44S« •'•• *43« t Voyage if.

470. and Meteorolog. Tables, iii. App. 512, 513, 510, 5x1. % Harris'} Coll, ii. loxo.

H Miiller't Vey. dei Ruffei, i. i48>

p 2 merited

CX)I

KAMTSCHATKA*

VULCANOI.

merited this memorial. It lies in lat. 63. 4, long. 192. An anonymous iHce,
imperfeAly fern, and lying in lat. 64. 24t long. 190. 31, in mid-channel, com-
pletes the fum of thofe feen remote from land between the freights and the ifle of
St. Laurtnct. As to thofe named in the chart given by Lieut. Synd, who in
1764 made a voyage from Kamlfchatka towards Bering's Strcights, they fecm to
exift only in imagination, notwithftanding the Ruffian calendar has been cxhaulted
to find names for them. St. Agathotiy St. 77/«;, St. Myron^ and many others,
fill the fpace pafled over by Capt. Cook, and which could not have efcapcd tlic
notice of his fucceflbr *.

The land from Bering's Tfchutjki Nof$ trends vaftly to the weft, and bounds
on that fide the vafi: gulph of Anadir^ into the bottom of which the river of the
i'ame name empties itfelf j and limits the territory of the Tfchutjki,

From thence is a large extent of coall trending fouth-weft from Cape St. Thad-
deus, in lat. 62. 50^ long. 180, the fouthern boundary of the gulph oi Anadir ^ to
Oljutorjkoi Nofs^ beyond which the land retires' full weft, and forms in its bofom a
gulph of the fame name. OfF Thaddtm Nof$ appeared, on June 29th, abundance
of walrufes and great feals } and even the wndering albatrofs was feen in this high
latitude \. Between this and the Ptnginjk gulph, at the end of the fea of Ochotjk^
is the ijihtnus which unites the famous peninfula of Kamtfchatka to the main
land, and is here about a hundred and twettty miles broad, and extends in length
from 52 to 61, north lat. The coafts are often low : often faced with cliffs, in
many parts of an extraordinary height ; and out at fea are rude and fpiring rocks,
the haunts of leonine feals, whofe dreadful roarings are frequently the prefervation
of mariners, warning them of the danger, in the thick fogs of this climate %,
The coaft has but few harbours, notwithftanding it juts frequently into great
headlands. The moft remarkable are, the North Htad^ with its needle rocks, at
the entrance of the hiy of Awatcha {Voyagi,t vol. iii. tab. 58)} Chtepoonjkoi Nofst
ftill further north, engraven in vol. ii. tab. 84 } ^nd Kronotjkoi No/sy with its lofty
clifTs. The peninfula widens greatly in the middle, and leflens almoft to a point
at Cape Lopatia, which flopes. into a low flat, and forms the fouthern ex-
tremity of the country. The whole it divided lengthways by a chain of
lofty rocky mountains, frequently covered with fnow, and fhooting into
conic fummits, often fmoking with vulcanic eruptions. They have broken out
in numbers of places : the extiniSt arc marked by the craters, or their broken tops.
The vulcano near Awatcha^y that of Tolbatchicky and that of the mountain of
Kamtfchatka ||, are the modern. They burft out fometimes in whirlwinds of flames,

• Coxii Ruffian Difcovety Map, p. io9.—yoy.\\\, 503. f (^oyageVu. 141. j Defer.

Kamt/cb. i^xg. § See tab. 85, f'ojage, vol. iii. } and defcription of its eruption, p. 335.

I See Dt/cr, Kamtfchatka, tabi xv. p* 341.

and

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXIII

and burn up the neighboring forefts : clouds of fmoke fucceed, and darken the

whole atmofphere, till difperfed by fhowers of cinders and afhcs, which cover the

country for thirty miles round. Earthquakes, thunder, and lightning, join to

fill the horror of the fcenery at land ; while at fea the waves rife to an unconnmon

height, and often divide fo as to fliew the very bottom of the great deep *. By

an event of this kind was once cxpofed to fight the chain of fubmarine mountains

which connedted the Kuril ifles to the end of this great pcninfula. I do not learn

that they overflow with lava or with water, like the vulcanos of Europe. There

are in various parts of the country hot fprings, not inferior in warmth to thofe of Hot Springs.

Iceland f : like them they in fome places form (maMjtts d'eaux, with a great noife,

but feldom exceed the height of a foot and a half ^.

The climate during winter is uncommonly fevere ; for fo \ow zs Bolchertt/kf Cumati.
lat. 52'« 30, all intercourfe between neighbors is ftopped. They dare not (lir out
for fear of being froft-bitten. Snow lies on the ground from fix to eight feet
thick as late as May; and the florms rage with uncommon impetuofity, owing to
the fubterraneous fires, the fulphureous exhalations, and general vulcanic difpo-
fition of the country. The prevaling winds are from the weft, which pafllng
over the frozen wilds of Sibiria and Tartaryj add keenncfs and rigour to the winters
oi Kamtfchatka. Winter continues till the middle of ^wn* ; from that month to
the middle of September may be called fummer, if a feafon filled with rain^ and
mills, and ungenial fkies, merits that name. Rye, barley, and oats, are committed
K the earth, but feldom come to perfection. The fubfiften^..' of the Rujpans and
Cojfacks depends therefore on importation from Sibiria. In fome parts grafs grows
to a great height, and hay of uncommon n.triment is harvefted for the fattening
of cattle §. Grain is a luxury for the colonifts only: the natives have other
refources, the efFeds of neceffity. Excepting in few places, this is a land of in-
corrigible barrennefs. As foon as the fea otters nd ither pretious furs are ex-
haufted, Kamtfchatka will be deferred by the Rujfiansy unlefs they fhould think fit
to colonize the continent of Jmerica, which the furs of that country, or the
profpeft of mineral wealth, may induce them to attempt.

Few ores have as yet been difcovered in this peninfula : not that it wants either Outs.

copper or iron j but every neceffary in thofe metals is imported at fo cheap a
rate, that it is not worth while for a people ignorant in mining and fmelting to
fearch for them in the almod inaccefTible mountains.

From the climate and the barren nature of Kamtfchatka^ the reader need not be Planti.

* Defer. Kamtfch. Fr. 340, 341. f Voyage iii. ao6, 33*.

34S, and tabt iv. v. in which are given the courfe of the warin Iheanif.

J Defer. Kamtfch. Fr.
§ I'oy. iii. 3«/.

furprized

CXIV

KAMTSCHATKA.

Turprited at the poverty of in /"/ortf. It mufl not be fuppofed that the fcanty enu.
meration of its plants arifcs from a neglc£l of (carch, or the want of a botanift to
explore its vegetable Icingdom. Stellfr, a firf^ratu naturalifl of G^rm^ny, who
attended Bering in his lad voyage, rcfidcd here a confiderable time after his
efcape from that unfortunate expedition, exprcfsly to complete his remarks in
natural hidory. The refult of his botanical refcarclics was communicated to
Doctor Gmiliriy another gentleman fent by the Rujpan government to examine into
th: natural hiflory of its dominions. Europt has from time to time been ranfackcd
for men of abilities to perform this meritorious miflion, and the fruits of their
labors have been liberally communicated to a public thirfting for knowlege,
The names of Muller, Gmelin, Steller, Dt L'IstE, Krajhaninicofk,
GuiLDENSTAEDT, Lbpechin, and Pallas, will ever be held in refpef^, for adding
to the (lock of natural knowlege. But how much is it to be lamented that England
wants a patron to encourage the tranflation of their works, locked up at prcfent
in Rujfian or Gtrmarii concealed from the generality of readers, to the great fup<
predion of knowlege I

I here give a lift of the plants of Kamtfchatka in fyftematic order ; and from it
annex an account of the ufes made of them by the natives of the peninfula. I
muft not omit my thanks to the Rev. Mr. Lightfoot, and the Rev. Mr. Hugh
Dav'tes of Beaumarisy for the grea»- ?.fliftance I received from them. Let me
premife, that the plants marked J, are common io America and Kamtfchatka \
with B. to Bering's Ifle} with E. to England or Scotland', and with Virg. thofe
which extend to Virginia^ or the eaftern fide of North America ♦. It is remarkable,
that the European plants, which had defcrted Sihiria about the Jenefei^ appear here
in great abundance.

Veronica. Gmel. Sib. iii. 219. N" 33.

V. incana.

V. ferpyllifolia. E.

Iris fibirica.

Iris. Gm. Sib. i. 30. N° a8.

Daftylis. Gm. Sib. i. 130. N» 68.

Bromus criftatus. Amoen. Acad. ii. 312.

Triticum. Gm, Sib. i. 119. N" 56.

Plantago major. A, E. Virg.

Pi. afiatica.

Sanguiforba canadenfis. A.

Cornus fuecica.

Pulmonaria virginica. A, Am. Acad. ii.

310.
Cerinthe major. A.
Cortufa Gmelini. Am. Acad. ii. 313.
Anagallis. Gm. Sib. iv. 87, 37.
Azalea procumbens. E.
Phlox fibirica. Am. Acad. ii. 314.
Convolvulus perHcus. Ibid,

• Taken from Doflor ForJIer'tTLOKA Americje Septentrionalis. It is highly probable that
many, not noted as fuch, may be common to both fidet of the continent, notwitliftanding they efcaped
the notice of Steller or our navigators*

7 Polcmonium

KAMTSCHATKA.

cx?

Polemonium ccruleum. A, E%

Loniccra Xyloftcum. Af

L, cxrulca.

Ribcs alpinum. A. E.

R, rubrum. Virg.

R, groflularia, A. V'trg.

Claytoiiia viri^inica. A, Am, Acad. ii. 310.

Salfola proftrata

-

3'8.

Anabafis aphylla.

m m

319-

Heuchera amcricana.

m <M

310.

Swertfia dichotoma.

•

3'7-

Sw. corniculata.

m m

ibid.

Gentiana amarella.

E.

G. aqiiatica.

Am. Acad, ii

• 3'6.

Hcracleum panaccs.

A.

Angelica archangelica.

Ang. Sylveftris. E. Firg,

Cicuta virofa.

Chsrophyllum Sylvcftrc.

Chaer. aurcuni ?

Sambucus racemofa.

Tradcfcantia. Firg ?

Allium urflnum. E. Virg*

Allium triquetrum.

Lilium martegon.

L. Camfchatcenfc. A. Virg, Am, Acad. ii.

320.
Uvularia perfoliata. - - 31O.
Convallaria bifolia.
Juncus filiformis. E. Virg.
J. campeilris. E.
Rumex acetofa. Virg,
Melanthium fibiricum. Am.Acad.W.yiO.
Trillium ere£lum. - - ii.310.
Alifma plantago aquatica. E.
Alfinanthemos. Gm. Sib, iv. i j 6. N** 86.
Epilcblum latifolium.
Vacciniutn myrtillus. A. E,

Vaccinium uliginofum. E>

Vac. vitis idaea. A. E.

Vac. oxycoccot. E, Virg.

Erica. Gm. Sib, iv. 130. N" 21. B.

Er. Cm. 5/^. iv. 131. N° 22. A,

Bryanthus. Gm. Sib, iv. 133. N» 23.

Polygonum bidorta. E,

Pol. viviparum. E.

Adoxa mofchatellina. A, E.

Suphora Lupinoides, Am. Acad, ii. 321.

Ledum paludrc.

Andromeda. Gm. Sib, iv. 121. N" g.

Cham.nerhododendros. Gm, Sib.'iv. 126.

N» 13. B.
Arbutus uva urfi. E, Virt^,
Pyrola rotuiidifolia. E. Vir^,
Tiarella trifoliata. Am, Acad. ii. 322.
Sedum verticillatum. ii. 3:^3.

Prunus padus. E,
Sorbus aucuparia. E. Firg,
Crataegus oxyacantha. Voyage^ iii. 334.
Spiraea hypericifolia. Am. Acad. ii. 310.
Sp. Sorbifolia.
Spirxa. Gm. Sib. iii. 192.
Spiraea. - - jg2.

Sp. aruncus.
Rofa alpina.

Rubus Idaeus. A. E, Firg,
R. Caefius. E.
R. fruticofus. E. Firg,
R. arcticus. Firg.
R. chamxmorus. E.
Fragaria vcfca. A. E.
Potentilla fruticofa. E.
Dryas pentapetala.
At^aea cimicifuga.
Papaver nudicaule.
Aconitura napcllus.

- 3H-

N"55«
N" 56.

Am. Acad, ii. 325.

Anemone

.,-^,,v

CXVI

K A'M TSCHATKA.

Uses.

1
I

E,

E,

Am. Acad. ii. 327.
- ibid.

E. Virg.

Attemone narciffifoIU.

Anem. ranunculoides.

Anem. Dichototna. Am. Acad. ii. 310.

Thali£trum flavuin*

Ranunculus.

Troillius europeus.

Helleborus trifolius.

Bartfia pallida.

Pedicularis verticillata.

Linnaea borealis. Virg.

Myagrum fativum. E,

Thlafpi burfa paftoris.

Arabis grandiflora.

Turritis hirfuta. E.

Geranium pratenfe. E.

Lathyrus. Gm. Sib. iv. 85.

Aftragalus alopecuroides.

330-
Aftr. alpinus.

Aftr. Gm. Sib. iv. 44. N' 58.

Aftr. phyfodes. Am. Acad. ii. 329.

Hypericum. Gm. Sib. iv. 279. N" 3.

Picris hieraciodes. E.

Sonchus. Gm. Sib. ii. 13. N* 13.

Prenanthes'repens. Ani. Acad. ii. 331.

Serratula noveboracenfis. Virg.

Circium. Gm. Sib. ii. 69. N" 49.

Cacalia fuaveolens. Am. Acad. ii. 310.

ArtemiGa vulgaris. A. E>

Gnaphalium margaritaceum. E. Virg.

Erigeron acre. A. E.

Tuffilago. B. Gm. Sib. ii. 145. N" 125.

Senecio. B. - - 136. N° 118.

Am. Acad, ii.

152-
190.

Gm. Sib. ii. 203^
Virg. ^
Am. Acad. ii. 332.

After. A. S. Gm. Sib. ii. 175. N* 145.
After. - - 186. N»

Solidago virga aurea. A. B E.
Solidago. Gm. Sib. ii. 170. N"
Cineraria fibirica.
Pyrcthrum. A. B.

N" 170.
Orchis bi folia. E.
Orchis latifolia. E.
Ophrys Camtfcatca.
Drachontium Camtfcatcenfe. Am. Acad%

"• 33*'
Carex panicea. E. Virg.

Carex. Gm. Sib. i. 139. N°'77.

Betula alba. E. ■ \

Betula nana. E. Virg.

Betula alnus. A. E. Virg,

Urtica dioica. E.

Sagittaria latifolia. E.

Pinus cembra.

Pinus Larix. A. Virg,

Pinus picea.

Salix retufa.

Salix viminalis. E.

Fmpetrum nigrum A. E, Virg,

Pbpulus alba. E.

Juniperus communis. E.

Equifetum hyemale. E. Virg.

Afpleninm Rhyzophyllum. Am. Acad. ii.

311. Virg.

Lycopodium rupeftrc. Virg, ibid.

Lycop. Sanguinolentum. ii. 333.

The Kamtfchatkans boaft of their fkill in the knowlege of the application of the
vegetable kingdom to the ufes of mankind. The Sibirians cure the venereal difeafe
by a deco£tion of the root of the Iris Sibirica^ which a£ts by purging and vomiting.
They keep the patient eight days in a ftove, and place him in a bed of the leaves

of

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXVII

of the JrSlium Lappa^ or common Burdock, which they frequently change till the
cure is efFedled.

The Heracleum PanaceSf or Sweet gra/s, wis z plant of the firftufe with the Kami/-
chotkanSi and formerly made a principal ingredient in all their difhcs ; but (o
powerful does the love of hot liquors fway with the RuJJianSt that, (ince their ar-
rival, it is entirely applied to diftillation. The beginning of July the more fuc-
culent ftalks and leaves are gathered } after the down is fcraped off with (helb,
they arelayed to ferment ; when they grow dry, they are placed in bags, and in a
few days are covered with a faccharine powder : only a quarter of a pound of
powder is collected from a pood, or thirty-fix pounds of the plant, which taftes like
liquorice. They draw the fpirit from it by ileeping bundles of it in hot water j
then promote the fermentation in a fmall veflel, by adding the berries of the
J^mUera Xyhjieunty Sp. PI. i. 248, znA Vaccinium uliginofum^ 499. They con-
tinue the procefs by pouring on more water, after drawing off the firft: they then
place the plants and liquor in a copper Aill, and draw off*, in the common manner,
a fpirit equal in ftrength to brandy *. Accident difcovered this liquor. One
year, the natives happening to coUetSl a greater quantity of berries of feveral Icinds,
for winter provifion, than ufual, found in the fpring that a great quantity had
fermented, and become ufelefs as a food. They refolved to try them as a drink,
and mixed the juice with water. Others determined to experience it pure ; and
found, on trial, the ArSic beatitude, drunkennefs f . The Rufftam caught at the
hint, introduced diftillation, and thus are enabled to enjoy ebriety with the pro-
du4Sion of the country.

The Moucho'-mere oi xhe Ruffians^ the Agaricus mufcarittSy Sp. PI. 1640, is an-
other inftrument of intoxication. It is a fpecies of Toadftool, which the Kamtj-
chadales and Kortaks fometimcs eat dry, fometimes immerfed in a fermented
]iquor made with the Epilobiumy which they drink notwithftanding the dreadful
effedls. They are firft feized with convulfions in all their limbs, then with a
raving fuch as attends a burning fever j a thoufand phantoms, gay or gloomy
(according to their conftitutions) prefint themfelves to their imaginations : fome
dance • others are feized with unfpeakable horrors. They perfonify this mu(h-
i and, if its effefls urge them to fuicide, or any dreadful crime, they fay
obey its commands. To fit themfelves for premeditated affaffinations,
take the Moucho-more. Such is the fafcination of drunkennefs in this

room
they
they

country, that nothing can induce the natives to forbear this dreadful potion % !

*Foyage, ill. 337.

■f Cmtlin, Fl, Sib, i, ttj*

J Hi/I, Kp.mtfdatka, y9, loa.

As

cxviii KAMTSCHATKA.

S.^RANKE. As a flood, the Saranney or Li Hum KamtfchaUenft^ is among the principal. Its

roDts are gathered by the women in Auguj}., dried in the fun, and layed up for
ufe : they arc rhe heft bread of the country } and after being baked are reduced
to powder, and fcrvc inftead of flour in foups and feveral diihes. They are
fometimes waflied, and eaten as potatoes ; are extremely nouriihing, and have a
pleafant bitter tafle. Our navigators boiled and eat them with their meat. The
iiatives often parboil, and beat it up with feveral forts of berries, fo as to form of
it a very agreeable confection. Providentially it is an univcrfal plant here, and
all the grounds bloom with its flower during the feafon*. Another happinefs re-
marked here is, that while fifli are fcarce, the Saranne is plentiful j and when
there is a dearth of this, the rivers pour in their provifions in redoubled profufion.
It is not to the labors of the females alone that the Kamtfchatkans are indebted
for thefe roots. The eeconemic Moufcy p. 134. A. faves them a great deal of
trouble. The Saranne forms part of the winter provifions of that little animal :
they not only gather them in the proper feafon, and lay them up in their ma-
gazines, but at times have the inftindt of bringing them out, in funny weather, to
dry them, lead they fliould decay f. The natives fearch for their hoards ; but
with prudent tendernefs leave part for the owners, being unwilling to fufFer fuch
ufeful caterers to pcrifli.

Let me add, that Steller enumerates other fpecies of the Lilly genus, which
I believe are edible. Every fpecies of fruit, except berries, is denied to this un-
kind climate ; but the inhabitants ufe various forts of them as wholefome fubfti-
tutes, which they eat frefh, or make into palatable jams, or drefs with their fifli,
cither frefli or when preferved for winter ufe : fuch are thofe of the Lonicera Xylo-
feum or Gimolojiy a fort of Honeyfuckle : the Rubus ChamamoruSf Meroehia, or
Cloudberries : the Vacc'mium MyrttUus^ Uliginofum^ Vitis Idaoy and Oxycoccosy or
Bilberries, Marfh Bilberries, Red Bilberries, and Cranberries : the Empetrum
Nigrum^ or Heathberries : the Prunus Padut^ or Bird Cherry : Cratagus Oxyacan-
thay or White Thorn with red and with black berries : the Juniperus Community
or Common Juniper : and finally, of thofe of the Sorbus Aucuparia, or Common
Service.

Of the Epilobium Latifolium^ Sp. PI. 494, or Kipri, is brewed a common beve-
rage ; and, with the affiftance of the Sweet Plant, is made an excellent vinegar :
the leaves are ufed as a tea, and the pith is mixed with many of the difhes, and
ferved up green as a defert. When the infufion of it is mixea with the Sweet Herb
in the diftillation, much more brandy is procured than if water alone is ufed %>

• Dtfc. Kamtfcb. 363.

t Pallai, Ntv> Sp, Mur, 130.

X Defc, Kamtfcb, 36I.

The

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXIX

The Polygonum Bi/Iorta, Snake- weed, or Jiioum, is eaten frefli or dried, and often
pounded with the Caviar, The Charophyllum Syhejlre^ Wild Chervil, or Cow-weed,
the Morkavai of the natives, is eaten green in the fpring, or made into four
krout. The Solidago ItfchitfcijUy Fl. Sib. ii. 170, is dried and boiled with fifli ;
and the broth from it taftes as if the fleOi of the Argali or wild (heep had been
feethed in it. The root of Kotkonniay a fpecies of Tradefcantia, is eaten cither
frefh, or ufed with the roes of fifli: the berries have an agreable acidity, like an
unripe apple, but will not keep, therefore they mud be eaten as foon as they
are gathered. Aliium Urjtnumt Tcheremchay our Wild Garlic, is very common, and
ufeful in medicine as well as food } both Rujftans and natives gather it in great
quantities for winter fervice : they fteep it in water, then mix it with cabbage,
onions, and other ingredients, and form out of them a ragout, which they eat
cold. It is alfo the principal remedy for the fcurvy. As foon as this plant appears
above the fnow, they feem to put this dreadful diforder at defiance, and find a curs
almofl in its -'orit ftages. The Potentilla fruticofay Sp. PI. i. 709, or Shrubby
Cinquefoil, efficacious in the dyfentery, or in frefti wounds. The Dryas

pentapetala, Sj V 717, or Ichagbarty isemployed infwellings or pains of the limbs.
Thatdreadful poifon the Cicuta viro/a, Sp. PI. i. 366, Water Hemlock, the Omegy is
applied to ufe, by the bold praditioners of this country, in c^fes of pains in the back.
They fweat the patient profufely, and then rub his back with the plant, avoid-
ing to touch the loins, which, they fay, would bring on immediate death.

The trees of ufe are a dwarf fpecies of Pinus Cembroy or Pine with edible
kernels; it grows in great quantities on both the mountains and plains, covered
with mofs. It never grows upright, but creeps on the ground, and is therefore
called by the RuJftanSy Slanetz. The natives eat the kernels, with even the cones,
which brings on a tenefmus ; but the chief ufe of the tree is as a fovereign medi-
cine in the fcurvy. Bering taught the Kamtfchatkans to make a deco(5lion
of it : but they have neglected his inftru£tions, notwithflandiiig they faw num-
bers of his people reftored to health in a (hort time, and fnatched, as it were, from
the jaws of death *. Even at this time the Ruffian colonifls perifh mifcrably
with the diforder, notwithflanding the remedy is before their eyes.

The Pinus Larixy or Larch-tree, grows only on the river of Kamtfchatkoy and
the ftreams which run into it. This tree is of the firft ufe in the mechanical
fervices of the country : with it they build their houfes, their fortifications, and
boats. They make ufe of the Pepulus alboy or White Poplar, for the fame pur-

Defi.

• Ftyage, iii. jj*.— C»». Fl.Sib. i. i8i. Refpefling the trees, confult Voyage, iii. 352.

Kamtfdtiika, 359, and the preceding catalogue.

q 2

TfcEES.

pofes.

cxx

?": A M T S C H A T K A.

i^

pofcs. Of the Betula alba^ or Common Birch, a tree fo ufeful to thefe northern
nations, they make their fledges and canoes ; and cut the fre(h bark into fmall
nices like vermicelli, and eat it with their dried caviar : they alfo tap the trees,
and drink the liquor without any preparation. With the bark of the alder they
dye their leather j but that, and every tree they have near the coaft, is ftunted,
fo that they are obliged to go far inland for timber of proper fize.

I mud add, as a vegetable of ufe in ceconomics, the Tr/z/fU/n, Gm. Sib. i. 119,
N" 56, which grows in great quantities along the (bores, which they mow, and
work into mats, which ferve for bed clothes and curtains ; into mantles, fmooth
on one fide, and with a pile on the other, which is water-proof. They alfo make
with it facks, and very elegant baflcets ; thefc, as well as the mats, they ornament
with fplit whale-bones, and work into variety of figures *. The Uriica dioicay or
Common Nettle, is another plant of great ufe : this they pluck in Augujl or
Septemlerf tie in bundles, and dry on their huts : they tear it to pieces, beat,
and clean it ; then fpin it between their hands, and twift the thread round a
fpindle. It is the only material they have to make their nets ; which, for want
of (kill in the preparation, will rot, and laft no longer than one feafon f.
Q.UA»Kuf£D3. In refpe£t to the quadrupeds of this country, I have reafon to think, from the;

great aflifiance I have received from the Rujftan academifts, or their labors, that
my account of them, in my zoological part of this Work, can receive little addi-
tion. I requeft that the Brown Beart N° 20, may be fubftituted inftead of the-
Black, N° 19, as the native of Kamtfchatka. I was led into the miftake by the
fufpicions of a moft able naturalift. I am fince informed, by the beft authority
(that of Captain King %) that it is the brown fpecies which is found there ; that
they are carnivorous §, and prey at times on the Argali or wild (beep } but do
not attack man, except urged by extreme hunger, or provoked by wounds, or by
the (laughter of their young ; when nothing but their death can fecure the fafety
of the perfons who fall in their way. In the firft cafe, they will hunt mankind
by the fcent, and facrifice them to their v/ant of food, which ufually is fifh or
berries. — The Kamifchatkans never read Pope^ but obferve his advice :

Learn from the Beads tlie phyfie of the field.

The Bear is their great mafter ; r.nd they owe all their knowlege in medicihe'and
furgery, and the polite arts, to this animal. They obferve the herbs to whioi he
has recourfe when he is ill, or when he is wounded, and the fame fimples prove

• Hifl. Kamtfchatka, 373. f Same, 375.

King gives a full account of the prefent method of hunting.
p. 58, 1. 16| to change the word carnivorous into animal.

I See^ffy. iii. 304 to 308, where Mr.
§ The reader it requefted, at

equally

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXXi

md there : that

"equally reftoratlve to the two-legged Urfine race. The laft even acknowlege the
Bear as their dancing-mafter, and are moft apt fcholars in mimicking his attitudes
and graces *. I was informed by one of the gentlemen who was on the voyage,
that the Sea Otters N' 36, was feen on the firft arrival on the American coaft ; but,
as it is not mentioned in that excellent and magnificent work till the arrival of the
ihips in Nootka found, I will not infift on the accuracy of its latitude.

The Argali yields a diftj of moft excellent flavor. The natives work the horns
into fpoons, fmall cups, and platters ; and have frequently a fmall one hang-
ing at their belts, byway of a drinking horn, in their hunting expeditions \.

The Dogs are Wke x.\\e Pemeraniariy but vaftly Lirger j the hair rather coarfer,
and the ufual color light dun, or dirty creme-color. Bitches are never ufed for
the draught, but dogs alone; which are trained to it from their puppy-hood, by
being tied with thongs to ftakes, with their food placed at a fmall diftance beyond
their reach ; fo th^t by conftant laboring and ftraining, they acquire both flrength
of limb and habit of drawing %.

The leonine and urfine Seals, and the Manati, muft have been on their mi«
grations during the time the navigators vifited this peninfula ; for they faw not
one of thofe curious animals. The common Seals, being ftationary, were
met with in great numbers. The bottle-nofed Seal, or Sea-Lion of Lord Anfon^
is totally unknown in thefe feas. I refer the reader, for a view of the quadrupeds
and birds of Kamtfchatkay to the catalogue which Captain King honored with a
place in the third volume of the Voyage §. I (hall only add, that the clafs of
Auks is far the moft numerous of any, and contains fix fpecies unknown to Eu-
rope \ that the only bird which has efcaped me is a fmall Blue Petrel ||, feen in
numbers in about lat. 59. 48, off the northern part of the peninfula.

Kamtfchatka is deftitute of every fpecies of ferpent and f'og. Lizards are very
frequent, and are detefted by the natives, who believe them to be fpies fent by the
infernal gods to examine their a6lions, and predidl their deaths. If they catch one,
they cut it into fmall pieces, to prevent it from giving any account of its miflion :
if it efcapes out of their hands, they abandon themfelves to melancholy, and
expeft every moment their diflfolution ; which often happens thrrugh fear, and
ferves to confirm the fupcrftition of the country %. The air is very unfavorable

* Voy. iii. 308. f Same, 344. X Same, 345.

§ By fome typographical miftake, the greater part of the •webbed-fooled hhJt are, in the firft edition,
placed under the divifion of cloven-foeied. The naturalift reader will eafily fee, that the birds, honi
Cranb, p. 357, toPlBDOrsTER-CATCHER, ought to be placed inthediviliou o( cloven-footed i and
fMniGRKATTERN, p. 356, to Red-faced Corvorant, p. 357, (houid be put after Redthroat-
10 DiYER, p. 358, the webbed fisted. || Narrative, ii. 346. fl Drfcr. Kamtfk, Fr. 509.

to-

Arcali.

Dogs.

Seals.

Reptiles.

Insects.

CUKU

Fish.

Whale.

K A M T S C H A T K A.

to iiifetSls, except lice and fleas, which are in all their quarters } and, filthy to
relate ! are eaten by thofe beaftly people *. fiugs are acquifitions of late years,
imported into the bay of Awatcha.

The fifh of Kamtfchatka are with difficulty enumerated. There does not fecm
to be any great variety of genera ; yet the individuals under each fpecies are
found in mofl: aftonifhing abundance. Providence hath been peculiarly atten-
tive to the natives of this peninfula, by furniOiing them in (o ample a manner,
who for the greater part muft for ever be deprived of fupport derived from
grain and cattle. The vegetables they have are fufficient to corre£l the putrefcent
quality of the dried fiih, and often form an ingredient in the diflies ; which are
prepared different ways. The Joukola is made of the falmon kind, cut into fix
pieces, and dried either in the open air or fmoked : the roes are another difh in
hi?h efteem with them, either dried in the air, or rolled in the leaves of different
plants, and dried before the fire. They can live a long time on a fmall quantity of
this food, and eat with it the bark of birch or willow trees, to afTifl them in
fwallowing a food fo very vifcid ; but their ambrofial repafl is the Huiguly or fifh
flung into a pit till it is quite rotten, when it is ferved up in the ftate of carrion,
and with a flench unfupportable to every nofe but that of a Kamtfchatkan f*

The Fin Whale, Br. Zooi iii. N" i8, is very frequent, and is of fingular ufe
to the inhabitants. They eat the flefh ; preferve the fat for kitchen ufe and for
their lamps ; with the corneous lamiiiae they few the feams of their canoes, and
make nets for the larger fort of fifh ; they form the fliders of their fledges with
the under jaw-bones, and likewife work them into knives } with the blade-bones,
worked down to a (harp edge, they form fcythes, and mofl fuccefsfully mow the
grafs. The Tfchutjki verify the relation of Pliny %■> *n<J> I'J'^ the Gtdroft of old,
frame their dwellings with the ribs§; with tiis ligaments they make excellent
fnares for different animals ; with the inteflines dried, cleaned, and blown, they
make bags for their greafe and oil; and with the fkins the foles of their fhoes, and
ftraps and thongs for various purpofes. The Tfchutjki take thefe animals by har-
pooning ; the Oloutorts, in nets, made of thongs cut out of the fkins of the Wal-
rus } and the Kamtfchatkansy by {hooting them with darts or arrows, the points of
which, having been anointed with the juice of the Zgate, a fpecies of Anemone and
Ranunculus |, are fo noxious as to bring fpeedy death from the flightefl wound,
like the celebrated poifon of the Paragua Indians. The vafl animals in queflion,

• Defer. Kamtfchatka, Fr. 507. f f^'J- Kamtfchatka, Engl. 194.. Fr. 46. J Hifi. Nat.

lib. ix. c. 3. § fojage, iii. 450. H I cannot difcovcr the fpecies. Ctnelin, in his
Flora Sibirica, does not give the left account of thefe plants.

8 when

KAMTSCHATKA.

cxxni

when ftruck with it, are infected with fuch agonies that they cannot bear the Tea,
but rufli on (hore, and expire with dreadful groans and bellowing.

The Kafatka or Grampus, Br. Zeel. iii. N' 26, is very common in thcfc feas :
they are dreaded by the natives, who even make offerings to them, and entreat
their mercy, leaft they (hould overfet their boats j yet, if thcfe fifli are thrown on
fliore, they apply them to the fame ufes as the Whale *.

The Motko'ia or Akeul., or White Shark, Br. Zool. iii. N*" a, is among the
ufeful fifli. They eat the flefli, and form of the inteftines 1 J bladder, bags to
hold their oil. In the chafe of this fifli they never call it by its name, for fear
of provoking it to burft its bladder f.

Lampries, Br. Zool. iii. N° 27 j Eels, — 57 ; Wolf-fifli, — 65 ; common Cod-
fifli ? — 73; Hadock, — 741 and Hake, — 81, are found in the Kamtfchatkan
fea : and I alfo fufpeft, that the three-bearded Cod, — N" 87, is alfo met with :
it is called there Morjk'te NalimiX. An elegant fpecies of Flounder, of excellent
flavor, was taken here in abundance by our navigators : the back was fludded
with prickly tubercles, and marked longitudinally with lines of black on a
brown ground. The Jerch ft , poffibly our Ruffe, — N° 127, is among the fifh
of the country ; as is a fpecies of the Englijh Sticlclebacks.

But the fifliof the firfl importance to the KamtfchatkanSi and on which they de-
pend for fubflftence, are the anadromous kinds, or thofe which at {}ated feafons afcend
the rivers and lakes out of the fea. Thefe are entirely of the Salmon genus, with
exception to the common Herring, which in autumn quits the fait water. It
is fayed, that every fpecies of Salmon is found here. I may with certainty adjoin,
that feveral of the Sibirian fpecies, with variety peculiar to this country, afcend
the Kamtfchatkan rivers in multitudes incredible. The inhabitants dignify feme
of their months by the names of the fifh. One is called Kouiche, or the month
of Red Fijhis ; another, Ajaha^ or that oi Little IVhite Fijh ; a third, Kaiko^ or of
the fifh Kaike ; and a fourth, Kijou, or the month of the Great lyh'tte FiJh §. It is
obfervable, that each flioal keeps apart from others of different fpecies, and fre-
quently prefers a feparate river, notwithflanding the mouths may be almofl con-
tiguous. They often come up in fuch numbers as to force the water before them,
and even to dam up the rivers, and make them overflow their banks ; infomuch
that, on the fall of the water, fuch multitudes are left on dry ground, as to
make a flench capable of caufing a peflilence, was it not fortunately difpcrfed
by the violence of the winds ; befides, the bears and dogs afTifV, by preying orv
them, to leffen the ill effedls.

Grampus.

Saluon.

• Defer. Kamifcb. 4C2.

f Same>4.66.

% Br, Zool. iiii 261.

§ Ihft.Kamifch. r\t.
Everv

CXXIT

X A M T S C H A T K A.

TSHAWYTSCHA.

+ P.D. 12.
P. l6.
V. 10.

A. 15.

Every fpecies of Salmon dies in the fame river or lake in which it is born, and to
which it returns to fpawn. In the third year, male and female confort together,
and the latter depofits its fpawn in a hole formed with its tail and fins in the
fand } after which both fexes pine away, and ceafe to live. A fi(h of a year's
growth continues near the place, guards the fpawn, and returns to the fea with
the new-born fry in November*. The Salmons of this country fpawn but once in
their lives : thofe of Sibiria and Europe, the rivers of which are deep', and abound
with infedl food, are enabled to continue the firft great command of nature
during the period of their exigence. In Katntfchatka the rivers are chilly,
ihallow, rapid, full of rocks, and deftitute of nouriflimcnt for fuch multitudes:
fuch therefore which cannot force their way to the neighborhood of the tepid
fireams, or get back to the fea in time, univerfalty pcrifli ; but Providence
has given fuch refources, in the fpawners, that no difference in numbers is
ever obferved between the returning feafons. It is Angular, that neither the
lakes or rivers have any fpecies of fifh but what come from the fea. All the lakes
( for this country abounds with them) communicate with the fea} but their en-
trance, as well as that of many of the rivers, is entirely barred up with fand
brought by the tempefluous winds, which confine the fifh mofl part of the winter,
till they are releafed by the florms taking another direction.

The fpecies which appears firfl is the Tjhawytfcha. This is by much the
largefl } it weighs fometimes between fifty and fixty pounds, and its depth is very
great in proportion to the length. The jaws are equal, and never hooked : the
teeth large, and in fevcral rows : the fcales are larger than thofe of the common
Salmon ; on the back dufky grey, on the fides filvery : the fins bluifh white,
and all parts unfpotted : the tail is lunated : the flcfh, during its refidence in the
fea, is red; but it becomes white in frefh waters. It is confined, on. the eaflern
fide of the peninfula, to the river of Katntfchatka and Awatcha j and on the weflern
to the Bohhaia-rekoy and a few others } nor is it ever feen beyond lat. 54. It enters
the mouths of the rivers about the middle of Mayt with fuch impetuofity as to
raife the water before it in waves. It goes in far lefs numbers than the other
fpecies ; is infinitely more efleemed ; and is not ufed as a common food, but re-
ferved for great entertainments. The natives watch its arrival, which is an-
nounced by the rippling of the witerj take it in ftrong nets; and always eat
the firfl they take, under a notion that the omiiTion would be a great
crime.

• Defer, Kamtfcb, 4.71.

t Numbers of rays in the dorfal, peroral, ventral, and anal fins.

The

KAMTSCHATKA.

cxxv

TheNaria isanother fpecics, called by the Rujians, Krafnaya ryba^ from the iritenfe
purplifli rednefsof the flefli. It is of the form of the common Salmon j but never
exceeds fixteen pounds in weight. When it firft enters the rivers it is of a filvcry
brightnefs, with a bluiHi back and fins : when it leaves the fea the teeth arc
fmall, and jaws ftrait ; but after it has been fome time in the frcdi water, the
jaws grow crooked (efpecially in the male) and the teeth large. It begins to
afcend the rivers in vaft numbers in June ; penetrates to their very fources ; and
returns in September to the fea, firft refting for fome time in the deep parts of the
intervening lakes. It is taken in nets, either in the bays, as it approaches the
rivers, or in the rivers, after it has quitted the fea *.

The KyfuUht or Bjelaya ryba^ or White Fi(h of the Ruffians^ afcends the rivers
in Julyt particularly fuch as are difcharged from the inland lakes, and remain
till December, when all the old fiOi perifh, and the fry take to the fea. The
upper jaw of the male, in its laft period, becomes crooked. This fpecics has
the form of a common Salmon, but never attains three feet in length. It is of
a filvery glofty color, fpotted about the back ; but in the rivers acquires a reddilh
caft : the jaws are long and blunt : the teeth large : the flefli is reddifli before
it quits the fea; but in the frefli water grows white. It is reckoned the moft
excellent of the light-colored fifli.

The Keta or Kayke, in form and fize refembles the laft ; but the head is fhorter
and more blunt : the tail is lunated : the flefli white : the color of the fcales a
filvery white: the back greenifli ; and the whole free from fpots. It afcends the
rivers in July, and the fifliery continues till OSfoher. This fpecies is found in
great abundance j and is fo common, that the Joukola made with it is called
houjhold bread.

The Gerbufcha., or Hunch-back, arrives at the fame time with the laft. In
form it refembles the Grayling : never exceeds a foot and a half in length : is of
a filvery color, and unfpotted : the tail forked : the flefli white. After it has been
fome time in the frefti water it changes its fliape (the male efpecially) in a moft
furprizing manner. The jaws and teeth grow prodigioufly long, efpecially the
upper, which at firft is fhorteft, but foon fhoots beyond the under, and grows
crooked downwards ; the body becomes emaciated, and the meat bad : but
what is moft charafteriftic, an enormous bunch rifes juft before the firft dorfal fin,
to which it owes its name. Its flefli is bad; fo that this fifli falls to the fliare of
the dogs.

Narka.

P. D. II.
P. i6.
V. lo.
A. ij.

KysuTCH

P.

D.

II.

P.

14.

V.

10.

A.

'4'

Kbta.

P. D. 14.
P. 15.
V. II,

A. 18.

GORBUSCHA.
P. D. 12.

p. 15.

V. lo.
A. 15.

• Tkis fpecies is defcribed {l^oyage, iii. 351) under the name of Red Fijh 5 the preceding, in j.. 350,
under that of Tcbavitji,

r The

/

/

CXXTI

KAMTSCHATKA.

Malma.

P. D. 12.

p. 14.

V. 8.

A. 10.

Mi

IKTSCHITSCM.

P.

D.

II.

P.
V.

14.
10.

A.

'3-

M

YKISS.

P.

D.

12.

P.

V.

14.
10.

A.

12.

KvNsir*.

Inchaghitsk.

P. D. 8,9
P. 12.
V. 10.
A. 12.

The Malmay or GoUt of the RuJJlanst grows to the weight of twenty pounds, and
to the length of about twenty-eight inches. It is the mod flender and cylindrical of
all the genus. The head rcfcmbles that of a trout : the fcales are very fmall : the
back and Tides bluiHi, with fcattercd fpots of fcariet red : the belty white : ventral
and anal fins red : tnil (lightly forked. This and the two following are fporadic,
going difperfedly, and not in (hoals, It afcends the rivers with the laft, and at-
tains their very fourccs. It feeds on the fpawn of the other fpecies, and grows very
fat. The natives fait thofe they take in autumn^ and pruferve frozen thofc which
are caught when the frofts commence*.

The MUktfihitfch is a fcarce fpecies, in form like a young Salmon ; but the
fcales larger in proportion, and the body more flat : >t never exceeds a foot and
a half in length : is of a filvcry white, with a blui(h back : nofe conical : jaws
equal : tail flightly forked.

The Mykifs^ appears at firft very lean, but grows foon fat : it is very voracious:
feeds not only on fifti, but infedls and rats, while fwimming over the rivers ; and is
fo fond of the berries of vaccinium vitit idaa^ that it will dart out of the water, and
fnatch at both leaves and berries, which hang over the banks f. In (hape it re-
fembles a common Salmon : feldom grows above two feet long : has large
fcales, blunt nofe, and numerous teeth : the back is dufky, marked with black
fpots } and on each fide is a broad band of bright red : the belly white. It is a fpecies
of excellent flavor; but is frarcer than the other kinds. Its time of arrival is not
known : M. Stkller therefore fufpeiSIs that it afcends the rivers beneath the
ice J.

The Kunjha, mentioned In page civ, frequents the bays of this country,
but never advances inland ; and grows to the length of two feet : the nofe is fhorC
and pointed : the back and fides dufky, marked with great yellowiQi fpots, fome
round, others oblong : the belly white : the lower fins and tail blue : the flefh
white, and excellent. It is a fcarce fifli in thefe parts \ but near Ochoijk afcends
the rivers in great flioals.

I conclude this divifion of the tribe with the common Salmon, which is frequent
here, and, like the others, afcends the rivers, equally to the advantage of the
natives of the country.

Of the Salmon which LiNN^us diftinguiflied by the title of Coregtni is the
Inghaghitflif which has the habit of a fmall carp, with very large fcales : the jaws
nearly of equal length : the eyes very great, and ftlvery : the teeth very minute :
the body filvery, bluifli on the back : tail forked : it does not exceed five inches

Defcft Kami ftp. 4S1.

t Same, 481.

t Same, 482.

in

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXXVII

in length. It arrives in fpring and autumn, and in both feafons is full of fpawn,
and fmells like a fmelt.

The Innyagha is another fmall kind, about five inches long, and not unlike
the S. Albula of LiNN^us. It is a rare fpecies, and found but in few rivers.
P.D.Q. P. II. V.8. A. i6.

The moft Angular is the Ouiki, or Salmo Cattrvarius of Stelier. It belongs to
the Ofmeri of Linn^us. Swinns in immenfe fhoals on the caftcrn coaft of Kamtf-
chatka, and the new-difcovered iflands, where it is often thrown up by the fca to the
height of fome feet, upon a large extent of (horc : is exceflively unwholcfomc as
a food, and caufes fluxes even in dogs. It never exceeds feven inches in length.
Juft above the fide-line is a rough fafcia, befct with minute pyramidal fcalcs,
{landing upright, fo as to appear like the pile of (hag : their ufe is moft curious-
while they are fwimming, and even when they are flung on ihore, two, three, or
even as many as ten, will adhere as if glued together, by means of this pile, info-
much that if one is taken up, all the reft are taken up at the fame time.

To conclude this lift of Kamt/chatian Salmon, I muft add the Salmo Thy mallus, or
Grayling; the S. CylindraceuSy before defcribed ; the Salmo jflbuloy Lin. Syft. 512 ;
and the Salmo Eptrlanutt or common Smelt, to thofe which afcend the rivers.—
For this account I am indebted to Dodlor Pallas, who extraded it from the
papers of Stellbr, for the ufe of this Work.

The Herring, both the common and the variety, found in the gulph of
Bothnia^ called the Membras, and by the Suedtty Stroeming^ Faun. Suec. p. 128, vifit
thefe coafts in (boals, perhaps equal to thofe of Europe. There are two feafons,
the firft about the end of May^ the fecond in Oifober. The firft fpecies are re-
markably fine and large * ; they afcend the rivers, and enter the lakes : the autumnal
migrants are clofed up in them by the fhifting of the fand at ths mouths of the
entrance, and remain confined the whole winter. The natives catch them
in fummer in nets i and in winter in moft amazing numbers, by breaking holes
in the ice, into which they drop their nets, then cover the opening with mats,
and leave a fmall hole for one of their companions to peep through, and obferve
the coming of the fifti j when they draw up their booty : and ftring part on pack-
thread for drying j and from the remainder they prefs an oil white as the butter
of Finland f.

The fea, on which thefe people depend for their very exiftence, is finely
adapted for the retreat and prefervation of fifli. It does not confift of a level
uniform bottom, liable to be ruffled with ftorms, but of deep vallies and lofty

Innyaciia.

OUIKI.

Herkino.

Sea.

Voyage, iii. 35*.

t Defer, Kamlfch. 485.

r 2

mountains.

cxxvin

KAMTSCHATKA.

mountains, fuch as yield fecurity and tranquillity to the finned Inhabitanti.
Wc iinil tlie foundings to be mud unequal : in fome places only twenty-two
fathoms, in others the lead has not found a bottom with a hundred and fixty
fathoms of line. On fuch places the fifli might red undifturbed during the
rage of the tcmpcftuous winters. I do not find the leaft notice of fhells be-
ing met with in thcfc feas : either there arc none, or they are pelagic, and
cfcape the eyes of the navigators. But nature probably hath made ample pru-
vifion for the inhabitants of the fen, in the quantity of fca- plants which it yields ;
Steller, the great explorer of this region, enumerates the following, many of
which arc of uncommon elegance :

Fucus pcucedanifolius,(7OT. HiJJ, Fucor. 76

Fucus turbinatus

-

- 97

Fucus corymbiferus,

E.

- 12^.

Fucus dulcis, £.

-

- 189

Fucus tamarifcifolius

*yE.

Fucus bifidus

m

- 201

Fucus polyphyllus

-

- 206

Fucus clathrus

-

- 211

Fucus myrica

-

- 88

Fucus rofa marina - - loa

Fucus crenatus - - 160

Fucus fimbriatus - - 2co

Fucus angudifolius - - 205

Fucus agarum - - 3I9>

Fucus quercus marina f

Fucus veficulofus, <$'^. PI. 1626, E.

Ulva glandiformis - - 232

Ulva Priapus • - - 2^1

Of thefe the Slutrcut marina is ufed as a remedy in the dyfentery j and the fe-
males of Kamtfchatka tinge their cheeks with an infufion of the Fucus tamarifci'
fol'tui in the oil of Seals.
Tjdej. In the harbours of Sts. PtUr and Paul the greateft rife of the tides was five

feet eight inches at full and change of the moon, at thirty-fix minutes pad four,
and they were very regular every twelve hours %. The Rujjian philofophers
obfcrvcd here afingular phaenomenon in the flux and reflux of the fea twice in the
twenty-four hours, in which is one great flood and one fmall flood ; the laft of
which is called Manikha, At certain times nothing but the water of the river
is feen within its proper channel ; at other times, in the time of ebb, the
waters are obferved to overflow their banks. In the Manikha^ after an ebb of
fix hours, the water finks about three feet, and the tide returns for three hours,
but does not rife above a foot ; a feven-hours ebb fucceeds, which carries off
the fea-water, and leaves the bay dry. Thus it happens three days before atid

mji, Kamtfchatka, 4ji

f Same, 114.

J Fojage, iji. 3*3.

after

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXXI«

ifter the full moon ; after which the great tide diminifhes, and the Maniih/i, or
little tide, increafcs ♦.

The rivers of the country rife in the midft of the great chain of mountains*
and flow on each fide into the fcas of Ochotjk^ or that of Kamtfchatka. They fur-
ni(h a ready paflage in boats or canoes (with the intervention of carrying-places)
quite acrofs the peninfula. As has been mentioned, the waters yield no fifli of their
own, but are the retreat of myriads of migrants from the neighboring fcas.

This peninfula, and the country to the weft, arc inhabited by two na-
tions } the northern parts by the Koriact, who are divided into the Rein-deer
or wandering, and the fixed Koriact \ and the fouthern part by the Kamtf-
chatkant, properly fo called; the firft lead an erratic life, in the »i dt bounded
by the Ptnfchin/ka fea to the fouth-eaft j the river Kotvyma to the weft ; ar,d the
fiver Anadir to the north f. They wander from place to place with their V na-
deer, in fearch of the mofs, the food of thofe animals, their only wealth t
They are fqualid, cruel, and warlike, the terror of the fixed KoriacSf as n^ucft
as the T/chulJki arc of them. They never frequent the fea, nor live on fifli.
Their habitations zrejourts, or places half funk in the earth : they never ufc /»<»-
lagans, or fummer-houfes elevated on pofts, like the Kamtfchatkant : are in t'.cir
perfons lean, and very fhort : have fmall heads and black hair, which i ley
fliave frequently : their faces are oval : nofe fhort : their eyes fmall : mouth large :
beard black and pointed, but often eradicated.

The fixed Koriact are likewife Ihort, but rather taller than the others, and
ftrongly made : they inhabit the north of the peninfula : the Anadir is alio their
boundary to the north ; the ocean to the caft ; and the Kamtfchatkant to the fouth.
They have few Rein-deer, which they ufe in their fledges ; but neither of the
tribes of Koriact are civilized enough to apply them to the purpofes of the dairy.
Each fpeak a different dialciSl of the fame language ; but the fixed in moft
things refemble the Kamtfchatkant i and, like them, live almoft entirely on
fifli. They are timid to a high degree, and behave to their v\ r' •nng brethren
with the utmoft fubmiflion ; who call them by a name which fig-: & their fJavts,
Thefe poor people fecm to have no alternative ; for, by reafon of the fcarcity of
Rein-deer, they depend on thefe tyrants for the eflcntial article: of cloathing. I
cannot trace the origin of thefe two nations ; but from the (eaturcs may pronounce
them offspring of Tartarty which have fpread to tbe eaft, and degenerated ia
fize and flrength by the rigour of the climate, and often by fcarcity of food.

Natives.

K IRIACS.

Wandcrimo.

FtXiD.

• Defer. Kamtfch, 510,

+ HiJi.Kamtfcb. 136.

X See p. z5 of thi> Work.
The

cxxx

KAMTSCHATKA.

Kamtschat-

KANS.

IIelioion.

Genii.

Numbers ov
People.

The true Kamtfchatkans * pofTefs the country from the river Ukoi to the fouthern
extremity, t\\G cz'pc Lopatka. They are fuppofcd, by M. Stellkr, to have been
derived from the Mongolian Chine/e, not only from a fimilarity in the termina-
tion of many of their words, but in the refemblancc of their perfons, which arc
fhort. Their complexion is fwarthy : their beard fmall : their hair black : face
broad and flat : eyes fmall and funk : eye-brows thin : belly pendent: legs fmall—
circumftances common to them and the Alongalians. It is conjciStured, that in
fome very remote age they fled hither, to efcape the yoke of the eaftern conque-
rors, notwithftanding they believe themfelves to be aboriginal, created and placed
on the fpot by their god Keutiou.

In refpeft to their deity, they are perfect minute philofophers. They find fault
with his difpenfations ; blafpheme and reproach him with having made too many
mountains, precipices, breakers, flioals, and cataradts ; with forming ftorms and
rains ; and when they are defcending, in the winter, from their barren rocks,
they load him with imprecations for the fatigue they undergo. In their morals
they likewife bear a great fimilitude to numbers among the moft polilhed rank in
the European nations — they think nothing vitious that may be accomplifhed with-
out danger; and give full loofe to every crime, provided it comes within the
pale of fecurity.

They have alfo their leffer deities, or genii. Each of them have their peculiar
charge i to thefe they pay confiderable veneration, and make offerings to them, to
idivert their anger or enfure their protedion. The Kamouli prefide over the
mountains, particularly the vulcanic j the Ouchakthou^ over the woods ; Mitg^
over the fea ; Gaetthy over the fubterraneous world ; and Fouila is the author of
earthquakes. They believe that the world is eternal ; that the foul is immortal;
that in the world below it will be reunited to the body, and experience all the pains
ufual in its former ftate ; but that it never will fuffer hunger, but have every thing
in great abundance : that the rich will become poor, and the poor rich ; a fort of
juft difpenfation, and balance of former good and evil f. But almoft all thefe fuper-
ftitions are vanifhed by the attention of the Ruffians to their converfion. There
are few who have not embraced the Chriftian religion. Churches have been built,
and fchools credled, in which they are fuccefsfully taught the language of their
conquerors, which has already almoft worn out that of the native people.

The country was very populous at the arrival of the Ruffians ; but, after a dread-
ful vifitation of the fmall-pox, which in 1767 fwept away twenty thoufand

* The moft proper word for the natives of thl< country is Kamtfcbadahs \ but at I have on many
occafions ufed this, I wi<h to continue it, -f- Hift. Kamtfii. 69, 71.

9 fouls,

KAMTSCHATKA.

CXXXl

fouls*, at prefent there are not above three thoufand who pay tribute, the inha-
bitants of the Kuril ifles included. Here are about four hundred of the military
Ruffians and Coffacisy befides a number of Rujftan traders and emigrants perpe-
tually pouring in, who intermix with the natives f in marriage, and probably
in time will extingulflj the aboriginal race. The offspring is a great improvement j
for it is remarked, that the breed is far more a&ive than the pure Ruffian or
Coffack. Sunk in lordly indolence, they leave all the work to the Kamtfchatkans^
or to their women; and fufFcr the penalty of their lazinefs, by the fcurvy in it»
moft frightful forms.

The Kamtfchatkam feem to retain the anticnt form of their drefs ; but during
fummer it is compofed of foreign materials ; in the warm feafon both fexes ufe
nankeen, linen, and filk j in winter, the fkins of animals well drefled : the
drefs of men and women refembles a carter's frock with long fleeves, furred at
the wrifts, the bottom, and about the neck. On their head is a hood of fur, fome-
times of the (haggy fkin of a dog, and often of the elegant fkin of the earlefs
Marmot. Troufers, boots, and furred mittens, compofe the reft. The habit of
ceremony of a Ttim or chieftain is very magnificent, and will coft a hundred
and twenty rubels : in antient times it was hung over with the tails of animals,
and his furred hood flowed over each flioulder, with the refpeftability of a full-
bottomed perriwig in the days of Charles II. The figure given in the Hijlory
of Kamtfchatkoy tranflated into French^ exhibits a great man in all his pride of
drefs X } but fo rapidly has the prefent race of natives copied the RuJJians, that
poffibly in fo fhort a fpace as half a century, this habit, as well as numbers of other
articles and cuftoms, may be ranked among the antiquities of the country.

Bows and arrows arc now quite difufed. Formerly they ufed bows made of
larch-wood, covered with the bark of the birch. The arrows were headed with
ilone or bone, and their lances with the fame materials. Their armour was
either mats, or formed of thongs cut out of the flcins of Seals, and fewed toge-
ther, fo as to make a pliable cuirafs ; which they fixed on their left fide ; a board
defended their breaft, and a high one on their back defended both that and the
head.

Their favage and beaftly hofpitality is among the obfolete cuftoms. Former-
ly, as a mark of refpeft to a gueft, the hoft fet before him as much food as
would ferve ten people. Both were ftripped naked : the hoft politely touched no-
thing, but compelled his friend to devour what was fet before him, till he was

Drbss.

Arms.

Hospitality.

• Voyage, iii. 366. f Same, 367. J See Hifl. Kamtfchatka, tab. vi.— It differ*

much from the habit of ceremony defcribed by Captain King, iii. 377.

quite

XXXXII

KAMTSCHATKA.

quite gorged ; and at the fame tirr.'? heated the place, by iiiccffantly pouring
water on hot ftones, till it became unl'ipportable. When the gueft was crammed
up to the throat, the generous landlord, on his knees, ftufFed into his mouth a great
(lice of whale's fat, cut otFwhat hung out, and cried, in a furly tone. Tana, or There!
by which he fully difcharged his duty; and, between heat and cramming, obliged
the poor gueft to cry for mercy, and a releafe from the heat, and the danger of being
choaked with the noble welcome : oftentimes he was obliged to purchafe his dif-
miflion with moft coftly prefents ; but was fure to retaliate on the firft oppor-
tunity ♦.

DwBLLiKcs. From the birds they learned the art of building their balagans or fummer-

houfes. They feem like nefts of a conic form, perched on high poles inftead
of trees; with a hole on one fide, like that of the magpie, for the entrance.
Their jourtSf or winter refidences, are copied from the (economic Mou/e, p. 134;
but with lefs art, and lefs cleanlinefs. It is partly funk under ground ; the fides
and top fupported by beams, and wattled, and the whole covered with turf. In
this they live gregarioufly, to the number of fix families in each ; in a ftate in-
tolerable to an European^ by reafon of fmoke, heat, and flench, from their ftorc
of dried or putrid fifh, and from wheir laziilefs, in never going out to perform
their offerings to Cloacina \,

Inftigated by avarice, the Ruffians made a conqueft of this favage country;
and found their account in it, from the great value of its furry productions.
They have added to their dominions this extremity of ^Jia^ diftant at leaft four
thoufand miles from their capital. The journey to it is flill attended with
great diiHcuUies, through wild and barren regions, over dreadful mountains ;
and pcffibly impradlicable, but for the multitude of Sibirian rivers, which, with
fliort intervals of land, facilitate the pafTage. Travellers ufually take their de-
parture out of Sibiria from Jakutz, on the river Lena^ in lat. 62 : they go
either by water along the river, to its conflux with the Aldun, along the Aldun
to the Mai^ and from that river up the Judoma ; and from near the head of that
river to Ochoijk^ the port from whence they embark, and crofs the fea of
Ochotjk to Bolfchaia-rekoy the port of the weftern fide of Kamtfchatka. The
whole journey ufually takes up the fhort fummer : that over the hills to Ochotjk
(and which is moft convenient; was performed by Steller in thirty-four days,
excluding feven of reft %.

Kuril ItLKSt The Kuril ox Kuriljki ifles, which probably once lengthened the peninfula of

Kamtfchatka^ befote they were convulfed from it, arc a feries of iflands running

Roads toKamts-

CHATKA.

* H^, Kamt/ib, toj to 109.

t Ellif't Nar.'ii, 217.

t Defer, Kamtfcb. 6oz.

fouth

KURIL I S J F S. B E R I N G'S ISLE.

CXXXIII

fouth from the low promontory Lopatia, in lat. 51 j between which and Shoomjka,
tlie moft northerly, is only the diftance of one league. On the lofty Parameufer^
the fecond in the chain, is a high-peaked mountain, probably vulcanic * : on Vulcakic.
the fourth, called Jraumaiutanj is another vulcano f i on Uru/s is another ; on
Storgu two ; and on Kunatir^ or Kauna^Ary one. Thefe three make part of the
group which pafs under the name of the celebrated land of Jefo %. Japan
abounds with vulcanoes § ; fo that there is a feries of fpiracles from Kamtfchatka
to Japarii the laft great link of this extenfive chain. Time may have been,
when the whole was a continuation of continent, rent afunder before the labor-
ing earth gave vent to its inward ftruggles, through the mouths of the frequent
vulcanoes. Even with thefe difcharges, Japan has fuffered confiderably by earth-
quakes ||. Vulcanoes are local evils, but extenfive benefits.

The Ruffians foon annexed thefe iflands to their conquefts. The fea abound-
ed with Sea Otters, and the land with Bears and Foxes ; and fome of them
flieltered the Sable. Temptations fufficient for the Ruffians to invade thefe iflands ;
but the rage after the furs of the Sea Otters has been fo great, that they are
become extremely fcarce, both h^re and in Kamtfchatka.

The iflands which lie to the eaft of that peninfula, and form a chain be-
tween it and America.^ muft now engage our attention. They lie in the form of
a crefcent, and are divided into three groupes; the Aleutian^ the Andreamff'skie.,
and the Fox ifles : but mention muft firft be made of Bering's ifle, and that of
Mednoty and one or two fmall and of little note. Thefe lie about two hundred
and fifty verfts to the eaft of the mouth of Kamtfchatka river. Bering's is in Bbrino's Isl*.
lat. 55, where that great feaman was flupwrecked in November 1741, on his return
from his American difcoveries ; and, after enduring great hardftiips, periflied mifera-
bly. Numbers of his people died of the fcurvy, with all the dreadful fymptoms at-
tendant on thofe who periflied by the fame difeafe in Lord Anfon's voyage f ; the
furvivors, among whom was the philofopher Steller, reached Kamtfchatka in
AuguJ 1 742, in a veflel conftrutSled out of the wreck of their (hip. The ifle is about
feventy or eighty verfts long ; confifts of high granitical mountains, craggy with
rocks and peaks, changing into free-ftone towards the promontories. All the vallics
run from north to fouth : hills of fand, formed by inundations of the fea, floated
wood, and (keletons of marine animals, are found at great diftances from the
fliore, at thirty fathoms perpendicular height above the high-water level j which
ferve as a monument of the violent inundations that the vulcanoes before mentioned

• I'oyage, iii. 388. f Decowvertcs des Ruffes, i. 1 1 }. \ Thefe ifles are marked in a

RuJJian map, commuricateil to me by DoSor Pallas, with MS. notes, § Kampfer Hi/I. Japan.

i. 105. 11 Same, 304. f Book i, ch. x. and Demvertes, &c. ri. 193.

s produce

exxxiv

M E D N O I.

produce in thefe feas. Farther, the effe& of the meteoric waters, and of the
frofts, caufes the rocics very fenfibly to fhiver and fall down, and precipitates
every year fome great mafs into the fea, and changes the form of the ifland.
The others are in the fame cafe; fo nothing is more probable than their gradual
diminution, and, by confequence, the more eafy communication formerly from one
continent to the other, before the injuries of time, the efFe6ls of vulcanoes, and
other cataftrophes, had infeniibly diminiflied the flze, and perhaps the number of
thefe ifles, which form the chain } and had eaten in the coafts oiAfia^ which every
where exhibit traces of the ravages they have undergone •.

The ifland fwarmed with Sea Otters, which difappeared in March. The
Urfine Seal fucceeded them in vaft numbers, and quitted the coaft the Utter
end of May. The Leonine Seal, the Lachtach or Great Seal, and the Manatiy
abounded, and proved the fupport of the wrecked during their ftay. Jrific
Foxes were fcen in great multitudes, and completed the lift of Quadrupeds.
The fame fpecics of water-fowl haunt the rocks, and the fame ipccies of fifh
afcend the rivers, as do in Kamtfchatka. The tides rife here feven or eight feet,
The bottom of the fea is rocky, correfpondent with the ifland.

The few plants of this ifland, which have not been difcovered in Kamtfchatka^
are as follow :

Mednoi.

Campanula, Gm, Sib. iii. 160, 28. Senecio, Gm. Sib. ii, 136, N» 118.

Leontodon taraxacum, J. E. Virg, Arnica montana.

Hieracium murorum, &. E. Chryfanthemum leucanthemum, jf.

Tanacetum vulgare, E. Virg.

Gnaphalium dioicum, J,

Thefe, with a few creeping Willows, added to thofe in the Kamlfchatkan FlorOy
form the fum of thofe obferved in Bering's ifland.

Medneiy or the copper ifland, lies a little to the fouch-eaft. A great quantity
of native copper is found at the foot of a ridge of calcareous mountains on the
eaftern fide, and may be gathered on the fhores in vaft mafles, which feems
originally to have been melted by fubterraneous fires. This ifland is full of
hillocks, bearing all the appearance of vulcanic fpiracles j which makes it pro-
bable, that thefe iflands were rent from the continent by the violence of an earth-

• I am indebted to Doftor Pallas for the whole «count of this chain of iflands, except wherel
make other references.— My extrafts are made from a French Memoir, drawn up by my learned friend,
and communicated to rae.

a

quake.

ALEUTIAN, ANDREAN, AND FOX ISLANDS.

cxxxr

ftfchaikan Flora,

quake. Among the iloat-wood o(F this ifland is camphor, and another fweet
wood, driven by the currents from the ifle of Japan.

The Jleuiian group lies in the bend of the crefcent, nearly in mid-channel be-
tween Ajiaivd j/merica, lat. 52. 30, and about two hundred verfts diftant from
M*dnoi. It confifts of Attoky Sthemija, and Setniuhi. The firft feems to fur-
pafs in fize Bering's ifle j but refembles it in its component parts, as do the
other two. Attok feems to be the ifland which Bering called Mount St. John.
Thcfe are inhabited by a people who fpeak a language different from the northern
Aftatia ; they feem emigrants or colonifts from America^ ufing a dialeft of the
neighboring continent. They were difcovered in 1743, by Michael Ntvodlfikoffy
a native of Toboljkiy who made a voyage, at the expence of certain merchants,
in fearch of furs, the great objeft of thefc navigations, and the leading caufe of
difcoveries in this fea. This voyage was marked with horrid barbarities on the
poor natives. The marine animals muft have fwarmed about this period, and
for fome time after. Mention is made of adventurers who brought from hence
io Kamtfchatka the flcins of 1,872 Sea Otters, 940 females, and 715 cubs. Another,
en a fmall adjacent ifle, killed 700 old, and 120 cub Sea Otters, 1,900 blue Foxes,
5,700 black Urfine Seals, and 1,310 of their cubs *. The blue Foxes abound in
thefe iflands, brought here on floating ice, and multiply greatly. The blue
variety is ten times more numerous here than the white ; but the reverfe is ob-
ferved in Sibiria. They feed on fifli, or any carrion left by the tide. The natives
bore their under lips, and infert in them teeth cut out of the bones of the Walrus ;
and they ufe boats covered with the fkins of fea animals.

At a great diftance from th^ firft group is the fecond, or fartheft Aleutian illcs :
of thofe we know no more than that the natives refemble thofe of the firft. By
the vaft fpace of fea which Dodor Pallas allows between the two groups.
Captain Cook is fully vindicated for omitting, in his chart, the multitude of
iflands which, in the Ruffian maps, form almoft a complete chain from Beevino's
ifle to America. Dr. Pallas's information muft have been of the beft kind ;
and he and our illuftrious navigator coincide in opinion, that they have been
needlefsly multiplied, by the miftake of the Ruffian adventurers in the reckoning,
or, on feeing the fame ifland in diflferent points of view, putting it down as
a new difcovery, and impofing on it a new name. The Andreanoffskie^ fo called
from their difcoverer (in 1761) Andrean Toljlyky fucceed. On two of them are
vulcanoes. Laftly, are the Fox iflands, fo called from the number of black, grey,
and red Foxes found on them ; the flcins of which are fo coarfe, as to be of little

Aleutian Isles.
The nearest.

Aleutian Islbs.
The farthest.

Andrean Isles*

Fox Isles.

• Ccxt"! Rujf. Dlfc.
S 2

value.

CXXXVI

California.

CALIFORNIA.

value. The natives bore their nefes and under lips, and infert bones in them
by way of ornament. Among the laft in this group is Oomlafchay which was
vifited by Captain Cook. This lies fo near to the coaft of Amtrica^ as to clame
a right to be confidered as an appurtenance to it. I (hall therefore quit thefe de-
tached,. paths for the prefent, and, in purfuance of my plan, trace the coafts of
the northern divifion of the great continent, from the place at which it is di-
vided from South America,

After traverfing obliquely the Pacific Ocean^ appears Californiat the mod
foutherly part of my plan on this fide of the new world. This greateft of pen-
infulas extends from Cape Blanco, lat. 32, to Cap'' St. Lucas, lat. 23; and is
bounded on the eaft by a great gulph, called the Fermillion fea, receiving at its
bottom the vaft and violent river Cokrado. The weft fide is mountanous, fandy,
and barren*, with feveral vulcanoes on the main land and the iflesf : the eaftern,
varied with extenfive plains, fine vallies watered with numbers of ftreams, and
the country abounds with trees and variety of fruits. The natives, the moft in-
nocent of people, are in a ftate of paradifaical nature, or at left were fo before
the arrival of the European colonifts among them. The men went nearly naked,
without the confcioufnefs of being fo. The head is the only part they pay any
attention to ; and that is furrounded with a chaplet of net-work, ornamented
with feathers, fruits, or mother of pearl. The women have a neat matted apron
falling to their knees: they fling over their ftioulders the (kin of fome beaft, or
of fome large bird, and wear a head-drefs like the other fex. The weapons
of the country are bows, arrows, javelins, and bearded d^rts, calculated either
for war or the chace. In the art of navigation, they have not" got beyond the
bark-log, made of a few bodies of trees bound parallel together j and in thefe
they dare the turbulent element. They have no hou. ,s. During fummer they
fhelter themfelves from the fun under the (hade of trees ; and during nights fleejf*
under a roof of branches fpread over them. In winter they burrow under
ground, and lodge as fimply as the hearts themfelves : fuch however was
their condition in 1697 > ^ have not been able to learn the efFeft of European
refinement on their mariners. Numbe .» of fettlements have, fince that time,
been formed there, under the aufpices of the Jefuits. The Order was of late yeais
fupported by the Marquis de Valero, a patriotic and munificent nobleman %, who
favored their attempts, in order to extend the power and wealth of the Spanijh

dominions }

• Sbelvoie, in Harris's Coll. i. ijj. f HacMuyt, iii.401 Hifl. California, \. 14.0.

J This is the nobleman whom the writer of Lord Anfon's Voyage ftigmaiifes with the epithet of
munificent bigot. It was not by a reverend author, as is generally fiippoled, but by a perfon whofe
principles were unhappily in the extreme of another tinclure.— Having from my youth been honored

with

CALIFORNIA.

CXXXVII

es, the moft in-

dominions ; and I believe with fuccefs. The land and climate, particularly
Monterey, in lat. 36, is adapted for every vegetable production j and a good wine
is made from the vines introduced by the colonifts.

The natives are a fine race of men, tall, brawny, and well made ; with black
hair hanging over their (boulders, and with copper-colored Ikins. We haye a
moft imperfect account of the animals of this peninfula. It certainly pofleffes
two wool-bearing quadrupeds. As to birds, I doubt not but the Jefuits are
right, when they fay, that it hns all that are found in New Mexico and New
Spain. The capes of Florida and cape St. Lucas lie nearly under the fame lati-
tudes, and form the fouthern extremities of North Jmerica } but our ignorance of
the productions of the vaft provinces of New Mexico^ will leave ample fubjeCt to
a future naturalift to fupply my deficiencies.

This country was difcovercd under the aufpices of the great Cortez, and Don
Antonio de Mendo^a, cotemporary viceroy of the new conquefts : each, aduated by a
glorious fpirit of emulation, fent out commanders to advance the welfare of their
country to the utmoft ; and Francifco Ullooy in 1539, and Fernando Alarchon, in
1540, foon difcovpred this peninfula, and other adjacent regions, fources of im-
menfe wealth to their country ♦. The Spanijh adventurers of thefe early times
failed as high as lat. 42 ; and named, in honor of the viceroy, the fartheft point
of their difcovery Cabo di Mendofa.

Our celebrated navigator. Sir Francis Drake,, on June 5th 1578, touched on
this coalt, firfl in lat. 43 ; but was induced, from the feverity of the cold, to fail
to lat. 38, where he anchored in a fine bay. He found the natives to be a fine
race of men, naked as the Cali/ornians, with the fame kind of head-drefles ; and
the females habited like their fouthern neighbors. He was treated like a deity.
The chief of the country, by the refignation of his crown or chaplet, his fceptre,
/. e. calumet, and other infignia of royalty, veiled in Sir Francis the whole
land J which he named New AlhioHf from its white cliffs, and took formal polTef-

with the friendlhip of the j4/>/on family, I can give a little hiftory of the compilation of the Voyage; — A
Mr, Paman firft undertook the work. It was afterwards taken out of his hands, and placed in thofe
of the reverend Mr. Welters, chaplain of the Centurion 5 but he had no (hare in it, farther than
coliefling the materials from the feveral journals : thofe were delivered to Mr. Benjamin Robins, a
moft able mathematician, and the moft elegant writer of his time. He was fon of a quaker-taylor
at Bath, whom I have often feen : a moft venerable and refpeflable old man. Mr. Robins unfortur
nately forgot that he was writing in the charafttr of a divine ; and it was not thought proper to
affront Mr. (falters, by omitting his name in the title-page, as he had taken in fubfcriptions : this,
therefore, will account for the conftant omiflion of the word Providence, in a voyage which abounded
with fuch fignal deliverances.
* A full account of thefe voyages may be feen in Hackluyt, iii. 397, &c,

Hon

Nativbi.

Sir Francis
Drake.

cxxxnii

California.

Cattain Cook.

fion of in the name of his royal miftrefs. We may be thankful that we never
clamed the ccffion : it forms at prefent part of Ntw Mexico \ and probably is re-
ferved for future contefts between the Spaniards and the offspring of our late
colonifts. Sir Francis found this country a warren of what he calls, 'a ftrange

* kind of Conies, with heads as the heads of ours ; the feete of a Want, i. t. a

* Mole, and the tail of a Rat, being of a great length : under her chinne is on

* either fide a bag, into the which fhe gathereth her meat when (he hath Ailed her

* bellie abroad.' The common people feed on them, and the king's coat was made
of their fkins *. This fpecies is to be referred to the diviiHon of Rats with pouclies
in each jaw ; and has never been obferved from that period to this.

£xa£^ly two hundred years from that time the coaft was again viflted by an
Englijhman, who in point of abilities, fpirit, and pcrfeverance, may be compared
with the greateft feaman our ifland ever produced. Captain Jambs Cook, on
March 7th 1778, got fight of New Albiouy in lat. 44. 33 north, and long. 235. 20
«aft, about eight leagues diftant. The fea is here (as is the cafe the whole way
from California) from feventy-three to ninety fathoms deep. The land is mode,
rately high, diverfified with hills and vallies, and every where covered with
wood, even to the water's edge. To the moft fouthern cape he faw he gave the
name of Cape Gregorjy its latitude 43. 30 : the next, whicn was in 44. 6, he
called Cape Perpetua ; and the firft land he faw, which was in 44. 55, Cape
Foul-weather. The whole coaft, for a great extent, is nearly fimilar, almoft
flrait, and harborlefs, with a white beach forming the fhore. While he was
plying off the coaft, he had a fight of land in about lat. 43. 10, nearly in the
fituation of Cape Blanco de St. Sebajiian^ difcovered by Martin d'Aguilar in
1603. A little to the north, the Oregon^ or great river of the Wejl^ difcharges
itfelf into the Pacific Ocean. Its banks were covered with trees ; but the vio.
lence of the currents prevented D'Aguilar from entering into it f. This, and the
river of Bourbon^ or Port Nel/on, which falls into Hudfon'sBay j that oiSt. Laurena,
which runs to the eaft j and the MiJJiftpiy which falls into the bay of Mexico, are faid
to rife within thirty miles of each other. The intervening fpace muft be the
higheft ground in North America, forming an inclined plane to the difcharges of
the feveral rivers. An ill-fated traveller, of great merit, places the fpot in lat.
47, weft long, from London q8, between a lake from which the Oregon flows,
and another called fFhite Bear lake, from which the Mijp/tpi J.

• Hackluyt, iii. 738. + Hifl. California, ii. »9».

} Carver's Traveb, 76, 121.— —Mr. Carver, captain of an independent company, penetrated
far inland into America i and publiftied an interefting account of his travels. This gentleman wai
ruffered to peri(h for want, in Ltndon, the feat of literature and opulence.

This

CHAIN OF ALPS IN AMERICA.

CXXXIX

kful that we never
and probably is re*
Pspring of our late
he calls, * a ftrange
of a Want, 1. 1. a
ler her chinne is on
n (he hath filled her
ng's coat was made
f Rats with pouches
this.

again vifited by an
;, may be compared

This exalted fituation is part of the Sbining MouHtainty which are branches of Chain op Alps
the vaft chain which pervades the whole continent oi Amtrita. It may be fairly *" Amimca.
taken from the fouthern extremity, where Stattn Land and Ttrra del Fuego rife
outof thefca, as infulated links, to an immenfe height, black, rocky, and mark-
ed with rugged fpiry tops, frequently covered with fnow. New Georgia may be
added, as another, horribly congenial, rifing detached farther to the eaft. The
mountains about the ftreights of Magellan foar to an amazing height, and infi-
nitely fuperior to thofe of the northern hemifphere, under the fame degree of la-
titude. From the north fide of the freights oi Magellan y they form a continued
chain through the kingdoms of Chili and Peruy preferving a courfe not remote
from the Pacific Ocean. The fummits, in many places, are the highcfl in the
world. There are not lefs than twelve which are from two thoufand four hun-
dred toifes high, to above three thoufand. Pichinchoy which impends over
^it9, is about thirty-five leagues from the fea, and its fummit is two thoufand
four hundred and thirty toifes above the furface of the water; Cayambiy imme-
diately under the equator, is above three thoufand ; and Chimborazo higher than
the lafl by two hundred. Moft of them have been vulcanic, and in different
ages marked with eruptions far more horrible than have been known in other
quarters of the globe. They extend from the equator, through Chili ; in which
kingdom is a range of vulcanoes, from lat. 26 fouth, to 45. 30*, and poflibly
from thence into Terra del Fuego itfelf, which, forming the ftreights of Magellauy
may have been rent from the continent by fome great convulfion, occafioned by
their laboringsj and New Georgia, forced up from the fame caufe. An un-
paralleled extent of plain appears on their eaftcrn fide. The river of Amazons runs
along a level cloathcd with forefls, after it burfls from its confinement at the
Vongo of Borjas, till it reaches its fea-like difcharge into the Atlantic Ocean.

In the northern hemifphere, the Andes pafs through the narrow iflhmus of
Darieny into the kingdom of Mexico, and preferve a majeftic height and their
vulcanic difpofition. The mountain Popocatepec made a violent eruption during
the expedition of Cortex, which is mofl beautifully defcribed by his hiflorian,
Antonio de Solis f. This, poflibly, is the fame with the vulcano obferved by
the Abbe d'Auteroehe, in his way from Fera Cruz to Mexico, which, from the na-
kednefs of the lavas, he conjectured to have been but lately extinguifhed %.
From the kingdom of Mexicoy this chain is continued northward, and to the
eafl of California j then verges fo greatly towards the wefl, as to leave a very

It company, penetrated
This gentleman wai

• Ovatti, Hift. Chili, in Cburcbill't Coll. iii. 13.
t %. to California, jj.

t Con^eft of Mexico, book iii. ch. iv.
inconfiderable

CXL

CHAIN OF ALPS IN AMERICA.

inconfiderable fpace between it and the Pacific Octan \ and frequently detached
branches jut into the fca, and form promontories ; which, with parts of the chain
itfcif, were often fccn by our navigators in the courfc of their voyage. Some
branches, as we have before obferved, extend towards the caft, but not to any
great diAunce. A plain, rich in woods and favannas, fwarming with Bifonsor
Buffaloes, Stags, and Virgiman Deer, with Bears, and great variety of game,
occupies an amazing tra£l, from the great lakes o{ Canada ^ as low as the [;ulphof
AlexUo ; and eaftward to the other great chain of mountains, the Jpalachian,
which are the j4lps of that fide of northern America. I imagine its commencement
to be about lake Champlain and lake Gtorge, with branches pointing obliquely to
the river St. Laurence eaflward,and rifing on its oppofite coafts: others extending,
with lowering progrefs, even into our poor remnant of the new world, Neva Scotia,
The main chain partes through the province of New Torky where it is diftinguifli-
ed by the name of the Hightands^ and lies within forty miles of the Atlantic,
From thence it recedes from the fea, in proportion as it advances fouthward ; and
near its extremity in South Carolina is three hundred miles diftant from the water
It confirts of feveral parallel ridges *, divided by moft enchanting vallies, and
generally cloathed with variety of woods. Thefe ridges rife gradually from the
eaft one above the other, to the central ; from which they gradually fall to the
weft, into the vaft plains of the MiJJiftpi. The middle ridge is of an enormous
bulk and height. The whole extends in breadth about feventy miles ; and in
many places leaves great chafms for the difcharge of the vafl and numerous rivers
which rife in the bofoms of the mountains, and empty themfclves into the Atlantic
ocean, after yielding a matchlefs navigation to the provinces they water. In
p. xcv, I have given a view of the immenfe elevated, plain in the Rujjian em-
pire. Beyonc! the branch of the Apalachian mountains, called The Endlefs, is
another of amazing extent, nearly as high as the mountains themfclves f . This
plain, (called the Upper Plains) is exceedingly rich land ; begins at the Mohock'i
river ; reaches to within a fmall diftance of lake Ontario ; and to the weftward
forms part of the extenfive plains of the Ohioy and reaches to an unknown diftance
beyond the MiJJiftpi. Vaft rivers take their rife, and fall to every point of the
compafs i into lake Ontario^ into Hudfon's river, and into the Delawar and Sut'
quehanna. The tic'e of the Hudfon'& river flows through its deep-worn bed far
up, even to within a fmall diftance of the head of the Delawar ; which, after a

• Doftor Garden. See alfo Mr. Lenaii Ei'ant'i Effays and map. Philadelphia, ided. p. 6, &c,
^ Mr, Le^ii Evans, p. 9, and map.

furious

CHAIN OF ALPS IN AMERICA.

CXLI

Component
Part*.

furious courfc down a long defcent, interrupted with rapids, meets the tide not
very remote from its difchargc into the ocean *.

Much of the low grounds between the bale of the Jpalachian hills and the Low Grounds.
fea (efpecially in Virginia and Carolina) have in early times been occupied by the
ocean. In many parts there are numbers of fmall rifings, compofed of (hells,
and in all the plains incredible quantities beneath the furfacc. Near the Mijifipi
again, in lat. 32. 28, from the depth of fifty to eighty feet, are always found, in
digging, fca-fand and fea-fliells, exaiSlly fimilar to what are met with on the
fliores near Ptnfacola \, This is covered with a ftratum of v^ecp clay or marie,
and above that with a bed of rich vegetable earth. All this proves the propriety of
applying the epithet of new to this quarter of the globe, in a fenfc different
to that intended by the novelty of its difcovery. Great part of Neith America at
left became but recently habitable : the vaft plains of the Mifffipiy and the
traft between the Jpalachian Alps and the Atlantic^ were once pjfleffed by the
ocean. Either at this period America had not received its population from the
old world, or its inhabitants mud have been confined to the moantains and their
vallics, till the waters ccafed to cover the tradls now peopled by millions.

The compofition of the ncptthcrn mountains agrees much with >'hofeof the north
of AftOi and often confifts of a grey rock ftone or granite, mixe.^ with glimmer
and quartz ; the firft ufually black, the laft purplifli. Near the river 5/. Z,a«-
nncBt a great part of the mountains refts on a kind of flaty limeftone. Large
beds of limeftones, of different colors, are feen running from the granitical
mountains, and are filled with Corhua Ammonis, and different forts of ihells, par-
ticularly with a fmall fpecies of fcallop, together with various forts of corals,
branched as well as flarry. The ftrata of limeftone alfo appear near the bafe of
different parts of the Apalachian chain %. Without doubt, the fchiftous band,
confifting of variety of flone, fplit and divided by fiffures horizontal and perpen-
dicular (in y^a the repofitory of metallic veins) is alfo found attendant on the
granitical mountains of North America^ and like them will be found rich in ores § :
but that country has not yet been furvcycd by a philofophical eye. The labor
will be amply rcpayed to the proprietors, by the difcovery of mineral fourccs of
wealth, perhaps equal to thofe already difcovered in the fimilar ft:condary chains
of mountains in the RuJJian empire ||.

Captain Cook continued his voyage to the northward ; but, by reafon of
fqually weather and fogs for a few degrees, or from lat. 50 to 55. 20, was deprived

• Mr. Lenuii Evani, p. 9, and map. t 7- Lor'mer, efq. J Kalm, iii. »i, 19S,

216. Bartram"} Travels, \o, 38. § In fuch fcem to be lodged the lead and lilver ores found

In Canada, See Kalm, iii. 111. H See Dr. Pallas's Obf. fur la formation de Montagnet, ice.

t of

CXLII

NOOTKA SOUND.

Di Fuca'iPas-

SAOI.

NoOTKA SOVND,

of the opportunity of making the obfcrvation* he wlHied. In lat. 48. 15, he in
vain loolced for the pretended (Ircights of 'Juan dt Fiuoy wlio impofed on a Michael
Lock, an Englijhman he met with at Vtrntt, an account of having found, in 1592,
an entrance in this latitude, and failed through it, till he arrived in the North
fca, I. /. HudfotCi Bay ♦. Of equal credibility is the pretended paffage of Ad-
miral dt Fontti, in 1640, which is placed in lat. 50. I i and, according to one
map, falls into that of De Fuca : according to another, into a vaft inland fca,
called Mer de TOueft f. Diligent fcarch was alfo made after this in the Spani(h
expedition of 1775 ; which ended in difproving thefe ftran^e fi(ftions t« It had
likewife the farther importance of filling up the gap in the charts, by furnifliing
us with a furvey of that tradt of coad which Captain Cook was obliged to quit.

In lat. 4g, Captain Cook found a fccure flielter in an harbor called by him
King George's Sound ; by the natives, Nootka. The fhores arc rocky § ; but
within the Sound appears a branch of the range I before rfientioned. It is here
divided into hills of unequal heights, very deep, with ridged fides, and round
blunted tops j in general cloathed with woods to the very fummits. In the
few exceptions, the nakcdnefs difcovers their compofttion, which is rocky, or
in parts covered with the adventitious foil of rotten trees or mofles.

The trees were the Pinus Canadenfis, or Canada Pinc; the P.SyheJlrisy or
Scotch Pine, and two or three other forts j Cuprejfus Thyoides, or the White Cedar.
The Pines of this neighborhood are of a great fize : fome are a hundred and
twenty feet high, and fit for marts or (hip-building || ; but the dimenfions of fome
of the canoes in Nootka Sound beft fhew their vaft bulk — they are made of a
fingle tree, hollowed fo as to contain twenty perfons } and are fcven feet broad, and
three deep. They arc the fame with the monoxyla of the antient Germans and
Gauls^y but conftruiStcd with much more elegance. The old Europeans were con-
tent if they could but float. They probably were formed on the fame rude model
as thofc of the old Virginians**, or of the antient Britons, fimilar to one I have
feen dug up in a morafs in Scotland, as artlefs as a hog-trough ff. Thofe of Nootka
Sound are at the head tapered into a long prow, and at the flern they decreafe in
breadth, but end abrupt.

The day-tides rife here, two or three days after the full and new moon, eight

• North-weft Fox, 163. + Sec Jefferies's Obf.ontbe Letter of Atim. de Pontes, and his

map i alfo de L'ljle'i map. % Maurelle's Voy. in 1775, in Mr. Barringtou't Mifcellatiies, 50!!.

§ f^iyage, ii. ago. tab. 86, 87. |J Barringtoh's Mi/cell. 290. fl Polyan. Stratagen.

lib. V. c. »j.— rW. Paterc. lib. ii. c. 107. •• Brevis et fida Narratio Virginia, in which are

engraven ihe canoes of the country, taken from the drawing of John With ; fent therewith Tho. Harriot
for that purpofe, by Sir H'^alter Raleigh, who communicated them to De Brj.'Ste tab. xii. and xlii.
of the Account 0/ Florida. ft Tour ScotI, ii. p. 106.

z feet

N O O T K A

SOUND.

CXLIII

feet nine inches. The night-tides, at the fame periods, rife two feet higher.
Pieces of drift wood, which the navigators had placed during day out of the reach
(as tliey thought) of the tides, were in the night floated higher up, fo as to
dcmonftrate the great incrcafe of the nodturnal flux *.

I have defcribed, to the beft of my power, the quadrupeds and birds of the Amt-
rican part of this voyage. In p. 12 I have given my fufpicions of certain animals
of the Sheep kind being natives of this neighborhood and California \ but am not
fufficicntly warranted to pronounce them to be the fame wiih the Argali or wild
Sheep. Woollen garments are \try common among the people of this Sound, and
arc manufaaured by the women. The materials of many of them fcem taken
from the Fox and the Lynxj others, I prefume, from the exquifite down of the
Muflc Ox, N° 2. The only peculiar animal of thefe parts is the Sea Otter, N° 36 :
it extends fouthward along the coaft, as far as lat. 49, and as high as 60 \. The
other quadrupeds obferved by the navigators are common to the eaftcrn fide of
North Amtrica.

I may mention, that fmall Perroqucts, and Parrots with red bills, feet, and
brcafls, were feen by M. Maurtllt about Port Trinidaday in lat. 41. 7 ; and great
flocks of Pigeons in the fame neighborhood %. This was in Junt : pofltbly they
were on their migration when our navigators reached the coafts, which was on
March 29th. As to the Parrots, it is poflible that thofe birds may not extend fo
far north as Nootia; for on the eaftern fide of the continent they do not inhabit
higher, even in fummer, than the province of Virginia, in lat. 39; or, in the mid-
land parts, than lat. 41. 15, where they haunt in multitudes the fouthern fides
of the lakes Erie and Michigatn, and the banks of the rivers Illinois and Ohio.
Another delicate fpecics of bird was fcen here in plenty, a kind of Honey-fucker or
Humming-bird^ anew fpecies ; which I have defcribed, N" 177, under the title of
the Ruffed. Among the water-fowl were feen the Great Black Petrel, p. 536. A. or
the ^ebrantahuejfosy or Bone-breaker of the Spaniards, which fcems to be found from
the Kuril ifles to Terra del Fuego; the Northern Diver, N" 439 ; a great flock of
Black Ducks with white heads; a large fpecies of White Ducks with red bills ;
and Swans flying northward to their breeding-places : common Corvorants were
alfo very frequent.

The inhabitants of this Sound alter in their appearance from thofe who live
more fouthern. They arc in general below the middle ftature ; plump, but not
mufcular : their vifagc round, full, and with prominent cheeks ; above which the
face is comprefled from temple to temple : the noftrils wide : nofe flat, with a
rounded point ; through the feptum narium of many is introduced a ring of iron.

• VoyagCtU. 339*
Mifctll, 489, 50a.

t In p. 89, for lat. 44, read 49.
t 2

J See Barrington' s
brafs.

Birds.

Men.

cxLir

NOOTKA SOUND.

brafs, or copper: eyes fmall, black, languifliing: mouth round: lips large and
thick ; hair of the head thick, ftrong, black, long, and lank ; that on the eye-
brows very thin : neck ftiort and thick: limbs fmall and ill-made: fkin a pallid
white, where it can be viewed free from dirt or paint. The women are nearly of
the fame form and fize as the men, but undiftinguifliable by any feminine foft-
nefs. Many of the old men have great beards, and even muftachios ; but ths
younger people in general feem to have plucked out the hair, except a little on thq
end of the chin.

Their drefs confifts of mantles and cloaks, well manufaftured among themfelvc?,
and either woollen, matting, or feme mater-al correfpondent to hemp. , Over
their other cloaths the men frequently throw the flcin of fome wild bead,
which ferves as a great cloak. The head is covered with a cap made of matting,
in form of a truncated cone, or in that of a flowcr-vafe, with the top adorned
with a pointed or lound knob, or with a bunch of leathern taflels. Their whole
bodies are incruded wit!> paint or dirt, and they are a mod fquallid ofFenfiye race;
£lent, phlegmatic, and uncommonly lazy j eafily provckcd to violent anger, and
as foon appealed. The men are totally deftitute of fh^me : the women behave
with the utmoft modefty, and even balhfuincrs *. I fhall not repeat what has
been faid of the infinite variety of hideous mafqiKS this nation poflefles, and feems
particularly fond of, was not the ingenious Editor of the Voyage at a lofs for their
intent, whether for religious or for mafqucrading purpofcs f. Mr. Bartram %
proves that thefe mafques extend to the eaftern fide of the continent, and that
their ufe was iportive ; for he was plagued part of a night with the buffoonery
of a fellow, who earn; into his lodgings while he was on his travels, and,
after playing a tb jufahd antic tricks, vaniflied in a manner as if he meant to be
taken for a hobgoblin. The Oftiakt have exadlly the fame cuftom §.
' Thefe people have made fome progrefs in the imitative arts ; for, befides their
fkill in the fcujpture of their mafques, which they cut into the fliape of the heads
of various fpecies of beafts and birds, they are capable of painting with tolerable
cxaftnefs : accordingly, they often reprefent on their caps the whole progrefs of the
Whale-fiftiery. I have feen a fmall bow made of bone, which was brought by the
navigatois from this fide of North Americay on which was engraven, very intel-
ligibly, every obje£l of the chace. I have caufed this fingular bow to be engraven,
and in the fame plate, that moft terrific Tomahawk of Nootka Sounds called the
Taaweejht or Tfujkeeah, The ofFenfive part is a ftone projedling out of the mouth
•f a fculpture in wood, refembling a human face, in which are ftuck human and
other teeth : long locks of fcalped hair arc placed on feveral parts of the head,

• foyase,\\, 319.

t Same, 307.

t fravtlt,\^.

§ Rh^/i Matitni, i. 193.
waving

\1

F.CXUY.

: l!ps large ani
that on the cyc-
le : fkin a pallid
en are nearly of
ly feminine foft-
achios ; but ths
pt a little on thg

Tjong themfelvc?,
to hemp. , Over
jme wild bead,
ladc of matting,
the top adorned
s. Their whole
id ofFenfiye racej
iolent anger, and
ic women behave
repeat what has
>fle(res, and Teems
at a lofs for their
Mr. Bartram X
itinent, and that
1 the buiFoonery
lis travels, and,
he meant to be
n§.

for, befides their
lape of the heads
ng with tolerable
>le progrefs of the
\s brought by the
•aven, very intel-
V to be engraven,
Soundy called the
out of the mouth
ftuck human and
irts of the head,

l^ff Natitnt, i. 193.
waving

.yW^ ff/ui/^t^A: Js [ ) ^<

er/t^'.

N O O T K A SOUND*.

CXI.T

Mount
eogecumee-.

waving when brandiflied in a moft dreadful manner. I could diftinguifli the Elk,
the Rein, the Virginian Deer, and the Dog; birds, probably of the Goofe kind ; the
Whiilc-fiflicry, the Walrus, and iheSeal. — With what facility might be reclamed and
civilized a people fo ftrongly pofllfled with a difpofition towards the liberal arts !

From lat. 55. 20, towards the north, the country increafes in height, efpecially
inland, where a range of very lofty mountains, moftly covered with fnow, is feen
nearly parallel with the coaft, a branch of thofe I have before mentioned. Above
bt. 56 the coaft is broken into bays and harbours. In this neighborhood Captain Russian Voyage.
Tj'chirikow^ confort to the great navigator Bering, who was fcparatcd from his
commander by a ftorm, was fo unfortunate as to touch on an open part of the
coift, in about hit. 55, in which he anchored in a moft dangerous fituation, full
of rocks. Having loft his fhallop, and after that his fmall boat, with part of iiis
cicw, which he had fent on {bore to water, and which were deftroycd by the na-
tives, he was obliged to return from his ineffeflual voy.ige ♦. A vaft conic moun-
tain, called by Captain Cook JMount Edgecumbe \, rifes pre-eminent above all the
others. This is in lat. 57. 3, long. 224 7. Not remote from hence is the Bay
of Iflands., the fame as the Port los Remedio-y nearly the ne plus of the Spanijh ex-
pedition of 1775. The advent.irers comforted themfelves with having reached
lat. 58, and having attained the higheft latitude ever arrived at in thefe feas J.
This coaft, as well as the reft, continued covered with woods.

A high peaked mountain, Mount Fair-weather^ and the inlet Crofs Sounds next
appear. The firft is the higheft of a chain of fnowy mountains, which lie inland
about five leagues, in lat. 58. 52. The land between them and the fea was very
low, for the trees feemed to arife ou-t of the water. Several fea-birds, with a
black ring round the head ; the tip of the tail, and upper part of the wings, marked
with black; the body bluifli above, white beneath, came in view; and on the
water fat a brownifti Duck, with a deep blue or black head §.

In lat. 59. 18, is a bay, with a wooded ifle ofF its fouth point, named by Captaia
Cook, Bering's j in honor of the illuftrious Dane who firft difcovered this
part of America, and, as was conjectured, anchored there for a fmall fpace. The
appearance of the country was terrific ; it confifted of lofty mountains (in July)
covered with fnow: but the chain is interrupted near this port by a plain of a few
miles in extent; beyond which the view was unlimited, having behind it a con-
tinuance of level country, or fome great lake. He had not leifure to make obfer-
vations ; he only named a cape, which advanced into the fea. Cape Elias || .• this is
not at prefent known ; but the name of Mount Elias was beftowed by Captain

•■ Foy.& Decouvtrtes de Rujfei, i. 150. -f Cook'j Foy. ii. 344, tab. 86. | Barrington's

Mifctl 507. § CookV Foy, ii, jj.;. || Voy,^ Decouvtrtes, i, 154.— Cook; ii, 347, 383.

Cook-

tXLVl

NOOTKA SOUND.

M

Cook on a very confpicuous mountain *, which lay inland to the north-weft of
the bay, in lat. 60. 15.

Bering, during the ihort ftay he made on the coaft, fent his boat on fliore to
procure water. That great naturalift, Stellcry companion of the voyage, took the
opportunity of landing. The whole time allotted him was only fix hours ; during
which he collc£led a few plants, and fliot that beautiful fpecies of Jay, N" 130,
to which I have given his name. He returned on board with the regret a man of
his zeal muft feel at the neceffity of fo flight an examination in fo ample a field.
What he could have done, had circumftances permitted, is evident from the ex-
cellent colledion he formed of natural hiftory refpeding Kamtjchatkay and fome of
its iflands f.
f LANTs. Among the plants found by him on the American continent were, Plantago ma-

jor, Sp. PL i. 163; Great Plantane, Ft. Scot. 1. 117. K. Virg. : Plantago AftaUca^
Sp. PI. i. 163. K.', Polemonium Caruleamy Sp. PI. i. 230: Greek Valerian, Hud-
fony i. 89. K. : Lonicera XyJoJicum, Fl. Sib. iii. 129. K. : Ribes Ahinum, Sp. PJ. i,
291. Fl. Scot. i. 146. K. : Ribes grojfularia^ Sp. Pi, i. 291 ; Gooftberries, K. Virg. ;
Claytonia Virginica ? Sp. PI. i. 294. K. Virg. : Heuchera Amticana? Sp. PI. i.
328. K. : Heracleum Panaces^ Sp. PI. i. 358 5 or Cow Parfnep, K, which he found
in one of the habitations of the natives, tied up in bundles % ready for ufe. (I have
mentioned, at p. cxvii. the application of it in Kamtfchatka^ for the purpofes of dif-
tilling an intoxicating liquor; but the Americans are fortunate enough to be
ignorant of that art, and only ufe it as a food.) Vaccinium A'fyrtil/us, Sp. PI. i.
498; Bilberries, Fl. Scot. i. 200. K. : Vaccinium Vitis Idaa., Virg. Sp. PI. i. 500;
Red Whortle-bcrries, Fl. Scot. i. 202. K. : Erica, Fl. Sib. 131, N" 22. K. :
Adoxa Mofchatellina, Sp. PI. i. 527 ; tuberous l\Iofchatel, Fl. Scot. i. 209. K. :
Rubns Idaus, Sp. PI. i. 706; Rafterry-bufli, Fl. Scot. i. 26?. K. : Fragaria Vcfca,
Sp. Pi. i. 708 j Wood Strawberry, Fl. Scot. i. 267. Virg. K. : the Leontodon Ta-
rci\icum, Virg. B. Sp. PI. ii. ii22; or common Dandelion, Fl. Scot. i. 433 : Ab-
Jinthitim, Sp. PI. ii. 1 188; or common Wormwood, Fl. Scot. i. 467 : Artemifia
Vulgaris, Sp. PI. ii. 1 188; or Mugwort, Fl. Scot, 1. 468: Gnaphalium Dioiium,
Sp. PI. ii. 1 199 ; Mountain Cudweed, or Cat's-foof, Fl. Scot. i. 470. K. : Ajler
Jeu potiUs Hekninm fruticofum, Fl. Sib. ii. 175, B. A. 'vith beautiful yellow
flowers: Erigeror. acre, Sp. PI. ii. i2li; Blue Fleabane, Fl. Scot. i. 474. K, :
Chryfanthemum Lcucanthemum, ii. 125 1 ; Great Daily, or Ox-eye, Fl. Scot. i. 488.
B. K. Virg. : Pyreikrum, Fl. Sib. ii. 203, N° 170. B. K. : AJmlea Millefolium.,

* Cook, ii, tab. S6. f t'oy, (:£ Decowvertes, 1.257.

par lei Ru£'es, i, 156, — f^oja^e, ii, tab. SO.

X Decowvertes ftutes
Sp.

KAYE'S ISLAND. PRINCE WILLIAM'S SOUND.

QXlYtl

the north-weft of

Sp. PI. ii. 1267} Milfoil or Yarrow, Fl. Scat. i. 490. A'. Flrg, : Empetruni nigrum^
Sp. PI. ii. 1450; Black-berried Heath, Crow-berries, FL Scot. ii. 612. A". Virg.:
Menifpcrmum Canadenfe? Sp. PI. ii. 1468. K. Virg, — I retrin the mark, oi Britijh
vegetables, to fhew the vaft dilatation of plants j and that of Virg. to fliew thofe
which fpread to the eaftern fide of America.

To thefc may be added a few trees and plants obfervcd by our navigators ; fuch
as the Pinus Strobus, Sp. PI. ii. 149O, the white or IVeymouth Pine, which grows
to an enormous fize ; Pinus Canadenfts, Sp. PI. ii. 1421, the Canada Pine; three
or four other Pinesj which we cannot determine; the Cuprejfus Dijiicha ? Sp. Pl.ii.
1422, the deciduous Cyprefs ; CupreJfusThyoides, Sp. PI. ii. 1422, or white Cedar;
fome Birch, AlderSj, and Willows ; wild Rofe-buflies ; and feveral plants, the
fpecies of which arc unknown to us. Probably that ufeful Lily, the Lilium
Kamtfchatchenfey or Saranne, extends to the continent, for it is found in abun-
dance in the adjacent ifland Oonalafchkat where it ferves as a food, as it docs in
Kamtfchatka *.

In this neighborhood, in lat. 59. 49, about Kaye's ifland t, off Cape Sucklings
Captain Cook obferved variety of birds ; among them fome Albatrofles, the
fnowy Gulls, and the common Corvorant : and in the poor woods which encircled
the ifland like a girdle, were feen a Crow, the white-headed Eagle, and another
fpecies equally large, of a blacker color, with a white breaft, which proves to be

the kind defcribed by Mr. Latham, i. p. 33.

tellied Eagle %.

N' 72, under the name of the white

Kaye's Islano>-

After doubling a cape, called by our great navigator, Hinchinbrcke §, he anchored pRiNCEWriLiAM's-
in a vaft found, named by him PriiicfTyiUiam's, in lat. 61. 30, fecured by a long Sound.

ifland, called ilcfawH/a^a*' J, ftretching obliquely acrofi fiom nOilh-eaft to fouth-
weft. The land rou;.! this harbour rofc to a vaft heght, and w?.s, deeply covered
with fnow ||. Vegetation in thefe parts feemed to leflen. The principal trees
were the Canadian and Spruce Firs, and fome of them moderately large.

Befides the quadrupeds found at Nootka, there is a variety of Bear of a white Quadrupsdi.
color ; I will not call it the Polar, as that animal inhabits only the fevereft cli-
mates, where it can find dens of fnow and ifles of ice. An animal of the er-
mine kind, varied with brown, hut the tail fcarcely tipt with black. Wolve-
renes were here, of a very brilliant color; and the earlefs Marmot, N'^ 47, was
Tcry common. None of thefe were feen living, but their flcins were brought

• yoyage,u, 501. f Same, tab. 85. J Same, p, 35a,

I Sst the piflurefqui view of Suecg Orntr Cove, tab, 45,

^ Samc>, tab. S6.

l»

OXLVIII

PRINCE WILLIAM'S SOUND,

in abundance as articles of commerce. The fkin of the head of the male leonine
Seal was alfo ofFered to fale : in the Voyage it is called the Urfme; but from the
great fliagginefs of the hair I prefume I am not wrong in my conjedlure, Th'u
is the only place in the northern hemifphere in which it was found by the navi-
gators *.

Birds. Among the birds were the black Sea Pies with red bills, obferved before in

Fun Diemen's Land and New Zealand. A Duck, equal in fize to our Mallard,
with a white bill tinged with red near the point, and marked with a blaclc fpot
on each fide near the bafc : on the forehead a large white triangular fpot, and a
liv^rtc on the hind part of the neck : the reft of the plumage dufky : the tail fliort
ird pointed : the legs red. The female was of duller colors, an' the bill was far
] fs '^ay. Another fpecies refembled the fmall one found at Kerguellfn's Land.
A Diver (Grebe?) of the fize of a Partridge; with a black compreued hill:
l»caJ and neck black: upper part of the body deep brown, obfcurely waved with
blacK J the lower part dufky, fpeckled minutely with white. Honey-l'uckcrs,
piooifh'y migratory in this high latitude, frequently flew round the Ihips \.

1 <' give all the additions I am able to my /.oologic part, I (hall here mention
certain fpecies of Petrels, obferved on the weftern coaft of North America : fuch
as numb( rlefs brown Petrels near the entrance of Cook's rivpr, flying round a
remarkable fugar-loaf hill %. A fpecies feen near Naotka Sound, about eleven
inches long, with the noftrils fcarcely tubular : bill and plumage above dufliy,
beneath white: legs back. This is common to Turtle IJJe, lat. 19.48, foutb,
long. 178. 2, weft; and Chrijlmas IJle, lat. i. 59, north, long. 202. 30, ea(t.
Another, about thirteen inches long, with the forehead, fpace between the eyes
and bill, the chin, and thioat, of a greyifti white, varied with fpecks of dufky:
crown and upper part of the body dufky : under parts hoary lead-color: K[;s
pallid §. I may add a fourth, feen ofi-'the coaft of Kamifchaika, which Mr. Ellis
mentions as beinf>; imall, and of a bluifli color ||.

JvIen, Mankind b-re fliew a variation from the laft defcribed. The natives are ge-

nerally above the common ftature, but many below it : fquare^ built or ftrong-
chefted : ti'-ir heads moft difpro;'urtionrb'y large ; their faces flat, and very broad :
their necks (hort and thick ; their eyes fmall, in comparifon to the vaft breadth of
their faces : their nofes had full round points, tu; v^cd up at the end : their hair
long, thick, black, and ftrong . iheir beards either very thin, or extirpated ; for
feveral of tlie old m ;n had large, thick, but ftrait beards: their countenances
generally full of vivacity, good-r.ature, and franknefs, not unlike the Crijiinaux,

• %. ii. 377. -f Same, 378. | Ellii't Narrative, 1.151. § This, and

the preceding, in the Leverian Mufeum. U Narrative, ri. 246,

a people

Mm

D,

PRINCE WILLIAM'S SOUND.

CXMX

the male leonine
me ; but from the
•onje£lure. Thij
tind by the luvi-

ibferved before in
: to our Mallard,
with a black fpot
igular fpot, and a
[ky : the tail fliort
d the bill was far
Keigitelhrt's Land.
compreucd bill :
:urely waved with
, Honey-fuckcrs,
the Ihips f.
hall here mention.
rth America : fuch
cr, flying round a
und, about eleven
rage above dufky,
at. 19. 48, fouth,
>ng. 202. 30, call,
between the eyes
fpecks of dufky :
lead -color: \i'gi
J, which Mr. Ellis

he natives are gc-
€■ built or ftrong-
t, and very broad :
he vaft breadtli of
e end : their hair
or extirpated ; for
icir countenances
ke the Crijiinaux,

§ This, aril

a people who live far inland, between the little and the great lakes Ouinepique. On
the contrary, the inhabitants of Nootka in their dulnefs. refcmble the AJJinibouds,
who live on the weftern fide * : and thefe two nations may have been derived from
a common flock with the maritime tribes whom we have had occafion to mention.
The (kins of the natives of this found were fwarthy, poflibly from going often
naked ; for the (kins of many of the women, and the children, were white, but
pallid. Many of the women were diflinguifliable from the men by the delicacy of
their features, which was far from the cafe with thofe oi Nootka.

In thefc parts, within the diftance often degrees, is a change of both drefs and
manners. The cloak and mantle arc here changed for a clofe habit, made of t!ic
Ikins of different beafts, ufually with the hair outwards ; or of the fkins of birds,
with only the down remaining ; fomc with a cape, others with a hood : over
which, in rainy weather, is worn a garment like a carter's frock, with large flceves,
and tight round the neck, made of the inteftines probably of the whale, and as
fine as gold-beater's leaf. On the hands are always worn mittens, made of the
paws of a bear ; and the legs are covered with hofc, reaching to midway the thigh.
The head \z generally bare ; but thofe who wear any thing, ufe the high truncated
conic bonnet, like the people of AW;f« f- In this place only was obfervcd the
Calumet ; a ftick about three feet long, with large feathers, or the wings of bird?,
tied to it. This was held up as a fign of peace.

I leave the reader to amufe himfelf in the Voyage, by the account of the ftrange
cuftom of the natives in cutting through their under lip, and giving themfelves
the monftrous appearance of two mouths ^ : in the orifice they place a bit of
bone or (hell Dy way of ornament. This cuftom extends to the diftant Mofquito:^
and even to the Brafilians §, but feems unknov/n in other parts of America. — \
endeavour to confine myfelf to paflages which may lead to trace the origin of
the people. I'hcfc paint their faces, and pundture or tattow their chins. They
are moft remarkably clean in their food, and in their manner of eating it, and even
in the keeping of their bowls and vefiels. In their perfons they are equally neat
and decent, and free from greafe or dirt || : in this they fecm an exception to all
other favages.

They have two kinds of boats ; one large, open, and capable of Containing
above twenty people. It is made of the fkins of marine animak, diftended on
ribs of wood, like the vititia navigia of the Britons, at the time in which they
were on a level with thefe poor Americans ; or like the womr.n's boat of the Green^
landers and EJkimaux. The canoes arc exa£ily of the fame conftruition with thofe
of the latter; and the difference of both is very trivial. The canoes of thefe

• Dobbs, «4. \ f^oyage, ii. j68, 369. | Same, 369, tab, 46, 47. ^ Dampier, i. ji,

dt Biy, Bra//, 165. y ^ojage, ii. 374.

u Americans

Boats.

;t'.J

m

cr.

COOK'S RIVER.

Cape Bede.

Mount St. Au-
gustine.

Cook's Rivhr.

Americans are broader than tljofe of the caflcrn fiJe of the continent j and fome
have two circular apcrturci:, in order to admit two men *. Every weapon which
thefe people have for the chace of quadrupeds or fi(h, is the fame with thofc ufed
by the Greenlandcrs : there is not one wanting.

From Prince U'l'Ham's found the land trends north-weft, and terminates in two
headlands, called Cape Elizabeth and Cape Bede ; thcfc, with Cape Banks on the
oppofite (bore, form the entrance into the vail eOuary of Cook's river; in the
midft of which are the naked ifles, diftinguifhed by the name of the Barren.
Within, to the weft, is a lofty two-headed mountain, called Cape Douglas ; which
is part of a chain of a vaft height, in which was a vulcano, at the time this place
was vifited, emitting white fmoke : and in the bottom of a bay, oppofite to it, is
an ifland, formed of a lofty mountain, on which was beftowed the name of Mount
ct. j1uguJ]ine-\. The eftuary is here of a great breadth, owing to a bay running
oppofite to Mount /iugujl'tpe deeply to the eaft.

The eftuary of Cojk's river is of great length and extent. The river begins
between Anchor Point and the oppofite fliore, where it is thirty miles wide : the
depth very confiderablc, and the ebb very rapid. Far within, the channel con-
tracts to four leagues, through which rufhes a prodigious tide, agitated like
breakers againft rocks. The rife of the tide in this confined part was twenty-one
feet. It was examined feventy leagues from the entrance, as far as lat. 6i. 30,
long. 210, and its boundaries were found to be flat, fwampy, and poorly wooded,
till they reached the foot of the great mountains. Towards the north, it divides
into two great branches, or perhaps diftinCt rivers. That to the eaft is diflin-
guiftied by the name of Turn-again river. The firft is a league wide, and navi-
gable, as far as was tried, for the largeft fliips, and continued very brackifh ;
there is therefore the greateft probability of its having a very long courfe, and be-
ing, in after times, of confiderablc ufe in inland navigation ; that it is of fome even
at prefent is very certain ; for here, as well as in Prince IVilUarn's found, the Indians
were poffefied of glafs beads and great knives of Englijh manufadture, which the
Hudfon's bay company annually fend in great quantities, and exchange for furs with
the natives, who travel to our fettlements very far from the weft. The company
alfo fend copper and brafs veflx?ls ; but neither copper or iron in bars. There
does not feem to be any dircdt dealings with the Indians of this coaft : the traflic
is carried on by Intermediate tribes, who never think of bringing furs to a people
fo amply fupplitd as the Indiiins are who deal with our faftories. Nations who
ufe the moft pretious furs merely as a defence from the cold, make no diftindliou
of kinds : if they could get more beads or more knives for the fkins of Sea Otters

• %rtj', ii, 371.

f Sre the chart, ii. tab. 44.

than

ent i and fome

weapon which

with thofe ufed

rminatcs in two
e Banks on the
's river; in the
of the Bar r in.
Douglas i which
: time this place
ippofite to it, is
name of Mount
0 a bay running

"he river begins
niles wide : the
le channel con-
e, agitated like
was twenty-one
r as lat. 6i. 30,
poorly wooded,
north, it divides
ie cad is diilin-
wide, and navi-
very hrackifb ;
courfe, and be-
is of fomc even
und, the Indians
lure, which the
i2;c for furs with
The company
n bars. There
oaft : the traffic
"urs to a people
Nations who
e no diftin£lioii
s of Sea Otters

A L A 8 C H K A.

Cll

Docs.

than any other, they would inftantly become articles of commerce, and find their
way acrofs the continent to the European fettlements.

From Turn-again river to the nearcft part of Hudfon\ bay, is fifty-five degrees,
or about fixteen hundred miles j but from the moft wcftcrn part of Arapalhefcovj
lake (which is intermediate) is only twenty-fix degrees, or about feven hundred and
fifty miles. There is no difcharge out of that vaft water but what runs into
Hudfon^s bay. We have fome obfcure accounts of rivers * which take a wcftern
courfe from the countries eaft of this coaft : fomc of which may be thofe which
have been feen by our navigators, and which, by means of lakes or other rivers
falling into them, may prove a channel of intercourfe between thefe Indians and
the Hudfon'i bay company, as foon as our friendly Indians become acquainted with
the value of thefe maritime furs.

The inhabitants of Cook's river differed very little from thofe oi Prince IP^illiam's
found. They had Dogs, which were the firfl feen on the coafls ; Sea Otters,
Martins, and white Hares : and they were plentifully fupplied with Salmon and
Holibut.

After leaving the entrance into the river, appears Cape St. Herwogcnesy difco- Cape St. IIermo-
vcred firft by Bering. It proved a naked lofty ifland, about fix leagues in cir- cekes.

cuit, and divided from the coafl by a channel a league broad. This lies in
lat. 58. 15, off the vafl pemnlxih /fla/chia, which begins between the eftuary of Alaschka, con-
Cooi's river and Bri/hlhay, which bound its iflhmus. It points fouth-weft, and '^"'^'''^ of Ame-

•^ J ' ' ' RICA.

continues the crefcent formed by the iflands which crofs the fea from Kamtfchatka.
Alafchka is the only name given by the natives to the continent of America. The
land to the weft of Cook's river rifes into mountains, with conoid tops thickly
fet together. The coaft is frequently bold, and the rocks break into pinnacles of
pidurefque forms : the whole is fronted by groups of ifles and cluflers of fmall
rocks. In a word, the country and fhores are the mofl rugged and disjointed
imaginable, and bear evident marks of having undcigone fome extraordinary
change.

Among the ifles, thofe of Schoumagin are the mofl important, which received
their name from having been the place of interment of one of Bering's crew, the
firfl which he loft in thefe feas. The principal lies the fartheft to the weft, and
is C2i\\iil Kadjak : it is about a hundred verfls long, and from twenty to thirty Kadjak.

broad ; and, from the account of Demetrius Bragin^ who vifited it from Oonalajhka
in 1776, is very populous. The inhabitants fpoke a language different from thofe

• Particularly from one Jofeph de la Franct, wlio in 1739 made a very lorg joiiinty to the weft,
und was a very obfervant man. See Dobbs, HuJj'oii'i Bay, 11, 34, 35.

u 7

of

CLII

HoLiBVT Isle.

HOLIBUT ISLE.

of that ifland : it fccmcd a dlalc*^ of tlic Grttnlanders. They called thei' vVooden
(hiclds Kuyaiy, probably bccaufc they rcfemblc a iaia/t, or a little canoe, z C, ^en-
land word for that fpccics of boat } and themfclvcs Kanagiji, as the others ftyle
themfelvcs Karalit. The;' have likcwifc the woman's boat, like the people of
Prince ff^il/iam's found : in fad, they fccni to be the fame people, but more refined.
They were armed with pikes, bows and arrows, and woodrn (hiclds. Their (hirts
were maJc of the fkiiis of birds ; alfo of the earlcfs Marmot {/1r(i. Zool. i. N" 47),
Foxes, and Sea Bears, and fome of fifiics (kins, Dogs, Bears, cor.imon Otters,
and Ermines, were obllrved here. Their dwellings were made with timber, and
v/cre from fifteen to twenty fathoms long, covered with a thatch and dried grafs.
Within they were divided into compartments for every family, and every com-
partment lined neatly with mats. The entrance was on the top, covered with
frames, on which were flretcheJ the membranes of dried inteflines inftead of glafs*.
Thcfe people feemcd to have made far greater progrefs in the arts than their neigh-
bors. They worked their carpets in a very curious manner j on one fide clofe fet
with beaver wool. The Sea Otters fkins which they brought for fale were in
fome parts fliorn quite clofe with fharp ftoncs, fo that they gliftened and appeared
like velvet. They flicwed ftrong proofs of genius in their invention to preferve
themfelvcs froin the efFciSts of the Rujjian fire-arms. They had the fpirit to make
an attack, and formed fkrecns with three parallel perpendicular rows of ftakesj
bound with fea-wecds and ofiets j their length was twelve feet, and thicknefs
three : under the fli^Uer of thcfc they marched ; but their fuccefs was not cor-
refpondent to their plan ) : a fall) of the RuJJians difconcertcd them, and put them
to the rout.

The ifland confifls of hills mixed wiih lowlands. It abounds with bulbs, roots,
and berries, for food j with flirubs, and even trees fufficiently large to be hollowed
into canoes capable of carryin^f five porfons :{:. In this kind of boat they differ
from thofc of the Greenlanders,

Off the extremity of tiic peninfula of Alafchka is Halibut ifland, in 'at. 54,
rifing into a lofty pyramidal mountain, lying oppofite to the narrow (hallow
Itreight which lies between the ifle Oonemaka and Alafchka. The chain on the
continent is feen to rife into ftupcndous heights, covered with fnow : among
them feveral of the hills appear to rife infulatcd, and of a conic form. One

• From a MS. communUated to me by Dr. Pallas, Br^^w was commander of a velTel which
was fitted out by the mtrchtiita un a voyage to the ncw-ililcovered idands, and failed from Ochotjk in
1771. About ten years prior to this, another voyage was made io Kadjak by SteJ^hcn Chtloff.—
See Coxfi Difc, loS. f Uv/j RiiJ. Qifc. it. \ MS.

was

OONEMAK AND OONALASHKA.

CLItI

OoNALASHKA.

was a vulcano, flinging up volumes of black fmolce to a great height *, then
ftrcaming before the wind with a tail of vart length and pidturefque appearance.
It often took a diredtion contrary to the point the wind blew from at fca, not-
withftanding there was a frefli gale. It lies in lat. 54. 48 north, long. 195. 45 VV.
and is evidently a link in the vulcanic chain, which extends, in the fouthern he-
mifphere, as low at left as that of St. Clement in C/jiii, in lat. 45. 30.

The extremity of ^/a/IA^a ends abrupt, and has oppofite to it an ifland called Oonbmak.

Oonemak or Unmai, ot nearly a corrcfpondcnt breadth, I'eparated from it by a
very narrow and (hallow channel, fituated in lat. 54. 30, and '■ iding into Bri/Iol
bay, pervious only by bo.its or very fmall vcfl'els. The ill hundred verfls

long, ant* rom feven to fifteen broad ; and has in the midcli a vulcano. In the
low parts feveral hot fprings burft forth, to which the iflandcrs carry the fifh or
flefh they want to boil j and they are alfo fond of bathing in the temperate
parts f.

To the weft are the fcnall iflcs of Oonella and Acootan : at a fmall diftance from
them is Oonalajhka or 4ghoun-alaiJha J, a name evidently referring to the continent.
My MS. calls its length a hundred and twiMity verfts, its breadth from ten to
eighteen. It is the moft remote of the RuJJian colonies, who have now made fet-
tlements on moft of the ifles between Afta and ilmer'tca ; all under the care of pri-
vate adventurers. The voyage from Ochotjk or Kamtfchatka lafts three or four
years; and is folely undertaken for the fake of the fkins of Sea Otters. Poflibly
other reafons will, in a little time, induce them to attempt the colonization of
the continent. Timber may be one ; for their northern Afiat'u dominions and
their iflands yield none. I forefee docks and timber-yards in all convenient
places. At prefent, the natives of thefe iflcs have only the (kin-covered canoes §, N

and even for the ribs they are obliged to the chance of drift-wood. In thefe, in.
(Ircfs, and in weapons, they refemblc the EJkimaux. The language is a dialect
ofiheEJkimaux. They are rather of low ftature. They have fhort necks, fwarthy
chubby faces, black eyes, and ftraight long black hair. The falhion of wearing fea-
thers or bits of (ticks in their nofes is ufed in Oonalafljka. Both (exes cut tlieir hair
even over their foreheads : the men wear theirs looie behind ; the i'emales tie theirs in
a bunch on the top of their h ad : the (irft wear long loofe frocks, of the (kins of
birds; the laft of the (kins of Seals. The men fiing over their frocks another, of
the guts of the cetaceous animals, dried and oiled, to keep out the water || ; and, to.

ATI .ES.

• See the plate, N' 87, vol. ii. for the feveral views,
Pallas, MS. § See tbeii boats, tab 5c.

t Bra^in's Foy. MS. J Dc c^ur

[; Sv.e their diefies, tab, .1^, 49, 56, 57.

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716)872-4503

CLIV

BRISTOL BAY AND RIVER.

Barrows;

defend their faces from the weather, they wear a piece of wood, like the front of
the bonnet of an EngUJh lady *. Some ufe the bonnet in the form of the trun-
cated cone. The women flightly tattow their faces, and often wear a firing of
beads pendent from their nofes; both fexes perforate their under lip, but it is
very uncommon to fee any except the females ftick in it the ornamental bone.
The nofe-ornamcnts extend far inland on the continent ; for the Americans^
who trade with the Hudfori's bay company, ufe them : but from the figures given
by De Brie, they do not feem ever to have reached the people of Virginia and
Plorida. They inhabit jourts, or fubterraneous dwellings, each common to many
families, in which they live in horrible filthinefs : but they are remarkably civilized
in their behaviour; and have been taught by t\ii RuJJians to pull oft' their caps, and
to bow, in their falutations.

They bury their dead on the fummits of hills, and raife over the fpot a barrow
of ftones f , in the manner cuftomary in all the north of Europe in very rar'y
days.

On the north fide of the promontory Alafchka, the water decreafes confiderably in

depth, and the mountains rece'dc towards the bottom far inland, and leave a large

trait of low land between them and the fca. Here it forms a great bay, called

BristolBay AND Brijlol ; with a vaft river at the end, with an entrance a mile broad, feated in

KiVER. ]2f_ ^g 2-r. Cape Newenham, lat. 58. 42, a rocky promontory, is the northern

horn of the bay, eighty-two leagues from Cape Oonemak^ its fouthern : an uni-

verfal barrennefs, and want of vegetation, appeared in the neighborhood of the

former. The Walrufti (N° 71) began, the 15th oijulyy to fhew themfelves in

great numbers about this place : a proof that ice is not eflTential to their exigence.

The inhabitants of this coaft were drefled much more fqualidly than thofe before

feen ; but, like the others, deformed their nofes and lips. They fliavcd their

head or cut the hair clofe, and only left a few locks behind or on one fide, fome-

what in the Chinefe faOiion. From Cape Newcnham., the continent runs due north.

Gore's Isli. To the weft is Gore's ifland, diftinguiftied by a vaft cliffy, in lat. 60. 17, long. 187.

30, called Point Upright ; and near it a moft rugg?d, high, rocky iflet, named the

Pinnacles J. Myriads of the Auk tribe haunted thefe precipices. This feems the

Sea Otters; extreme northern re fort of the Sea Otter.

From S/joal-ne/sf in lat. 60, long. 196, there is a gap in the American geography,
as far as Point Shallow ffater^ lat. 62. 50 ; and not far from thence were the fymp-
toms of the difcharge of fome great river, from the uninveftigated part. Be-

Foyoge, ii. 510.

t Sanif, 5*1,

X See tab. 87.

yond

CAPE STEPHENS. CAPE DARBY.

CLtr

yond Point ShaltoWt »n lat. 63. 33, is Cape Stephens ; and before it, at a fmall
diftance, Stuart's ifle. Thefe make the fouthern points of Norton's' Sounds formed
by a vaft recefs of the land to the eaft. All the land near the fea is low and bar-
ren, bounded inland by mountains. The trees, which were Birch, Alder, Wil-
low, and Spruce, very fmall; none of the laft above llx or eight inches in diameter :
but the drift-wood, which lay in plenty on the (hore, much larger j having been
brought down the rivers from land more favorable to its growth. Towards the
bottom of the found. Cape Denbigh juts far to the weft into the water, and forms
a peninfula. It has been an ifland ; for there are evident marks on the ifthmus,
that the fea had once poflTefTed its place : a proof of the lofs of the element of water
in thefe parts, as well as in other remote parts of the globe.

The found, from Cape Denbigh^ is fuddenly contracted, and is converted into a
deep inlet, fermingly tht reception of a large river. The continent, in thefe parts,
confifts of vaft plains, divided by nr.oderate hills ; the former watered by feveral
rivers meandering through them. Vegetation improves in proportion tothedif-
ftance from the fea, and the trees increafe in bulk. A promontory, called Bald
Head, bounds the northern entrance into this inlet. Farther to the weft Cape
Darby, in lat. 64. 21, makes the northern horn of this great found.

Numbers of people inhabit this coaft. The men were about five feet two
inches high ; and in form and features refembled all the natives feen by the navi-
gators fince they left hiootka Sound. They had, in their under lip, two perfora-
tions. The color of their fkin was that of copper : their hair fhort and black :
the beard of the men fmall : their language a dialect of the EJkimaux, Their
clothing is chiefly of Deer (kins, with large hoods, made in the form of locfe
jackets, fcarcely reaching lowei than half the thigh ; where it was almoft met by
a great wide-topped boot. The EJhimaux occafionally ftick their children in the
top: the women of this country place them morecommodioufly within the upper
part of the jacket, over one flioulder *. In language there feems confiderable con-
formity. They had, like them, the woman's boat, and the Kaiack : the firft they
fometimes made ufcof as a protection from the weather, by turning it upfide down,
and (heltering beneath. But their hovels were the moft wretched of any yet feen ;
confifting of only a Hoping roof (without any fiJe walls) compofed of logs ; a
floor of the fame ; the entrance at one end, and a hole to permit the efcapc of the
fmoke. Thefe poor people feem very fufceptible of feelings for the misfortunes
of each other, which would do honor to the moft polilhed ftate. A family ap-
peared, one of which was a moft diftorted figure, with fcarcely the human form :

Caps Stephens,

>AP£

' A R B y .

Natives.

Their Sensibi*

LITT.

* See t;ib. j4..

another,

CtVI

CAPE DARBY. SLEDGE ISLAND.

aholher, feemingly the chief, almoft blind : the third, a girl: the laft, the wife.
She made ufe of Captain King to a6l as a charm to reftore her blind hufband to
his fight *. He was firft diredled to hold his breath ; then to breathe on, and af-
tcrwards to fpit on his eyes. We are not without fimilar fuperftitions. The Ro-
mans\ applied the fame remedy to difeafes of the fame part : but I doubt whether
they, or our poliflicd nation, ever exprelTed the fame feelings as this poor woman
did. She related her (lory in the mod pathetic manner; (he prefTed the hands
of the Captain to the bread of her hu(band, while flie was relating the calamitous
hiftory of her family ; pointed fometiraes to the hufl)and, fometimes to the crip-
pie, and fometimes to the poor child. Unable to contain any longer, fhe burft
into tears and lamentation. She was followed by the reft of her kindred in an
unifon, which, I trud, filled the eyes of the civilized beholders, as their relation
has mine.

From Cape Darly the land trends to the weft, and ends in Point Rodney ; low
land, with high land far beyond, taking a northerly direction inland. OfF this
point, in lat. 64. 30, is Sledge ijland, fo called from a fledge being found on it,
refcmbling thofe which the Ruffians ufe in Kamtfchatka to carry goods over the
fnow. It was ten feet long, twenty inches broad, with a rail on each fide, and
fhod with bone ; all neatly put together, in fomc parts with wooden pins, but
moftly with thongs of whalebone : a proof of the ingenuity of the natives. Whe-
ther it was to be drawn with dogs or rein-deer, does not appear ; for the ifland was
deferted, and only the remains of a few jourtt to be feen. In lat. 64. 55, long.
192, is King's ifland, named in honor of the able and worthy continuator of
the voyage. The continent oppofite to it bends towards the eaft, and forms a
{hallow bay ; then fuddenly runs far into the fea, and makes the moft weftern
extremity yet known, and probably the moft weftern of all. On it were feveal
huts; and ftages of bone, fuch as had been obferved in the Tyc^K//^/ country.
This cape forms one fide of Bering's ftreights, and lies nearly oppofite to Eajl
Capej on the yf/iatic (iwrCf at the fmall diftance of only thirty-nine miles. This
lies in lat. 65. 46 ; is named Cape Prince of Wales ; is low land, and the heights,
as ufual, appeared beyond ; among which is a remarkable peaked hill. It would
be unjuft to the memory of paft navigators, not to fay, that there is the greatell
probability that either this cape, or part of the continent adjacent to it, was dif-
covered, in 1730, by Michael GwefdeWy a land furveyor attendant on the Cojfaci,

• SeeFeyage, ii.481. f Mulieris falivam qiioque jejun* potentem dijudicant oculis

cru:ntatis.«-/'//». Hijl. Nat. lib. xxviii. c. ;,

colonel

MULGRAVE POINT, ICY SEA.

CLVII

Point Mul-

QRAVI.

Colonel Sche/iakow., in the unfortunate expedition undertaken by him to render
rhe ffchutjki tributary *.

Here begins the Icy Sea or Frozen Ocean. The country trends ftrongly to the eaft»
and forms, in lat. 67. 45, long. 194. 51, Point Mulgrave ; the land low, backed
inland with moderate hills, but all barren, and deftitute of trees. From hence
rt makes a flight trend to the weft. Cape Lijburn lies in lat. 6g } and Icj Capi^ the
mofl: extreme land feen by any navigators on this fide, was obfcrvcd in lat. 70. 29,
long. 198. 20, by our illuftrious feaman, on Auguft 18th 1778. The preceding
day he had made an advance as high as 70. 41 } but, baffled by impenetrable ice,
upon the jufteft reafoning was obliged to give up all thoughts of the north-eaft
palTage : which reafons were confirmed, in the follovring year, by his fucceiTor in
command. Captain Clerke. All the trials made by tha$ perfevering commander
could not attain a higher latitude than 70. 11, long. 196. 15. He found himfelf
laboring under a lingering difeafe, which he knew muft be fatal, unlefs he could
gain a more favorable climate ; but his high fenfe of honor, and of his duty to his
orders, determined him to perfift, till the impoffibility of fuccefs was determined
by every oflicer. He gave way to their opinion, failed towards the fouthward on
"July 2ift, and on Auguji 22d honorably funk, at the age of thirty-eight, under a
diforder contracted by a continued fcene of hardihips, endured from hisearliefl
youth in the fervices of his country f.

To fuch characters as thefe we are indebted for the little we know, and pro- Of the Icy Sea.
bably all that can be known, of the Icy Sea. The antients had fomc obfcure
notion of its coafls, and have given it the name of Scythicum Mare j a cape jutting
into it was ftyled Scythicum Promontorium ; and an ifland at the bottom of a deep
bay to the weft of it, Scythica Infula. It is following the conjectures of the inge-
nious to fay, that the firft may be the Cape Jalmalt and the laft. Nova Zemljoy
which fome will make the Infula Tazata of Plttiy^ as it refembles in name the ri-
ver Tasy which flows almoft oppofite to it into the gulph of Ob %' The know-
lege which the antients had of thefe parts muft have been from traflic. The old
Ladoga was, in very early times, a place of great commerce, by aififtance of rivers
and feas, even from the fartheft parts of the Mediterranean ; the coins of Syria^
Arabia., Greece^ and Rome^ having been found in the burial-places adjoining to
that antient city §. Another channel of knowlege was formed from the great
traflic carried on by the merchants, from even the remote India^ up the Volga
and the Kamat and from thence to Tfcherdyn^ an emporium on the river Kolvot

* Decouvertei, &c. i. 166.
% Slrailenberg Hifl^ Ruffia, 113.

t See the particulars of hit rerviecti. f^tyage, iii.
^ Same, no.

ilo.

fcated

fcLVlII

ICY SEA.

feated in the antient Ptrmia or Biormia, and not far fouth of the river Pecztra.
From thence the Biarmas, who feem to have heen the fad^ors, embarked with the
merchandize on that river, went down with it to the coafts of the Frozen Sea ; and,
after obtaining furs in exchange, they returned and delivered them, at Tfcherdyriy to
the foreign merchants * : and from them the antients might picic up accounts.

The Icy Sea extends from Ntva Zemlja to the coaft of America. We have
feen how unable even the Ruffians have been to furvey its coaRs, except by in-
terrupted detail, notwithftanding it formed part of their own vaft empire. To
our navigators was given the honor not only of fettling parts of its geography
with precifion, but of exploring the whole fpace between the mod northern pro-
montory of AJia and the fartheft accefEble part of America. This was a tra^i:
of one hundred leagues f. The traverfing it was a work of infinite difficulty
DiPTN. and danger. The Tea (hallow } and the change from the greateft depth, which did

not exceed thirty fathoms, to the left, which was only eight, was fudden : the
bottom muddy, caufed by the quantity of earth brought down from the vaft ri-
vers which pour into it from the Afiatic fide. We fufpeiA that it receives but
few from the Amiricany their general tendency being eaft and weft. The ley Sta
is ihallow, not only becaufe its tides and currents are very inconftderable ; but its
outlet through the ftreights of Bering very narrow, and even obftruAed in the
middle by the iflands of St. Diomedes : both which circumftances impede the
carrying away of the mud. The current, fmall as it is, comes chiefly from the
fouth-weft, and is another impediment. The land of each continent is very low near
the (hores, and high at a fmall diftance from them : the former is one inftance of
a correfpondent fliallownefs of water. The foundings off each continent, at the
fame diftances from the fliore, were exa£i;ly the fame.
Ice. The ice of this fea differs greatly from that of Spitzbtrgea. It probably is en-

tirely generated from the fea-water. The Icy Sea feems to be in no part bounded
by lofty land, in the valleys of which might have been formed the ftupendous
icebergsy which, tumbling down, form thofe lofty iflands we had before occaflon
to mention. The ice here is moveable, except about the great headlandn, which
are befet with a rugged mountanous ice. It is notorious, that a ftrong gale
from the north in twenty-four hours covers the whole coaft, for numbers of miles
in breadth ; will fill the ftreights of Bbrikc, and even the Kamtfchatkan feas ;
and in fntaller pieces extend to its iflands. In the Icy Sea it confifts chiefly
of field ice. Some fields, very large, and furrounded with lefler, from forty

Nicbob's Rujfian Nations, i. 176.

f Voyage, iii. a?;.

to

ICY SEA. CLn*

to fifty yards in extent, to four or five j the thickncfs of the larger pieces was
about thirty feet under warcr ; and the greateft height of others above, about
fixtecn or eighteen. It was tranfparent, except on the furface, which was a little
porous, and often very rugged : the reft compa(^ as a wall. At times it muft
pacic ; for the mountanous ice which the Cojfack Morkoff" afcended (fee p. c.)
muft have been of that nature. The deftruftion of the ice is not efFefted by the
fun, in a climate where fogs reign in far greater proportion than the folar beams ;
neither will the ftreights of Baring permit the efcape of quantity fuflicient to
dear the fea of its vaft load. It muft, in a little time, become wholly filled with
it, was it not for the rage of the winds, which daflies the pieces together, breaks
and grinds them into minute parts, which foon melt, and refolve into their ori-
(rinal element.

The animals of this fea are very few, and may be reduced to the Polar BeaVy Animals.

N" 18 i the IValrusy N" 71 j and Seals. The firft does not differ from thofe of
other ar£tic countries : it is beautifully engraven in tab. LXXIII. of the Voyage*
Amidft the extraordinary fcenery in tab. LII. is given the only accurate figure of
the Walrus I have ever feen. I cannot but fufpei^ it to be a variety of the fpecies
found in the Spitzbergen feas. The tufks are more flender, and have a flight dif-
tinguifliing flexure : the whole animal is alfo much lefs. The length of one
(not indeed the largeft) was only nine feet four inches ; its greateft circumference
fevcn feet ten j weight, excluflve of the entrails, about eleven hundred pounds.
They lay on the ice by thoufands ; and in the foggy weather cautioned our navi-
gators, by their roaring, from running foul of it. They an; ufually feen fleeping,
but never without fome centinels to give notice of approaching danger : thefe awa-
kened the next to them, they their neighbors, till the whole herd was roufed.
Thefe animals are the obje£ts of chace with the Tfchut/ki, who eat the flefh, and
cover their boats and hovels with the fkins. Whales abound in this fea. Fifh, Frsir.

the food of Seals, and partly of the polar Bears, muft be found here, notwith-
flanding they efcaped the notice of the navigators. Shells and fea-plants, the
food of the IValruSy cannot be wanting.

Many fpecies of birds (which will occur in their place) were feen traverfing Birds.

this fea. Geefe and Ducks were obferved migrating fouthward in Auguji \ whether
from their breeding-place in a circum-polar land, or whether from ihe probably
far-extending land of Amtrica, is not to be determined. Drift-wood was very
feldom feen here. Two trees, about three feet in girth, with their roots, were
once obferved, but without bark or branches ; a proof that they had been brought
from afar, and left naked by their conteft with the ice and elements.

The fea, from the fouth of Bering's ftreights to the crefcent of ifles between

X 2 jt/ia

CLX

POPULATION OF

Afia and America^ is very (hallow. It deepens from thcfc ftrcights (as the 'Brh'tlb
feas do from thofc of Dover) till foundings are loft in the Pacific Ocean ; but that
does not taice place but to the fouth of the ifles. Detwcen them and the ftrcights
is an increafe from twelve to fifty-four fathom, except only ofF St. Thaddcus Nofs,
where there is a channel of greater depth. From the vulcanic difpofition I am
led to believe not only that there was a feparation of the continents at the ftreighti
of Bering, but that the whole fpace, from the iflcs to that fmall opening, had once
been occupied by land ; and that the fury of the watery element, aduated by that
of fire, had, in moft remote times, fubverted and overwhelmed the traft, and left
the iflands monumental fragments.

Whether that great event took place before or after the population of Ammca,
is as impoflible, as it is of little moment, for us to know. We are indebted to
our navigators for fettling the long difpute about the point from which it
was efFeded. They, by their difcoveries, prove, that in one place the dif-
tance between continent and continent is only thirty-nine miles, not (as
a celebrated cavilift * would have it) eight hundred leagues. This narroi^
freight has alfo in the middle two iflands, which would greatly facilitate
the migration of the JJiatics into the New World, fuppofing that it took
place in canoes, after the convulfion which rent the two continents afunder.
Befides, it may be added, that thefe ftreights are, even in the fummer, often filled
with ice ; in winter, often frozen : in either cafe mankind might find an eafy
paftage ; in the laft, the way was extremely ready for quadrupeds to crofs, and
ftock the continent of America. I may fairly call in the machinery of vulcanoes
to tear away the other means of tranfit farther to the fouth, and bring in to my
afliftance the former fuppofition of folid land between Kamtfchatka and Oonalafcha,
inftead of the crefcent of iflands, and which, prior to the great cataftrophe, would
have greatly enlarged the means of migration ; but the cafe is not of that difficulty
to require the folution. One means of paflTage is indifputably eftabliflied.

But where, from the vaft expanfe of the north-eaftern world, to fix on the firft
tribes who contributed to people the new continent, now inhabited almoft from
end to end, is a matter that baffles human reafon. The learned may make bold
and ingenious conje£lures, but plain good fenfe cannot always accede to them.
As mankind encreafed in numbers, they naturally protruded one another forward.
Wars might be another caufe of migrations. I know no reafon why the A/ia:ic
north might not be an officina virerumy as well as the European. The overteeming
country, to the eaft of the Riphtean mountains, muft find it neceflTary to difcharge
its inhabitants : the firft great wave of people was forced forward by the next to

* The author of Rtchertkn PbilofipbiqutJ fur let AmerUains, i. 1 36.

It,

AMERICA.

QtXl

it, more tumid and more powerful than itfcif : fucceflive and new impulfis con-
tinually arriving, fliort reft was given to that which fprcad over a i/.orc caftcrn
t:z£i i diilurbed again and again, it covered frefh legions ; at longih, reaching the
fartheft limits of the Old World, found a new one, with ample fpace to occupy
unmolefted for ages ; till Columbus curfed them by a difcovcry, which brought
again new fms and new deaths to both worlds.

The inhabitants of the New do not confift of the oftspring of a fmglc
nation : different people, at feveral periods, arrived there ; and it is impuHIblu to
fay, that any one is now to be found on the original fpot of its colonization. It
is impoflible, with the lights which we have fo recently received, to admit that
America could receive its inhabitants (at left the bullc of them) from any other
place than eaftern yf/ia. A few proofs may be added, taken from cuftoms or dreflcs
common to the inhabitants of both worlds : fome have been long extindl in the
old, others remain in both in full force.

The cuftom of fcalping was a barbarifm in ufe with the ScythianSt who carried Customs common
;A>out them at all times this favage mark of triumph : they cut a circle round the
neck, and Gripped off the fkin, as they would that of an ox*. A little image,
found among the Kalmucsy of a Tartarian deity, mounted on a horfe, and fitting on
a human fkin, with fcalps pendent from the breaft, fully illuftrates the cuftom of
the Scythian progenitors, as defcxibed by the Greek hiftorian. This ufage, as the
Europeans know by horrid experience, is continued to this day in America. The
ferocity of the Scythians to their prifoners extended to the remotefl part of Ajia.
The Kamffchatkans^ even at the time of their difcovery by the Ruffians t, put their
l»'ifoners to death by the moft lingering and excruciating inventions } a pradice in
full force to this very day among the aboriginal Americans. A race of the Scythians
were ftyled Anthropophagi Xi from their '"-ding on human flefli. The people of
Nootia Sound flill make a xepaft on theii ."•Jlow creatures § : but what is more
wonderful, the favage allies of the Britijh army have been known to throw the
mangled limbs of the French prifoners into the horrible cauldron, and devour them
with the fame relifli as thofe of a quadruped ||.

The Scythians were fayed, for a certain time, annually to transform themfelves
into wolves, and again to refume the human fhapef . The new-difcovered Ame-
ricans about Nootka Soundy at this time difguife themfelves in drefles made of the
fkins of wolves and other wild beads, and wear even the heads fitted to their

TO America ami

THE NORTH Or

Asia.

* Herndotus, lib. !v.— Compare the account given by the hiftorian with the Tartarian icuneulus, in
Dr. Pallas'j Travels, i. tab. x. a. f Hifl. Kamtfckatka, 57. J Mela, lib. ii. c. i.

^foyaj^e, ii, U CoUen'j Five Indian Nations, i. 155. ^ Hertdotui, lib. iv.

own.

CLXII

CUSTOMS.

SiMIlAR rEA-
TURIS.

own ♦. Thcfc habits they ufe in the chace, to circumvent the animals of the
fivld. But would not ignorance or fupcrftition afcribe to a fupcriiatural mcta<
morphofis thefc temporary expedients to deceive the brute creation ?

In their marches the KamtfcfMitkans never went abreaft, but followed one another
•n the fame tracic \. The fame cuftom is exactly obfcrvcd by the Americans.

The Tungufit the mod numerous nation refidcnt ia Sibirioj prick their faces
with fmall pundures, with a needle, in various (hapcs ; then rub into them char-
coal, fo that the marks become indelible :(. This cuftom is ftill obferved in fc-
vcnil pztts of ytmtrica. The Indians on the back of Uudfon's bay, to this day
perform the operation exadly in the fame manner, and pundure the (kin into
various figures ; as the natives of New Zealand do at prefent, and as the antient
Britons did with the herb Gla/fum, or Woad § i and the Virgin'ranst on the firft dif.
covery of that country by the Englijh ||.

The Tungu/t ufe canoes made of birch-bark, diftended over ribs of wood, and
nicely fewed together H. The Canadiany and many other American nations, ufe
no other fort of boats. The paddles of the Tungufi are broad at each end ; thofe
of the people near Co9k*% river, and of Otnalafchoy are of the fame form.

In burying of the dead, many of the American nations place the corpfe at full
length, after preparing it according to their cuftoms } others place it in a fitting
pofture, and lay by it the moll valuable cloathing, wampum, and other matters.
The Tartars did the fame : and both people agree in covering the whole with earth,
{o as to form a tumulus^ barrow, or carnedd **.

Some of the American nations hang their dead in trees. Certain of the Tungufi
obferve a fimilar cuftom.

I can draw fome analogy from drcfs : conveniency in that article muft have been
confulted on both continehts, and originally the materials muft have been the
fame, the flcins of birds and beafts. It is fnigular, that the conic bonnet of the
Chinefe ihould be found among the people of Nooika. I cannot give into the no-
tion, that the Chinefe Contributed to the population of the New World ; but I can
readily admit, that a fliipwreck might furnifli thofe Americans with a pattern for
that part of the drefs.

In rcfpedl to the features and form of the human body, almoft every tribe found
along the wcftern coaft has fome fimilitude to the Tartar nations, and ftill retain
the little eyes, fmall nofes, high cheeks, and broad faces. They vary in fize.

* Fayage, ii. 311, 3t9.>— A very curious head of a Wolf, fitted for this nit, is preferved !n the
Leverian M»/W/m. -f Hi/. Kamt/cb. 6t. % Bi-U'jTraveh,o&. ed. i. t^o,

§ Herodian in Fila Severi, lib. ill. || De Bry, Hrginia, tab. iii. 111. ^ YJbratiJt

Lles,\n Harm's Coll. i'l.^ig, •• Compare Cff/*/^, i. 17} Lnfitau, i. 416; ^riA Anbteologia,

li. £12. tab, xiv.

7 from

E S K I M A U X.

CLXIM

from the lufty Calmucs to the little Nogaians. The internal Amtricans, fuch 7H
the Fivt Indian nations, who are tall of body, robuft in make, and of oblong
faces, are derived from a variety among the Tartan themfelves. The fine race of
TfihMtJki fcem to be the ftock from which thofe Amtritant are derived. The Tfchutjki
again, from that fine race of Tartars^ the Kabardin/ki^ or inhabitants of Kabarda.

But a\to\it Prinet fymiam't Sound \iegins a race, chiefly diftinguiflied by their Eskimavx.
drefs, their canoes, and their inftruments of the chace, from the tribes to
the fouth of them. Here commences the EJkimaux people, or the race known
by that name in the high latitudes of the eaftern fide of the continent.
They may be divided into two varieties. At this place they are of the largeft
fize. As they advance northward they decreafe in height, till they dwindle
into the dwarfifh tribes which occupy fome of the coafts of the Itj St**,
and the maritime parts of Hudfon\ bay, of Grttnlandy and Ttrra dt Labrador.
The famous Japantfe map f places fome idands feemingly within the ftreights of
Berin'o, on which is beftowed the title of Ta Zue, or the kingdom of the dwarfs.
Does not this in fome manner authenticate the chart, and give us reafon to fuppofe
that America was not unknown to the Japanefe^ and that they had (as is mentioned
by Kamp/er znd Charlevoix X) made voyages of difcovcry, and, according to the
laf^ actually wintered on the continent ? That they might have met with the
Efnimaux is wtiy probable % whom, in comparifon of theuifelves, they might juftly
didinguifli by the name of dwarfs. The reafon of their low fiature is very ob-
vious : thefe dwell in a moft fevere climate, amidft penury of food ; the former in
one much more favorable, abundant in provifions ; circumftances that tend to prevent
the degeneracy of the human frame. At the ifland of Oonolaftha a dialc£l of the
BJkimaux is in ufe, which was continued along the whole coaft, from thence north-
ward. I have before mentioned the fimilarity in the inftruments between the
Americans of this hdc of the coaft and the E/kimaux, which is continued even to
Greenland,

I cannot think the accounts well fupported, that America received any part of Wilih*

its firft inhabitants from Europe, prior to the fifteenth century. The Jf^el/h fondly
imagine that our country contributed, in ir/jo, to people the New World, by the
adventure of Madocy fon of Owen Gwytudd, who, on the death of his father, failed
there, and colonized part of the country. All that is advanced in proof is, a quo-
tation from one of our poets, which proves no more than that he bad diftinguiflied
himfelf by fea and land. It is pretended that he made two voyages : that failing
weft, he left Ireland Co far to the north, that he came to a land unknown, where

* See Mr. Hearne^s Difcovtritt. f Given by K^n^'er to Sir Hans Sloane, and now prelerved

in the Britijb Muj'eum t Hlfl, Japan, i. ej.—CbarlevtiXffiifteeChrQiioltgiques, ann, i6S.

he

cixir

NOT PEOPLED FROM EUROPE.

he faw many flrange things: that he returned home, and, making a report
of" the rruitfuincfs of the ncw-difcovcrcd country, prevalcd on numbets of tho
Wtlft) of each fox to accompany him on a fccond voyage, from which he never
returned. The favorers of this opinion aflert, that feveral IVtlfl) words, fuch
as givrando, to hearlcen or liften ; the iflc oi Croefo or wtUtmt\ Capt Bit-
ton, from the name of our own ifland ; gtvynndtvr, or the white water ; and
pcngwitiy or the bird with a white head ; arc to be found in the Amtrican lan-
guage *. I can lay little Hrefs on this argument, becaufe likcnefs of found in a few
words will not be deemed fufficient to eftablifh the faifl ; efpecially if the meaning
has been evidently perverted : for example, the whole Pinguin tribe have unfor-
tunately not only black heads, but are not inhabitants of the northern hemifphere;.
the name was alfo bedowed on them by the Dutch, a Pingutdint, from their
exceflive fatnefsf: hut the inventor of this, thinking to do honor to our country^
inconfiderateljr caught at a word of European origin, and unheard of in the New
World. It may be added, that the IVelJh were never a. naval people } that the
age in which Madoc lived was peculiarly ignorant in navigation \ and the moll
which they could have attempted mud have been a mere coafting voyage.
NoRwiotANs. The Norwtgians put in for (hare of the glory, on grounds rather better than the

JVtlJh. By their fettlements in Zetland and in Grttnland, they had arrived within
fo fmal) a diftance of the New World, that there is at left a poiBbility of its having
been touched at by a people fo verfed in maritime affairs, and fo adventurous, as the
antient Nortmans were. The proofs are mucb more numerous than thofe produced
by the Britijh hiftorians ; for the difcovery is mentioned in feveral of ths Iceian die
manufcripts. The period was about the year 1002, when it was vifited by one Biorn;
and the difcovery purfued to greater effeft by Lei/, the fon of Eric, the difcovercrof
Greenland. It does not appear that they reached farther than Labrador; on which
coaft they met with EJkimaux, on whom they beftowed the name of Skralin^uis,
or dwarfilh people, from their fmall ftature. They were armed with bows and
arrows, and had leathern canoes, fuch as they have at prefent. All this is pro-
bable } nor (hould the tale of the Germany called Turkil, one of the crew, inva-
lidate the account. He was one day miffing; but foon returned, leaping and
finging with all the extravagant marks of joy a ban vivant could (hew, on difco-
vcring the inebriating fruit of his country, the grape % : Tor/aus even fays, that
be returned in a ftate of intoxication §. To convince his coroman Jer, he brought
feveral bunches, who from that circumftance named the country ViJand. I do

• Pawel't Hi/I. ITalet, a»l, »»9. + C/k/. £xot. loi.

Fttgl. ed. i. »84. \ Hi/, rinlattdit antiq, perTbtrm. TorfMon, p. 8,

X Mailefi Northern Antiq.

not

Q.UADRUPEDS OF THE NEW WORLD.

CLXV

not deny that Ncrih Amtrica produces the true vine*; but it is found in far
lower latitudes than our adventurers could reach in the time employed in their
voyage, which was comprehended in a very fmall fpace. I have no doubt of the
dilcovery } but, as the land was never colonized, nor any advantages made of
it, it may be fairly conjectured, that they reached no farther than the barren country
of Labrador.

The continent which flocked America with the human race, poured in the
brute creation through the fame paflage. Very few quadrupeds continued in the
peninfula of Kamtfthatka, I can enumerate only twenty-five which are inhabitants
of land; for I muft omit the marine animals, which had at all times power of
changing their fituation : all the reft perfifted in their migration, and fixed their reft-
dence in the New World. Seventeen of the Kamifihatkan quadrupeds are found
in Amtr'ica : others are common only to Sibiria or Tartary^ having, for unknown
caufes, entirely evacuated Kamtfchatkot and divided themfelves between Amtrica
and the parts of /fta above cited. Multitudes again have dcferted the Old World,
even to an individual, and fixed their feats at diftances moll nmote from the fpot
from which they took their departure ; from mount Ararat., the refling-place of
the ark, in a central part of the Old World, and excellently adapted for the
difperfion of the animal creation to all its parts. We need not be ftartled at
the vafl journies many of the quadrupeds took to arrive at their prefent feats :
Might not numbers of fpecies have found a convenient abode in the vaft
Alp of Afia^ inftead of wandering to the Cordilleras of Chili? or might not
others have been contented with the boundlefs plains of Tartary^ inflead of tra-
velling thoufands of miles, to the extenfive flats of Pampas ?— To endeavour to
elucidate common difEcultics is certainly a trouble worthy of the philofopher and
of the divine ; not to attempt it would be a criminal indolence, a negledl to

Vindicate the ways of God to man.

dand, I do

Nortbirti Ant'iq.

But there are multitudes of points beyond the human ability to explain, and yet
are truths undeniable : the fa£ls are indifputable, notwithflanding the caufes
arc concealed. In fuch cafes, faith muft be called in to our relief. It would
certainly be the height of folly to deny to that Being who broke open the great
fountains of the deep to cffe£t the deluge — and afterwards, to compel the difperfion
of mankind to people the globe, direded the confufton of languages— powers in-
ferior in their nature to thefe. After thefc wondrous proofs of Omnipotency,

• Chvtr's Account of Virginia, Pbil> Tranf. Abr, iii. 579.

y

It

CtXVI

QUADRUPEDS OF THE NEW WORLD.

it will be abfurd to deny the poffibility of infufing inftinft into the brute creation,
Deus eft anima hrutorum j God himfelf is the foul of brutes: His plcafure
mult have determined their will, and diredled feveral fpecies, and even whole
genera, by impulfe irrefiftible, to move by flow progreflion to their deftined re-
gions. But for that, the Llama and the Pacos might ftill have inhabited the
heights of y/r;««//a and fome more neighboring /lips, inftead of laboring to gain
the diftant Peruvian Andes ; the whole genus of Armadillos, flow of foot, would
never have abfolutely quitted the torrid zone of the Old World for that of the
New ; and the whole tribe of Monkies would have gambolled together in the
forefts oi India, inftead of dividing their refidence between the {hades oi Indoftan
and the deep forefts of the Braftls. Lions and Tigers might have infefted the
hot parts of the New World, as the firft do the deferts of Africa, and the laft the
provinces of Afta , or the Pantherine animals of South America might have re-
mained additional fcourges with the favage beafts of thofe antient continents.
The Old World would have been overftocked with animals ; the New remained an
unanimated wafte ! or both have contained an equal portion of every beaft of
the earth. Let it not be objeded, that aninlals bred in a fouthern climate, af-
ter the defcent of their parents from the ark, would be unable to bear the froft and
fnow of the rigorous north, before they reached South America, the place of their
linal deftination. It muft be confidered, that the migration muft have been the
work of ages j that in the courfe of their progrefs each generation grew
hardened to the climate it had reached ; and that after their arrival in America,
they would again be gradually accuftomed to warmer and warmer climates, in
their removal from north to fouth, as they had in the reverfe, or from fouth to
north. Part of the Tigers ftill inhabit the eternal fnows of Ararat, and mul-
titudes of the very fame fpecies live, but with exalted rage, beneath the Line, in
the burning foil of Borneo or Sumatra ; but neither Lions or Tigers ever mi-
grated into the New World. A few of the firft are found in India and Per/ta,
but they are found in numbers only in Africa. The Tiger extends as far north
as weftern Tartary, in lat. 40. 50, but never has reached Africa. I fliall clofe
this account with obferving, that it could be from no other part of the globe
except Afta, from whence the New World could receive the animal creation.

The late voyage of the illuftrious Cook has reduced the probable conjedures of
philofophers into certainty. He has proved that the limits of the Old and New World
approach within thirteen leagues of each other. We know that the intervening
ftreights are frequently frozen up j and we have great reafon to fuppofe, that the two
continents might have been once united, even as low as the Aleutian iflands, or lat.
52t 30. Thus are difcovercd two means of paflagc from Jfta to Amirita ; the laft
5 in

QUADRUPEDS OF THE NEW WORLD.

CLXTJl

ill a climate not more rigorous than that which feveral animals might very well
endure, and yet afterwards proceed gradually to the extreme of heat.

In faft, every other fyftem of the population of the New World is now over-
thrown. The conjedlures of the learned, refpedling the vicinity of the Old and
New, are now, by the difcoveries of our great navigator, loft in convidion. The
Araincd fyftems of divines, laudably indeed exerted in elucidating Sacred
Writ, appear to have been ill-founded j but, in the place of imaginary hypothe-
fcs, the real place of migration is uncontrovertibly pointed out. Some (from a
paii'age in Plato) have extended over the Atlantic^ from the ftreights oi Gibraltar to
the coaft of North and South America^ an ifland equal in fize to the continents of
Afia and Africa j over which had pafTed, as over a bridge, from the latter, men
and animals ; wool-headed Negroes, and Lions and Tigers *, none of which
ever exifted in the New World. A mighty fea arofe, and in one day and night
engulphed this ilupendous tra£l, and with it every being which had not com-
pleted its migration into America. The whole Negro race, and almoft every
Quadruped, now inhabitants of Africa^ periOied in this critical day. Five only
are to be found at prefent in America \ and of thefe only one, the Bear f, in South
America, Not a Ungle cuftom, common to the natives of Africa and America^ to
evince a common origin. Of the Quadrupeds, the Bear, Stag, Wolf, Fox,
and Weefel, are the only animals which we can pronounce with certainty to be
found on each continent. The Stag J, Fox, and Weefel, have made alfo no
farther progrefs in Africa than the north j but on the fame continent the Wolf is
fpread over every part, yet is unknown in South America^ as are the Fox and Weefel.
I fufpedt, beHdes, that the Stag hath not advanced farther fouth than Mexica.
In Africa and South America the Bear is very local, being met with only in the
north of the flrft, and on the Andes in the laft. Some caufe unknown arrefted
its progrefs in Africa, and impelled the migration of a few into the Chilian AlpSy
and induced them to leave unoccupied the vaft traft from North America to the
lofty Cordilleras.— —My promifed Table of Quadrupeds will at once give a view
of thofe which inhabit North America^ and are either peculiar to it, or are met

* Catcott en the Deluge, edit. 2d. p. i}9, is, fife.

f On the reafoning of Mr. Zimmerman {Zool. Geogr, 476), and the opinion of Mr. ErxUben {Syfl.
Regn. An. 508), I give up my notion ot the Panther (Hifl. Sjtad. N" 153), being a native of 4o«/A
America. It is mod probable, that the flcin which I faw at a furrier's fhop, which was faiil to liave
been brought from the Brajiis, had originally been eairied there from the weliem coaii of Africa,
where the Portugutfi have confiderable fettleracnts, and a great flave-trade for their American co\o\\\ii,
and where thofe animals abound.

X Sh(n\i's Travel}, 143. Quere ? whether cxaftly the fame with the European.

y 2 witH

CLXVIII

TABLE OF Q.UADRUPEDS.

with in other countries. It certainly will point out the courfe they have taken
in their migration ; and, in cafe mirnomers are avoided, will reduce to the Angle
continent of Afta the original country from whence they fprung. Men of the
firft abilities, and Hrfl in learning, who have neglected the ftudy of natural
hiftory, will give Lions and Tigers to America., mifled by the ignorance of tra-
vellers, who miftake the Puma, N" 14 of this Work, for the firft ; and the fpottcd
wild beads, allied to the Panthcrine race, for the fecond.

TABLE OF Q.U ADRUPEDS.

GENU S.

L Ox.

n. Sheep.

in. Deer.

Bifon,

Mu(k,

Argali,

Rein,

M

N»i.

N°2.

p. 12.

Moofe, N» 3

FED.

N«4.

O L 6 WORLD.

In parts of Ltthuanloy and
about mount Caucafus ;
except there, univerfally
domefticated.

A variety in the interior
parts of Guinea^ and the
fouth of Africa. See
HiJI. ^ad. i. N" g.

Sardinia. Corfica, Crtte.
North of India. Perfian
Alps. About the Onon
and ArgUHy in Sibiria.
Mongalia^ to lat. 60.
Eaft of the Lena^ and
quite to Kamtfchatka.

Norway. Swiden^ to lat.
64. RuJJia. Sibiria^ as low
as lat. 53. As far eaft as
Lake Baikal; and in the
north of China to the
north of Coria. lat. 45*.

Lapland. Norway. Samoi-

tdta. Along the Ariiic
coafts,

NEW WORtD.

To the weft of Canada^ and
as low as Louiftana, In
New Mtxico., on the wef-
tern fide of N^rth Ame-
rica.

To the north of Hudfon's
Bay, from Churchil river
to lat. 73, and among
the Chrijlinauxy and in
New Mexico.

Sufpe£ted to be found in
California j but not on
the beft authorities.

Hudfon's Bay. Canada. No-
va Scotia. New England ;
and near the northern
part of the river Ohio,

Hudfon's Bay. Northern

parts of Canada. La-
bradtry

* Or lat. 4>; according to Mr* ZimnurmiCi new Map.

TABLE OF Q.UADRUPEDS.

cLxn

SENUS.

Stag,

N'5,

OLD W O R t O.

coafts, to Kamtfchatka.
In the UralUan moun-
tains to Kunguty in lat.
57. 10. About Lake
Baikal. Spitzbergen.
Greenland.
Norway^ and moft part of
Europe to the fouth. In
the north of Jfta. China,
Barbary. E.

NEW VrORLO.

brador. Ifland of New-
foundland.

Virginiany N" 6.

Mexican RoCjN^y .
Roe, N 8.

Norway. Sweden, Moft

. part of Europe, except

Rujfta, Scotland.

From Canada, over all
parts of North America.
Mexico.

From the provinces fouth

of Canada to Florida.

Perhaps in Guiana.
Interior north-weftern parts

of America ? Mexico.
According to Charlevoix,

in Canada ?

DIGITATED.

IV. Doc.

Wolf, N°9.

xfr<f7/<Fox,N''io.

Common Fox,

I Fox,")
N'li.}

D I V. I.

From the ArSfie circle ta
the moft fouthern part
oi Europe. In AJia, from
the circle to Perfta.
Kamtfchatka, All parts
of Africa.

Within the whole Ariiic
circle. Iceland. Spits-
bergen, Greenland. Fin-
mark. North of Sibiria.
Kamtfchatka, ind its ifles.

In all parts of Europe, and

the cold and temperate

parts of Afia, Kamtf-

chatkoy

From Hudfgn*s Bay to the
moft fouthern parts of
North America.

Hudfon's Bay. The ifles
in the high latitudes on
the weftern fide of Ame-
rica.

From Hudfon*s Bay, crofs

the continent to the Fox

Ifles, Labrador. New-.

foundland.

CLXX

TABLE OF Q.UADRUPEDS.

CEHOS.

V. Cat.

VI. BlAR»

Grey, N' 12.

Silvery, N» 13.
Puma, N" 14.

Lynx, N» 15.

BayLynx,N*'i6.
Mountain, N<» 1 7.
Polar, N" 18.

Black, N» 19.
Brown, N" 20.

Wolverenc,No2i.

OLD WORLD.

chalkot and its furtheft
ifles. Ictland. E*

Forefts of the north of
Europe^ and many of the
fouth. Spain. North of
JJioy and the mountains
in the north of India *.

Within the whole polar
circle of Europe and
JJia.

Jtfo Mafima^ north of "Ja-
pan ; perhaps in Japan.

In moft parts of Europe^
north and fouth. The
fame in Afia^ even as far
as Arabia. Barbary f.
Ceylon. Kamtfchatka.

North oi Norway. Lapland.
North of Sibiria, Kamtf-
(hatka.

NEW WORLD.

foundland. Canada. Not
further fouth : a variety
only, the Brandt Fox,
in Penfylvania.

From New England to the
fouthern end of North
America.

In Louijiana.

From Canada to Florida ;
thence through Mexico,
quite to ^ite in Peru.

From Canada^ over moft
parts of North America,

In the province of Nnv
York.

Carolina^ and perhaps other
parts of North America,

The fame in America ; alfo
as. low as Hudfon's Bay
and Labrador.

In all parts of North Ame-
rica.

To the north - weft of
Hudfoa's Bay, and on the
weftern fide of America.
About Nootka Sound,
On the Andes of Peru %.

As far north as the Copfer

Rivery and fouth as the

country between laice

Huron and Superior. On

the

* At I have been aflured by DoAor Pallas, ilnce the publication of my Hifiorj of Sluadruftds,
^SbemTt tramUtt^s* t CondamintU Travels, %t,^UIlQaU Voyage, i, 461,

T/BLE OF Q.UADRUPEDS.

cmt

LD. H

CBNUS.

jda. Not H

a variety H
ndt Fox, H

Raccoon, N* 22.

nd to the H

of North ■

VII. Badger.

No 23.

Florida ; ^1

h MexicOy ^1
in P«r«. ^1

over mod ^H

; Jmtrica. ^B

VIII. Opossum.

Virginian, N" 24.

IX. W£ESEt.

Common, N" 25*

e of Nm ^1

haps other H

Stoat, N« 26.

) America, ^|

-

«riVd } alfo ^1

Pine Martin, 7
N''27.j

- weft of ■
and on the ■
>f America. ■

Pelcan, N<'28.
Vifon, N''29.
Sable, N" 30.

•a Sound, H
of Peru %. I

Fifher, N»3i.

the Copper H
uth as the 1
veen lake 1
ptrior. On H
the 1

X. Otter;

Striated, N» 32.
Skunk, N»33.
Common, N" 34.

OLD WOaLD.

In the fouth of Norway,
and all the more fouth-
ern parts of Europe. In
the temperate parts of
Ajia, as far as China
eaftward. E,

Moft parts of Europe. Si'
biria. Kamtfchatka, Bar-
bary. E.

All the northern parts of
Europe and Afia ; and as
far as Kamtfchatka and
the Kuril ifles. E.

North of Europe. Rare in
France. Only in the weft
of Sihiria. In China, E.

Sibiria. Kamtfchatka. Kuril
ifles.

Northern Eurtpe and Afia.
I Kamtjibatia, E*

HIW WORLD.

the weftern fide of North
America,

From New England io Flo*
rida. Mexico. Ifles of
Maria, near Cape Cori-
entes, in the South Sea.

In the neighborhood of
Hudfen't Bay. Terra d»
Labrador, and as low at
Penfylvania,

As far north as Canada,
and from thence to the
Braftlt and Peru.

Hudfon't Bay, Newfound-
land. As far fouth as
Carolina.

Hudfon^t Bay, and as low
as Newfoundland and
Canada,

Northern parts of North
America, quite to the
South Sea.

Hudferii Bay, Canada.

Canada,

Canada,

Hudfon's Bay. New Eng-

land. Penfylvania,
Penfylvania to Louiftana.
From Hudfon*s Bay to Peru.
' From Hudfon's Bay to Loui-

Jiana,

ped{.

Lefler^

CLXXII

C E N U S.

TABLE OF dUADRUPEDS.

Lefler, N" 35.

Sea,

N'36.

OLD WORLD.

About the banks of the
YlaH. Poland, Lithuania.
Finland,

Kamtfchatka. Kuril ifles.

NEW WORLD,
From New Jerfey to Ca-
rolina.

Weftern coafts of Amer

tea.

D I V.

If.

XI. Hare.

XII. Beaver.

XIII. PORCU-

■•}

PINE

XIV. Masmot.

XV. St^riRRBL.

Varying, N»37.
Americany N" 38.
Alpiney N» 39.
Caftor, N° 40,

Mufk, No 41.

Canaday N" 42.

^ebtcy N» 43.
Marylandy N<>44.

Hoary, N" 45.
Tail-lefs, N°46.
Earlefs, N» 47.

Hudftttt N" 48.

Scandinavia. RuJJla. Sibi-
ria. Kamtfchatka. Green'
land. E.

From the Altaic chain to
lake Baikal', thence to
Kamtfchatka.

Scandinavia. About the
Jenefei and Kondu. In
Cafany and about the
Yaik.

Bohemia. Jujlria. Hunga-
ry. From the Occa over
the temperate parts of
Sibiria. About Jakutz.
Kamtfchatka,

Hudfon's Bay. About
Cook's river.

From HudforCt Bay to the
extremity of North Anu'
rica.

Aleutian ifles. Poflibiy the
weft of North America,

From Hudfm*s Bay to LoU'
ifiana.

From Hudfon's Bay to Lou'

ifiana.
From Hudfon's Bay to Vir-

ginia.
Canada,
From Penfylvania to the

Bahama ifles.
North of North America. ~
Hudfon's Bay.
Weftern fide oiNirth Amt-

rica.

HudforCiBay, Labrador,
Grey,

GENUS.

XVI. Dormouse
XVII. Rat.

TABLE OFQ.UADRUPEDS

OLD WORLD.

CLXVIII

Grey, ' N''49.

Black, N'sc.
Flying, N'si.

HoodeJ, N''52.
Severn River, 1

N°53.i
Striped, N" 54.

Engli^ ? N" 55.

Black, N" 56.

/fmerUattt N»58.
Water, N" 59.

XVIII. Shrew.

XIX. Mole.

Moufe, N" 60.

Field, N° 61.

Virginian^ N° 62.
Labrador i "i^'b^.
Hudfon'sy Wb\.
Meadow, N" 65.

Hare-tailed ? 1
N" 66. i
Foetid, N" 67.

Sibiria, as high as lat. 65.

Sweden^ and all Europe
fouth. E. Carolina ?

All Europe. Many of the
South Sea iflands. E.

Mongolia.

From Lapland to the fouth
oi Europe. From Peterf-
burgh to Kamtfchatkoy
and as low as the Caf-
plan fea, and Perfta. E,

Univerfal. E,

All Europe. Not beyond
the Urallian chain. E.

NEW WORLD.
New England to Peru and

Chili.
New England to Mexico.
From the fouthcrn part of

Hud/on'i Bay to Mexico.
Virginia,

Hudfon's Bay.

Hudfon's Bay to Louifiana,

The rocks among the Blut

Mountains,
North America.
From Canada to Carolina.

Among the rocks, with the

Black Rat.
HudfoWs Bay. New York,

Virginia,

Hudfon's Bay, Labrador.
Same places.
Sweden. All temperate Ruf- 1 Hudfon's Bay, Newfound-

Long-tailed

iled, 7
N''68-I

Radiated, N» 69.
Brown, N° 70.

fia. In Sibiria only to
the Irtifch, E.

Sibiria,

Europe. Sibiria. Kamtfchat-
ka. E.

land.

Hudfon^s Bay.
Hudfon's Bay. Carolina.

New Tori. Interior parts

of Hudfon's Bay,
New Tori,
New Tori.

D I V.

CIXXI?

TABLE OF Q.UADRUPEDS.

D I V. III.

GENUS.

XX. Walrus.

^rifict N°7i

XXI. Seal.

XXII. Manati.

CommoivN* 72.

Great, N» 73.
Leporine, N''75.
Harp, N" 77.

Urfine, N" 79.

Leonine, N" 80.

Whale-tailed, 1
Sea Ape, p. iSi*

XXIII. Bat.

(NewTork^yi 82.
Long haired, 7
N»83.3
Nodule, N''84.

OLD WORLD.

Spitsbergen. Greenland. No-
va Zemlja. The coaft of
thtFrozen Sea. And on the
Jftatit fide, to the fouth
of Bering' % ftreights, as
low as lat. 62. 50.

All i\it European and north-
ern i^o/;V feas, even to
the fartheft north. Kamtf-
chatka. E.

Greenland and Kamtfchatka.
E.

TVhite Sea. Leiand. Spitz-
bergen, Kamtfchatka.

Spitzbergen. Greenland. let-
land. TVhiteSea. Kamtf-
chatka,

Kamtfchatka. New Zealand.

Kamtfchatka.

Bering's ifle, and near the
ifle cf St. Mauritius.

D I V. IV.

New Zealand.

France. E.

NKW WORLD.

HudfoWs Bay. Gulph of
St. Laurence. On the
weftern fide of Jmerica,
as low as lat. 58. 42.

Northern feas of /merica.

Weft of North America.

There can be no doubt
that every fpecies of
Seal is found on the
American coaft.

Weft of America^ and from

the ifle of Gallipagos to

New Georgia.
Weit of America. Streights

of Magellan. Staten land.

Falkland ifles.
Weft of America,

Weft of America.

New York,
Carolina.

HudfotCi Bay,

Some

JOURNEY TO THE ICY SEA.

CLXXV

Some years ago a very important difcovery was made, not very remote from the Journiy to tmi
place where Captain Cook was obliged to defift from his northern voyage. **^^ ^'**
Mr. Samuel Hearne, in the fervice of the Hudfon's Bay Company, by direction of
the governors, began a journey, on December 7th 1770, towards the northern li-
mits oi America. He went attended only by Indians^ with whom he had been long
acquainted. He fet out from Prince of fFales fort, 58. 50, north lat. He
for a long fpace tooic a north-weftern courfe, crofled Menifchtic lake, in
lat. 61, a water thirty-five miles in breadth, full of fine iflands, and joining with
the river Namajy. He pafTed over pyiethen and Cajfed lakes, and from the laft
kept due weft. In April he reached Thleweyaxa Yetht a fmall lake in long, ig,
we(l from Churchil fort, lat. 61. 30, near which he made fome Hay to build
canoes, now rcquifite againft the breaking Up of the froft. From that lake he
began a courfe due north, and crolTed a chain of lakes, of which Titumeg is
one. In lat. 64. he went over Pejhew lake ; after that, the great lake Cogeedy
out of which iflues a river pointing north-eaft, which is fuppofed to fall into
Baffin's bay. About the middle of June he crofled the great river Conge-catha-
wha-chaga^ in lat. 68. 46; and from Churchil river weft long. 24. 2. About thofe
parts are the Stoney Mountains, extending in longitude from 1 16 to 122 from
London: craggy, and of a tremendous afpeft. On July 7 th he arrived at Buffalo lake,
in lat. 69. 30 : here he firft faw the Mujk Buffalo, N» 2. Near the north end is
Grizzle Bear-hill, in about lat. 70, fo called from its being the haunt of numbers
of thofe animals. On July 13th he reached the banks of Copper River, which runs Copper Rjvbi.
due north into the Icy Sea. About the fouth end is much wood, and very high
hills. Its current is very rapid, and its channel choaked with ihoals, and crofled
with ftoney ridges, which form three great catara<fts. Its banks are high, the
breadth about a hundred and eighty yards ; but in fome places it expands into
the form of a lake. In an ifland of the river unfortunately happened to be a
fummer encampment of five tents of EJkimaux. The Indians attendant on Mr. Eskxmaox.

Hearne grew furious at the fight of them. It is their firm opinion, that thcfe
favages are magicians, and that all the evils they experience refult from their
incantations. Mr. Hearne in vain folicited his Indians to forbear injuring thefe
poor people. They, with their ufual cowardice, deferred the attack till night,
when they furprifed and murdered every one, to the number of between twenty
and thirty. A young woman made her efcape, and embraced Mr. Hearne's feet ;
but fhe was purfued by a barbarian, and transfixed to the ground. He obfcrved
in their tents (which were m.de of deer-lkins with the hair on) copper veflels,
and whale-bone, and the (kins of Seals, wooden troughs, and kettles made of a
foft ftone (by his defciiption a lapis ollaris), and diflies and ffoons formed from

z 2 the

cLxxTi JOURNEY TO THE ICY SEA.

the thick horns of the BufFalo. Their arms are fpears, darts, and bows and ar-
rows i the lall pointed with iionc or copper, but mod rudely made, for want of
proper tools. In their drefs they much refcmble the EJJcimaux of Hudftn's Bay,
but the tails of their jackets are (horter ; neither do the women, like them, ftif^'eii
out the tops of their boots. Their canoes diiler in not having long projecting prows,
but in other refpeds arc of the fame con(lru£tion. In moft circumdances thefe
people refemble thofe of the Bay i and difter materially only in one, for the
men in thefe pull out by the roots all the hair of their heads.-— Mr. Hearne firft
faw the fea on July 16, at the diHance of eight miles. Hfe went to the mouth
of the river (in lat. 72 ; weft long, from London I2l) which he found full of (hoais
and falls, and inacccflible to the tide, which feemed to flow twelve or fourteen
feet. The fea was at this time full of ice, and on many pieces he faw Seals.
The land trended both to the ead and to the weft, and the fea was full of iflands.
The land about Copper river, for the fpace of nine or ten miles to the fea, con-
fiftcd of fine mar/hcs, filled in many places with tall Willow, but no fort of berry-
bearing (hrubs. There are no woods within thirty miles of the mouth of Copptr
river ; and thofc which then appear, confift of ill-fliaped and ftunted Pines.

The people who live neareft to this river, are the Copper-mine Indians,, and
the Plat-cotes de ChienSy or Dog-ribbed Indians ; thefe have no diredl commerce
with Hudfon's Bay, but fell their furs to the more fouthern Indians^ who come
for them, and bring them down to the fettlements. The Dog-ribbed Indians
flill make their knives of ftones and bones, and head their arrows with flate.
The Copper Indians have abundance of native copper in their country ; they
make with it ice-chifTels and arrow-heads. The mine is not known ; but I
find that an Indian chief, who had many years ago communication with a Mr.
Frojl, one of the Company's fervants, fays, that the copper was ftruck off a rock
with fliarp ftones ; and that it lay in certain iflands far to the northward, where
was no night during fummcr •.

Mr. Hearne fet out on his return the 22d of July. He took, in fome places, a
route difl^erent from what he did in going, and got to the fettlements in June 1772.
I have peru fed the journal, and had frequent converfation with Mr. Hearne ih^
laft year. I took the liberty to queftion him about the waters he had crofTed
during winter upon the ice ; and whether they might not have been at that time
• obftrufted ftreights, a paflTage to the Pacific Ocean ? He aflTured me, that he could

make no miftake : that he paiTed over many of them in canoes during the fum-

• Dobbis Account ef Hudfon's Bay, Sec. 47.

mer,

GREENLAND,

cixxrti

tneti and that the others had large rivers running out of them, almoft every
one to the wcfb : that the Indians^ who eroded them annually, in their way
to the north to trade for furs, were exceedingly well acquainted with them,
ai)J knew them to be freHi-water lakes } and in particular ufed to fi(h in them for
I'ikcs, fiHi notorioufly known never to frequent falt-water.

I mud now take a blind unguided courfe along the Icy Sea, The charts give Giiiinlan'O.
th; land a turn to the fouth, in lat. 8i. long. 22 from London. This is the mod
northern extremity of the country called Green/and^ if it reaches fo far ; but, be-
yond the difcovery hy Mr. Hearnr, in lat. 72, the northern limits given in our
charts appear to be merely conjectural. To the fouth, on the eadern coad, in
1670, was fcen land in lat. 79. Another part, in lat. 77. 30, called in the maps
thtland of Edam ^ was feen in 1655. ^^^ '"'*' named Gatl-hamkiSt in lat. 75,
was difcovered in 1664. A headland was obferved, in 1665, a degree further
fouth : and in 1607 oiir celebrated Hudfon difcovered what he named Hold with
Hope, in lat. 73 *. Excepting the laft, the reft of the attempts were made by
the Danes, for the recovery of Old Greenland. Gael-hamkes alone continues known
to navigators, and is annually frequented by European Whale-fifhers, who ex-
tend their bufinefs even to this coaft. It is reprefented ^s a great ftreight, twenty-
five leagues wide, communicating with Baffin i Bay. A fpecics of Whale, fre-
quent in Davis's Sti eights, and not found on this fide of the coafls, is often fcen
here harpooned with the ftone weapons of the inhabitants of the oppofite country ;
which fifh muft have efcaped through this paflagef. The land to the north of Gael-
hmkes is level, and not very high ; and within five or fix leagues from it are
foundings. That to the fouth is very lofty, and rifes into peaks like that of
Sp'itzbergen; and the fea oppofite to it is fathomlefs J.

In lat. 71. long. 8. weft from London, is John Mayen's ifland, formerly much
frequented by Whale-fifliers } but thofe animals have now left the neighboring
fea. The north end rifes into a prodigious mountain called Beerenberg, or the
Bears, from its being the haunt of numbers ; but it is fo fteep as to be inacceflible
to all human creatures. The fea, within muflcet-fliot from ftiore, was fixty fa-
thoms deep J a little farther the depth is part the reach of the line ||.

Oppofite to /c^/flW begins the once-inhabited part oi Old Greenland. A very OldGreenlanb,
deep ftreight opens a little oppofite to Snafelnas, and runs acrofs Greenland, near
'Jacob's Hiveny into Davis's Streights, {o as quite to infulate the country : it is

John Mayen's

It>LB.

• Punkas, iii. 568.
Sl'itzh, 186.

■f Voyages par de Pages, ii. 111.

X Same.

y Marten's

now

CI XWIII

OLD GREENLAND.

Pi PI fD uvNot-

W;.G|AN,i.

VoYHCtt or THI

Zkni.

now almod entirely clofcd with ice, and annually fills the fca with the grratcd
i.elergs, which arc forccJ out of it. A little to the north of the callcrii entrance
are two mountains of a (lupcndous hcigiit, called lUaaftrk and ffuilftri, cafed in
perpetual ice. The whole country, to the fouthcrn end, conftlU of fimihr
mountains: a few exhibit a (loncy furfacc; but the greater part are genuine
glacieres, fliooting into lofty peaks, or rujgcd fummits : yet fuch a country as
this became the rLttlcmeiit of numbers of Ntnvegiuns during feveral centuries.
The v.iliant £>/<; Raudf, or the RtJ, having committed a murder in his own country
(a common caufe for fcclting advcnturos, with the heroes of Greece as well as Scan-
dinavia) fled here in the tenth century. Numbers of his countrymen followed
him. Lei/, his fon, became a convert to Chrillianity. Religion flouriflied here:
a bilhoprick was clbblifhed, and monadcries founded. The cathedral was at
Gardar, a little to the fouth of the polar circle.

In Hackluyt • is a relation of the voyage of the two Ztni (noble Venttiam)
who in 1380 vifited this country, and give evidence to the exigence of the con*
vent, ani a church dedicated to St. Thomast ponefll-d by friers preachers. It
appears to have been built near a vulcano, and the materials were lava, ce-
mented with a fort of pulvis puttolanus^ which is known to be a vulcanic at>
tendant. A fpring of boiling water was near the houfe, and was conveyed into it
for all their culinary ufes. I am not avcrfe to giving credit to this account ;
there being no rcafon to deny the former exiHence of burning mountains, when
fuch numbers are to be f.und in the neighboring Iceland; and at this very time
there is a fountain of hot water in the \^q oi Onortok, not remote from Cape Farewells ,
A ftrange phrafeology runs through the voyage of thefc two brethren, and perhaps
fome romance i but fo much truth is every where evident, that I hefitate not to
credit the authenticity.

Torfaiis enumerates fevcnteen bifhops who prefided over the diocefc. The lad
prelate was appointed in 1408. The black death had almoft depopulated the coun-
try not long before that period. Probably the furviving inhabitants fell viftims to
want, or were extirpated by the natives : for, after that year, we hear no more' of
them. It certainly had been well inhabited: the ruins of houfes and churches
evince its former ftate. In the fifteenth century the kings of Denmark attempted to
difcover whether any of the antient race remained; but ail in vain : the adver.turers
were driven ofFthe coaft by the ice with which it was blocked up, which remains
an invincible obfiacic to re-fettle the eadern coaft, even were there the left tempta-
tion. All is a dreadful tra(5l from lat. 81 to StaUn Hook or Cape Farewell^ its

Vol. iii. 1*3 } and Purcbai, iii. 610.

f Crantz, i. i8.

fouthern

NEW GREENLAND.

CLXX.X

(outhern extrpmity, on an i(le off that point, in lat. 59 j on both fide*
ileeply indented with bays, bounded by icy promontories. Many of thcfc bays
h.id been patM of pervious (freights, which had divided the country into feveral
iilandsi but arc now totally obftrut^rd with ice. Befidrs that I before mentioned,
was one in lat. 63, called Biir-fund ; atui rHat in 62. 50, immortaiir.ed by the
name of our celebrated failor Frobijhtr^ who penetrated into it fixty leagues, in
his firft voyage in 1576, in his fcarch for a paflage to Cathaya\ but imagined that
jljia bounded the right fide, and America the left *. He met with inhabitants,
il^fcribes them and their crconomy, and is particular about their great dogs, and
their ufe of thim in drawing their fledges. In his fccond voyage he found a
}lariuhal dead on the fliorc, and has given a figure of it. * This home,' fayg
he, ' is to be feene and referved as a jewel by the Q^ieens Majcflics commandemeit,
in her wardrop of robes f-' — The original map of his voyages is a fingular
(ketch of erroneous fuppofition. He makes his freights reach to the Icy Stay
oppofite to what he calls Cathaya^ juft to the north of what is made to refemble
the new-difcovered ftreights of Bering ', which, in the map, arc called thofe of
Man; and accidentally gives them a tolerably juft form %. Thofe of Jnian are
equally fabulous with thofe of de Fuca^ but of prior invention ; and, like them,
were fayed to have been a pafTage from the South to the Norih fea||. Qiieen
Elizabeth beilowed on his difcoveries the name of Meta Incognita.

Greenland was re-fettled with Norwegians in 1721, by the zeal of the Reverend
Mr, Hans Egedet the //r<?7/V apoftle §. He continued, till 1735, preaching the
Gofpel to the poor natives ; and had not only the happinefs of feeing his labors
blefled with efPciSl, but his example followed by a numerous fet of miflionaries,
who have formed (on the weftern fide only) many fcttlements, which flourifh
even to this day. Mr, Egede returned to Denmark y founded a feminary for ftu-
dents in the G/«/n/j/i</ language, from which mi/Tionaries were to be drawn ; and
iini(hed his pious life in 1754.

At Cape Farewell begins the vaft opening between Greenland and Terra de La-
hadiry which leads to Hud/on's Bay. Between the weft fide of Greenland and cer-
tain vaft iflands, are Davis's Streights, which lead to Barn's Bay. Thefe iflands

Frobiihu'i
Stkiioh ri.

Nsw Green*
Land.

• ' A true Difcourfe of the late Voyages of Difcoverie for finding a Paffage to Catkaya by the
•north-weft, under the Condufl of Martin Frobi/ber, General. Printed by Wf/»ry By«/ywa/», 1578.*
Firft Voyage, p. 48.

t The Same, Second Voyage, p. 19.

X In the fame book.

II See an account of tliefe imaginary ftreights in Drage's Foy. to Hud/en'i Streighti, vol. ii. 6S.

\ Crantx, i, 179. 185.

6 in

ctxxx

NEW GREENLAND.

Trees.

Ice-Blinck.

TiPES.

in difFerent maps bear difTcrcnt names, and in one are even confolidatcd ; fo little

are thcfe parts known *.

To defcribe Gr.W^W, would be to ring changes on ice, and fnow, and lofty
mountains (L ne, according to Mr. Craritz, a thoufand fathoms high) rifing into
broken crags or fh.\rp fpires, or vallies with no other garniture than mois and
fome moor grafs ; and in fome parts are long flat mountains, clad with perpetual
ice and fnow. Where the birds, by their dung, have formed a little foil, fome
plants are found. Mr. Crc7ntz t enumerates about twenty-four fpecies, befides
the cryptogamious kinds. Egedm obfcrved, in lat. 60 or 61, fmall Junipers,
Willows, and Birch ; the laft two or three yards high, and as thick as a man's
Icct; an amazing tree for this country. Davis alfo faw fome low Birch and
Willows as high as about lat. 65 §. Nature here fuffers the reverfe of mcliora-
tion ; the glacieres conftantly gain on the vallies, and deftroy all hopes of im-
provcmcnt. That amazing glaciere, the Le Blind or Ice Glance, on the weftcrn
coaft is admirably defcribcd by Mr. Crantz. I muft refer to him for the account,
after faving, that it is a ftupendous aggregate at the mouth of an inlet, and of an
amazing height ; the brilliancy of which appears like a glory to the navigators at
manv leat^ues diftance. It forms, beneath, a feries of moft magnificent arches, extend-
inw eight leagues in length, and two in breadth ; through thefe arc carried, at the
ebb of tide, great fragments of ice, which have fallen from various icebergs, and
prove one fupply to the ocean of its floating ice ||. The ftreights, nowobftrufled to
iiav 'cation, are fuppofed to be open at bottom, by arches fimilar to thofe fpoken
of; for an immenfe quantity of ice is annually difcharged from their mouths **.
I have mentioned the iflands of ice at p. lxxxv ; for thofe of Spiizbergen have
every thing in common with thofe of Greenland, Perhaps the colors in the laft
may be more brilliant j the green being as high as that of the emerald, the
blue equal to that of the fapphir ; the firft, Mr. Egede attributes to the conge-
lation of frefl), the latter to that of falt-water ff. Here are frequent inftancesof
the freezing of the fea-water. The froft often forms a pavement of ice from ifland
to ifland, and in the confined inlets 1%.

The tides rife at the fouth of this country three fathoms, in lat 65; on the weft
fide two, or in fpring-tides three ; at Di/co, about lat. 69, only one ; further
north it finks even to one foot. In great fpring-tides, efpecially in winter, is
this ftrange phenomenon : fprings of frefh-water are forced up on the fliores in
places where they were before unknown §§. ^

• Collate Mr. MiJJleton's map, and others.
§ HacUujt. iii. loi. i| Crantz, i. xi to 24.

\X Cratitx, i. 43. §§ Same, 41,

f Vol. i. 60.
•• Same, 19,

J Hifl. Greeid.

During

GREENLAND.

CLXXXI

During the long day of the fliort fummer i» confiderable heat. The long
winter is a little cheared by the Aurora Borealisy which appears and radiates with
unufual brilliancy and velocity in the fpring, about the time of the new moon.
Fogs give a gloom to the fummer, and froft-fmoke often adds horror to the winter.
It rifes out of the opening of the ice in the fea, and peels ofF the very (kin from
thofe who venture to approach it. The effeft of the froft is very violent on the
human body ; but lefs fo than in the north-eaft of Sibiriaj where at times it
is fatal to ftir abroad, even when protedled with every guard of cloathing *.

The Greenlanders faftidioufly ftyle themfelves Innuh, i.e. meny as if they were
the Aandard of the human race ; yet few of them attain the height of five feet ;
but are well made. Their hair is long and black ; their faces flat ; their eyes
fmalJ. They are a branch of the EJkimauxy the fmall race which border-i all
the jir£lie coafts. They originated from the Samoied Afiaikiy who, paffing over
into the New World, have lined the coaft from Prince fp'illlam's Sound on the
weflern fide, in lat. 6i, quite to the fouthern part of Labrador on the eaftern.
They crept gradually in their little canoes northward, and diminifhed in fizc in
their progrefs, till they attained their full degeneracy in the EJkimaux and Green-
landers. Similar people, or vefliges of them, have been feen in different places,
from Prince William's Sound to the north of Bering's ftreights. They were again
ken by Mr. Hearne in lat. 72. By report of the Greenlanders of Difco bay,
there are a few inhabitants in Baffin's bay, in lat. 78. Egede fays, that the coun>
try is peopled to lat. 76 + } but the higheft colonized fpot is at Noogfook^ in lat. 71.
7 hey are a race made for the climate, and could no more bear removal to a tem-
perate clime, than an animal of the torrid zone could into our unequal (ky :
feafons, and defe£t of habitual food, would foon bring on their deftruftion. This
race has been found to agree in manners, habits, and weapons, and in many
inftances in language, from Prince TVilliani's Sound to the cpd of Lahrador^ a tra£l
extending near fifteen hundred leagues^. They only line the coafts; for the Indians
perfecute them with mercilefs hatred, and almoft pufli them into the fea. They
imagine thcfe poor creatures to be magicians, and that to them they owe every ill
fuccefs in life §, The numbers of the Greenlanders are now amazingly diminifhed.
In 1730 there were thirty thoufand fouls, at prefent only ten thoufand j a decrcafe
chiefly owing to the ravage of the fmall-pox.

Greenland has been moft happy in its Zoologift. The Reverend Mr. Otto Fa-
bricius, whom a laudable zeal for enlightening the minds of the grofs inhabitants,

AuROaABoREA-
LII.

• Foyage en Siberie, i. 381. t As inioled in Gr^w'smap of America. % Cook's roj, i.

Prtf. LXXiv. h Same, ii. 43.

a a led

cixxacii

GREENLAND.

led to thefe parts, hath given a moft ample and clafllcal account of the animals.
His Fauna Groenlandica is among the firft works of the kind. I eagerly ex-
pe<Sl the performance of ths promifed remainder of the work.
QuADRUFEDi. The Quadrupeds r*" this country are, the Reirt'deer^ N» 4, which are here

merely confidered as objefts of the chace. Their number is lelTened greatly,
and they are now only found in the moft remote parts. The Ukakrajek * is, I
fufpeiS, an animal of imagination. It is faid, by the Greenlanders^ to be long-
eared, hare-lipped, and to refemble that animal j to have a (hort tail ; to be of a
white color, with a dark lift down the back, and of the fize of a Rein-deer,
The Dogs, p. 41, refemble Wolves in figure, fize, and nature. Left to them-
felves, tkey hunt in packs the few animals of the country, for the fake of prey.
They exaftly refemble the Dogs of the EJktmaux of Labrador. It is probable,
that they might have been originally brought here by their mafters, who firft fled
that country, and populated Greenland. Arctic Foxes, N° 10, abound here ; and,
with Polar Bears, N" 18, infeft the country. Had I 'not fuch excellent authority,
I fhould have doubted whether the Wolverene^ N' 21, ufually an inhabitant of
wooded countries, was found in Greenland; but it is certainly met with, yet rarely, in
the fouthern parts, where it preys on the Rein-deer and White Hares. It muft have
been originally wafted hither on the ice from Terra de Labrador., the neareft place
to this, of which it is an inhabitant. The Varying Hare, N' 37, is very
common. The Walrus, and five fpecies of Seals, inhabit thefe feas : the
Common, N" 72 i the Great, N" 73 ; the Rough, N" 74 ; the Hooded, N" 76;
the Harp, N* 77 ; and an obfcure fpecies, called by the Laplanders^ Fatne Vindac,
with a round head and long fnout, bending like the probofcis of an elephant f.
Mr. Fabricius zAis to the marine animals, the Whale-tailed ^a«<7//, N° 81, of
which he once faw the head partly confumed.

The Polar Bears, Seals, and Manati, were originally natives of thefe coun-
tries. The other Quadrupeds found their way here from e\\kier Hudfon's Bay ox
Labrador, on the iflands of ice. ThzAr£fic Fox found the fame kind of conveyance
from Greenland to Iceland as it did with the Rein-deer to Spitzbergen. To the
laft was wafted, probably from Labrador, the Common Weefel, the Red or Com-
mon Fox } and the Moufc, mentioned p. XLIX, miffed Greenland, but arrived
at and ftocked Iceland; and the Common Bat was originally tempeft-driven to the
latter from Norway : the Wolverene and Varying Hare never reached farther than
Greenland. — This fcems the progrefs of Quadrupeds in the frigid zone, as high
as land is found.

• Faun, Croent. p. «<.

+ Same, p. J7,-~'Lee»iiLaJ<m, 114, jij.

The

GREENLAND.

clxx^n

The note * gires the fum of the Birds, land and water.

The numbers of Fifli which frequent thefe icy feas ■»< i very confiderable.
They are, indeed, the great rendezvous of Whales. There is a fifliery for them
by the Dutch^ in Dijko Bay^ as early as /fpril t» The natives take them at other
times, cut off the blubber in an awkward manner, and preferve that and the whale-
bone as articles of commerce. It is certain that they do not drink train-oil«
like the true EJkimauxy and fome other congenerous people $. The fpecict
which frequent Greenland are, the Monodok Monoceros, or Narwhal,
Lin. Syji. 10$ : the Monodon Spurius, Faun. Groenl. N" 19 ; a rare
fpecies, with two teeth, about an inch long, projeiEling from the extremity
of the upper jaw : the Balaena Mystecetus, or Common Whale, Br.
Zool. iii. N" 16 : Balaena Phvsalus, or Finfish, N" 18 j Balaena
MuscuLUs, or Round-lipped, N" 19 : the Balaena Rostrata, Faun.
Groenl. N'*84} a very fmall fpecies with 2 long fnout : Physeter Macroce-
phalus. Faun. Groenl. N" 25 : Physeter Catodon, or Round-headep
Cachalot, Br. Zool. iii. ^"22 : Physeter Microps, or Blunt-headed Ca-

BlRDI.
FiSHIE.

A.

Hebridal Sandpiper,

No 38a

• Cinereous Eagle,
Greenland Falcon,
Gyi falcon.

p. 114 B.

tlQ E.

ail F.

Dunlin Sandpiper,
Alwargrim Plover,
Ringed Plover

No 391
NojsR
No 401

Collared Falcon,

ai2 G.

C.

Grey Phalarope
Red Phalarope,

Long-eared Owl i
Snowy Owl,
Raven,

NO 11;;
No III
No IJ4

No 41a
No 413

Ptarmigan,

p. 315 B.

D.

Snow Bunting,

No ail

Great Auk,

No 4*4

Lulean Finch,

p. 380 B.

Razor-bill,

No 415

Lefs Red-poll

No»6a

Black-billed,

No 416

Wheat-ear

p. 410 P.

Puffin,

No 4*7

Crefted Titmoufe ?

p. 4»7 F.

Liule,

No4»9

Black Guillemot,

No 437

B.

Northern Diver,

No 439

Common Heron,

NO 433

Red -throated D.

No 443

Snipe,

No 366

Great Tern,

No 448

Jadreka,

N037S

Black-backed Gull,

No 451

Striated Sandpiper,

No 383

Cinereous G. (Lin.

Syjt.) 114

Glaucous,

p. S3* B

Ivory Gull,

No 457

Tarrock,

P- 533 D

Arftic,

No 459

Fulmar Petrel,

No 461

Shearwater P.

No46j

Goofander

No 465

Red-breafted G.

No 466

Canada Goofe 1*

No 471

Grey lag Goofe,

No 47 J

Brant,

No 478

Bernade,

No 479

Eider Duck,

No 489

King Duck,

No 481

Golden Eye

No48fi

Pin-tail

No 500

Long-tailed,

No 501

Harlequin,

No 490

Mallard,

No 494

Morillon,

p. 573 F.

The fifth fpecies is veiy doubtful. Except the Canada Goofe ? there is not a fpecies of Bird which
is not found in Europe. This induces me to place all thofe of Greenland in the appendage* to the
genera, as they feeni to have littU dame to America.

•J- Crantz, i. n8. t Eg^'ie, in.—Crantz, i. i44«

a a 2 CHALOT,

CLXXZiv GREENLAND.

CHAtOT, Br. Zeal. iii. N» 21 : Delphinus Orca, or Spbkhuggbr, Faun.
Groenl. N" 28 ; the tormentor of the greater Whales, whom they will fix on, as
Bull-dogs will on a Bull, and tear out large pieces from their bodies : Delphi-
nus Phoca, the PoRPEssE, Br. ZooL iii. N 25 : Delphinus Delphis
or the Dolphin, N" 24: the Delphinus Tursio, or the Grampus, N»26:
and finally, the Delphinus Albicans, or Beluga Whale, p. 182 of this
Work, which enlivens thofe waters with its refplendent whitenefs.

Among the cartilaginous fpecies are the Raia Fullonica, Lin. Syji. 3^6 : the
White Shark, Br. Zool, iii. N" 42, equally voracious from the equator to the
Ar£lic circlej and, with fiercenefs unfubdued by climate, often bites in two the
Greenlanders fitting in their Seal-flcin canoes : the Picked Shark, Br. Zool,
N" 40: the Basking Shark, N" 41: the Squalus Pristis, or Saw
Shark, Lin. SyJi. 4(91 : the Lump Sucker, Br. Zool. iii. N* 57 ; a great ar-
ticle of food with the natives : Cyclopterus Spinosus, or Spiny Sucker
Faun, Groenl. "S" ()2' Cyclopterus Minutus, or the Minute, N" 94 : the
Unctuous Sucker, Br. Zool. N** 58.

Of the boney Filhes, the Eel, Br. Zool. N*' 63, is rarely found in the fouthcrn
rivers. The Wolf-fish, N** 65, appears here in the fpring with the
Lump Fifh, and difappears in autumn. The Greenland Faunift defcribes a leffer
variety, in N" 97, b. The Launce, Br. Zool. iii. N*' 66 : the Ophidium Vi-
ride. Faun. Groenl. N» 99 : the Haddock, Br. Zool. iii. N" 74, is plentiful
here in winter. Gadus Callarias, or Varied Cod, Lin. Syjf. 436 ; and
Common Cod, Br. Zool. iii. N" 73, frequent the coafts in fpring and au-
tumn. The Pout, N" 75 : Gadus Virens, or Green Cod, Lin. Syjl,
438 : the Hake, Br. Zool. N" 81 : the Ling, N° 85 : and the Gadus
Brosme, Faun. Groenl. N° 107, are fpecies of Cod-fifti found in thefe feas.
The Spotted Blenny, Br. Zool. iii. N" 93. A new fpecies, the Blennius
Punctatus, Faun. Groenl, N''iio; and that curious fifli the Coryphaena
RuPESTRis, N" III, Aa. Nidr. iii. tab. m.; the firft rare, the lafl: fre-
quent in the deep fouthern bays. The Armed Bull-head, Br. Zool. iii. N^oS.
The Father Lasher, N» 99, is a moft common fifli, and fingularly ufc-
ful. CoTTUs ScoRPioiDES, Faun. GrienL N" 114, or Quadricornis, Li>i.
SyJl- 45» i and the River Bull-head, Br: ZooL iii. N* 97, are found here
in falt-water. The Zeus Gallus, Lin. SyJi. 454, a fifli of the hotteft parts of
South America^ is fufpeded to be found here. The Holidut, Br. Zool. iii.
N" 102, is very common; as is the Pleuronectes Cynoglossus, Faun. Groenl.
N" 118; and the new fpecies, Pl. Platessoides, N'^ 119, is feen here in
fmall nu-nbcrs near the mouths of rivers. Labrus Exoletu?, Faun. Groenl.

N" 120 r

GREENLAND.

N" 120: Striped Wrasse ? Br. Zeel. iii. 119: Porca Norveoica, Faun.
Gmnl.H'^iii: Three-Spined Stickleback, Br.Zool. iii. Noiag, notonlyin
rivers but places overflowed by the fea. Tlie Salmon, N<> 143, is extremely
fcarce at prefent ; yet in Davit's time, was among the prefents made to him by
the favages ; and Bajin * faw moft amazing (hoals of thefe fifti in Cockin's Sounds
on this weftern coaft, in lat. 6^. 45. The Salmo Carpio, Faun. Grotnl. N" 124,
is one of the moft common and ufcful fifhes ; is frequent in the lakes, rivers, and
cftuaries. The Char, Br. Zool. iii. N" 149, conforts with the other, and is as
common. The Salmo Stacnalis, Faun. Grotnl. N" 126, a new fpccics, found
remote in the mountain lakes, and caught only by the hunters of Rcin-dcer. The
Salmo RiVALis, No 127, is another, inhabiting fmall brooks. The Salmo
Arcticus, No 128, or Capelin of the Newfoundland fifliers t» is the laft
of this genus, but the moft ufeful ; the daily bread, and the fifli in higheft
efteem with the Grttnlanders., and providentially given to them in the grcateft:
abundance. The Common Herring, Br. Zool, 'ii. N" 160, is a rare fifli in thefe
feas ; as is the Anchovy, N° 163.

The fame indefatigable Zcologift hath difcovered in this country (including
cruftaceous) not fewer than ninety-one Infects, a hundred and twenty-fix Vermes,
ftfty-nine fhells, and forty-two Zoophytes.

John Davis, a moft able feaman, was the firft who examined the weft fide
of Greenland. Cefore his time the eaftern coaft was the only part known to
Europeans. He made there three different voyages, in 1585, 1586, and 1587.
After doubling Cape Farewell^ he founded, and could not find bottom with three
hundred fathoms of line. North of what he properly called the Land of Defola-
tion^ he arrived in a filthy, black, and ftagnating water, of the depth of a hun-
dred and twenty fathoms. He found drift-wood in lat. 65, and one entire tree
fixty feet long, with its root ; the fpeties were Fir, Spruce, and Juniper J,
which came down from remote places on the banks of the rivers of Hudfoh's
Bay; for Mr. Hutchins afTures me, that to this day, in certain years, vaft quanti-
ties of timber are brought down with the ice at the opening of the rivers. He alfo
met with black Pumices ||, whether from neighboring vulcanoes, burning or cx-
tinft, remains unknown ; or whether, which is moft probable, conveyed there
from Iceland. The ftone of the country is moftly granitical. Some fand-ftone,
and many forts of coarfe marble. The Lapis Ollaris is found here in abun-
dance, and of great ufe to the natives for making of pots. Talc is frcq^uent hcrc>

CI.XXZT

• Purchas, iii. 848. f See it well engraven in M. Du Hamel, H1JI. He Poi/ansi part ii.

tab. xxvi. t Davii'i I'oj.xn Hack/ujt, iii, loi. U Same, in.

A{bcftos>

GLXXXTI

BAFFIN'S BAY.

Afbeftoi, and Gypfum. Granates are not uncommon.' Sulphureous Marcafltet,
which have more than once deceived the navigators with the opinion of their be*
ing gold *. The mineral fymptoms of copper, fuch as ftains of blue and green,
are feen on thefe rocks j but avarice itfelf will never tempt adventurers to make
here a trial.

Davis got as high as lat. 72, and called the country London Coafl, The
Areight he pailed, between the weft of Greenland and the great iflands, is honored
by his name. He feems to have been engaged among the great iflands ; for he
fays he failed fixty leagues up a found, found the fea of the fame color with
the main fea, and faw feveral Whales. He failed through another found to the
fouth>weft, found ninety fathom water at the entrance ; but within could not
touch ground with three hundred and thirty. He had hopes of having found the
long-fought-for paiTage. The tides rofe fix or feven fathoms ; but, as is frequent
among iflands, the flood came from fuch variety of places, that he could not
trace its principal origin f.

Baffin's Bay.

At lat. 72. 30, I muft take as my pilot that great feaman ff^tlliam Baffin^ who
gave name to the great bay I now enter on. His firft voyage was in 1613; his
fecond, in which he made the mod: eifetSlual trial for the north-weft paftage, was
in 1616. He pafTed through Davis's Streights. In lat. 70. 20, on the London Coafl,
he found the tides rife only eight or nine feet. In Horn Sounds lat. 73. 45, he met
with feveral people %. To the north of that, in 75. 40, was a large and open bay ; Cape
Dudley Digges forms its northern point ; within is Wejienholme Sound; beyond that,
Whale Sound', and in the extreme north, or bottom of this great bay, is that named by
Baffin after Sir Thomas Smith, lying in 78 degrees. In thofe three founds were abun-
dance of Whales } but in the laft the largeft in all this bay. It is highly probable,
that there are one or more communications from hence to the Icy Sea, through
which the Whales pafs'at certain feafons ; and this (if I may colled from their
numbers) might be that of their migration fouthward. The diftance into the
Jcy Sea can be but very fmall, but probably blocked up with ice ; or if not, from
the fudden fliifting of the ice in that fea by the change of wind, the pafl'age
muft be attended with too great hazard to be attempted. The ice prevented our
great feaman from making trial of the tides in this bay, which would have brought
the matter to greater certainty. He faw multitudes of IValrufes and Seals in
thefe parts, but no figns of inhabitants. From hence the land trended wefterly,

• Furdait liut^i'^Egede, ja.

•J Haff'Wt, iii. jo»i

X Same, 846.

to

RUSSIAN SETTLEMENTS.

CLXXXTII

to a found he called by the name of Alderman Jones, in lat. 76. 40. Here the land
ran due fouth to a great found in lat. 74. 20, which he called Sir yames Lemca/ier's.
From this place the land took an eaftern curvature, to the ftreights between the
continent and Cumberlt/nd ifland. Baffin took his courfe between that ifle and
the ifle of Saint Jamts^ left his name to the ftreight he palTed, and arrived fafe
in Cociin's Sound, on the coaft of fVe/i Greenlandy where he found the tide rife
eighteen feet : this, and fimilar excefles, arifing from the confined fituation of
places *.

This is the only voyage ever made into Baffin's Bay. Chrlftian IV. of Denmark^
in 1619, fent John Munck, a mod able feaman, to make difcoveries in thefe parts ;
but, notwithftanding any furmifes of his having reached this famous bay, he got
no farther than Hudfon's Bay j to which, in honor of his mafter, he gave the
name of Chriftian Sea. He pafTed a miferable winter in Churchill river, and re-
turned home the next year, after lofing, during his flay on (bore, every man but
two f.

Before I quit thefe frozen regions, I muflTonce more return to Spitzbergen, to
relate, what has but very lately been communicated to me, that the Ruffians have
of late attempted to colonize thefe dreadful iflands. They have, for a few years
paft, fent parties to continue there the whole year ; who have eftablilhed fettle-
ments on the ifle of Spitziergeny at Croon Bay, King's Bay^ Magdakna Bay, Smee-
renburghy and Green Harbour j where they have built huts, each of which is oc-
cupied by about two boats crews, or twenty-fix men. They bring with them
failed fifli, rye-flour, and the ferum or whey of four milk. The whey is their
chief beverage, and is alfo ufed in baking their bread. Each hut has an oven,
which ferves alfo as a ftove ; and their fuel is wood, which they bring with them
from /Irchangel. The huts are above ground, and moft furprizingly warm;
placed alfo in fituations which may guard them as much as poflUble from the keen-
nefs of the northern wind.

Mr. Erjkine Tonnach, furgeon of Dunbar (who, by the friendfliip of the worthy
Mr. George Baton, of Edinburgh, favored me with this account) gives me the
following particulars from his own knowledge. — " During our ftay on the ifland,
my curiofity prompted me to go on fliore, that I might fee the oeconomy of thefe
ardic fettlers ; and had an opportunity of feeing them dine : and though their
fare appeared coarfe, the difpatch they ufe, faid a great deal for their health and

* For the account of this curious voyage, fee Purchas, !!!• from p. 836 to 848.
t Clerk of the California's Foy, i, 106,— For a further account of this unfortunaXe voyage, fee
CburchiWi Collection, ii. 47a,

5 tppetite.

CLXXXVIII

HUDSON'S BAY.

appetite. They boil their fiih with water and rye-meal : and this conftitutes their
diet during winter. In the fummer they live chiefly on fowls, or their eggs; but
in general they forbear flefh, as the fads prefcribed by their religion are fo nu-
merous. They are dreffed in the fkins of the animals they kill, which they ufe
with the fur fide next to their bodies : their bedding is lilcewife compofcd of fkins,
chiefly of thofe of the Bear or Rein Deer. The fkin of the Fox is the mofl va-
luable} but thefe are prcferved as articles of commerce in their own country.
They catch the Beluga, or white Whale, in nets, being converfant in this fpecics
of fifhery ; but are ignorant of that of the great Whale. They were very folicitous
to get information on that fubjedl ; which I endeavoured to in(lru£l them in, in
return for the information they fo readily gave me. They are mofl excellent
markfmen j but, what is peculiar, in prefenting their piece, they do not raife it
to their fhoulder, but place the butt-end between their arm and their fide, fixing
their eye on the object toward which they direct the barrel. I faw a Bear receive
a confiderable (hot : it aftonifhed me greatly to fee ^he animal apply great quan-
tities of fnow to the part (which was bleeding freely) as if confcious of its ftyptic
powers. It retreated with much flownefs ; but at fhort intervals looked behind,
and, vvith much art, threw abundance of fnow with its hind-paws into the wound.
Few of the RuJJians die from the feverity of the cold, but are often frofl-bitten,
fo as to lofe their toes or fingers j for they are fo hardy as to hunt in all weathers.
I naturally afked them, Had they a furgeon .' They replied, ^V'No ! no ! Christ
is our do(Stor !' They quit the ifland in September^ and are privileged to leave the
place by the 22d of that month, whether they are relieved by a frefh party from
RuJJia or not." — Let me remark, that the great exercife ufed by thefe volunteer
adventurers ; their quantity of vegetable food ; their frelhening their fait provi-
lion, by boiling it in water, and mixing it with flour j their beverage of whey ;
and their total abflinenc* from fpirituous liquors — are the happy prefervativcs
from the fcurvy, which brought all the preceding adventurers, who pcriihed, to
their miferable end *.

HvtSOW'l Bay. ^^ "<*w proceed through a namelefs flrcight, between the main land and the
two great iflands on the eafl ; and, after doubling Cape Southampton, enter into
HudfotCs Bay, in the gulph called the Welcome. This bay was difcovered in i6lo,
by that able feaman Henry Hud/on, from whom it takes its name. His view, in
the voyage he made, was the dilcovery of a pafTage to the Eajl Indies, Th«

• See this fubjeft amply treated by Doflor Aikitt, in a Treatife on the fuccefs, with rtfpeft to die
heahh, of iome attempts t« pafs the winter in high northern latitudes.

trial

HUDSON'S BAY.

CLXXXIX

trial has been vigoroudy purfucd fincc his days, £ without fucccfs. In 1742.111
attempt was made, as low as the bottom of the fFelcome, by Captain A'liddltton \
and from thechfckhe met with, he called that part Repulfe Bay. In fubfequcnt
trials JVager's IVater was fufpedted to be the paflage into the Weftern ocean ;
but in 1747 its end was difcovered, and found to terminate in two navigable
rivers. The romantic fcenery which the adventurers met with in the way is
moft admirably defcribed by the elegant pen of Mr. Henry Ellis.

Cbejlerfieldy or Bawden's Inlet., was likewife fufpe£tcd to have been the defircd
ftrcight ; but in 1762 Mcffrs. Norton and Chrijlopher., in a floop and cutter be-
longing to the Company, went to the remoteft end. At the didance of a hundred
and twenty-eight miles from the mouth was fcarcely any tide ; thirty miles fur-
ther it quite died away. The land here grew contrafted into a very narrow paflage.
Here the adventurers entered with the cutter, and difcovered that the end was in a
magnificent frefli-water lake, to which was given the name of Baier's. The land
was quite level, rich in grafs, and abounding with Deer. They found the end
quite innavigable, and to terminate in a fmall ftream, with many fhoals at its
mouth, and three falls acrofs it. After finding the water decreafe to the depth of
two feet, they returned fully fatisfied with their voyage.

Hudfon's Bay has been fo frequently defcribed, that I fhall only give a general
view of it and its adjacent parts. Its entrance from the ocean, after leaving to the
north Cape Farewell and Davis's Streights, is between Refolution ides on the north,
and Button's ifles, on the Labrador coaft, to the fouth, forming the eaftern extre-
mity of the ftreights diftinguiflied by the name of its great difcoverer. The
coafts very high, rocky, and rugged at top j in places precipitous ; but fome-
times exhibit large beaches. The ifles of Salijbury, Nottingham, and Diggesy
are alfo very lofty, and naked. The depth of water in the middle of the bay
is a hundred and forty fathoms. From Cape Churchill to the fouth end of the bay
are regular foundings ; near the ftiore (hallow, with muddy or fandy bottom.
To the north of Churchill, the foundings are irregular, the bottom rocky, and
in fome parts the rocks appear above the furface at low water. From Moofe river,
or the bottom of the bay, to Cape Churchill, the land is flat, marfhy, and wooded
with Pines, Birch, Larch, and Willows. From Cape Churchill to IVager's Water
the coafts are all high and rocky to the very fea, and woodlefs, except the mouths
of Pockerekejko^ and Seal rivers. The hills on their back are naked, nor are there
any trees for a great diftance inland.

The mouths of all the rivers are filled with (hoals, except that of Churchill,
in which the largcft fhips may lie ; but ten miles higher, the channel is obftruded
with fand-banks ; and all the rivers, as far as has been navigated, are full of rapids

b b and

Clie^TKRPItlB

Inlet.

cxc

HUDSON'S BAY.

Climate.

Fi

tH.

and catarails, from ten to ilxty feet perpendicular. Down thefc rivers the Indian
traders find a quick paflage ; but their return is a labor of many months.

As far inland as the Company have fettlements, which is fix hundred miles to the
weft, at a place called Hud/on Hou/tf lat. 53. long. 106. 27, from London, is flat
country : nor is it known how far to the caftward the great chain, feen by our
navigators from the Pacijic Octant branches off.

The climate, even about Hayi% river, in only lat. 57, is, during winter, ex-
ceflively cold. The fnows begin to fall in O^Iobttt and continue falling by in-
tervals the whole winter ; and, when the froft is moft rigorous, in form of the fined
fand. The ice on the rivers is eight feet thick. Port wine freezes into a folid
mafs} brandy coagulates. The very breath fell on the blankets of the beds in form
of a hoar froft, and the bed-cloaths often were found frozen to the wall *, The
fun rifcs, in the fhortefl day, at five minutes part nine, and fets five minutes
before three. In the longefl day the fun rifes at :hrec, and fcts about nine. The
ice begins to difappear in May^ and hot weather commences about the middle of
June; which, at times, is fo violent, as to fcorcI> the face of the hunters. Thun-
der is not frequent, but very violent. But there mufl be great difference of heat
and cold in this vafl extent, which reaches from lat. 50. 40, to lat. 63, north.

During winter the firmament is not without its beauties. Mock funs and
halus are not infrequent; are very bright, and richly tinged with all the colors of
the rainbow. The fun rifes and fcts with a large cone of yellowifh light. The
night is enlivened with the Aurtra Bertalisy which fpreads a thoufand different
lights and colors over the whole .rncaveof the fky, not to be defaced even by the
fplendor of the full moon ; and the flars are of a fiery rednefs f*

Hud/on's Bay is very ill fupplied with Fifli. The common Whale is frequent
there. The Company have attempted to eflablifh a fifhery ; and for that pur-
pofe procured experienced people from the Spitzbergen fhips, and made confi-
derable trials between lat. 61 and 69 } but, after expending twenty thoufand pounds,
and taking only three fifh, were, in 1771, obliged to deflil. The ice prevent-
ed the vefTels from getting to a proper flation in due time ; and the hard gales,
and quick return of winter, always deprived them of an opportunity of making
a fair trial. The fifhery of the Beluga, or White Whale, is attended with more
fuccefs. It haunts the mouths of rivers in jfunty as foon as they have difcharged
the ice, and are taken in great numbers. There arc two varieties ; one with a
blue caft, the other of a pure white. Thefe animals, probably, fuperfete } a

* Foy. to Hudfon'sBay, 1746, written by the Clerk of \\\t California, i. 159. Hit name was
Dragtt his account is fcnfiblc and entertaining. f Ellii, 172.

{ foetus

HUDSON'S BAY.

ftftus of fix inches in length having been extracted, at the h - time tJHit a
young one has been feen (as is their cudom) mounted on the back l . thcr

Sturgeons of a fmall fize are found in the riven, not far from the fea. They ap-
pear to me to be of the fame fpecies with the Englijh. Sturgeons are found in great
plenty in the lakes far inland, and from the weight of fix to forty pounds. I fuf-
pe6l thefe to be the fame with the Sturgeons of the great lakes of Canada^ which,
I am told, are fmooth, or free from tubercles ; and probably the Adpinftr Huft
of Linnausy and Han/en of the Gtrmanst a fi(h of the Danubi and ff^olga.

The Lopbiut PifcatoriuSf or Common Angler, Br, Zool. iii. N° 51, appears to-
wards the furface only in windy weather } for which reafon it is called by the
natives Thutina-megy or the Wind-fiP),

The Gadus LotOy or Burbot, Br, Zeol. ii. N° 86, is common in the rivers, and
is caught with hooks after nine o'clock at night. It is called here Marthy \ grows
to the weight of eight pounds ; it fo voracious as to feed even on the tyrant Pike }
will devour dead Deer, or any carrion, and even fwallow ftones to fill its Ao-
mach : one of a pound weight has been taken out of a fi(h of this fpecies. It
fpawns about February 8th, and is unhappily mod prolific. Mr. HuUhins count«
ed, in a Hngle fi(h, 671,248 ovaria.

Allied to this is the Mathtmtg of the natives, the Land Cod of the Englijhy a
iiib abundant in the northernly lakes ; it grows to the length of three feet, and
the weight of twelve pounds : has three beards on the lower jaw i the middlemofl;
the longeft : the back is brownilh : the belly grey.

The Perca Fluviatiliiy or common Perch, Br. Zool. iii. N* 124., is found in
the rivers, but not in plenty ; and fometimes grows to the weight of eight pounds.
The Gajitrojieut acuUatuty or three-fpixied Stickleback, Br. Zool. iii. N" 129, is
found here in great numbers.

Salmo Salary or the common Salmon, Br. Zool. iii. N° 143, is taken in plenty from
June to Augvjly in nets placed along the fea*fhores, and falted for ufe. Very few
are caught to the fouth of Churchill river.

The Namaycujhy is a fpecies of Trout, with the head, back, dorfal fin, and tail
of a dark blue : the fides dufky, marked with white and reddifh fpots : the belly
filvery: thefleih white, and very delicate. It is caught with the hook in lakes
far inland j and fometimes of the weight of thirty pounds. A Trutta lacujlris
generist p. 1012. Wil. Icth. 198?

Salmo Alpinusy or Char, Br. Zool. iii. N" 149, is common in the frefh waters,
and weighs from two to fix pounds.

The Salmo LavaretuSy or Gwiniad, Br. Zool. iii. N" 152, is found here in vafl
abundance ; and grows to a fize far fuperior to thofe of Europe, There is a lefTer

b b 2 kind.

ciei

CXCII

HUDSON'S Bi^Y.

BlIDS.

kind, called here the Sta Gwintad: the head is not (o duflcy : eyes fmaller \ ami
hacic Icfs arched. The nofcof the male is blunt ; and the (lomach mufcular, like
a [;ix7,ard : the female has an arched nofe. They arc very numerous in autumn,
juft when the rivers are frozen over, and are called here Tickomig. The Salmi
Jr^ichs, ur Capelin, is obferved to precede the Salmon, and is fomctimei thrown
on (hore in amazing quantities by hard gales.

The Omifco Afaycut is a new fpccies of Trout, taken in May in Albany river,
not exceeding four inches and a half long. It has five branchioDegous rays : firft
dorfal fin has eleven rays, ventral eight, anal feven, pedtoral thirteen: tail forlc<
cd : in the jaws are minute teeth : back, as low as the lateral line, is of a pale
color, marked with two longitudinal rows of black ilelliform Tpots : below the
lateral line the color filvery : the belly white.

The Pike, Br. Zool. iii. N" 153, abounds in all the lakes. It by no mcar.«
arrives at the fize of the Englijh. Mr. Hutchim does not recolledl any above the
weight of twelve pounds.

The Cyprinus Catajhmus of Dr. Forjitr *,or Sucker Carp, is a new fpecies : of
which there are two varieties ; the Mithco- Maptth of the Indians^ marked with a
broad flripe of red along the lateral line, and found on the fea-coaft ; and the
White, or Namapethy with larger fcales, and wholly oi a whitifh color : very
fcarce in the fait- water, but in fuch plenty in the inland lakes and rivers, as
to be even burdenfome to the nets. They grow to the weight of two pounds
and a half. The form is oblong: the head boney, rugged, and decreafing to
the tip of the nofe : the mouth fmall, and placed beneath : the body fcaly : the
tail lunated.

Shell-fifh are very fcarce in this fca. Mytllus EduUs^ the Edible MufTel, Br.
Zool. iv. N" 73, alone are plentiful ; but of Cockles, only the dead Ihells are fecn.
From the number of fhelU which are dug up, for the fpace of ten miles inland
of this flat muddy country, may be colleded a proof of the great retreat of the
water j but for want of inhabitants, the period of its lofs cannot be af-
certained.

Among the birds, which efcaped my notice while I was writing the zoologic
part of this Work, are two of the Eagle kind, found in this country : the firfl is the
Yellow-Hkaded, with a dufky bill, cere, and iridcs : head and neck yellowifli:
back dark brown j each feather tipped with dirty yellow. This fpecies appears
in Hudfori'i Bay in April. Builds its nell in trees, with flicks and grafs) and

By whom it is wtU dtlcribed and ngmed, in vol. Ixiii. p. 155. tab. vi. oiPb, Tranf.

lays

HUDSON'S BAY.

CXCIII

lays one egg. It preys on young Deer, Rabbets, and Fowls. Retires fuuthward
mOilobtr. Is called by the Indians^ Ethintfut Aiicktfui f,

A variety of the Golden Eaglr is alfo a native of the fame place. The
forehead is brown : crown and hind part of the nccic flripcd with brown, white,
and rufty yellow : lower part of the nccic, brcafl, and belly, deep brown : co-
verts of the wings, back, fccondarics, and fcapulars, of the fame color i the two
lift white towards their bottoms, and mottled with brown : primaries black : mid-
dle feathers of the tail brown, barred with two or three cinereous bands } exterior
feathers brown, blotched with cinereous : legs cloathed with pale brown fea-
thers to the toes, which arc yellow. Length three feet. A fpecimen of this
was prefented to tlje Brltijh Mufcum.

To thefe may be added a genuine Falcon, communicated to me by Mr. Latham.
The bill very (harp, and furnifhcd with a large and pointed proccfs in the upper
m:inilible : cere yellowidi: head, front of the neck, breafl, and belly, white:
each feather marked along the fhaft with a line of brown, nurowcft on the head :
the back and coverts of the wings of a dirty bluifh afh-color ; the edges of the
feathers whitiHi, and many of them tipped with the famo -. primaries dufky ; ex-
terior webs blotched with white ; interior barred with t le fame color : tail of the
fame color with the back, barred with white ; but the bars Jo not reach the (haft,
and, like thofe in the Iceland Falcon, oppofe the dark bars in the adverfe web :
the legs bluifli. The length of this fine fpecies is two feet two inches.

Multitudes of birds retire to this remote country, to Labrador^ and New-
fiuna'land, from places moft remotely fouth, perhaps from the Antil/ts ; and fome
even of the moft delicate little fpecies. Moft of them, with numbers of aquatic
fowls, are feen returning fouthward, with their young broods, to more favorable
climates. The favages, in fome refpc<£ls, regulate their months by the appear.ince
of birds ; and have their Goofe fionth from the vernal appearance of Geefe from the
fouth. All the Grous kind. Ravens, cinereous Crows, Titmoufe, and Lap/and
Finch, brave the fevereft winter ; and feveral of the Falcons and Owls feck (belter
in the woods. The Rein Deer pafs in vaft herds towards the north, in OiJober,
feeking the extreme cold. The male Polar Bears rove out at fea, on the floating
ice, moft of the winter, and till Jtwe : the females lie concealed in the woods, or
beneath the banks of rivers, till March, when they come abroad with their twin
cubs, and bend their courfe to the fea in fearch of their conforts. Several arc
killed in their paffage ; and thofe which arc wounded (hew vaft fury, roar hidc-
oufly, and bite and throw up into the air even their own progeny. The females
and the young, when not interrupted, continue their way to fea. In jfunCf the

t The defcription and hiftory of tliis fpecies was communicated to mc by Mr. Hulckins,

males

CXCIV

TERRA DE LABRADOR,

Terra de La-
brador.

males return to fliore, and, by Augujl^ are joined by their conforts, with the cubs
by that time of a confiderable fize*. '

The eaftern boundary of the bay is Terra de Labrador ; the northern part has
a ftrait coaft facing the bay, guarded with a line of ifles innumerable. A vaft
bay, called the Jrchitvintiipy Sea, lies within it, and opens into Hudfon't
Bay by means of Gulph Hazard, through which the Beluga Whales dart in
great numbers. Here the Company had a fettlement, for the fake of the filhery,
and for trading with the EJkimaux; but deferted it as unprofitable about the
year 1758 or I759> The eaftern coaft, fo admirably defcribed by that ho>
nored name, Sir Roger Curtis f ! is barren paft the efforts of cultivation. The
furface every where uneven, and covered with maftes of ftone of an amazing
fize. It is a country of fruitlefs vallies and frightful mountains, fome of an
aftoniftiing height: the firft watered by a chain of lakes, formed not from fprings
but rain and fnow, fo chilly as to be productive of only a few fmall Trout. The
mountains have here and there a blighted ftirub, or a little liiofs. The vallies arc
full of crooked ftunted trees, Pines, Fir, Birch, and Cedars, or rather a fpecies
of Juniper. In lat. 60, on this coaft, vegetation ceafes. The whole ftiore, like
that on the weft, is faced with iflands at fome diftance from land. The inha-
bitants among the mountains are Indians ; along the coafts, EJkimaux, The
Dogs of the former are very fmall ; of the latter, large, and headed like a Fox.
INotwithftanding they have Rein-deer, they never train them for the fledge ; but
iipply the Dogs to that ufe %. Walrufa vifit a place called Nuchvunk, in lat. 60,
during winter ; from thence they purchafe the teeth, with which they head their
darts. Davis fufpedted that he had found a paflage on this coaft, in 1586, to the
Weftcrn ocean ; but it proves no more than a deep bay.

The laudable zeal of the Moravian clergy hath induced them to fend, in the
year 1752, miffionaries irom Greenland to this country. They fixed on Nijbet'i
harbour for their fettlement ; but the firft party was partly killed, partly driven
away. In 1764, under the protection of our government, another attempt
was made. The miffionaries were well received by the EJkimaux, and the miffion
goes on with fuccefs ||. Thefe pious people, like the Jefuits, have penetrated
almoft into every part of the knownworld ; and, for the fake of the Gofpel,
dared the extremities of heat and cold. They endeavour to humanize the favages
of Greenland, and improve the morals of the foft inhabitants of the unwholcfome
coafts of Bengal, They are not afluated by ambition, political views, or ava-

• See an ingenious and lauJabie Calendar of i/«<^«V £«>', publlflied by Doflor M^cA"'* '" '"'
new Syftem of General Geography, 34.8 to 354, t PO' Tranf. Ixlv. 371. J Same, 386.

I Crantx, Hijl, Morav, 404, 608.

rice.

NEWFOUNDLAND.

cxcv

rice. Here my comparifon with the once-potent order of the Roman church
fails.

Terra de Labrador^ at Cape Charlesy in lat. 52, trends towards the fouth-weft.
Between that cape and the ifle of Newfoundland begin the freights of Belleijley a
palTage with from twenty to thirty fathoms water; but often choaked up with
the floating ice from the north, even fo late as the middle of June *. They open
into the vaft triangular gulph of St. Laurence^ bounded to the north by Terra de
Labrador ; to the weft by Nova Scotia ; to the eaft by Cape Breton and Newfoundland.
In the weftern corner, the vaft river of St. Laurence difchargcs itfelf ; ari/Ing from
athoufand ftreams which feed the fea-like lakes of Canada., and, after falling down
the amazing cataracl of Niagaroy and darting down the flopes of numberlefs
foaming rapids, tremendous to all but Britijh battalions ft forms a matchlefs
navigation of many hundred miles. Jacques Cartiery a native of St. MaloeSy had,
in 1534, the honor of being the firft difcoverer of this noble river.

In the gulph are fcattered feveral important iflands, occupied by the Englijh and
Ynnch for the fake of the fifheries. The fmall rocky ifles of St. Magdalene are
ftill frequented by numbers of PFalrufes. There is an annual chace during the
feafon, and numbers are killed for the fake of the oil and fkins %. The water
round the Magdalenes is only from three to nine fathoms deep, and the (bores
Hope moft conveniently into it for the afcent or Jefcent of thefe animals. The
water round the other ifles is of one depth, except on the north fide of St. John's.

Newfoundland (a name, in the infancy of difcovery, common to all North Ante'
rUa) was difcovered in 1496, by the celebrated Fenetians, Sebajlian Cabot and his
three fonsj who, at their own charges, under a grant of Henry Vll, giving them
poneiTion (as vafTals of his) of all lands they might difcover §, coafted from
lat. 67. 30, to the capes of Floridaj and thus indifputably gave to ill-fated Britain
the right, by pre-difcovery, of the whole continent of North America. The
fliort-fighted avaricious prince, under whofe banners it was difcovered, had not
the heart to make the proper advantage. He had before neglcded the offer of Co-
lumbus, which would have given him that fpecies of right to the whole New
World. * But,' fays the courtier-like Bacon ^f, * it was not a refufal on the king's
' part, but a delay by accident, which put by fo great an acqueft.' The French
foon found out the gold mine of the Newfoundland difcovery, which offered itfelf
in the fifheries. Of all minerals (twice fays the fame noble philofopher) there

Macdalenb
Isles.

• BarringtotCs Mifcel. 45. t Read the account of Lord Amherjl's defcent down this river, in 1 760.
J See p. 148, i Rjmefi Feed, f Htfi, King Henry VII, BactnU IVorks, iii. 89.

IS

CXCVl

NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY.

Newfoundland

FlUHEKY.

is none like the fiflieries. In 1534 they were actually engaged in them. A pri-
vate man, Sir Humphry Gilbert^ brother-in-law to Raleigh, or, what was bet-
ter, animated by a congenial foul, failed in 1583 with every provifion for fettlinr
this important colony. On his return he was fwallowcd up by the ocean.
IJis love of improvement, and his piety, riever forfook him. He was fccn fitting
unmoved in the fiern of his ftiip, with a book in his hand ; and often heard to
f>\y, ' Cour.nge, my lads I we are as near heaven at fez as at land *.'

The ifle of Newfoundland is of a triangular form, and lies between lat. 46. 40
and 51. 30 : vifited occafionally, but not inhabited, by favages from the continent.

The boafted mine of this ifland lies on the fouthern and wcftern fides, on the
great bank, which ftretches from north-eaft to fouth-weft, about two hundred
leagues. The water on the bank is from twenty-two to fifty fathoms ; on the
outfide from fixty to eighty ; on the leflTer banks much the fame. A {rrcat
fwell and thick fog generally mark the place of the greater. The fubjeft of tiie
fifhery has been often treated of ; but the following (hort though clear account ot
fo interefting a fuhjeit cannot fail being accept.ible to the Britijh reader,

" The boats or fhallops are forty feet in the keel, rigged with a mainmaft and
foremaft, and lugfails ; furniflied with four oars, three of which row on one
fide, and the other (which is twice as large) belays the other three, by being
rowed fideways over the ftern, by a man who ftands up for that purpofe, with his
face towards the rowers, counteracting them, and fleering at the fame time as he
gives way to the boat.

" Each of the men in this boat is furniflied with two lines, one at each fide of
the boat, each furniflied with two hooks j fo here arefixteen hooks conftantly em-
ployed } which are thought to make a tolerable good day's work of it, if they
bring in from five to ten quintals of fifli, though they have ftowage for, and
fometimes bring in thirty. Two hundred quintals is called a faving voyage ; but
not under. The bait is fmall fifli of all kinds ; Herring, Capelin, Lance, Tom
Cod, or young Cod ; the firft of which they fait, and keep for fome time, in cafe
of fcarcity of the reft j but thefe are not near fo eagerly taken by the fifli when
faked. In cafe fmall fifti cannot be got, they ufe fea-fowl, which are eafily taken
in vaft numbers, by laying nets over the holes in the rocks where they come to
rooft in the night. If neither fmall fifli nor birds are to be got, they are forced
to ufe the maws of fifli they catch, which is the worft bait of any.

«' When the fifli are taken, they are carried to the ftage, which is built with one
end over the water for the conveniency of throwing the ofFals into the fea, and

* Hackluyl, iii. 159.

for

NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY.

CXCVII

for their boats being able to come clofe to difcharge their fifti. As foon as they
come on the ftage a boy hands them to the header, who (lands at the fide of a
table next the water end ; whofe bufinefs it is to gut the fi/h and cut ofF the
head, which he does by prefling the back of the head againft the fide of the table,
which is made fharp for that purpofe ; when both head and guts fall through a
hole in the floor into the water. He then flioves the fifli to the fplittcr, who (lands
oppofite to him j his bufinefs is to fplit the fifh, beginning at the head, and open-
ing it down to the tail ; at the next cut he takes out the larger part of the back-
bone, which falls through the floor into the water. He then (hoves the fi(h ofi^ the
tal'e, which drops into a kind of hand-barrow, which, as foon as filled, is car-
ried ofF to the falt-pile. The header alfo flings the liver into a fcparate ba(ket,
for the making of train>oil, ufed by the curriers, which bears a higher price than
Wiiale-oil.

"In the fait pile, the fi(h are fpread upononeanother,withalayerof fult between.
Thus they remain till they have taken fait; and then are carried, and the fait
is wafhed from them by throwing them ofF from ihore in a kind of float called
a Pound. As foon as this is completed, they are carried to the laft '>peration, of
drying them ; which is done on landing flakes made by a flight wattle, juft ftrong
enough to fupport the men who lay on the fifh, fupported by poles, in fome
places as high as twenty feet from the ground : here they are expofcd, with the
open fide to the fun j and every night, when it is bad weather, piled up five or
fix on a heap, with a large one, his back or fkinny part uppermofl, to be a (bel-
ter to the reft from rain, which hardly damages him through his (kin, as he refts
flanging each way to (hoot it ofF. When they are tolerably dry, which in good
weather is in a week's time, they are put in round piles of eight or ten quin-
tals each, covering them on the top with bark. In thcfe piles they remain three.
or four days to fweat ; after which they are again fpread, and when dry put into
larger heaps, covered with canvas, and left till they are put onboard.

" Thus prepared, they are fent to the Mediterranean^ where they fetch a good
price J but are not efteetned in England: for which place another kind of fi'(h is
prepared, called by them Mud Fi(h ; which, inftead of being fplit quite open,
like their dry fifh, are only opened down to the navel. They are falted,
and lie in fait, which is wafhed out of them in the fame manner with the others;
but infteaol of being laid out to dry, are barrelled up in a pickle of fait boiled ia
water.

" The train-oil is made from the livers: it is called fo to diftingui(h it from
Whale or Seal oil, which they call fat oil, and is fold at a lower price (being only

c c ufed

CXCVIII

CAPE BRETON. NOVA SCOTIA.

ufed for lighting of lamps) than the train-oil, which is ufed by the curriers.
It is thus made :— They take a half tub,, and, boring a hole through the bottom,
prefs hard down into it a layer of fpruce boughs ; upon which they place the livers;
and expofe the whole apparatus to as funny a place as poflible. As the livers cor-
rupt the oil runs from them, and,. draining itfelf clear through the fpruce boughs,
is caught in a veffel fet under the hole in the tub's bottom."

Cape Breton. The barren ifland of Cape Breton forms one fide of the great entrance into the

gulph of St. Laurence. It is high, rocky, and dreary : rich in thick beds of coal, and
may prove the Newcaftle of Jmerica. This iflc was firttdifcovered by Sir Humphry
Gilberty in his fatal voyage. It was foon after frequented, on account of the
Walrufes, and the fifliery of Whales. Among the earlieft adventurers were the
induflrious Bifcayenersy who feem to have been our matters in the art. Till of
late years, it had been important by being the feat of the French fiftjery j but the
ilrong fortrefs of Louijhourg is now demolifhed, and the place deferted.

Nova Scotja. The great peninfula of Nova Scotia is feparated from Cape Breton by a narrow

ftreight. It was, in i6i6, poflefled by the French^ who attempted to colonize it
from their new fettlement in Canada ; but they were foon expelled by the EngUjhy
who deemed it part of North Virginia ; the whole continent, at that time, going
under the nzme of Virginia, fo called, originally, in honor of ourvirgin queen. The
French had given it the name of Acadie. James I. made a grant of the country to
Sir TViUiam Alexander in 1621, on condition that he would form there a •■ ^Me-
ment. It then received the title of Nova Scotia. In order to encourj^e Si ^Vil-
Ham, he planned the order of baronets, which is called after the country. To
every knight who would engage to colonize any part, a grant was to be made
of certain portions of land. The order was not inftituted till 1625, when a number
were created, and they held their lands from the crown of Scotland as a free barony,
with great privileges to all who would fettle in the country *. The defign almoft
iiiftantly failed, and the French were permitted to repoflefs themfelves of the pro-
vince. Its value became known, and fince that period it has frequently changed
mailers. It never was effeftually fettled till the year 1749, when a. large colony
was fent there under the aufpices of the Earl of Halifax.
Climaib. The climate of this province is, during the long winter, extremely fevere,

and the country covered with fnow many months : the fummer mifty and
damp. The face of it is in general hilly; but can fcarccly be called moun-

*'Collini'j Barcntts, iv. 330..

tanouS;

NOVA SCOTIA.

tanous, being the lowered continuation of the great chain which perrades the
whole continent. The ground is not favorable to agriculture, but may prove
excellent for pafturage. Due attention to the breeding of cattle will not only
repay the induftry of the farmer, by the home confumption, but be an exten*
five benefit to our iflands. The country cannot boaft, amidft its vail forefts,
timber fit for large mails, nor yet for the building of large fhips j yet it will
prove an inexhauftible magazine for that fpecies of timber called lumber, fo
eflential to our fugar plantations.

Its fituation, in refpeft to the fiflieries, is fcarccly inferior to that of
Nmftundland. The vaft banks, called Sable IJJand'Sy Brown's^ and St. Gtorge'Sy
with many others, are frequented by myriads of Cod-fi(h. It is the duty of
the Parent State to encourage, with all diligence, this branch of commerce ;
and in a manner fo expeditious and fo frugal, as may anticipate and under-
fell foreign adventurers. Without that, our remnants of the New World will
be but of little ufe. The fi/heries, the ftaples of Nova Scotia and Newfound-
land, are open to other nations } and if they are permitted to excel us in the
articles expedition and frugality, our labors are truly vain. It is to the antient
hardy colonifls we mull look up for the fupport of the toils of the fca, and
the advantages we may expedl to gain from them : they Ihould have their
encouragement. But there is another fet of men who of late (a public
calamity) have made hither an involuntary migration, who with fad hearts
recolle(5l their exiled land :

CXCIX

Its Fisheries.

Nos Patrix fines, nos dulcia linquinius arvai
Nos Patriam fugimus.

Thefe fufFerers are in general unufed to the fatigues of a maritime life, and
ought to be foflered, for their filial piety, at firfl, with a parental care ; to
be encouraged in the padoral life, or in fuch arts as may fupply the failor and
the fifiierman with food, and with materials for their profefllons. If the
climate is fit for corn, for flax and hemp, let due rewards be given for the fuc-
cefsful efforts of their induftry. The fucceeding generation, hardened to the
climate, and early habituated to another kind of life, may join the maritime
adventurers, and give importance to themfclves, and flrength to the ifland from
which they fprung.

The harbours of this province are frequent and excellent. The tides are in many
places moft uncommonly high. Thofe of the bay of Fundy arc the mod re-
markable i for they force themfelves into the great crocks with a bore or head

c c 2 from

HARtOVRt.

ce

NOVA SCOTIA.

Magnificent

from fifty to feventy-two feet high, and with moft amazing rapidity. Hogs," which
feed along the ihores, are much more fenfible of its approach than mankind :
they are obferved to liften, to pricic up their ears for fome time, and then
fuddenly to run off at 'ull fpeed.

The coads are, in general, rude and rocky, with fome variations ; but in
many places exhibit moft pifturefque fcenery. All the northern fide is high,
red, and rocky. The ifles of Canfo are varied with many low white rocks. From
them to Torhay is a feries of lofty coaft, broken and white. Beaver Harbour is
guarded by moft piiSturefque rounded ifles. South fliore of ChebuSfo fteep : the
piaifter cliffs in George Bay are remarkable for their precipitous face and whitc-
nefs. Sable or Sand IJland is diftinguiflicd (as the name imports) by amazing
fand-hills of a fugar-loaf form. The ifle of Great Manan^ on the weftern fide
of the entrance of the bay of Fundy^ is very lofty, the ftrata divided, and the
top wooded. 1^/. Mary's Bay is nobly bounded by high rocks, cloathed on their
fummits with woods : the entrance into it are the Grand and Petit Pajfage ; the fides
of the laft are either covered with hanging woods, floping to the water-edge, or
broke into fliort precipices. The entrance into the fine harbour of Jnnapolis is
moft auguft : a narrow gut, bounded by enormous precipices, with lofty hills
foaring above, the tops of which are even and cloathed with woods. The
approach to the bafon of Minas is not lefs magnificent. The columnar rocks
of Cape Split are very fingular. The ifle of Haute is lofty and fteep on every
fide. The whole neighborhood abounds with views of the moft fablime and
romantic caft. This peninfula joins the great continent by a very narrow
ifthmus, beyond which we retain a wretched barren remnant of near half of the
New World ; the fad reverfe of the fhort fpace of twenty years ! — My eyes
withdraw themfelves from the mortifying fight. Britaik, which fate (by the
wifdom of one m^") as the Queen of Nations, now deplores her folly ; and
ought to confefs, that * thofe things which were for her wealth, proved to her
' an occafion of falling..' She funk under the delufion of profperity, by falfe
fecurity, and the pride of vi6lories. If {he makes a proper ufe of adverfity,
flie ftill may rife into glory and wealth, by honeft induftry, and by the repreffion
of rapacity and fordid ambition. — Once more, gracious Heaven, endeavour to
fave an ungrateful people ! once more raife up fome great inftrument to execute
thy mercies ! — Pour with full meafure into our youthful Minifter the virtues
of his father !— Emulate, young Man, his virtues, and then-

Si qua fata afpera rumpas ;,
Tu Marcellus erit.

INDEX

I

N

D E

X

TO THE

IKTRODUCTION.

A.

page

XIX

XClV

CXXXIX

CLI

LXII

XCII

CLX

XCIX

AL P S of Great Britain, their courfe
Sibiria —

America — —

Alajhka promontory — —

Aland ifles _ __ _

Arihangel, its origin ' —

America, from whence peopltd —

ArfficRMs —

Antiquities Brttijb, in the Orkniet and

Scbetland — xxxi

in Scandinavia — xxxvi

Roman in Scbetland — xxxiii

Roman in Sconen, in Stueden Lix

Altaic chain or mountaina, its courfe xcv

Arzina, where Sir Hugh IHUoughly pe-

rifhed Lxxx

Aleutian \Rea — — cxxxv

Aurora horealis, formerly fuppofed to

be portentous — xxviii
beautiful in ^ri!i///a»(/ xxvii
mod fmgular in Sibiria cii
tnGreenland — CLXXXi
in Hudfon'i Bay — cxc

B.

Borve, an antient Scotch caftle on a per-
forated rock — —

page

LIX

ib.

LX
LXV
LXII

— XCVII

— XXVI

— XL

— LI

— LXXV

— XC

Baltic fea, rather a g:ulph. Defcribed
, by Tacitut — — —

its depth —

no tides in ——

once joined to tlie White Sea
very few fifli in ■ —

Breton, Cape — —

Baikal, the greatell of lakes in the Old

World

Birds in Britain and France
Orknies ■

Feroe IJlei ——

Iceland —

Scandinavia —
Spitxbergen — —

Greenland^— ■ — CLxxxii]

about Prince IfilUam's Sound CXLViii

about Nootka Sound — — cxlmi

Brijlol Bay •^— — — • — CLiv

Bering, Captain, account of — ex

Iceland cxxxiif
Streights cxi
Birds omitted in the Zoological part cxLvii
Bifcayeners early in the whale-fiAiery
Baffin's Bay —— — — CLXXXVi

"Bitontti oi Nova Scotia — — cxcviii

Bow of bone moft curioufly engraven

by the Americans

Bear, black, error of mine concern-
ing, correfled •— . —

white land —

Polar, farther hiftory df —

C.

— CXLIf

CXX
CXLVII
CXCIII

CaJTum

INDEX TO THE

c.

Cajlum Ntnius, tlie modern HeitgelaiiJ

rites celebrated there to

to the goddefs Hertba

Camp, Roman? in one of the Schetland

California • — —

Cimbrian deluge, its confequences —
Cimbrica Cherfonefus —— —

Cnutn Sea. See H^hilt Sea.

Cherie Ifiand — —

Chain of mountains in AJia —

in America —

Cook, Captain — — — —

river -^— —

C/^r^,Captain,purrues Captain Cook's
dil(:ovei'ies — - —

Copper IJle

Culloms common to the American} and
northern A/iatici — —

Coals found in very high latitudes —
Cabot gave, by liis difcovery, an origi-
nal to the £ngl{/h of North America

pflge

LVlI

ib.

XXXIII

CXXXVI

LVIII

ib.

LXXX
XCIV

cxxxix
cxxxviii

CL

— — CXXXIII

CLXI
LXXI, C

cxcv

11
III

ib.

XLIV

LXXX 1 1

CLIX

LXXXV

LXXXII

ib.

D.

Dtvtr Strtigbts, not ab -iginal —

their depth —

increafe of foundings to eall

and weft —

Drift-wood, on the Iceland coaft —

on the Spitzbergen and

Nova Zemijean —

in the ley Sea —

in Hud/en's Bay — ^

from whence brought — •

from whence the inanu-

fa£lured pieces —

Drake, %\t Francis, his difcovery of

New Albion ——. ■— cxxxvii

E.

Eagles, new fpecies — — — cxLVii

FJkimaux, of the wcftern fide of Amf

rica cxLix, CLIII, CLV

mafTacre of, near Copper Ri-

ver — - — cLxxv

of Greenland — — — CLxxxi
of Labrador . —

Egede,'Mt.\.hcAr£iicz^o6Xt\ — cxxxix

F.

FoJIa, a German deity, the fame with p^ige

Fefla Lvii

Flenjo Lacui, now loft in the ZuyderZet lvi

Fianders, antient ftate of — — — ib,

France, once joined to BW/a«« — n

correljiondency of its coaft and

cliffs — ib,

its number of Quadrupeds and

Birds — — — - v,vi

Ferot IJles, their number • — xxxix

when dilcovered — xLii

Fowling, defperate method in Feroe xl

in Schetland — — — xxix

Fruits or Nuts of the WeJI Indies, how

wafted to Norauay, Sec. — — lxix

Fifli of' Iceland, moftly common to

Greenland — — .

of the Baltic, very few — lx

of Lapland — ^— — — — Lxii

of Noravay — — — — Lxxn

of Spitzbtrgen — — — — xc

of the i'/'i/'r/'a/i rivers — — — en

the Frozen Sea —— — ib,

Kamtfchatka •• — Cxxii

Greenland — — cLxxxiii

Hud/on'j Bay —— — CLxxxix

Fabricius, Mr. Otto, a moft able Zoologift CLxxxi

Fleets, vaft, of the northern nations Lxvii

Froft-fmoke, its danger — — — CLxxxi

Foflils of Greenland — — — — clxxxt

G.

XLVII
LXIX

Gouberman, ifles off Iceland, fudJenly
abforbed —— — — —

Gulph ftream, an account of ■
Guillemot, lefter (omitted at p. 517,

Zool.) ■ — LI I

Germanicus doubles the Cimbrium Pro-

montorium — — •— Lix

German Sea — — — .—— xx

Gilbert, Sir Humphry, his gallantry

and piety — —

Greenland, Old — — clxxvii

when firft difcoveied — cixxviil
its antient colony .of Nor-^

•wegians — — ib.

when again colonized — cLxxix

H. HolUuiJ,

INTRODUCTION.

LVII
Lvt

ib,
II

ib.

V.VI

XXXIX

XLU

XL

xxix

LXIX

H.

tJolland, its antient llate —~m i_
Htrvoi'iher magical invocation, a runic

poem ■ — — ■

Hecia, number of its eruptions —

the northern hell —

Huers, or jets-d'eaux of fcalding water

in Iceland — — —

Hoy, hill of, in Orkney, its hsight —
H)perboreatt, or northern ocean —
Hyperboreans, a people delciibed by

P.Mela J.

Herrings extend to Kamtfchalka —
Hcarne, Mr. his amazing journey to

JiiptopoJa, what, probably —

Hitievienes, a people of Siueden •——
Hudfaa'j Bay

page
tvi

xxxvit

XLVI

/■*.

XLVI
XXV

XLV

XCIV
CXXVI

CLXXV

LXIV

LXV

CLXXXVIl

^

1
LXIl ■

rf ~ 'i^

-

LXXVI 1

t.

_

1

-.

CII ■

____

XLII

.

ib, g

almoft a mafs of lava

XLIV

-

CXXII ■

XLV

- CLXXXIII ■

dreadful eruptions in

XLVI

_

CLXXXIX

enflaved ftate

XLVIII

■ft

CLxxxi

antient commerce from Britain

LIV

LXVII

wonderful jets-d'eaiix

__

XLVI

-

CLXXXI

Quadrupeds and Birds

XLIX

_

CLXXXT

Iflandi newly raifed out of the fea —

XLV

fwallowed up in the fea

_

XLVII

of ice, their amazing extent

LXXXVI

Icebergs (or Jokkeler) of Iceland

>-

XLV

—

LXXXV

y

ley Sea

»

CLVII

XLVII

attemi5t8 to pafs it —

—

C

—

LXIX

—

CLVIll

7.

its time of freezing —

—

C

1^

LII

-—

XCVII

LIX
XX

K.

Hollnnd,

Kara Sea — — — — — xcvi
Kandims l&tinA ^— —— xciii

Kattegat le, the — — Lviu

Kivikke in Siueden, Roman antiquities

there — — — — ^ Lxxviii

Kamifcbatta — — ^-^ — cxn
ievere climate — — cxiii

plants of ■ — cxiv

marine plants ^— cxxviit

religion — — — cxxx

former beaftly hofpitality cxxxx

Kuril IjUt
Koriacs, people

Labrador —
Lena, the river

page cxxxiit
^— CXXIK

xcix

L.

M.

Mountains, Scottijb, their height — xix

Scandinavian — Lxix, lxxiii

of Spitzbergen Lxxxvii

of Sibiria — xciv

Magdalene Ijlei, a great haunt of the

Walrufes — — — — . _ cxciii

Ma/igazea, a moft antient Arilic mart xctii i

Mednoi, ot Copper IJU — ■ cxxxiv

Montrofe pits, fingular excavations in a

fand-bank . • xxi

Mare, Scjtbicum ve\ Samarticum — lxiv

Pigrum —— — - ib.

Septenlrionale — — __ xx

Morimarufa - — Lxiv

Cbronium — — •— ib.

Suevicum —— - — Lviii

Moravian clergy, tlieir meritorious zeal txcivt

Markoff, his journey on the ice of the

Icy Sea ■ — c

Moucbo Mori, a mufliroom, its dread-
ful efFe£ls ■ ' — cxvu

N.

LXVII
LXXX

XCVI

CXIV

LXVI

Nortmans, their ravages —

North Cape — —

North Sea. See German.
NovaZemIja, uninhabited —

Naturalills employed by the Emfruss
of Russia, their great merit —

its v;^(t extent, and fingular

coalis LXVII, LXVI 1 1

WtfrTW^^w, a fine race of men — Lxxviii
faid to have difcovered
America — — clxiv

Nootka Sound — cxlii

natives of, their feathers cxi.i 1 1

Ne^vfoundlaMd — — cxcvi

filhery -^— — — ib.

Nova Scotia — — — cxcvm

romantic views in — cc

O. Oatefi

INDEX TO THE

o.

■Oilhr or Ohthert, the Sortvegian, a page

moll able vo}agi:i — — — Lxxvii

Oonalajhka Ijland cLiii

OA, llie river — — xcvi

iti annual iteiicli — • xcvii

P.

Peczor/i, orce a place of great trade xci 1 1

Packing of the ice, what — l.xxxiii, Lxxxv

{■iinoii, a fabiilou' people — Lxiv

P^thens of MaifiilUs, a moft antient

voyager - - — xLii

Prior, \\\i beautiful firtionofthe Ar3u life civ
Plants. Sfe Vegetables.

Prince IVilliam's Sound —— — cxLVii
Port los Remedios, the moft northern

difcovery of the 5'/ifl«/ar^i — cxLv

Quadrupeds o^ Britain vinA France iv, v

ot the Orknies and Schttland xxx
of Iceland — — xMX
of Scniidinavia ■ L x x i v

of Shilzbfrgen —^ Lxxxvi 1 1

of liamtfchatka cxxi

of Greenland —^ cLxxx 1 1

Table of — clxviii

R.

Riijian emph'e, its vaft extent — — Lxi 1 1
Roman fleet fail to the mouth of the Baltic Lix
Ripraps, a fubmarme hill , once partof the

irthmus between France and Britain 1 1 1

Raven, fa red to Odin — - — li i

ufcd by Fhie, the pirate, to

difcover land — — xLiii

Ripheanh'iWs — — — — xctv

Rublai Promontorium — lxvi

Ruffians regularly winter in Spitxbergen cLxxxvi i

S.

Saxonum In/ulte — — — — Lvii

Sibiria, itsdifcovery ■ — CV

intenfe cold of . cii

Salmon fpecies very numerous in

Kamtfchatka ^— — cxxxiii

Saranne, the tnoft ufeful plant of page

Knmtfckatka — — . — cxvin

Scbalourof, his difcoverics - (;|

Sihahtjkoi Cafe, its latitude erroneotis ci, ei x

probably never doubkd ci

Spring*, hot in Utlatid . _. xlvi

\n Kam'fchatka ■ Cxiii

in Greenland — _

Seven Sijltrs Ijles, tlie nioft remote of

known lauii -^ Lxxxiii

Seven Sifters in Norway, moft fingular

mountains — — — . Lxxii

Seal little (omitted in itsplace) — . Lxxiv

Streights of Da-^^calTefUd by the ocean m

between the gulph of Finlnnd

and K'Ute Sea, now dofcd,

hut (till to be traced Lxv, xciii

SomoieJf- - xcin

Scalping in uk with the Scythians — cLxi
Scaudinaviii) onceinlulatcd . lxv

the Officiita Gentium — Lxvii
ravage, ytt alhft to peo-
ple much of Europi \b.
Sand banks, off Driiaw, their utility xii,xxi
which dangerous — ib,
off Flanders and Holland lt
Sevo Mons, Scvihfig — . ■ Lxxii
Sweet Plant, the, its great ufe in Kamtf-
chatka I ^— _ cxvii
Spitzbergea ' — Lxxxt
inftances of people winter-
ing there — — xc, CLXXXVII

T.

Tides, height of, in the ftreights of

Do^er — — ■ III
at Calais, and the coafts of Flan-
ders and Holland lv

on the coaft of Jutland it.

of Norwc.y • 1 Lxviii

of the Frozen Sea

Kamtfchatka — cxxviii
weftern coaft of

America cli,cxlm
Table of Quadrupeds —— —— CLxviii

Taimura Cape • — — ci

Torg-batten, a fingular pierced rock i,xxi i

TomaAoou^, a molt tremendous ^— cxLiv
Thomjin, the poet, his real reprefenta-

tion of i<r<f7/'f life — — — cv

Tjchut/ki, laft of 4/7<si//V people — cviii
'Tartarian \i!io\, figure of, illuftrating a

paflage in WfrjJfl/w — — — clxi

U. Urallian

INTRODUCTION.

u.

page

CXVIII

CI

CI,CIX

I CI

XLvi

CXIII

LXXII

LXXIV

1 III

XV, xciu

XCIII
CLXt

LXV
LXVII

XCIV
XLV

UrtBiM cMn or mountains, iticourfe

Vulcanoes of Iceland — — —

chain of in South and Nerii

America — — cxxxix

in Kamtj'cbatka — cxii

in the liles ot A/la to North

America — cxxxiv, v

Vegetables, numbeii in Iceland — xLV
of Spitxbergen — - Lxxxvi 1 1

comparative lill of thole
ot northern Europe — Lxxxix

of Sibiria — cvii

oi Kamljihalka cxiv

of the weliern fliie of Ame-
rica — — CXLVI

ol Bering' t IJle —— — cxxxiv

W.

fTf/lfa, gravet of in Schetland, their

content* — - — - —

Wifimeni in Iceland, antientiy a roy-

Whirlpooli between Cathnefi and the pagi

Orkniet xxili, xxiv

of Suderoe, near the Ferot

Ijlei xLii

Irilloughby, Sir Hugh, hit difcoveriet

and lad fate ■ Lxxx

l^ajgat llreightt, Spitzbergen — lxxxi

x\\t NovaZemljean xcvi

H^ardhuys, the mod noithern fortrefs Lxxix
Wall ules, wh«e abundant — Lxxxi, xcvi
Ifercboluriait mountains. See Uralliaii.
If^bite Sea, e»ily <i\ko\tt«d •— Lxxvii, xcii
U^eljh, their clanie to the difcovery of

America • — _ cLxiii

Wtlliami, Prince, Sound — cxlvii

Y.

Yaik river, iti courfe — — —

Yermac, a Cojfac, firft conquer! part of

Sibiria for the Rufiani •—

XXXV ^«

^ , y Zujdtr Zft, when formed

xcv
cv

ivi

CXVI I

Lxxxi

III

LV

ib.

LXVII I

cxxviii

cv

CVIII

CLXI

Urallian

dd

o

fubft;

theh
whic]
Th
flock'
only 1
dewla
fumm
Cqw
rrcmei

It 8
two ti

lift th(

ARCTIC ZOOLOGY.

CLASS I. Q^U ADRUPEDS.

D I V. I. HOOFED.

HIST. ^ U A B. Genus II.

I. OX.

American Ox, HiJI. Siuad, p. 19. H.—Smtffit, vi. ip8. j^ Biiok.

OX. With ihort, black, rounded horns; with a great fpace between
their bafes : on the fhoulders a vail bunch, compofed of a flefhy
fubftance, much elevated : the fore part of the body thick and ftrong :
the hind part flender and weak : tail a foot long, naked to the end,
which is tufted : the legs fliort and thick.

The head and ihoulders of the Bull are covered with very long
flocks of reddifli woolly hair, falling over the eyes and horns, leaving
only the points of the latter to be feen : on the chin, and along the
dewlaps, is a great length of fhaggy hairs : the reft of the body during
fummer is naked, in winter is cloathed equally in all parts. The
Cqw is leflcr, and wants the fhaggy coat, which gives the Bull fo
tremendous an afpeft.

It grows to a great fize, even to the weight of fixteen hundred or Siti.

two thoufand four hundred pounds *. The ftrongeft man cannot
lift the hide of one of thefe animals from the ground f.

* law/en, 1 16,

f Cattjij ii. App.

B

The

B I

N.

Whbri
antiently

roVMUt

Whiri at

PRBSENT.

Europe.

A«IA.

The Bi/bu and yfurocbs of Europe is certainly the fame fpecies •with
this J the difference confifts irv the former being lefs fliaggy, and the
hair neither fo foft nor woolly, nor the hind parts fo weak. Both
European and American kinds fcent of mufk.

In antient times they were found in different parts of the old
world, but went under different names ; the Bona/us of Jrijiotle, the
Urus of Cafary the Bos ferus of Straboy the Biftn of P/;»y, and the
Bijion of Oppian, fo called from its being found among the Biftonesy
a people of Thrace. According to thefe authorities, it was found in
their days in Media and in Paania, z province a( Macedonia ; among
the Alpsy and in the great Hereynian foreft, which extended from Oir-
many even into Sarmatia *. In later days a white fpecies was a na-
tive of the Scottijh mountains ; it is now extinft in its favage ftate,
but the offspring, fufficiently wild, is ftill to be feen in the parks of
Drumlanrig, in the South of Scotland^ and of Ctillingbam Caftle in
Northumberland f.

la thefe times it is found in very few places in a ftate of nature;
it is, as far as we know, an inhabitant at prefent only of the forefts
of Litbuanidy and among the Carpathian mountains, within the extent
of the ^vt^t Hereynian wood J, its antient haunts j and mAfia^ among
the vaft mountains of CaucaJ'us.

Ir is difficult to fay in what manner thefe animals migrated ori-
ginally from the old to the new world ; it is moft likely it was
from the norrii of Afia^ which in very antient times might have been
ftocked with them to its moft extreme parts, notwithftandin^ they
are now extindt. At that period there is a probability that the old
and the new continents might have been united in the narrow chan-
nel between Tchutki nojs and the cnpofite headlands of America j

• Ariftot. Hift.An. lib.ii, c i.^dtfar Bil. Gall. lib. ri.—Plinii Kift. JV«/, lib*
XV. c. \^.—-Opfian Cyneg. ii. Lin. i6o.

t Br. Zeel. i. N" ^.—Foy. Htbridts, 124.— 7o«r. Scotl. 1772, Partii. p. iSj.
X There is a very fine figure of the European Bi/tn in Mr. RiJhgtr't Jagbtrt Thitre.

and

B I

O N.

and the many lAands off of that promontory, with the AUutian or
New Fox iflands, fomewhat more diftant, ftrctching very near to Jme-
rka, may with great re^fon be fuppofed to be fragments of hnd
which joined the two continents, and formed into their infular ftal;e
by the mighty convulfion which divided Jfia from America. Spain
was probably thus disjoined from Africa ; Britain from France -, Ice-
land from Greenland', Spitzbergen from Lapland.

But that they pafTed from AJia to America is far the more probable,
than that they ftocked the new world from the fide of Europe, not
only on account of the prefent narrownefs of the ftreight between the
two continents, which gives a greater caufe to fuppofe them to have
been once joined ; but that we are now arrived at a certainty, that
thefe animals in antient days were natives of Sibiria: the fcuils, with
the horns affixed, of a fizc far luperior to any kiiown at this time, have
been found foflil not only on the banks of the Ilga, which falls into
the Lena, but even in thofe of the Anadyr, the moft eaflern of the
Sibirian rivers, and which difembogues north oi Kamt/cbatka into thofe
ftreights: fimilarikuUs and horns have been difcovered near Dir/cbau,
in Poland, alfo of a gigantic magnitude j and in my opinion of the
fame fpecies with the modern Bijons *.

In America thefe animals are found in the countries fix hundred
miles weft of Hud/on's Bay ; this is their moft northern refidence.
From thence they are met with in great droves as low as Cibole f, in
lat. 23y a little north of California, and alfo in the province ofMivera,
in New Mexico J ; the fpecies inftantly ceafes fouth of thofe countries.
They inhabit Canada, to the weft of the lakes; and in greater abun-
dance in the rich favannas which border the river Miffiftpi, and the
great rivers which fall into it from the weft, in the upper Louiftana §.

Amekica.

* Nov, Com. Pttrap. xvii. 460. tab. xi. xii. — I am forry to diflent from my efteemed
friend DoAor Pallat, who thinks them to be the horns of Buffaloes ; which are longer,
firaiter, and angular.

t Purtbas, iv. 1560, 1366. % FgrHandtx, Nev, Hiff, X. c. ^o.^-Henaiufni, ^S.

\ Dit Pratz, ii. 50. i. 1 16. s86.

B 2 There

B I

O N.

Timid.
Chase.

Anothir.

UITHOO.

There they are ken feeding in herds innumerable, promifcuoufly witb
multitudes of ftags and deer, during morning and evening; retiring
in the fultry heats into the fhade of tall reeds, which border the rivers
of America. <■ : -.n . ,

They are exceedingly fhy; and very fearful of man, unlefsthcy are
wounded, when they purfue their enemy, and become very dangerous.

The chafe of thefe animals is a favorite divenfibn of the Indians ;-
it is efFefted in two ways ; firft, by (hooting i when the markfman
mull take great care to go againft the wind^for their fmdl is fo ex-
quifite that the moment they get fcent of him they inftantly retire
with the utmoft precipitation *. He aims at their Ihoulders, that they
may drop at once, and not be irritated by an ineffedlual wound. Pro-
vided thewind does not favor the beafts, they may be approached very
near, being blinded by the hair which covers their eyes. The rthc
method is performed by a great number of men, who divide j>
form a vaft fquare: each band fets fire to the dry grafs of the favai. \
where the herds are feeding ; thefe animals have a great dread of
fire, which they fee approach on all fides ; they retire from it to the
centef of the fquare f j the bands clofe, and kill them^ (prefled toge-
ther in heaps) without the left hazard. It is pretended, that oa
every expedition of this nature, they kill fifteen- hundred or two
thouland beeves.

The hunting-grounds are prefcribed with great form, leaft the dif-
ferent bands (hould meet, and interfere in the diverfion. Penalties
are enadted on fuch who infringe the regulations,, as well as on thofe
who quit their pofts, and fufFer the beafts to efcape from, the hollow
fquares j the puniftiments are, the ftripping the delinquents, the
taking away their arms (which is the greateft difgrace a favage caiv
undergo), or laftly, the demolition of their cabins J.

* Dm Pratx, i. 49. ii. 227 •
X CBarUviixt r. 192.

9

t CbMrkvtix, N, Franttt v. 1912.

Tlift

B I

N.

The ufes of thefc animals are various. Powder-flafks are made of
their horns. The (kins are very valuable; in old times the Indians
made of them the beft targets*. When drelTed, they fornb an excellent
bufFj the Indians drefs them with the hair on, and cloath themfelves
with them j the Europeans of Louifiana ufe them for blankets, and
find them light, warm, and foft. The flefh is a confiderable article of
food, and the bunch on the back is efteemed a very great delicacy.
The Bulls become excelTively fat, and yield great quantity of tallow,
a hundred and fifty pounds weight has been got from a fingle beaftf,
which forms a confiderable matter of commerce. Thefe over-fed
animals ufually become the prey of Wolves j for, by reafon of their
great unwieldinefs, they cannot keep up with the herd.

The Indians, by a very bad policy, prefer the flefli of the Cows ;
which in time will deftroy the fpecies : they complain of the rank-
nefs of that of the Bulls ; but D« Pratz thinks the laft much more
tender, and that the ranknefs might be prevented, by cutting off the
tefticles as foon as the bead is killed.

The hair or woe 's fpun into cloth, gloves, ftockings, and gar-
ters, which are very ftrong, and look as well as thofe made of the
beft fheeps wool ^^ Governor Pownall affures us, that the moft luxu-
rious fabrick might be made of it:f. The fleece of one of thefe
animals has been found to weigh eight pounds.

Their fagacity in defcnding^ themfelves againft the attacks of
Wolves is admirable : when they fcent the approach of a drove of
thofe ravenous creatures, the herd flings itfelf into the form of a
circle : the weakeft keep in the middle, the ftrongeft are ranged on
the outfide, preferiting to the enemy an impenetrable front of horns :
Ihould they be taken by furprize, and have recourfe to flight, numbers
of the fatteft or the weakeft are fure to perifli ||»

Use*.

Skin-.

Tailow.

Hair.

AGAINST
WOLVII.

• Purtbat, iv. IJJO.
If Dm PratK, i. 288.

t DuPratK,

X Toptg. Dt/cr. N. Am, t*

Attempt!

B I

O N.

Hard to he

TAMEU.

Attempts have been made to tame and domefticate the wild, by
catching the calves and bringing them up with the common kind,
in hopes of improving the breed. It has not yet been found to an-
fwer: notwithftanding they had the appearance for a time of having
loft their favage nature, yet they always grew impatient of reftraint,
and, by reafon of their great ftrength, would break down the ftrongeft
inclofure, and entice the tame cattle into the corn-fields. They have
been known to engender together, and to breed; but I cannot learn
whether the fpecies was meliorated * by the intercourfe : probably
perfeverance in continuing the crofles is only wanted to efFeft their
tliorough domeflication ; as it is notorious that the Bi/ons of the old
world were the original ftock of all our tame cattle.

Thele were the only animals which had aU; affinity to the Euro-
pean cattle on the firft difcovery of the new world : before that pe-
riod, it was in pofleflion of neither Horfe nor Afs, Cow nor Sheep,
Hog, Goat, nor yet that faithful animal the Dog. Mankind were
here in a ftate of nature j their own pafTions unfubdued, they never
thought of conquering thofe of the brute creation, and rendering
them fubfervient to their will. The few animals which they had
congenerous to thofe mentioned, might poflibly by induftry have
been reclamed. This animal might have been biought to all the
ufes of the European Cow ; the Pecari might have been fubftituted
for the Hog j the Fox or Wolf for the Dog : but the natives, living
wholly by chafe, were at war with the animal creation, and neglefted
the cultivation of any part, except the laft, which was imperfedHy
tamed.

Such is the cafe even to tKe prefent hour ; for neither the example
of the Europeans, nor the vifible advantages which refult from an at-
tention to that ufeful animal the Cow, can induce the Indian to pay
any refpedt to it. He contemns every fpecies of domeftic labour,
ej^cept what is neceffary for forming a provifion of bread. Every

* Kalm, i. 207.

wigwam

B I

O N.

wigwam or village has its plantation of MayZy or Indian corn, and
on that is his great dependence, fhould the chafe prove unfuccefsful.

Domefticated cattle are capable of enduring very rigorous cli-
mates i Cows are kept at ^ickjock in Lecba Lapmarkt not far from Lavmakk.
the arftic circle j but they do not breed there, the fuccefllon being
preferved by importation : yet in Iceland, a fmall portion of which Icilanb.
is within the circle, cattle abound, and breed as in more fouthern
latitudes : they are generally fed with hay, as in other places j but
where there is fcarcity of fodder, they are fed with the fifh called the
Sea- Wolf, and the heads and bones of Cod beaten fma.l, and mixed
with one quarter of chopped hay : the cattle are fond of it, and, what
is wonderful, yield a conliderable quantity of milk. It need not be
faid that the milk is bad.

Kamt/cbatka, like yimerica, was in equal want of every domeftic ani- Kamtichatka.
mal, except a wolf-like Dog, till the Ruffians of late years intro-
duced the Cow and Horfe, The colts and calves brought from the
north into the rich paftures of Kamtjcbatka, where the grafs is high,
grow to fuch a fize, that no one would ever fufpeft them to be de-
fcended from the Ponies and Runts of the Lena *. The Argali, the
ftock of the tame Sheep, abounds in the mountains, but even to this
time are only objefts of chafe. The natives are to this hour as un-
cultivated as the iB;ood Evander defcribes the primary natives of
Latium to have been, before the introduftion of arts and fciences.

Quels neqae mos, neqoe cnltus erat, nee jungere tauroi,
Ant componere opes norant, aut parcere parto :
Sed rami atque afper vi£tu venatus alebat.

No laws they know, no manners, nor the care
Of lah'ring Oxen, or the ihining Share ;
No arts of gain, nor what tney gain'd to fpare :
Their exercife the chafe : the running flood
Supplied their thirft ; the trees fupplied their food.

i

Dfyiltn,

* Pallat, Sf, Zttl, fafc. xi, 76.

UuOt

*

BISON.

• I'll? 5- iiv-J. '.it»";-#§t. "i.

,^0 •'•/

1, Musk.'

^^i^

V' i<2^"<..^ f-r*i

^#'.

»t

. _ J».*. «vr*1;:'-J?JSl V .■v«..''-iU^. i*l'fc,*«u<-' Mil •^..._ r '. * ■# - ■■*-... *.>w ^,. .. .

u-

V. 'i94.->L»r. Jnfuft.

?m^

Size.

■•>

i^'"

ULI>. 39rii^ h«i^» doTelf united At the bafet beadiiigr tnw«rd«

and downwards; turning -ptitwvds towardtk. their «nds,wjMc|i

ta|wr t& a point, and aiie very fharp:; near the bafe are twp feft JQ

"giith} are only two feet long meafured along the curvature i;wdg||t

•fa pur, feparated from the head, fometimes is fixty poundf *.,,

The hair is of a dufky red, extremely ^e, and fbloi^ asto tr^pulpn
the ground, and render the bead a feenning il^apelels ma$i^. wj^hfl^
. diftinAion of head or tail f : the legs and tail very 4hort f die
fliouldcrs rife into a lump. •:^ti^^t,t-^\i^:,t^', ->t

- inlize lower than a Deer, but larger as to belly iuid quartet..
1 have only feen the head of this animal; the reft of the del^ription
is taken from the authorities referred to: but by the friendih^ of
Samuel fFeggy Efq; I received lad: year s^ very cotnplete fkin of the
cow of this fpecic?, of the age of throe years, which pnabks me to
give the following defcription : > . • v -'

Cow. The noftrils long and open : the two middle cutting teeth
broad, and fharp-edged j the three on. ea^h fide fnnaU, and trun^cated :
under and upper lips covered with; Ihort white hairs on their fore
part, and with pale brown on their fides: hair down the middle of
the forehead long and ercdi ; on the cheeks fmaodi. and extremely
long and pendulous, forming with- that on the throat a long beard :
the hair along the neck, fides, and rump hangs in the fime manner,
and alitioft touches tiie ground : from the hind :part ;of: the head
to the flioulders is a bed of very long foft hair, fortnirig an .upright
mane : in the old beafts the fp;ice between the fiioulders rifes into a

■" *'• M. yertmie, ip Vcyagts nu Nurd, iii. 315*
4 Th« fame, % Hrege't J^ey, li,

hun^h:

..i.^v C4.^!fO

J Drngis Vy* lit z^On

IK)

;^;\:

■m'^i

f;g#.ij;»

hunch
thofe
hoofs
tail or
hairs,
Eskimi
rible a
their fi
toes, V
Spa(
on the
long J
curvati
ereftj
lined v,
The
of one
lored h

a narro
bed of
reft, n(
wards

The
are ver
is the I

The
top of
pears
the nat

Ben<
flocks.

MUSK.

hunch : the legs are very fliort, covered with fmooth whitilh hairs ;
thofe which encircle the hoofs very long, and of a pure white :
hoofs Ihort, broad, and black : the falfe hoofs large in proportion :
tail only three inches long, a mere (lump, covered with very long
hairs, fo as to be undiftinguifhable to the fight. Of the tail, the
Eskimaux of the north-weft fide of the bay make a cap of a moft hor-
rible appearance ; for the hairs fall all round their head, and cover
their faces j yet it is of fingular fervice in keeping off the Mufqiie-
toes, which would otherwife be intolerable*.

Space between the horns nine inches : the horns are placed exaftly
on the fides of the head ; are whitilh ; thirteen inches and a half
long J eight inches and a half round at the bafe -, of the fame fort of
curvature with thofe of the Bull : the ears arc three inches long, quite
ereft j Iharp-pointed, but dilate much in the middle ; are thickly
lined with hair of a dufky color, marked with a ftripe of white.

The color of the hair black, except on thefe parts : — from the bafe
of one horn to that of the other, is a bed of white and light ruft-co-
lored hair: the mane is dufky, tinged with red, which is continued in
a narrow form to the middle of the back ; on which is a large roundilh
bed of pure white, and the hairs in that fpace fliorter than any of the
reft, not exceeding three inches in length, and of a pale brown to-
wards their roots.

The hairs are of two kinds, the longeft meafure feventeen inches ;
are very fine and glofly, and when examined appear quite flat : this
is the black part, which cloaths nioft part of the animal.

The bed of hair between the horns, and that which runs along the
top of the neck, is far finer and fofter than any human hair, and ap-
pears quite round. The white bed is ftill finer, and approaches to
the nature of wool.

Beneath every part of the hair grows in great plenty, and often in
flocks, an afli-colored wool, moft exquifitely fine, fuperior, I think,

Horns.

Ears.

Color.

Hair.

Wool.

* £l/if'ivoj, 232.

c

to

10

MUSK.

to any I have feen, and which might be very ufeful in manufadlures
if fufficicnt could be procured. I give full credit to M. Jeremie, who
fays, that he brought fome of the wool to France, and got ftockings
made with it, more beautiful than thofe of filk *. The Ikin is thin.
Siu. * The length of the whole hide, from nofe to tail, is about fix feet
four inches : of the head alone fourteen inches. The legs could not
be well meafured, bur were little more than a foot long.

The fituation of thefe animals is very local. They appear firft in
the traft between Churchill river and that of Seals, on the weft fide of
HudforCs Bay. They are very numerous between the latitudes 66 and
73 north, which is as far as any tribes of Indians go. They live ia
herds of twenty or thirty. Mr. Hearn f has feen in the high latitudes
feveral herds in one day's walk. They delight moft in the rocky and
barren mountains, and feldom frequent the woody parts of the coun-
try. They run nimbly, and are very adtive in climbing the rocks..
The flefti taftes very ftrong of Muflc, and the heart is fo ftrongly
infefted as hardly to be eatable j but the former is very wholefomcy
having been found to rcftore fpeedily to health the fickly crew who
made it their food % .

They are fhot by the Indians for the fake of the meat and fliins,.
the laft from its warmth making excellent blankets. They are
brought down on fledges to the forts annually during winter, wi'th
about three or four thoufand weight of the flefh. Thefe are called
Churchill Buffaloes, to diftinguilh them from the laft fpecies, which.
are in Hudfon's Pay called Inland Buffaloes, of which only the
tongues are brought as prefents ||.

They are found alfo in the land of the Cris or Crijlinauxy and the
4Jftnibouels : again among the Attimsfpiquay, a nation fuppofed to in-

• Voy. Ml Nord, iii. 314.

t The genuc man who undertook, in 1770, 1771, I77*» the arduous journey to

the Ifj Sea, from Prince of IValts's Fort, Hud/on's Bay, To him, through Mr. fT'egg'i

intereft, I am indebted for the fkin and this information.

X Drago'i'vej. ii. 260. |t Mr. GrabamU MS^

habit

M U

K.

II

habit about the head of the river of Seals *, probably not very re-
mote from the South Sea. They are rentinucd from thefe countries
fouthward, as low as the provinces of Rivera and Cibola j for Father
Marco di Nifa^ and Gomara^ plainly defcribe both kinds f .

Some of the IkuUs of this fpecies have been difcovered on the
mofly plains near the mouth of the Oby in Sibiria. It is not faid
how remote from the feaj if far, they probably in fome period might
have been common to the north of j^ia and of America ; if near the
fhore, it is poflible that the cai-cafes might have floated on the ice
from America to the places where the , remains might have been
found X' Of t^l^is fpecies was the head, and fuch were the means of
conveyance, from the coaft of Hud/on" s or Baffin* s, mentioned by Mr.
Fabricius, and which he faw fo brought to Greenland \\ ; for it could
not have been, as he conjeftures, the head of the grunting Ox, an ani-
mal found only in the very interior parts of northern Afia.

• Debbt*t Hud/om^t Bay, 19, 35. f Purthat, iv. 1561. v. 854.
M nov, torn, Peircf, xvii. 601. tab. xvii. || Faun, Grotiil, 28.

X PtdUut

^^

C a

SHEEP.

12

H

E P.

S II E E P. ////?. ,%uad. Genus III.

A R G A L I : Wild Sheep, Hiji. S^uad. N" ii. H. p. ^i.^Smt/lU, vi. 205.-

Lev. Mvs.

TKE Sheep, in its wild ftate, inhabits the north-eaft: of y^rf,
beyond lake Baikaly between the Onon and Jrgun, to the
height of latitude 60, on the eaft of the Lena, and from thence to
Kamtfchatka, and perhaps the Kurili iflands. \ dare not pronounce
that they extend to the continent of America -, yet I have received
from Dodlor Pallas a fringe of very fine twilled wool, which had or-
namented a drefs from the ifle o( Kacijak; ami I have myfelf another
piece from the habit of the Americans in latitude 50. I'he firft was of
a fnowy whitenefs, and of unparalleled finencfs ; the other as fine, but
of a pale brown color : the firft appeared to be the wool which
grows intermixed with the hairs of the Argali; the lad, that which
is found beneath thofe of the Mufl< Ox. Each of thefe animals may
exift on that fide of the continent, notwithftanding they might have
not fallen within the reach of the navigators in their fhort ftay off the
coaft.

Certain quadrupeds of this genus were oblerved in California by
the mifTionaries in 1697 ; one as large as a Calf of one or two years
old, with a head like a Stag, and horns like a Ram : the tail and
hair fpeckled, and fhorter than a Stag's. A fecond kind was larger,
and varied in color j fome being white, others blacky and furnifhed

with

n E E p.

^3

Chase in
Kamtschatka.

with very good wool. The Fathers called both Sheep, from their great
rcfcmblancc to them *. Either the yfmericans of latitude 50 arc pof-
fcflcd of thefc animals, or may obtain the fleeces by commerce from
the fouthern Indians.

The Jrjraii abound in Kdmtfthatka -, they are the moft iifefiil of
their animals, for they contribute to food and cloathing. The
Kamtjchatkans cloath themfelves with the fkins, and efteem the ftefli,
cfpccially the fat, diet fit for the Gods. There is no labor which
they will not undergo in the chafe. They abardon their habitations,
with all their family, in the i" >ring, and continue the whole fummer
in the employ, amidft the rude mountain, fearlefs of the dreadful
precipices, or of the avelencbes. which often overwhelm the eager
fportfmen.

Thefe animals are fhot with guns or with 'r-wx.s j fometimes with
crofs-bows, which are placed in the p'lths, ar:d difchar^ed by means
ofalbing whenever the Jrgali haj pes.: to tread on :i. They are
often chafed with dogs, not that they arc overtaken by them ; but
wlien they are driven to the lofty fummits, they will often ddnd
and look as if it were with contempt on the dogs below, which gives
the hunter an opportunity of creeping within reach while they are fo
engaged ; for they are the fliyeft of aaiwials.

The Mongols and 'tuyigufi ufe a nobler fpecies of chafe : they col- Jn Mongolia.
left together a vafl: multitude of horfes and dogs, attempting to fur- -.• ,

round them on a fudden ; for fuch is their fwiftnefs and cunning, *•

that if they perceive, either by fight or fmell, the appro^ach of the •,

cbajeurs, they inftantly 1 .1'-'j to flight, and fecure themfelves on the * ^

lofty and inaccefiible fummits.

Domefticated Sheep will live even in the dreadful climate of
Greenland. Mr. F^tv /c w t fays, they are kept in many places. They
arc very numi reus in Iceland. Before the epidemical difeafe which
raged among them from 1740 to 1750, it was not uncommon for a

Sheep in

ICKLAND.

* Ph. Tranf. abr. V. part ii. 195.

f Faun. Crctnl. p. 291.

finglc

1+

H E

P.

fingle perfon to be pofleflcd of a thoufand or twelve hundred. They
have upright ears, Ihort tails, and often four or five horns *. They
are fometimes kept in ftables during winter, but ufually left to take
their chance abroad, when they connmonly hide themfelves in the
caves of exhaufted vulcanoes f. They are particularly fond of fcurvy-
gi afs, with which they grow ^o fat as to yield n^ore than twenty pounds.
The ewes give from two to fix quarts of milk a day, of which butter
and cheefe is made. The wool is never fhorn, but left on till the
end of May^ when it grows loofe, and is flripped entirely off in one
fleece ; and a fine, fhort, and new wool appears to have grown be-
neath ; this continues growing all fummer, becomes fmooth and
glofly like the hair of Camels, but more Ihaggy J. With the wool
the natives manufadture their cloth j and the flefli dried is ^n article
of commerce.

In all parts of European RuJJia are found the common Sheep. Thofe
of the very north, and of the adjacent Finmark, have fliort tails and
upright ears, and wool almoft as rude as the hair of Goats ; but are
feldom polyceratous. They fometimes breed twice in a year, and
bring twins each time ||.

In the Jfiaiic dominions of Rujia, from the borders of Rujia to
thofe of Gbina, is a moft Angular variety of Sheep, deftitute of tails,
with rumps fwelling into two great, naked, and fmooth hemifpheres
of fat, which fometimes weigh forty pounds : their nofes are arched :
their ears pendulous : their throats wattled : their heads horned, and
fometimes furnifhed with four horns. Thefe are fo abundant
throughout Tartary, that a hundred and fifty thoufand have been an-
nually fold at the Orenburg fairs j and a far greater number at the
fort 'Troizkajay from whence they are driven for flaughter into diffe-

* Smellie, vi. 207, 219.
Leeint, 228.

t Hirrticnv, 46.

t Triil't voy. 138.
rent

SHEEP.

rent parts of RuJJia *. Sheep do not thrive in Kamt/chAtka, by rca-
fon of the wetnefs of the country.

Sheep abound in New England and its iflands : the wool is ftiort,
and much coarfer than that of Great Britain j poflibly proper at-
tention to the houfing of the Sheep may in time improve the fleece j
but the feverity of the climate will ever remain an obflacle to its
perfection. Manufactures of cloth have been eitabliihed, and a to-
lerable cloth has been produced, but in quantities in no degree
equal to the confumption of the country. Jmerica likewife wants
downs ; but by clearing the hills of trees, in a long feries of years
that defeft may be alleviated. As we advance further fouth, the
Sheep grow fcarcer, worfe, and the wool more hairy.

* Pallas^ Sp. Zeal, fafc. xi, 63. tab; nr^

H

G O A T.

i6

T.

GOAT. Hiji. ^ad. G e n u s IV.

IBEX, Hijf. ^aJ. N" 13, * is fuppofed to extend to the mountains of the
eaftern part of Sibiria, beyond the Lina, and to be found within the go.
vernment of Kamt/chaika.'—'Lsv , Mvs.

THE tame Goat inhabits northern Europe as high as Wardbuys,
in latitude 71, where it breeds, and runs out the whole year,
only during winter has the protection of a hovel : it lives during that
feafon on mofs and bark of Fir-trees, and even of the logs cut for
fuel. They are fo prolific as to bring two, and even three, at a time.
In Norway they thrive prodigioufly, infomuch that 70 or 80,000 of
raw fkins are annually exported from Bergen, befides thoufands that
are fent abroad drefled.

Goats arc^ alfo kept in Iceland, but not in numbers, by reafon
of the want of Ihrubs and trees for them to brouze. They have been
introduced into Greenland, even to fome advantage. Befides vege-
table food, they will eat x.\\<tAr£lic trouts dried; and grow very fat f.

The climate of South America agrees fo well with Goats, that they
multiply amazingly : but they fucceed fo ill in Canada, that it is ne-
ceflary to have new fupplics to keep up the race;):.

• Smtl//e,\i. 363%

■f Fauft, Creenl, p. 29.

X Dt Buffon, ix. 7 1 .

DEER.

. ;;i'T^.»:,

Vf'ir \i%"

^■^

M

S E.

17

I'-^Vt^'i

■ /Jip^J

, i^j&^'riJ

E E

.-.V-T ■-

R. ofli/?. ^«</. G E N u Jl VII.

f.>,^:<.^,m..rn;A^^:^^.-j;

- ' s>' Elk, iy^. i^jttR/, N«+ii— *«»//«vi. jis— Liv. Mwi., 3. Mooji.

D'E E R. With horns with fbort beams, fpreading into a broad
palm, furniftiedon the outward fide withiharp fnagsi the inner -f,.
fide plain: no. brow antlers: fmalleyes: long flouching afinine ears;
noftrils large : upper lip fquare, great, and hanging far over the
lower i has a deep furrow in the middle, fo as to appear almoll bifid :
under the throat a fmall excrofcence, with a long tuft of coarfe black
hair pendant from it : neck fliorter than the head i along the top
an upright, ihort, thick, n^ane : withers elevated : tail fliort : legs
long i the hind legs the fhOrtefl: : hoofs much cloven.

Color of the mane a, light brown ; of the body in general a hoary Colob.
brown : tail duflcy above ; white beneath. The vaft fize of the
head, the (hortnefs of the neck, and the length of the ears, give the
beaft a deformed and ftupid look. .^ v J /■ ;' v^i •*^ ^^ ' •
' " The greateft height of this animal, which I have, heard of, is feven-r
teen hands j the greattfft weight 1229 pounds. ^,/ ..■/;,, ' . ; , ,. ,;

The largeft horns I have feen. are in the hov»fe of the UudJotCs Bay
Company i they weigh fifty-fix pounds ; their length is thirty-two
inches 5 breadth of oiie of the palms thirteen inches and a half j fpace
between point and point thirty-four.

'f'lThe female is Icfler than the male, and wants horns. ''^'' ^ ' "^
'^Inhabits the x^toiCafe Breton^ Nova Scotia^ and the weftcrn fide ' Place,
of the Bay oiFundy, Canada^ and the country round the great lakes,
almoft as far fouth as the river Ohio *. Thefe are its prefent northern
arid fouthcrn limits. In all ages it affefted.the cold and wooded re-
gions in Europe^ Afta^ and America. They arc foVind in all the woody
trafts of the temperate parts of Ruffia^ but not on the Arftic flats,
nor yet in Kayntjchat\a. In Sihiria they are of a rhi<>nftrous fize, par-
ticularly among the mountains, , . . • • ,»

Dm Fratx, i. 301.

D

Sisi.

OF HORNI,

The

iS

MOO

E.

Nami.

Residence and
Food.

Gait,

Ruminate.

VOUNG.

The Elk and the Moofe are the fame fpecies j the laft derived'
from Mujuy which in the Algonkin language fignifies that animal *.
The Englijh ufed to call it the Black Moofe, to diftinguilh it from the
Stag, which they named the Grey Moofe f. The French call it
VOrignal.

Thefe animals refide amidft forefts, for the conveniency of broufing
the boughs of trees, becaufe they are prevented from grazing with
any kind of eaft> by reafon of the fhortnefs of their necks and length
of their legs. They often have recourfe to water-plants, which they
can readily get at by wading. M. Sarrafin fays, that they are very
fond of the anagyris fcetida, or (linking bean trefoil, and will un-
cover the fnow with their feet in order to get at it.

In palling through the woods, they raife their heads to a horizon-
tal pofition, to prevent their horns from being entangled in the
branches.

They have a fingular gait : their pace is a ihambling trot, but
they go with great fwiftnefs. In their common walk they lift their
feet very high, and will without any difficulty ftep over a gate five
feet high.

They feed principally in the nights, If they graze, it is always
againft an afcentj an advantage thev ufe for the reafon above affigned..
They ruminate iike the Ox.

They go to rut in autumn j are at that time very furious, feeking
the female by fwimming from ifle to ifle. They bring two young at
a birth, in the month of Jpril, which follow the d.im a whole year.
Di ring the fummer they keep in families. In deep fnows they col-
left in numbers in the forefts of pines, for proteftion from the incle-
mency of the weather under the Ihelter of thofe ever-greens.

They are very inoffenfive, except in the rutting-feafon j or except
they are wounded, when they will turn on the aflailant, and attack

* £alm, i. 298. iii. 204.

t Mr. Dudlty*s Pitt Trauf. Ahridg, vii. 447.

him

M

E.

»9

him with their horns, or trample him to death beneath their great
hoofs.

Their flefh is extremely fweet and nourifhing. The Indians fay,
that they can travel three times as far after a meal of Moofe, as after
any other animal food. The tongues are excellent, but the nofe is
perfcft marrow, and efteemed the greateft delicacy in all Canada,

The fkin makes excellent bufFj is ftrong, foft, and light. The
Indians drefs the hide, and, after foaking it for fome time, ftretch and
render it fupple by a lather of the brains in hot water. They not
only make their fnow-Ihoes of the fkin, but after a chafe form the
canoes with it : they few it neatly together, cover the feams with
an undtuous earth, and embark in them with their fpoils to return
home *.

The hair on the neck, withers, and hams of a full-grown Elk is of
much ufe in making mattrafles and faddles j being by its great
length well adapted for thofe purpofes.

The palmated parts of the horns are farther excavated by the fa-
vagcs, and converted into ladles, which will hold a pint.

It is not ftrange that fo ufeful an animal (hould be a principal ob-
jeft of chafe. The favages perform it in different ways. The firft,
and the more fimple, is before the lakes or rivers are frozen. Mul-
titudes afTemble in their canoes, and form with them a vaft crefcent,
each horn touching the fhore. Another party perform their fhare of
the chafe among the woods ; they furround an extenfive traft, let
loofe their dogs, and prefs towards the water with loud cries. The
animals, alarmed with the noife, fty before the hunters, and plunge
into the lake, where they are killed by tiie perfons in the canoes,
prepared for their reception, with lances or clubs f-

The other method is more artful. The favages inclofe a large
fpace with flakes hedged with branches of trees, forming two fides

Flbsh*

Skin.

Haik.

Houns.

Cmasi.

• Lc-Htntan, i. 59. + CharUvtix, v. 188.

D 2

Of

so

M O

E.

of a triangle : the bottom opens ■ into a fecond enclofure, com-
pletely triangular. At the opening are hung numbers of fnares
made of flips of raw hides. The Indians, as before, aflemble in great
troops, and with all kinds of noifes drive into the firft enclofure not
only the Moofes, but the other fpecies of Deer which abound in that
country : fome, in forcing their way into the fartheft triangle, are
caught in the fnares by the neck or horns ; and thofe which efcape
the fnares, and pafs the little opening, find their fate from the arrows
of the hunters, directed at them from all quarters *.

They are often killed with the gun. When they are firft unhar-
boured, they fquat with their hind parts and make water, at which
inftant the fportfman fires i if he miflcs, the Moofe fets off in a mod
rapid trot, making, like the Rein-deer, a prodigious rattling with its
hoofs, and will run for twenty or thirty miles before it comes to bay
or takes the water. But the ufual time for this diverfion is the win-
ter. The hunters avoid entering on the chafe till the fun is ftrong
enough to melt the frozen cruft with which the fnow is covered,
otherwife the animal can run over the firm furface : they wait till
it becomes foft enough to impede the flight of the Moofe j which
finks up to the flioulders, flounders, and gets on with great difficulty.
The fportfman purfues at his eafe on his broad rackets, or fnow-lhoes,
and makes a ready prey of the diftrelTed animals.

As weak againft the mountain heaps they pulh,
Their beating breaft in vain, and piteous bray»
He lays them quivering on th' enfanguin'd fnows«.
And with loud Ihouts rejoicing bears them home.

Thompson..

SvrERSTITIONS
RELATING TO

THB Moose.

The opinion of this animal's being fubjeft to the epilepfy feems to
have been univerfal, as well as the cure it finds by fcratching its ear
with the hind hoof till it draws blood. That hoof has been ufed in
Indian medicine for the falling-ficknefs j they apply it to the heart of

Ciarttvtix, aa(t La HtntM, i. 65.

the

M

O

E.

it

the afHifted, make him hold it in his left hand, and rub his ear with
it. They ufe it alfo in the colick, pleurify, vertigo, and purple fever j
pulverifing the hoof, and drinking it in water. The jllgonkins pre-
tend that the flefh imparts the difeafe ; but it Is notorious that the
hunters in a manner live on it with impunity.

The ravages efteem the Moofe a bead of good omen ; and are per-
fuaded that thofe who dream often of it may flatter themfelve;i with
long life *.

Their wild fuperftition hath figured to them a Moofe of enor-
mous fize, which can wade with eafe through eight feet depth of fnowj
which is invulnerable, and has an arm growing out of its fhoulder,
fubfervient to the purpofes of the human : that it has a court of
other Moofes, who at all times perform fxiit and fervice, according to
his royal will f .

I lament that I am not able to difcover the animal which owned,
the vaft horns fo often found in the bogs of Ireland ^ fo long and fo
confidently attributed to the Moofe. Thefe have been found to be
fometimes eight feet long, fourteen between tip and tip if, furnilhed
with brow antlers, and weighing three hundred pounds : the whole
{keleton is frequently found with them.

The fables delivered by Jojfelyn, of the Moofe being thirty-three
hands, or twelve feet, high j and by Le Honfan, of its horns weighing
between three and four hundred pounds; occafioned the naturalifts of
paft times to call the foflil horns thofe of the Moofe -, and to flatter
themfelves that they had difcovered the animal they belonged to : but
recent difcoveries evince the error. I once entertained hopes that
the Wajkejfe § of the HudJorCs Bay Indians was the fpecies ; but by
feme late information I received from Mr. Andrew Graham, faftor
in the Bay, I find it to be no other than the common Moofe.

FOSSIt HORN!
NOT IBLONOINO

TO THiMootr.

• Charlevoix, v. i86k
book iii, 20. tab> xxii.

f The fame.
§ HiJ. Siuad. 45.

t WrightU Loutkitma,

m/h.

ai

R E

N.

4. Run.

Kift. Siuai. N" ^i." Smtllit, vi. 316.— //<w*/l<y^ iii. 114.— Liv. Mwt,

DEER. With large but flender horns, bending forward j with
brow antlers broad and palmated, fometimcs three feet nine
inches long ; two feet fix from tip to tip j weight, nine pounds
twelve ounces avoirdupoife. The body is thick and fquare: the
legs fhorter than thofe of a Stag : the height of a full-grown Rein
four feet fix.

Color of the hair, at firft fliedding of the coat, of a brownifh
afli i afterwards changes to a hoary whitenefs. The animal is
admirably guarded againft the rigor of the climate by the great
thicknefs of the hairs, which are fo clofely placed as totally to hide
the flcin, even if they are put afide with ever fo much care.

Space round the eyes always black : nofe, tail, and belly white :
above the hoofs a white circle : hair along the lower fide of the
neck very long : tail Ihort.

Hoofs, and falfe hoofs, long and black ; the laft loofely hung,
making a prodigious clatter when the animal runs.
Female. The female is furnifhed with horns j but leflcr, broader, and flat-

ter, and with fewer branches than thofe of the male. She has fix
teats, but two are fpurious and ufelefs. They bring two young at a
time.
Placi. The habitation of this Deer is ftill more limited than that of the

former, confined to thofe parts where cold reigns with the utmoft fe-
verity. Its mofl: fouthern refidence is the northern parts of Canada,
Hv >3on's-Bat. bordering on the territories of Hudfoti's Bay. Charlevoix mentions
a fingle inftance of one wandering as far as the neighborhood of
^ebec*. Their true place is the vatt trad which furrounds the

• V. 191.

Bay.

I

N.

•S

L*ailADOR.
NlWrOUNDLANO*

GmiNlAKO*

SPITZBIRQIN,

Bay. They arc met with in Labrador ^ and again in Newfoundland^
originally wafted thither acrofs the narrow (Iraits of BelUiJlet on
iflands of ice.

They fpread northerly into Greenland^ particularly on the weftcrn
coaft, about Dijko * . I can find no traces (even traditional) of them in
Iceland; which is the more furprizing, as that idandlies nearer to Green-
land than Newfoundland does to the Labrador coaft. It is probable
that they were deftroyed 'n very early times, when that ifland was fo
infinitely more populous than it is at prefent; and the farther mi-
gration of thefe animals prev>*nted by the amazing aggregate of ice,
which in later ages blocked up and even depopulated the eaftern
fide of Greenland. No veget.ible, not even mofs, is to be found on
that extenfive coaft to fupport thefe hardy animals. Their laft
migration was from the w.'ftern parts of Greenland, over unknown
regions and fields of ice, to the inhofpitable Alps of Spitzbergen,
Thefe, with the Polar Bear and Arftic Fox, form the Ihort catalogue
of its quadrupeds. They rtfide there throughout the year j and by
wondrous inftinft do difcover their food, the lichen rangiferinus, be-
neath the fnow, which they remove to great depths by means of their
broad and fpade-like antlers ; and thus find fubfiftence thirteen de-
grees beyond the ArSfic circle f .

To the weftern fide of Hudfon's Bay I trace the Rein as far as the
nation called Les Plat-cote des Cbiens | , the remoteft we arc ac-
quainted with in the parallel of that latitude. Beyond, are lands
unknown, till we arrive at that new-difcovered chain of iflands, which
extends to within a fmall diftance oiAfta, or the northern cape of Kamt- Kautscmatk a«
fcbrjka, where I again recover thefe animals. There is reafon to ima-.
gine that they are continued acrofs the continent of America, but not
on the iflands which intervene between it and Afta || . But in the

• Egede, jg. Cratitz, i. 70. — The Canadians call it Le Cariiou, f Mar-

ten's Spiiziergen, 99. Phipps's fey. 185. | Dobbs't Hud/on' s Bay, 19.

II Mutter's voyages from Afta tc AmerUa, Preface xxv,

iflft

I

N.

Laplanders,
THim uses OP IT.

iflc of Kadjakt and others of the caflcrnmolt Fox ijlandi, the inha-
bitants have Ikins of them from the American continent, and border
their bonnets with the white hairs of the domcftic Rein-dcers,
ftained red. They are found again in the countries which border on
the Icy fea * ; from wHich they retire, at approach of winter, towards
the woods, to feed on the mofs, not only that which grows on the
ground, but the fpccies pendulous from the trees. The whole north-
call of Sibiria abounds with them. Tlicy alfo are yet found wild in
the Uralitan mountains; along the river Kama^ as far as Kungus j and
about fome fnowy fummits more fouth : and again on the high chain
bordering on Sibiria on the fouth, and about lake Baikal. Towards
Samoi(oea. the weft they are continued in the land of the Samoieds; and finally
among the well-known Laplanders. I here tranfgrefs the limits ot
my plan, to give a flight comparative view of the progrefs of civili-
zation among the inhabitants of thefe frozen climes.

With the Laplanders this animal is the fubftitute to the Horfe,
the Cow, the Sheep, and the Goat. Thofe moft innocent of people
have, even under their rigorous fky, fome of the charms of a paftoral
life. They have fubdued thefe animals to various ufes, and re-
clamed them from their wild ftate. They attend their herds of
Rein-deer, during fummer, to the fummits of their alps ; to the
fides of their clear lakes and ftreams, often bordered with native rofes.
They know the arts of the dairy, milk thefe their cattle, and make
from it a rich chcefe. They train them to the fledge, confider them
as their chief treafure, and cherifli them with the utmoft tendernefs.
Sauoiidi. The brutifli Samoied confiders them in no other view than as ani-

mals of draught, to convey them to the chafe of the wild Reins j which
they kill for the fake of the flcins, either to cloath themfelves, or to
cover their tents. They know not the cleanly delicacy of the milk
OT cheefej but prefer for their repaft the intcftines of beafts, or the
half-putrid flefh of a horfe, ox, or fheep, which they find dead on
the high road f ,

• BmrtHtu vey. f Lt Bnyn, i. 7, 8.

The

REIN.

Tlic Korekl, a nation of Kam{fchatka, may be placed on a level
with the Samoieds : they keep immcnfc herds of Reins ; fome of the
richeft, to the amount of ten or twenty thoufand ; yet fo fordid arc
they as to cat none except fuch which they kill for the fake of the
(kins i an article of commerce with their neighbors the Kamt/cbatkntis:
othcrwifc they content themfclves with the flefh of thofc which die
by difcafe or chance. They train them in the fledge, but negleft
them for every domeftic purpofc *. Their hiflorian fays, they couple
two to each carriage ; and that the Deer will travel a hundred and fifty
verfts in a day, that is, a hundred and twelve Ertglijh miles. They
caftrate the males by piercing the fpermatic arteries, and tying the
fcrotum tight with a thong.

The inhabitants about the river Kolyma make ufe of the foft fl<ins
of the Rein-deer, drefled, for fails for a kind of boat called Scbitiki,
caulked with mofs j and the boards as if fcwed together with thong> j
and the cordage made of fliqes of the flcin of the Elk f.

The favage and uninformed EJkimaux and Greenlanders, who polTcfs,
amidft their fnows, thcfe beautiful ainimals, negleft not only the do-
meftic ufes, but even are ignorant of their advantage in the fledge.
Their element is properly the water j their game the Seals. They fecni
to want powers to domefticate any animals unlefs Dogs. They are at"
enmity with all ; confider them as an objeft of chafe, and of no utility
till deprived of life. The flefli of the Rein is the moft coveted part
of their food ; they eat it raw> drefled, and dried and fmoked with
the fnow lichen. The wearied huntefs will drink the raw blood ; but
it is ufually drefled with the berries of the heath : they eagerly
devour the contents of the ftomach, but ufe the inteftines boiled^
They arc very fond of the fat, and will not lofe the left bit J. The
Ikin, fofinetimes a part of their cloathing, dreflled with the hair on, is
foft and pliant i it forms alfo the inner lining of their tents, and moft

^

ICotavr.

ESKIMAVX

AND

GmiMlANDIRI.

The

• //i/?. Kamfchatka, 226, 227.— The JSTow-ti exchange their Deer with the neighboring
nations for rich furs. f Mnlltr't Summary t i^t, xvUi. | Faun. Grenl. p. 28.

E excellent

26

I N.

MULTITVDII
IN

Hudson's Bay.

Migration.

Uses.

CuASt.

excellent blankets. The tendons are their bow-ftrings, and when
fplit are the threads with which they few their jackets *.

The Greenlanders, before they acquired the knowlege of the ^un
caught them by what was called the clapfer-bunt f. The women and
children furrounded a large fpace, and, where people were wanting
fet up poles capped with a turf in certain intervi\lsjj to terrify the ani-
mals ; they then with great noife drove the R^ini into the narrow
defiles, where the men lay in wait and killed them with harpoons or
darts. But they are now become very fcarcc.

On the contrary, they are found in the neighborhood o( Hud/on' s Bay
in moft amazing numbers, columns of eight or ten thoufand are feen
annually pafling from north to Ibuth in the months of March and
yipril"^, driven out of the woods by the muflcetoes, feeking refrelh-
ment en the Ihore, and a quiet place to drop their young. They go
to rut in September, and the males foon after fhed their horns ; they
are at that feafon very fat, but fo rank and muflcy as not to be eat-
able. The females drop their young in June, in the moft fequeftered
fpots they can find j and then they likewife lofe their horns. Beafts
of prey follow the herds : firft, tlie Wolves, who fingle out the ftrag-
glers (for they fear to attack the drove) detach and hunt them down :
the Foxes attend at a diftance, to pick up the offals left by the former.
In autumn the Deer with the Fawns re-migrate northward.

The Indians are very attentive to their motions j for the Rein forms
the chief part not only of their drefs but food. They often kill multi-
tudes for the fake of their tongues only j but generally they feparatc
the flelii from the bones, and preferve it by drying it in the fmoke :
they alfo fave the fat, and fell it to the Englijh in bladders, who ufe
it m frying inftead of butter. The Ikins are alfo aa article of com-
merce, and ufed in London by the Breeches-makers.

The Indians fhoot them in the winter. The Englijh make hedges,
with ftakes and boughs of trees, along the woods, for five miles in

• Drt^i** voy% i. aj.

t CfMlK, i. i\.

X DtH/^ig, 32

length

REIN.

length, leaving openings at proper intervals befet with fnarcs, in
which multitudes are taken.

The Indians alfo kill great numbers during the feafons of migra -
tion, watching in their canoes, and fpearing them while pafllng over
the rivers of the country, or from ifland to ifland j for they fwim
moft admirably well.

•7

Hiji. ^aJ, No ^i.—SmtUit vf. 74.— Lev. Mwi.

T\EER. With long upright horns much branched : flender and
^"^ (harp brow antlers : color a reddifl^ brown : belly and lower
fide of the tail white : the horns often fuperior in fize to thofe of the
European Stags, fome being above four feet high, and thirty pounds
in weight.

Inhabits Canaday particularly the vaft forefts about the lakes ; arc
feen in great numbers grazing with the Buffaloes on the rich favannas
bordering on the Miffiftpiy the Mijburi, and other American rivers ;
they are alfo found within our Colonies, but their numbers decreafe
as population gains ground. An Indian living in 1748 had killed
many Stags on the fpot where Philadelphia now ftands *.

They feed eagerly on the broad-leaved Kalmia ; yet that plant is a
poifon to all othe. horned animals j their inteftines are found filled
with it during winter. If their entrails are given to Dogs, they be-
come ftupified, and as if drunk, and often are fo ill as hardly t4 cf-
cape with life f .

Stags are alfo found in Mexico, where they are called Aculliame :
they differ not from thofe of Spain in (hape, fize, or nature J. South
America is deftitute of thefe animals : they can be'^.r the extremes of
heat but not of cold. They are found neither in Hud/on's Bay^

5. Stag.

* Kalm u 336.

t Kalm i. 338.

T?

* Htr^i^mftK, Nev. Hi/p. 325.

Kamt/fbatkat

t^

G.

Kamt/cbatkat nor in any country inhabited by the Rein^a line in a
manner feparates them.

Their (kins arc an article of commerce imported * by the Hudfon's
Bay company ; but brought from the diftant parts far inland by the
Indiansy who bring them from the neighborhood of the lakes. In
moft parts of North America they are called the Grey Moofe, and the
Elk ; this has given occafion to the miftaken notion of that great
animal being found in Virginia, and other fouthern provinces.

The Stags oi America grow very fat: their tallow is much ef-
teemed for making of candles. The Indians fhoot them. As they
are very fhy animals, the natives cover themfclves with a hide, leaving
the horns ereft ; under fhelter of which they walk within reach of
the herd. De Brie, in the xxvth plate of the Hiftory of Floriday gives
a very curious reprefentation of this artful method of chafe, when it
was vifited by the French in 1564.

Stags are totally extirp^«:ed in RuJJia, but abound in the mounta-
nous fouthern tra£t of Sii^.ria, where they grow to a fize far fuperior to
what is known in Europe. The height of a grown Hind is four feet
nine inches and a half, its length eight feet ; that of its head one foot
eight inches and a half.

The fpecies ceafes in the north-eaftern parts of Sibiria, nor are any
found in Kamtjchatka.

6. Virginian.

Hlft, ^aJ. N* 46.— Lev. Mrs.

TT^EER. "With round and flender horns, bending greatly forward ;
'*-^ numeroui branches on the interior fides : deftitute of brow ant-
lers : color of the body a cinereous brown : head of a deep brown :
belly, fidesj fhoulders, and thighs, white, mottled with brown : tail

• lo the falc of 1764, 1307 were entered.

ten

VIRGINIAN DEER.

29

ten inches long, of a duflcy color : feet of a yellowifli brown. Are
not fo well haunched as the Englijh Buck, and are lefs aftive *.

Inhabits all the provinces fouth of Canada^ but in greateft
abundance in- the fouthern ; but efpecially the vaft favannas con-
tiguous to the Miffifipij and the great rivers which flow into it.
They graze in herds innumerable, along with the Stags and Buffaloes.
This fpecies probably extends to Guiana, and is the Baieu of that
country, which is faid to be about the fize of a European Buck, with
fhort horns, bending at their endsf.

They are capable of being n.ade tame ; and when properly trained,
arc ufed by the Indians to decoy the wild Deer (efpecially in the rut-
ting feafon) within (hot. Both Bucks and Does herd from September
to March ; after that they feparate, and the Does fecrete thcmfelves
to bring forth, and are found with difficulty. The Bucks from this
time keep feparate, till the amorous feafon of September revolves.
The Deer begin to feed as foon as night begins ; and fometimes, in
the rainy feafon, in the day : otheiwife they feldom or never quit their
haunts. An old Jmericam fportfman has remarked, that the Bucks
will keep in the thickets for a year, or even two J.

Thefe animals are very reftlefc, and always in motion, coming and
going continually §. Thofe which live near the fhores are lean and bad,
fubjeft to worms in their heads and throats, generated from the eggs
depolited in thofe parts ||. Thofe that frequent the hills and favannas
are in better cafe, but the venifon is dry. In liard winters they will feed
on the long mofs which hangs from the trees in the northern parts.

Thefe and other cloven-footed quadrupeds of America are very
fond of fait, and refort eagerly to the places impregnated with it.
They are always feen in great numbers in the fpots where the ground

Place.

FCND OF SALT.

• The late ingenious Mr. Ellis fliewed mc a Bezoar found in one of thefe Deer,
killed in Georgia. It was of a fpheroid form, an inch and three quarters broad, half
an inch thick in the middle ; of a pale brown color ; hard, fmooth, and glofly.

t Bancroft. J Doftof Garden. § Du Pratx, ii. 51. || Law/on, 124.

10 has

30

VIRGINIAN DEER.

Has been torn by torrents or other accidents, where they are fecn
licking the earth. Such fpots are called acking-p/aces. The huntf-
men are fure of finding the game there -, for, notwithftanding they
are often difturbed, the Buffaloes and Deer are fo palTionately fond
of the favory regale, as to bid defiance to all danger, and return in
droves to thefe favorite haunts.

The Ikins are a great article of commerce, 25,027 being imported
from New-Tcrk and Penfylvania in the fale of 1764.

The Doer are of the firfl importance to the Savages. The fkins
form the greateil branch of their traffick, by which they procure
from the colonifts, by way of exchange, many of the articles of life.
To all of them it is the principal food throughout the year j for by
drying it over a gentle but clear fire, after cutting it into fmall pieces,
it is not only capable of long prefervation, but is very portable in
their fudden excurfions, efpecially when reduced to powder, which is
frequently done.

Hunting is more than an amufement to thefe people. They give
themfelves up to it not only for the fake of fubfifVence, but to fit
themfelves for war, by habituating themfelves to fatigue. A good
huntfman is an able warrior. Thofe who fail in the fports of the
field are never fuppofed to be capable of fupporting the hardfhips
of a campaign ; they are degraded to ignoble offices, fuch as drefT-
ing the fkins of Deer, and other employs allotted only to flaves and
women f .

When a large party meditates a hunting-match, which is ufually
at the beginning of winter, they agree on a place of rendezvous, often
five hundred miles diftant from their homes, and a place, perhaps,
that many of them had never been at. They have no other me-
thod of fixing on the fpot than by pointing with their finger. The
preference is given to the eldeft, as the moft experienced \ ,

t Lcmufon, 208.

I Cattjbj, App, 3ui<

When

VIRGINIAN DEER.

When this matter is fettled, they feparate into fmall parties, travel
and hunt for fubfiftence all the day, and reft at night j but the wo-
men have no certain refting-places. The Savages have their particular
hunting countries -, but if they invade the limits of thofe belonging
to other nations, feuds enfue, fatal as thofe between Percy and
Douglas in the famed Cbevy Chace,

As foon as they arrive on the borders of the hunting country,
(which they never fail doing to a man, be their rcfpcftive routes ever
fo diftant or fo various) the captain of the band delineates on
the bark of a tree his own figure, with a Rattlefnake twined round
him with diftended mouth ; and in his hand a bloody tomahawk.
By this he implies a- deftrutftive menace to any who are bold enough
to invade their territories, or to interrupt their diverfion *.

The chafe is carried on in different ways. Some furprife the Deer
by ufmg the ftale of the head, horns, and hide, in the manner be-
fore mentioned : but the general method is performed by the whole
body. Several hundreds difperfe in a line, encompafling a vaft fpace
of country, fire the woods, and drive the animals into fome ftrait or
pcninfula, where they become an eafy prey. The Deer alone are not
the objedl ; Foxes, Raccoons, Bears, and all beads of fur, are thought
worthy of attention, and articles of commerce with the Europeans.

The number of Deer deftroyed in fome parts of America is incre-
dible J as is pretend.^fi, from an abfurd idea which the Savagei have,
that the more they deftroy, the more tliey fhall find in fucceeding
yearso Certain it is that multitudes are deftroycd j the tongues only
preferved, and the carcafes left a prey to wild beads. But the motive
is much more political. The Savages well difcern, that fhould they
Qverftock the market, they would certainly be over-reached by the
European dealers, who take care never to produce more goods than
are barely fufficient for the demand of the feafon, eftablifliing their
prices according to the quantity of furs brought by the natives. The
huiiters live m their quarters with the utmoft fcftivity, and indulgence

Ji

Csttjiy, App. ix.

in

I«.

VIRGINIAN DEER.

j(i.6i^N'

J. MsxiCAir.

// ■■

in all the luxuries of the country. The chafe rouzcs their appetites }
they are perpetually eating, and will even rife to obey, at midnight,
the calls of hunger. • Their viands are exquifite. Venifon boiled
with red peafe ; turkies barbecued and eaten with bears fat j fawns
cut out of the does belly, and boiled in the native bag j fifh, and
crayfifh, taken in the next ftream ; dried peaches, and other fruits,
form the chief of their good living *. Much of this food is carmina-
tive : they give loofe to the effeds, and (reverfe to the cuftom of
the delicate Arabs f) laugh moft heaitily on the occafion J.

They bring along with them cheir wives and miftreffes : not that
they pay any great reipecl to the fair. They make (like the Cath-
ttejians) errant pack-horfcs of them, loading them with provifions,
or the (kirs of the chafe i or making them provide fire-wood. Love
is not th<; pafllon of a Savage, at left it is as brief with them as with
the animals they purfue.

»

Mexican Roe i Hift. ^mJ. N* ^z.—Smtllie, iv. 136.

DEER. With horns near nine inches long, meafuring by the
curvature { and near nine inches between tip and tip, ana two
inches diftant between the bafes. About an inch and a half from the
bottom is oie ftiarp eredt fnag. This, and the lower parts of the
horns, are very ro igh, ftrong, and fcabrous. The upper parts bend
forwards over the bafes ; are fmooth, flatted, and broad, dividing
into three fharp fnags. Color of the hair like the European Roe ; but
whiit young are rayed with white. In fize fomewhat fuperior to the
European Re -.

Inhabits Mexico (| ; probably extends to the interior north-weftern
parts o( America, and may prove the Scenoontung or Squinaton, defcribcd
as being lefs than a Buck and larger than a Roe, but very like it,
and of an elegajit form §.

• Lawfin, J07.
H UirnaHdtK.

t D'Jt»vitux't Iravth, 147.
§ Deii/i Hinf/m't B*j, 24.

X Law/cn, »oj,
Ni/f.

R

E."

33

Uifi, Siuad. N»5i. — Smelliif'vi. 120. — Lbt. Mws,

DEER. With upright, round, rugged horns, triftircattd: hairs
tawny at their ends, grey below : rump and under-fide of the
tail white. Length near four feet : tail only an inch.

According to Charlevoix, they are found in great numbers in Ca-
nada. He fays they differ not from the European kind : are eafily
domefticated. The Does will retreat into the woods to bring forth,
and return to their mafter with their young *. They extend far weftf.
If Pj/o's figure may be depended on, they are found in Brazil Xi
are frequent in Europe -, and inhabit as high as Sweden and Norway % :
is unknown in RuJJia,

A, Tail-less Roe, Hift. ^ad. p. 109.

In its ftead is a larger variety : with horns like the laft, and color
the fame j only a great bed of white covers the rump, and extends
fome way up the back : no tail, only a broad cutaneous excrefcence
around the anus.

Inhabits all the temperate parts of RuJHa and Siliria, and extends
as far to the north as the Elk. Defcends to the open plains in the
winter. The Tartars call it Saiga : the RuJJian^ Dikaja Roza.

B, Fallow Deer, HiJ. ^ad. N" 44.

Are animals impatient of cold : are unknown in t\\t Ruffian empire,
except by importation : and are preferved in parks in S'lved^ri |),
The Englijh tranflator of Pontoppidan mentions them (perhaps erro-
neoufly) among the deer of Norway.

• Hiji. Nouv. France, y. 195. f I^obbs's Hudfon^s Bay, 24. X 97.

^ Taun, Suec. N*43, and Ftntop, Norivay, ii. 9. || Dti Praiz, ii. 54.

F Pvl U S K .

Rob.

,i n'\

34

M U

K.

MUSK. Hij}. ^ad. Genus X.
A. Tibet M. Hiji. S^uad. N« 54.—Mofchu8, fallai Sf. Ztol. fafc. xiii. Lev. Mwi.

MUSK. With very fharp flender white tuflcs on each fide of the
upper jaw, hanging out far below the under jaw: ears rather
large : neck thick : hair on the whole body long, upright, and
thick fet i each hair undulated ; tips ferruginous ; beneath them
black J the bottoms cinereous: on each fide of the front of the
neck is a white line edged with black, meeting at the cheft j another
crofles that beneath the throat : limbs very flender, and of a full
black : tail very (hort, and fcarcely vifible. The female wants the
tuflcs and the muflc-bag.

The muflc-bag is placed on the belly, almofl: between the thighs.
A full-grown male will yield a drachm and a half of muflc j an old
one two drachms.
Size. The length of the male is two feet eleven; of the female, two feet

three. Tiie weight of a male from twenty-five to thirty pounds,
Troy weight : of an old female, from thirty to thirty-five ) but fome
young ones do not exceed ;"ighteen.
PtACE. Inhabits 4/ia, from lat. 20 to 60, or from the kingdoms of Laos

and Tong-Kwg, between India and China, and through the kingdom
of Tibet* as high as Mangajea. The river Jenejei is its weftern
boundary, and it extends eafl:ward as far as lake Baikal, and about
the rivers Lena and Witim ; but gradually narrows the extent of its re-
fidence as it approaches the tropic. Lives on the higheft and rudeft
mountains, amidft: the fnows, or in the fir-woods which lie between
them : goes ufually folitary, except in autumn, when they colled in
flocks to change their place : are exceflively adfcive, and take amazing

• Correft in p. 113, HiJl, ^ad. 9. 44 or 45, read 20.

leaps

M U

K.

35

leaps over the tremendous chafms of their alps, or from rock to rock :
tread fo light on the fnow, with their true and falfe hoofs extended, as
fcarcely to leave a mark j while the dogs which purfue them fink in,
and are forced to defift from the chafe : are fo fond of liberty as
never to be kept alive in captivity. They feed on iichens, arbutus,
rhododendron, and whortleberry-^^\zv^t%. Their chafe is mod labo-
rious: they are taken in fnares ; or fhot by crofs-bows placed in
their tracks, with a ftring from the trigger for them to tread on and
difcharge. The Tunguft Ihoot them with bows and arrows. The
Ikins are ufed for bonnets and winter drefles. The Ruffians often
fcrape ofF the hair, and have a way of preparing them for fummer
cloathing, fo as to become as foft and Ihining as filk.

The two other hoofed animals of the north of 4fia, the Two-
bunched Camel, and the Wild Boar, do not reach as high as lat. 60 :
the firft is found in great troops about lake Baikal, as far as lat. 56
or 57 ; but if brought as high as Jakutjk, beyond lat. 60, perifli with
cold *. The Wild Boar is common in all the reedy marlhes of Tartary
and Sibiria, and the mountanous forefts about lake Baikal, almoll
to lat. 55 i but none in the north-eaftern extremity of Sibiria^

Camel-

Wild Boar.

• Zimmtrman, .357.

F 2

D I V.

D I V. II.

DIGITATED QJJ ADRUPEDS.

SECT. I. With Canine Teeth.

^f^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

A

^ A

^

1.0

I.I

|M 125

m 1^ 122
£ Itt 12.0

\m 1 1.4

I

1.6

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STRiET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

3«

WOLF.

DIV. II. Digitated Quadrupeds.

SECT I. With Canine Teeth.
Rapaciousj Carnivorous.

DOG. H I S r. ^U A D. Genus XVII.

9. WotF, Hifi.Sluad. N« 137. — Smllie,'vr. 196.— Let. Mos.

DOG. With a long head: pointed nofe : ears (harp andcrcft:
legs long : tail bufhy, bending down : hair pretty long. Color
ufually of a pale brown^ mixed with dull yellow and black.

Inhabits the interior countries fouth of BudforCs Bay j and from
thence 2X\AmericayZ% low as Florida. There are two varieties, a greater
and a lefler. Th« firft ufualjy confines itfclf to the colder parts.
The latter is not above fifteen inches high*. In the more uninhabited
parts of the country, they go in^ great droves, and hunt the deer
like a pack of hounds, and make a hideous noife. They will attack
the Bufi^alo; but only venture on the ftragglers. In the unfrequented
parts of America are very tame, and will come near the few habita-
tions in hopes of finding fomething to eat. They are often fo very
poor and hungry, for want of prey, as to go into a fwamp and fill
themfelves with mud, which they will difgorge as foon as they can
get any food.
Color. The Wolves towards HudJoiCs Bay are of diflTerent colors j grey

and white ; and fome black and white, the black hairs being mixed
with the white chiefly along the back. In Canada they have been
found entirely black f. They are taken in the northern parts in log-
traps, or by fpring-guns j their Ikins being an article of commerce.

In the Leverian mufeum is the head and fcuU of a wolf:
duflcy and brown, formed by the natives into a helmet. The pro-

* Du Prat*, ii. 54.

10

t Smtllit, iv. 2 1 a.

tefbion

W O L K.

39

teftion of the head was the natural and firft thougfit of mankind ;
and the fpoils of bcafts were the firft things that offered. Hercules
feized on the Ikin of the Lion : the Americans ^ and ancient Lotions that
of the Wolf.

Fulvofquc Lopi ie pelle galeroi
Tegmen habet capiti.

Wolves are now fo rare in the populated parts of America, that the
inhabitants leave their Iheep the whole night unguarded : yet the
governments oiPenJylvania and New Jerjey did fome years ago allow
a reward of twenty (hillings, and the laft even thirty (hillings, for the
killing of every Wolf. Tradition informed them what a fcourge
thofe animals had been to the colonies j fo they wifely determined
to prevent the like evil. In their infant ftate, wolves came down in
multitudes from the mountains, often attrafted by the fmell of the
corpfes of hundreds of Indians who died of the fmall-pox, brought
among them by the Europeans : but the animals did not confine their
infults to the dead, but even devoured in their huts the fick and dying
Savages *.

The Wolf is capable of being in fome degree tamed and domef-
ticated f. It was, at the firft arrival of the Europeans, and is ftill in
many places, the Dog of the Americans J. It ftill betrays its favage
defcent, by uttering only a howl inftead of the fignificant bark of the
genuine Dog. This half-reclamed breed wants the fagacity of our
faithful attendant $ and is of little farther ufe in the chafe, than in
frightening the wild beafts into the fnares or traps.

The Kamtjcbatkansy EJkimaux, and Greenlanders, ftrangers to the
fofter virtues, treat thcfe poor animals with great negleft. The for-
mer, during fummer, the feafon in which they are ufelefs, turn
them loofe to provide for themfelves ; and recall them in OSlober in-
to their ufual confinement and labor : from that time till fpring they

Doa.

• Kalm, i. 215. f The fame, a86. Lwrnfon, 119.

Virginia, 27. Crantz GrttnlanJ, i. 74.

I- Smith't Hi/.
are

■;j»)^-"

40

WOLF.

are fed with fifh-bones and epanat i. e. putrid fifh preferved in
pits, and fcrved up to them mixed with hot water. Thofe ufed for
draught are caftratedj and four, yoked to the carriage, will draw
five poods, or a hundred and ninety Englijh pounds, befides the
driver i and thus loaden, will travel thirty verfts, or twenty miles, a
dayj or if unloaden, on hardened fnow, on Aiders of bone, a hun-
dred and fifty verfts, or a hundred Englijh miles*.

It is pretty certain that the Kamtfchatkan Dogs are of wolfifh de-
fcentj for Wolves abound in that country, in all parts of Sii>iria,
and even under the yiriiic circle. If their matter is flung oiit of
his fledge, they want the affeftionate fidelity of the European kind,
and leave him to follow, never ftopping till the fledge is overturned,
or elfe flopped by fome impediment f . I am alfb ftrengthened in
my opinion by the ftrong rage they have for the purfuit of deer, if
on the journey they crofs J the fcent j when the mafter finds it very
difficult to make them purfue their way.

The great traveller of the thirteenth century, Marco Poloy had
knowlege of this fpccies of conveyance from the merchants who went
far north to traffic for the precious furs. He defcribes the fledges j
adds, that they were drawn by fix great dogs j and that they changed
them and the fledges on the road, as we do at prefent in going
poftB.

The Kamtfcbatkans make ufe of the flcins of dogs for cloathing, and
the long hair for ornament : fome nations are fond of them as a
food } and reckon a fat dog a great delicacy §. Both the Afiatic and
American Savages ufe thefe animals in facrifices to their gods ^, to be-
fpeak favor, or avert evil. When the Koreki dread any infeftion.

• Hift.Kamt/ibatka, 107. 197. + The fame, 107.

X The Tame. — There is a variety of black wolves in the Vekrituritm mountains.
The (he-wolves have been fuccefsfujiy coupled with dogs in feme noblemen's parks
about Mo/tew,

11 Ia Bergeron, 160. § Hift. Kamtfihalka, ly. The w/«fr/Vd»/ do the fame,

Drtigt,'i. ii6, ^ Hift. Kamt/cb, 126. Draget'n. ^i.

they

■i ■r"-'^^r'j-'r^7^~-r^'

w o

F.

4'»

they kill a dog, wind the inteftines round two poles, and pafs be-
tween them.

The Greenlanders are not better mafters. They leave their dogs Greehlanj>
to feed on muflels or berries j unlefs in a great capture of feals,
when they treat them with the blood and garbage. Thefe people
alfo fometimes eat their dogs : ufe the fkins for coverlets, for cloath-
ing, or to border and fcam their habits : and their beft ihread is
made of the guts.

The Dogs in general are large j and, in the frigid parts at left,
have the appearance of Wolves : are ufually white, with a black face;
fometimes varied with black and white, fometimes all white j rarely
brown, or all black : have fharp nofes, thick hair, and fhort ears : and
feldom bark rlsut fet up a fort of growl, or favage howl. They fleep
abroad j and make a lodge in the fnow, lying with only their nofes
out. They fwim moft excellently : and will hunt, in packs, the
ptarmigan, ar<5tic fox, polar bear, and feals lying on the ice. The
natives fometimes ufe them in the chafe of the bear. They are ex-
ceflively fierce j and, like wolves, inftantly fly on the few domeftic
animals introduced inco Greenland. They will fight among them-
fclves, even to death. Canine madnefs is unknown in Greenland*.
They are to the natives in tiie place of horfes : the Greenlanders faften
to their fl-dges from four to ten ; and thus make their vifits in
favage ftate, or bring home the animals they have killed. Egcde
fays that they will travel over the ice fifteen German miles in a day,
or fixty Engliflit with fledges loaden with their mafters and five or fix
large feals f.

Thofe of the neighboring idand of. Iceland have a great rcfcm- Icela
blance to them. As to thofe oi Newfoundland, it is not certain that
there is any diftind breed : moft of them are curs, with a crofs of tlie
maftiflF : fomc will, and others will not, take the water, abfolutely
refufing to go in. The country was found uninhabited, which
makes it more probable that they were introduced by the Europeans -,

KB.

* Faun. Grttnl. p* 19.

•f Sfe<ie,6^, C;-tf»/x, i. 74.

wlio

^S V.' *;■

4a

w

L F.

who ufe them, as the fadlory does in Hudfon's Bay, to draw firing
fironr; the woods to the forts. . JS^i

T! e Savages who trade to Hudfon's Bay make ufe of the vtolfilh
kind to draw their furs. jj:

It is Angular, that the race of European Dogs fliew as ftrong an
antipathy to this American fpecies, as they do to the Wolf itfelf.
They never meet with them, but they fhew all pofTible figns of diflike,
and will fall on and worry them j while the wolfifh breed, with every
mark of timidity, puts its tail between its legs, and runs from the
rage of the others. This averfion to the Wolf is natural to all ge-
nuine Dogs : for it is well known that a whelp, which has never
feen a wolf, will at firft fight tremble, and run to its mafter for pro-
ted ion : an old dog will infi:antly attack it.

I fliall conclude this article with an abftraft of a letter from Dr.
Pallas, dated OSiober 5th 178I} in which he gives th6 following
confirmation of the mixed breed of thefe animals and Dogs.

•* I have feen at Mo/cow about twenty fpurious animals from dogs.
** and black wolves. They are for the moft part like wolves, except
•* that fome carry their tails higher, and have a kind of coarfe bark-
" ing. They multiply among themfelves : and fome of the whelps
«* are greyifh, rufly, oi- even of the whitiih hue of the Arftic wolves :
'* and one of thofe I faw, in fliape, tail, and hair, and even in bark-
" ing, fo like a cur, that, was it not for his head and cars, his ill-
" natured look, and fearfulnefs at the approach of man, I Ihould
<* hardly have believed that it wai of the fame breed."

lo. AiicTrc.

Arftic Fox, Hifi, ^ad. N» —Lb v. M»s.

DO G. With a fharp nofe : ears almoft hid in the fur, fhort and
rounded: hair long, foft, and filky: legs fhort: toes covered
above and below with very thick and foft fur : tail (horter than that
of the common Fox, and more bufhy.
Inferior in fize to the common Fox : color a blueifh-grey, and
3 " fometimes

• £

t Mm

H
and tl

the col

ARCTIC FOX.

fometimes white. The young, before they come to maturity, dulky.
The hair, as ufual in cold regions, grows much thicker and longer
in winter than fummer.

Thefe animals are found only in the Arftie regions, a few degrees with-
in and without the Polar circle. They inhabit Spitzbergen^ Greenland,
and Iceland* : are only migratory in Hud/on' s Bay, once in four or five
years f : are found again in Bering's and | Copper Ifle, next to it ; but
in none beyond : in Kamtjchatka, and all the countries bordering on
the frozen fea, which feems their great refidence ; comprehending a
woodlefi traft of heath land, generally from 70 to 65 degrees lat.
They abound in Nova Zembla || : are found in Cherry ifland, midway
between Finmark and Spitzbergen §, to which they muft have been
brought on iflands of ice ; for it lies above four degrees north of
the firll, and three fouth of the lafl: : and laftly, in the bare mountains
between Lapland and Norway.

They are the hardicft of animals, and even in Spitzbergen and Nova
Zembla prowl out for prey during the feverity of winter. They live
on the young wild geefe, and all kind of water-fowl ; on their eggs ;
on hares, or any lefler animals ; and in Greenland, (through neceffity)
on berries, fliell-fifli, or whatfoever the fea throws up. But in the
north of JJia, and in Lapland, their principal food is the Lemings%.
The Arftic foxes of thofe countries are as migratory as thofe little
animals j and when the laft make their great migrations, the latter
purfue them in vaft troops. But fuch removals are not only un-
certain, but long : dependent on thofe of the Leming. The Foxes
will at times defert their native countries for three or four years,
probably as long as they can find any prey. The people of Jeni/ea
imagine, that the wanderers from their parts go to the banks of
the Oby.

• EgeJe, 62. Marten's Spitzb. 100. Horrebmu^s Iciland, 43. \ Mr. Graham.

X Mulltr's Col. voy. 53. || Heemjkiri't voy. 34. § Pur(has, iii. 559.

f Of which I apprehend there are two fpecies — the Lapland, Hifl. ^uad. N' 317,

and the Mus Migratorius of Pallat, or Taik Rat, Hift. S^uad. N* 326. which inhabiti

the country near the Yaik.

G a Thofe

«

^'

M,

ARCTIC FOX.

Thofc found on Bering's and Copper ifles were probably brought
from the /^latic fide on floating ice : Steller having feen in the re-
moter iflands only the black and brown foxes : and the fame only on
the continent of America. They burrow in the earth, and form holes
many feet in length j ftrcwing the bottom with mofs. But in Spitz-
bergen and Greenland, where the ground is eternally frozen, they live in
the cliffi of rocks : two or three inhabit the fame hole. They fwim
well, and often crofs from ifland to ifland in fcarch of prey. They
arc in heat about Lady -day -, and during that time continue in the
open air: after that, retreat to their earths. Like dogs, continue united
in copulation : bark like them : for which reafon the Ruffians call
lliem Pe/zti, They couple in Greenland in March, and again inr
Mayi and bring forth in Jpril and in June*.

They are tame and inoffenfive animals ; and fo fimple, that there
are inftances of their (landing by when the trap was baiting, and in-
ftantly after putting their heads into it. They are killed for the fake
of their (kins,, both in J/ta and Hudfon's Bay : the fur is light and
warnri, but not durable. Mr. Graham informed me, that they have
appeared in fuch numbers about the fort, that he has taken,, in dif-
ferent ways, four hundred from December to March. He likewife
afliired me, that the tips of their tails are always black; thofe of the
common foxes always wlrite : and that he never could trace the
breeding-places of the former.

The Greenlanders take them either in pitfalls dug in the fnow, and
baited wth the Capdin filh ;, or in fprings made with whale-bone,
laid over a hole made in the fnow, ftrewed over at bottom with
the fame kind of fifh ; or in traps made like little huts, with flat
ftoncs, with a broad one by way of door, which falls down (by
means of a ftring baited on the infide with a piece of flefli) whenever
the fox enters and pulls at itf. The Greenlanders preferve the (kins
for traffic i and in cafes of neceifity.eat the fl£(h. They alfo make

* FauHt Gfctnl. 20*

t CroMtftf i. 72^

buttons

ARCTIC ? d X.

4S'

buttons of the (kins : and fplit the tendons, and m'\kc ufe of them in-
ftead of thread. The blue furs are much more cfleemed than the
white. ' '

European Wvxj^ffi/t. Ifgai. N* i^g.-^SmtlUt, ir. 214. — Lev. Mus.

DOG. With a pointed nofe : pointed ercdl ears : body of a
tawny red, mixed with afh-color : fore part of the legs black j-
tail long and bulhy, tipt wich white.

Inhabits the northern parts of Nortb America from Had/on^ s Bay^
probably acrofsthc continent to the iflands intermediate between yJme-
rica and Kamt/chatka. Captain Bering faw there five quite tame,
being unufed tp the fight of man.

This fpecies gradually decreafes to the fouthward, in" numbers and
in fize : none are found lower than Petyylvania. They are fuppofecf
not to have bfeen originally natives of that country. The Indians
believe they came from the north of Europe in an excefTive hard
winter, when the feafon was frozen. The truth feems to be, that
they were driven in fome fevere feafon from the north of their own
country, and have continued there ever fince. They abound about
Hudfon's Bay, the Labrador country, and in Newfoundland and Ctf-
nada j and are found in Iceland*. They burrow as the European foxes
do ; and in Hudfon's Bay, during winter, run about the woods in
fearch of prey, feeding on birds and lefler animals,^ ..--icularly
mice.

New England is faid to have been early flocked with foxes by a
gentleman who imported them from England, for the pleafure of th6
ohafe t ; and that the prefent breed fprung from the occafion. This
fpecies is reckoned among the pernicious animals, and, being very
deflruftive to lambs, are profcribed at the rate of two {hillings a
head.

The variety of Brifijh fox, with a black tip to the tail, feems un-
known in America.

11. EuROPBAN'..

X.

f Ol0fi»,i. j>»

t Kaim, i. 283;

'■"«.

the.

46

t:UROI»EAN, BLACK, amo CROSS FOX.

The (kins are a great article of commerce : abundance are im-
ported annually from Hud/on's Bay and Newfoundland. The natives of
Hudfon's Bay eat the flefli, rank as is it is.

This fpecies abounds in Kamt/chatka, and is the fined red fur of any
known : grows fcarcc within the Arftic circle of^hc yi/iatic regions,
and is found there often white.

In

three
the ta
there
as tha

« Black.

'T'HIS variety is found very often entirely black, with a white tip to
the tail j and is far inferior in value and beauty to thofe ofKamtf-
cbatka and Sihiria, where a Angle fkin fells for four hundred rubles.

The bed in North America are found on the Labrador fide of Hud-
fon's Bay. They are alfo very common on the iflands oppofite to
Kamt/chatka. The American black foxes, which I have examined, are
frequently of a mixed color : from the hind part of the head to the
middle of the back is a broad black line : the tail, legs, and belly,
black : the hairs on the face, fides, and lower part of the back, cine-
reous } their upper ends ; black the tip white.

pos

eai

red, ci

it a ho;

fides, 1

Aboi

Brooks \

it had

fuch/e, c

0 Cross.

DOX. With a bed of black running along the top of the back,
croflcd by another pafling down each flioulder ; from whence it
took the name. The belly is black : the color of the reft of the body
varies in different (kins } but in all is a mixture of black, cinereous,
and yellow : the fur in all very foft : and the tail very bufliy and full
of hair i for nature, in the rigorous climate of the North, is ever
careful to guard the extremities againft the injury of cold.

This is likewife a very valuable variety. It is remarked, that the
more defireable the fur is, the more cunning and difficult to be taken
is the fox which owns it*. The Cojfacks quartered in Kamt/chatka
have attempted for two winters to catch a fingle black fox. The
Crofs-fox, vulfes crucigera of Ge/ner^ and Kors-raef of the Swedes f , is
found in all the Polar countries.

• Hiji, Kamtfchntkut 91* t Ctfntr ^ad. 967. Fuuh. Sutc, N» 4.

In

pox.

col(
the tail
the fiir

I difcl
White,
imagine|

This
Tartaryl
places
habit tl
grow bs
Baikal;
traders.
<•«», ant

BRANT AND CORSAK FOX.

In the new-difcovcrcd Fox {/lands thcfe animals abound : one iff
three or four are found entirely black, and larger than any in Sibiria :
the tail alfo is tipt with white. But as they live among the rocks,
there being no woods in thofe iflands, their hair is almofl as coarfe
as that of the Wolf, and of little value compared to the Sibirian.

47

Brant Fox, Hifi. S^uad. p. 23;.

■POX. With a very fharp and black nofe : fpace round the
ears ferruginous : forehead, back, fhoulders, fides, and thighs,
red, cinereous, and black : the afh-color predominates, which gives
it a hoary look : belly yellowilh : tail black above, cinereous on the
fides, red beneath.

About half the fize of the common fox. Defcribed from one Mr.
Brooks received from Penfylvania, under the name of Brandt-fox j but
it had not that bright rednefs to merit the name of either Brandt-
fuchjet or Brand-raefy given by Gejner and Linnaus.

y BRAwrf

Corfak Fox, Hifl, Sluad. p. 236.

UOX. With upright ears : yellowifh-green irides : throat white :
color, in fummer, pale tawny j in winter, cinereous : middle of
the tail cinereous j bafe and tip black ; the whole very full of hair :
the fiir is coarfer and fhorter than that of the common fox.

I difcovered this fpecies among the drawings of the late Taylor
White^ Efq; who informed me that it came from North America, I
imagine, from Hud/on's Bay.

This fpecies is very common in the hilly and temperate parts of
Tartary^ from the Don to the Amur j but never is found in woody
places : it burrows deep beneath the furface. It is alfo faid. to in-
habit the banks of the rivers Indigijky and Anadyr, where the hills
grow bare. In the reft of Sibiria it is only known beyond lake
Baikal; and from flcins brought by the Kirgbiftan and Bucbarian
traders. In Ruffia it is found in the defarts towards Crimea and AJlrU'
can, and alfo on the fouthern end of the Urallian mountains*

Grey

) CORSAR.

4t{

GREY AND SILVERY FOX.

u. Grit.

Grey Fox, Hift, Siutd. N» 143.

FOX. With a (harp nofc: long (harp upright ears : long legs;
color entirely grey, except a little redncfs about the cars.
Inhabits from New England to the Ibuthern end of North America ;
but are far more numerous in the fouthern colonies. They have not
the rankfmell of the red foxes. They are alfo lefs adlive, and grow
very fat*. They breed in hollow trees: give «o divcrfion to ilic
fportfmen, for after a mile's chafe they run up a treef . They feed
on birds; are dcftrudlivc to poultry ; but never deftroy lambs J. The
(kins are ufed to line clothes : the fur is in great requeft among the
hatters. The greafe is reckoned efficacious in rheumatic difordcrs.

IJ. SlLVRRlf.

Silvery Fox, Hiji. ^ai. N» 143.

FOX. With a fine and thick coat of a deep brown color, ovei
fpread with long filvery hairs of a mod elegant appearance.
Inhabits Louiftana, where their holes are feen in great abundance on
the woody heights. As they live in forefts, which abound in game,
they never moleft the poultry, fo are fufFered to run at large §.

They differ fpecifically from the former, more by their nature in
burrowing, than in colors.

• Law/on, 125. f Catefy, ii. 78, Joffilyn, 82.

§ Du Pratx, ii. 64, Ciarltvoift, v. 196.

I Ka/m, i. 282.

HIS 7'.

PUMA.

49

HIST. ^UAD. Genus XIX.

CAT.

Hift. ^mad. N* \6o.—^mUit, v. 197. 200.— 'Lb v. Mvi.

14. PlJ«4A.

CAT. With a fmall head: large eyes: ears a little pointed:
chin white : back, neck, (Ides, and rump, of a pale brown ifh
red, mixed with duflcy hairs : breaft, belly, and infide of the legs, ci-
nereous : tail a mixture of duflcy and ferruginous, the tip black.

The teeth of a vaft fize : claws whitifli j the outmoft claw of the
fore feet much larger than the refl : the body very long : the legs
high and ftrong. The length of that I examined was five feet three
from head to tail i of the tail, two feet eight.

Inhabits the continent oi North America, from Canada to Florida; and
the fpecies is continued from thence low into South America, through
Mexico, Guiana, Bra/il, and the province of ^ito, in Peru, where it is
callttd Puma, and by the Europeans miftaken for a Lion : it is, by
reafon of its ficrcencfs, the fcourge of the country. The different
climate of North America feems to have fubducd its rage, and ren-
dered it very fearful of mankind : the left cur, in company with his
mafter, will make it run up a tree*, which is the opportunity of
Ihooting it. It proves, if not killed outright, a dangerous enemy ;
for it will defcend, and attack either man or bead. The flcfli is
white, and reckoned very good. The Indians ufe the (kin for winter
habits ; and when drefled is made into (hoes for women, and gloves
for menf.

It is called in North America the Panther, and is the moft pernicious
r.nimal of that continent. Lives in the forefts. Sometimes purs, at
other times makes a great howling. Is extremely clt flrudive to do-

• Cat^j, App, XXV.

t Lawful, uS.

H

in c nit

5«>

PUMA. LYNX.

meftic animals, particularly to hogs. It preys alfo upon the Moofe>
and other deer j falling on them from the tree it lurks in, and never
quits its hold*. The deer has no other way of faving itfelf, but by
plunging into the water, if there happens to be any near j for the
Panther, like the Cat, detefts that element. It will feed even on
beafts of prey. I have feen. the (kin of one which was (hot, juft as it
had killed a wolf. When it has fatisfied itlelf with eating, it care-
fully conceals the reft of the carcafe, covering it with leaves. If any
other animal touches the reliquesj, it never touches them again.

i{. Ltnx..

N^.^ad. N* i^o.—Smtllit, v. X07. »I7.»Lbt. Mus..

CAT. With pale yellow eyes : ears ercft, tufted with black long
hair : body covered with foft and long fur, cinereous tinged
with tawny, and marked with duflcy fpots, more or lefs vifiblc in dif-
ferent fuhjefts, dependent on the age, or feafoR in which the animal
is killed : the legs ftrong and thick : the claws large. About three
times the fize of a common Cat : the tail only four inches long,
tipt with black.

Inhabits the vaft fbrefts of North yfmerica .* is called in Canaifa,.Le
Chat, ou Le Loup-cervier-fy on account of its being fo deftruftivc to
dccrj which it drops on from the trees, like the former, and,, fixing
on the jugular vein, never quits Its hold till, the exhaufted animal
falls through lofs of blood if..

The Englijh call it a Wild Cat. It is v«ry deftruftive to their young
pigs, poultry, and all kind of game. The Ikins are in high efteem
for the foftnefs and warmnefs of the fur^ and great numbers arc an-
nually imported into Europe.

* Ckarltwix, T. 189, who by miftake calb k Csreajtm, and Kimt^tu \ two rcry dif-
f«rentaniinah. f Ci6«r/rv«wr, v. 195. } Iai^*^ ii8« Cat*fy,Aff,7aiv..

liy

BAY* L.Y N X.

41

Bay Lynx. HtJI. ii^tul. N* 171* i6- Bay.

CAT. With yellow iridci ; cars like the former : color of the
head, body, and outfide of the legi and thighs, a bright bay,
obfcurely marked with duflty fpot» : the forehead marked with black
ftripcs from »thc head to the nofe ; checks white, varied with three
or four incurvatcd lines of black : the upper and under lip, belly,
and infides of the legs and thighs, white : the infide of the upper
part of the fore legs croiTed with two black bars : the tail (hort ; the
upper part marked with duflcy bars, and near the end with one of
bhck ) the under fide white. In fize, about twice that of a common
Cat \ the fur fhorter and fmoother than that of the former.

This fpecies is found in the internal parts of the province of New
Tcrk, I faw one living a few years ago in Loudon. The black bars
•n the legs and tail are fpecific marks.

HiJI. ^ttd. N» itff. >7- Mountain.

Cat-a-mountain ) A««{^, ill. Du Pratx, it. 64.

CAT. With upright pointed ears, marked with two brown bars :
head and upper part of the body of a reddiih brown, with long
narrow ftripes of black: the Adei and legs with fmall round fpots : chin
and throat of a clear white : belly of a dull white : tail eight inches
long, barred with black. Length from nofe to tail two feet and a half. Sizi.

Inhabits North America. Ii faid to be a gentle animal, and to
grow very fat. Defcribed originally in the Memoires ie VAcademie -,
fince which an account of another, taken in Carolina^ was communi-
cated by the late Mr. Collinjon to the Count dt Buffan*. The only
difference is in fize i for the laft was only nineteen inches long : the
tail four j but the fame charafteriftic ftripcs, fpots, and bars, on the
tail, were fimilar in both.

* Supplem. iii. i$j,
II 2

There

: i-"'"''^-f>!'qf,'>;sT"'yx»'- '■■'

|i

MOUNTAIN CAT.

Oitctf X I Sr iciii. There ftill remain undefcribed fome animals of the Feline race,
which are found in North America, but too obfcurely mentioned by
travellers to be afcertained. Such is the beaft which Law/pn faw to
the weftward of Carolitiaj and calls a Tiger. He fays it was larger
than the Panther, i. e. Puma, and that it differed from the Tiger of
yfjia and Africa *. It poffibly may be the Brafilian Panther, Hiji. ^uad.
N° 158, which may extend further north than we imagine. It may
likewife be the Cat-a-mount of Du Pratz-f ; which, he fays, is as high
as the Tiger, i. e. Puma, and the (kin extremely beautiful.

The Pijoux of Louijiana, mentioned by Charlevoix"!^, are alfo ob-
fcure animals. He fays they are very like our Wild Cats, but larger :
that fome have Ihorter tails, and others longer. The firft may be
referred to one of the three laft fpeci^s : the laft may be our Cayenne
Cat, N' 163,

t)omeftic Cats are kept in Iceland and Norway §. Some of them
efcape and rclapfe to a favage ftate. In Iceland thofe are called Urda^
kelfer, becaufe they live under rocks and loofe ftones, where they hide
themfelves. They pfrey on fmall birds. The moft valuable of their
(kins are fold for twelve Danijh (killings, or fix pence a-piece. Linndeus„
fpeaking of the cats of Sweden, fays, they are of exotic origin ||. They^
are not found wild either in that kingdom, or any part of the Ruffian
dominions. Unknown in America.

• Hift. CanUna, 119.

t ii. 64. I wifli to f'lppref* the fynonym of Cat-a-mmt, a« applied to t&e Cofemw
Cat, as it feemi applicable to a much larger Tpeciei.

} Hi/f. tit It Ntmv. Frantit vi. 158. S ^V* Ittl""/* *• Paragr. 80. Ponttp^

ii. 8. (I FoMM. Sute* N" 9.

Hist.

POLAR BEAR.

S3

HIST. ^UJD, GiNws XX.

BEAR.

Bi/. ^ad. N" 1 75 .—-Lit. Mui.

|8. Polar.

BEAR. With a long narrow head and neck : tip of the nofc
black: teeth of a tremendous magnitude : hair of a great length,
foft, and white, and in part tinged with yellow : limbs very thiclt
and ftrong: ears Ihort and rounded.

Travellers vary about their fize. De Buffon quotes the authority
of Gerard le Vtr* for the length of one of the Ikins, which, he fays,
was twenty-three fecr. This feems to be extremely mifreprefented j.
for Gerard, who was a companion of the famous Bareiitz, and Heemf-
kirky a voyager of the firft credit, killed feveral on Nova Zemhla., the
largeft of which did not exceed thirteen feet in length f . They feem
fmaller on Spitzbergen : one meafured by order ofa noble and aole
navigator +, in his late voyage towards the Pole, was as follows : I
give all the meafurements to afcertain the proportions.

Feet.
Length from fnout to tail - - 7

from fnout to fhoulder-bone - 2
Height at the fhoulder
Circumference near the fore legs

of the neck near the car
Breadth of the fore-paw
Weight of the carcafe without the head,,
fkin, or entrails ...
This fpecies, like the Rein and Ar^lic Fox, almoft entirely fur-
rounds the neighborhood of the Polar circle. It is found within it,

4

7
2

o

rnclie»<
1

3

3

o

T

7

610 lb.

• DtSufim, Suffl. iii. aoo. f See It Ftr, p. 14. ed. 1606. AmfiiU:

t Tiifr Honorable Cwfiantint John Phipft, aow l^Qti. Mulgrave,

far

Flmi.

54

POLAR BEAR.

far as navigators have penetrated -, in the ifland of Spitzlergett, and
within Baffin's Bay, in Greenland m\A Hud/on" s Bay, in Terra di Labra-
dor*-, and, by accident, wafted {xoxnGreenlaiid, on iflands of ice, to
Iceland and Nezvfoundland. It perhaps attends the courfc of the
Arclic circle along the vaft regions of /imerica ; but it is un-
known in the groupcs of iflands between that continent and Afia;
neither is it found on the Tchuktki No/s, or the Great Cape, which
juts into the fea north of Kamtfchatka ■\. None are ever leen in that
country. But thty are frequtnt on all the coafts of the Frozen Ocean,
from the mouth of the Qb J, caftwardi and abound iTVJft about the
eftuaries of the Jenc/ei ana Lena^ They appear about thofe favage
trafts, and abound in the unfrequented iHands of Nova Zemhla,
Cherry t and Sptzber^ea^ where they find -winter quarters undifturbcd
by mankind. The fpecies is happily unkr.':>wi» along the (bores of
the White fca, and thpfe of Lapland and Norway. Poffibly even
thofe rigorous climates may be too mild for animals that afFc6b the
utmoft feverity of the Ar6ic zone. They never are feen farther
fouth in Sibiria than Manga/eat nor wander into the wooiy parts,
unlefs by accident in great mifts.

They are fometimes brought alive into England. One which I favr
was always in motivn, reillcfs, and furious, roaring in aloud and hoarfe
tone i and fb impatient of warmth, that the keeper was obliged to
pour on it frequently pallfuls of water. In a ftate of nature, and in
places little vifited by mankind, they are ot dreadful ferocity. In
Spitzbergen, and the other places annually frequented by the human
race, they dread its power, having experienced its fuperiority, and
(hun the confli(5l : yet even in thofe countries prove tremendous
enemies, if attacked or provoked.

Barentz, in his voyages in fcareh of a north-eaft palTage to China,
had fatal proofs of their rage and intrepidity on the ifland of Nova
Ztmbla: his feamcn were frequently attacked, and fome of them

men :; it

• Phil. Tranf. Ixiv. 377. f Mullir, Pref. xxv.

tii. 805.

t PitrtbM't Pilgrittn/

,. ... lulled.

POLAR BEAk.

55

killed. Thofe whom they fei-zcd on they took in their mOuths, ran a^ay
with the utnioft eafc, tore to pieces, and devoured at their leifure,
even in fig^t of the fufviving comrades. One of thefe animals wai
Ihot preying on the mangled corpfe, yet would not quit its hold ; but
continued ftaggenng away with the body in its mouth, till difpatched
with many wounds*.

They will attack, and fttempt to board, armed vefTels far diftant
fromfhorej and have been with great difficulty repelled f. They
feem to give a preference to human blood; and will greedily dif-intef
the graves of the buried, to devour the cadaverous content&^.

Their ufual food is fifh, feals, and the carcafes of whales. On
land, they prey on deer |, hares, young birds, and eggs, and often on
whortleberries and crowberries. They are at conftant enmity with
the Walrus, or Morfe : the laft, by reafon of its vaft tufks, has ge-
nerally the fuperiorityj but frequently both, the combatants perifli'
in the conflift |.

They are frequently feen in Greenlandy in lat. 76, in great droves ;
where, allured by the fcent of the flefli of feals, they will furround the
habitationt of the natives, and attempt to break inf j but are loon'
driven away by the fmell of burnt feathers**. If one of them is by
any accident killed, the furvivors will inrtmediately eat it f f .

They grow excefllvely fat j a hundred pounds of fat has been taken
o\tt of a fingle beaft. Their '^efh is coarfe, but is eaten 1 by the fea-
men : it is white, and they fancy it taftes like mutton. The liver is
very unwholefome, as three of Heemjkirk*i failors experienced^ who
fell dangeroufly iH on eating fome of it boiled Xt' The (kin is an
article of conwnerce } many are imported, and ufed chiefly for covert
to coach-boxes. The Greenlanders feed on the ftelh and fat i uf? the
(kins to fit on, and make of it boots, fhoes, and gloves ; and fplit the
tendons into thread for fcwing.

• «rw5«iVr/ owf. 14* + The ftnit, 18. i Martin') Sfitii. loz.

II F/SM, Grotnl. p. 23. f EgiJt, 83. f The fame, 60. ♦• F«*«.

6rNBi,p. 13, ft Rimjkirk, 51, J J. TAe Cime. 45.

Ruriug

Fco».

POL*AR BEAR.

, During fummer they refide chiefly on iflands of ice, and pafs fre-
quently from one to the other. They fwim moft excellently, and
fometimes dive, but continue only a fmall fpace under water. They
haye been feen on iflands of ice eighty miles from any land, preying
and feeding as they float along. They lodge in dens formed in the
vaft maflfes of ice, which are piled in a ftupendous manner, leaving
great caverns beneath : here they breed, and bring one or two ajt a
time, and fometimes, but very rarely, three. Great is the afl^eftion
between parent and young; they will fooner die than defert one
another*. They alfo follow their d^ms a very long tinie, and are
grown to a very large fize before they quit them. ; 'i . ,'. i

During winter they retire, and bed themfelves deep beneath, fonir!-
ing fpacious dens in the fnow, fupported by pillars of the fame, or to
the fixed ice beneath fome eminence; where they pafs torpid the long
and difmal night t> appearing only with the return of the fun if. At
their appearance the ArSiic Fojtes retire to other haunts Q.

The Polar Bear became part of the royal menagery as early as the
reign oi Henry III. Mr. Walpole has proved how great a patron that
defpifcd prince was of the ^rts. It is not lefs evident that he ex-
tended his protedlion to Natural Hiftory, We find he h^d procured
a White Bear Uqvci Norway, from whence it probably was imported
from Greenlandt the Norwegians having pofTeflTed that country for
fome centuries before that period. There are two writs extant from
that monarch, direfting the flierifFs of London to furnifli fix pence a
day to fupport cur Wliite Bear in our Tower of London ; and to pro-
vide a muzzle and iron chain to hold him when out of the water j
and a long and ftrong rope to hold him, when he was fifliing in the
Thames §. Fit provifion was made at the fame time for the king's
Elephant. ;_ .;__

V

•y'

• Marleii's Spitzb. I02.

\ Egide, 60. Martens fays, that the fa: is, ufcd in pains of the limbs, ud that It

affifls parturition.

y . '

t Httmjkirk'i voy. in Pur(bat,Vu. joo, 501.

II The fame, 499.

S MaJox's

Aniifuities of tbt Excbeqiitr,\. 376.

The

POLAR BEAR.

The flcins of this fpecies, in old times, were offered by the hunters
to the high altars of cathedrals, or other churches, that the prieft
might (land on them, and not catch cold when he was celebrating
high mafs in extreme cold weather. Many fuch were annually of-
fered at the cathedral at Drontheim in Norway j and alio the (kins of
wolves, which were fold to purchafe wax lights to burn in honor of
the faints *,

57

HiJI. Siuad, N" ij^.—SiiuUit, V. 19.

19. BiACic.

BEAR. "With a long pointed nofe, and. narrow forehead: the
cheeks and throat of a yellowifh brown color : hair over the
whole body and limbs of a glofly black, fmoothcr and (horter than
that of the European kind.

They are ufually fmaller than thofe of the old world ; yet Mr.
Bartram gives an inftance of an old jie- bear killed in Florida which
was feven feet long, and, as he guefled, weighed four hundred
pounds f .

Thefc animals are found in all parts of North Jmertca, from Hud-
/oh's Bay to the fouthern extremity ; but in Louiftana and tiie fouthern
parts they appear only in the winter, migrating from the north in
fearch of food. They fpread acrofs the northern part of the Ameri-
can continent to the Kamtjchatkan fea. They are found again in the
oppofite country |{:, and in the Kuriljki iflands, which intervene be-
tween Kamljchatka and Japan 1|, Jejo Ma/may which lies north of
Japan %y and probably Japan itfelf j for Kampfer fays, that a few fmall
bears are found in the northern provinces f . •

It is very certain that this fpecies of bear feeds on vegetables.
D« PratZy who is a faithful as well as intelligent writer, relates, that

Food.

* Olaut Magtius, lib. xvHL c. £0.
rida, 26. X Hiji. Kamt/tb. iii. 385.
% Wft. Japan, i. 126.

t Journal of his travels into Eaft Pit-
I The fame, 287. § Voy, au Nord. iv. ;.

m

^8

BLACK BEAR.

In one feverc winter, when thefe animals were forced in nnultitudes;
from the woods, where there was abundance of animal food, they rc-
jedted that» notwithftandiag they were ready to perifh with hunger ;
and| migrating into the lower Louifiana, would often break into the
courts of houfes. They never touched the butchers meat which lay-
in their way, but fed voracioufly an the corn or roots they met with*.
Necefllty alone fbmetimes compels them to attack and feed on-
the fwine they meet in the woods r but flclh is to them an un-
natural diet. They live oa berries, fruits,, and pulfe of all kinds ;
are remarkably fond of potatoes, which they very readily dig up with
their great paws ) make great havock in the fields of maize ;. and are.
great lovers of milk and honey. They feed much on herrings, which
they catch in the (eafon when thofe fifli come in Ihoals up the creeksj^
which gives then- flcfh a dilagreeable tafte -, and the fame elFed is
obferved when they eat the bitter berries of the Tupelo.

They are equally inoffenfive to. mankind, provided they are not
irritated > but if wounded* they will turn on their aflailant with
great fury, and, in cafe they can> lay hold, never fail of hugging him.
to death i for it has been obferved they never make ufe, in their rage,
of either their teeth or chws. If they meet a man in a path they
will not go out of his way; but will not attack him. They never
ftek combat. A fmall dog will make them :un up a tree.

The bears of Kamtfobatka refemble thofe of America : they are
neither large nor fierce. They alfo wander from the hills to the
lower lands in fummer, and feed on berries and fiflr. They rejedt
carnivorous food, nor ever attack the inhabitants, unlefs they find
them afieep, when,, through wantonnefs, they bite them fevercly,
and fometimes tear a piece of flelh away ; yet, notwithftanding they
get a tafte of human blood, are never known to devour mankind.
People thus injured are called Dratikif, or the/ayed.

The American bears do not lodge in caves or clefts of rocks,. like
thofe of Europe. The bears oi Hud/on' s Bay form their, dens beneat!i

• DnPr4U»,U. 57.

t Hi/l. Kamt/ikatia, iit. 386;

the

BLACK BEAR.

59

tlie fnow, and fuffer fomc to drop at the mouth, to conceal their re-
treat.

The naturalift's poet, with great truth and beauty, defcribes the
retreat of this animal in the frozen climate of the north :

There through the piny foreft half abforpt.
Rough tenant of thofe (hades, the ftiapelefs Bear,
With dangling ice all horrid, (talks forlorn ;
Slow pac'd, and fourer as the ftorms increafe.
He makes his bed beneath th' inclement drift.
And with ftern patience, fcorning weak complaint.
Hardens his heart againft alTiiling want.

Thofe of the fouthern parts dwell in the hollows of antient trees.
The hunter difcovers them by ftriking with an ax the tree he fufpefts
they are lodged in, then fuddenly conceals himfelf. The Bear is
immediately rouzed, looks out of the hollow to learn the caufe of
the alarm ; feeing none, finks again into rcpofe *. The hunter then
forces him out, by flinging in fired reeds ; and flioots him while he
defcends the body of the tree, which, notwithftanding his aukward
appearance, he does with great agility ; nor is he lefs nimble in
afcending the tops of the higheft trees in fearch of berries and
fruits.

The long time which thefe animals fubfift without food is amaz-
ing. They will continue in their retreat for fix weeks without the left
provifion, remaining either afleep or totally inaftive. It is pretend-
ed that they live by fucking their paws ; but that is a vulgar error.
The faft is, they retire immediately after 'autumn, when they have
fattened themfelves to an exceflive degree by the abundance of
the fruits which they find at that feafon. This enables ani-
mals, which perfpire very little in a ftate of reft, to endure an abfti-
nence of uncommon length. But when this internal fupport is cx-
haufted, and they begin to feel the call of hunger, on the approach of
the feverc feafon, they quit their dens in fearch of food. Multitudes

• Dm Pratts/u. 6i.

^

t

I 2

then

il

6o

BLACit BEAR.

then migrate into the lower parts of Z.o«i/?<««<» ; they arrive very lean ;
but foon fatten with the vegetables of that milder climate*. They
never wander far from the banks of the Miffifipi^ and in their march
form a beaten path like the track of men.

Lawfon and Catejby f relate a very furprizing thing in refpeft to
this animal, which is, that neither European or Indian ever killed a
Bear with young. In one winter were killed in 'Virginia five hun-
dred bears, and among them only two females j and thofe not preg-
nant. The caufe is, that the male has the fame unnatural diflike
to its offspring as fome other animals have : they will kill and de-
vour the cubs. The feipales therefore retire, before the time of par-
turition, into the depth of woods and rocks, to elude the fearch of
their favage mates. It is faid that they do not nuke their appear-
ance with their young till March %.

All who have tailed the Befh of this animal fay, that it is moft de-
licious eating : a^ young Bear, fattened with the autumnal fruits, is a
difh fit for the niced epicure. It is wholefome and nouriftiing, and re-
fembles pork more than any other meat. The tongue and the paws
are eftcemed the moft exquifite morfels \ the hams are alfo excellent,
but apt to ruft,^ if not very well preferved.

Four inches depth of fat has been found on a fingle Bear, and fif-
teen or fixteen gallons of pure oil melted from it %. The fat is of a
pure white, and has the fingular quality of never lying heavy on the
llomach, notwithftanding a perlbn drank a quart of it U. The Atng"
ricans make great ufe of it for frying their filh. It is befides ufed.
medicinally, and has been found very efficacious in rheumatic com-
plaints^ achs, and drains.

The Indians oi Louiftana prepare it thus: — ^As foon as they have
killed the Bear, they fhoot a Deer ; cut off the head, and draw the
fkin entire to the legs, which they cut off": they then flop up every
orifice, except that on the neck, into which they pour the melted fat

• Du Pratz, ii. 60. f Lanv/on, 117. Cattjiy, Afp. xxvi. % JtffiljtCs

voji 91. § Barlram^tjourn, E. FhritUt, i6.» |j Law/on, 116.

of

BLACK BEAR.

61

of the Bear; which is prepared by boiling the fat and flefli together.
This they call a Beer of oil, and fell to the French for a gun, or fomc-
thing of equal value*.

Bears greafe is in great repute in Europe for its fuppofcd quality
of making the hair to grow on the human head. A great chymifl: in
the Haymarket in London ufed to fatten annually two or three Bears
for the fake of their fat.

The fkin is in ufe for all purpofes which the coarfer forts of furs
are applied to : it ferves in America, in diftant journies, for coverlets;
and the finer parts have been in fome places ufed in the hat manu-
failure f.

The Indians of Canada daub theii- hands and face witli the greafe,
to preferve them from the bite of mufketoes : they alfo fmear their
bodies with the oil after exceffive exercife \. They think, like the
Romans of old, that oil fupples their joints, and preferves them in
£ull adtivity^

Black Be«r« H^ft. ^Mtl. N° i74.-^SmtI/ii, v. 19.

BEAR. With long Ibaggy hair, ufually dufky or black, with
brown points ; liable to vary, perhaps according to their age, or
fome accident, which docs not create a fpecific difference.

A variety of a pale brown color, whofe (kins I have feen imported
from Hud/cn's Bay. The fame kind, I believe, is alfo found in Europe.
The cubs are of a jetty black, and their necks often encircled with
white.

Bears fpotted with white.

Land Bears, entirely white. Such fometimes fally from the lofty
mountains which border on Sibiria, and appear in a wandering
manner in the lower parts of the country ||. Marco Polo relates, that
they were frequent iij his time in the north of Tartary, and of a very
great fize.

20. Brown.

• DuPratf, ii. 62.

f Law/ott, 117.

t K«lm, W'l, 13.

Do(3tr Pallas,
Grizzly

62

BROWN BEAR.

I. Gii/zly Bears. Thcfe arc called by the Germans Silbtr-baft or
the Silver-bear, from the mixture of white hairs. Thefe arc found
ill Europe, anil the very northern parts of North Jmerica, as high as
lat. 70 i where a hill is called after them, Grizzle Bear Hill, and where
they breed in caverns*. The ground in this neighborhood is in all
parts turned by them in fcarch of the hoards formed by the Ground
Squirrels for winter provifioa.

All thefe varieties form but one fpecies. They arc graiilvorous
and carnivorous, both in Europe and America j and I believe, accord-
ing to their refpeflive palates or habits, one may be dcctned a va-
riety which prefers the vegetable food } another may be diftinguifhed
from its preference of aniaial food. Mr. Graham afliires me, that
the brown Hears, in the inbnd parts o( Hud/on' s Bay, make great ha-
vock ajnong the Buffaloes : arc very large, and very dangerous when
they are attacked and wounded.

In all favage nations the Bear has been an objcft of veneration.
Among the /Imericans a feaft is made in honor of each that is killed.
The head of the bead is painted with all colors, and placed on an
elevated place, where it receives the refpefts of all the guefls, who
celebrate in fongs the praifes of the Bear. They cut the body in
pieces, and regale on it, and conclude the ceremony f.
Chasi. The chafe of thefe animals is a matter of the firft importance, and

never undertaken without abundance of ceremony. A principal
warrior firft gives a general invitation to all the hunters. This is
followed by a moft fcrious faft of eight days, a total abftinence
from all kinds of food ; notwithftanding which, they pafs the day in
continual fong. This they do to invoke the fpirits of the woods to
direft them to the place where there are abundance of bears. They
even cut the flefh in divers parts of their bodies, to render the fpirits
more propitious. They alfo addrefs themfelves to the manes of the
beafts flain in preceding chafes, as if it were to direft them in their
dreams to plenty of game. One dreamer alone cannot determine

BrAt^ VENE HAT-
ES IN America.

* Mr. Samutl Htarnt.

t Cbarltv»i)tt Nuiv,FrtV, 443.

the

BROWN BEAK.

63

the place of chafe, numbers mull voncur ; but, as they tell each other
their dreams, they never fail to agree : whether that m.iy srifc from
rnmplaifance, or by a real agreement in the dreams from their
thoughts being perpetually turned on the fame thing.

The chief of the hunt now gives a great fcaft, at which no one
dares to appear without firft bathing. At this entertainment they cat
with great moderation, contrary to their ufual cuftom. The mailer
ofthefcaft alone touches nothings but is employed in relating to
the gueds antient tales of the wonderful feats in former chafes :
and frefh invocations to the manes of the deceafcd bears conclude
the whole. They then fally forth amidll the acclamations of the
village, equipped as if for war, and painted black. Every able
hunter is on a level with a great warrior -, but he mull have killed
his dozen great beads before his charafter is ellablilhed : after which
his alliance is as much courted as that of the mod valiant captain.

They now proceed on their way in a diredl line : neither rivers,
mardies, or any other impediments, dop their courfej driving before
them all the beads which they find in their way. When they arrive
in the hunting-ground, they furround as large a fpacc as their com-
pany will admit, and then contradl their circle; fearching, as they
contrafl, every hollow tree, and every place fit for the retreat of the
bear, and continue the fame prafticc till the time of the chafe is ex-
pired.

As foon as a bear is killed, a hunter puts into its mouth a lighted
pipe of tobacco, and, blowing into it, fills the throat with the fmoke,
conjuring the fpirit of the animal not to refent what they are going
to dc to its body j nor to render their future chafes unfuccefsful.
As the bead makes no reply, they cut out the dring of the tongue,
and throw it into the fire: if it crackles and runs in (which it is al-
mod fure to db) they accept it as a good omen ; if not, they confider
that the fpirit of the bead is not appeafedj and that the chafe of the
next year will be unfortunate.

The hunters live well during the chafe, on provifions which they
bring with them. They return home with great pride and fclf-

fufficicncy ;

In Kamtschat-

BROWN BEAR.

fufficiency j for to kill a bear forms the charafter of a complete man.
They again give a great entertainment, and now make a point to
leave nothing. The feaft is dedicated to a certain genius, perhaps
that of Gluttony, whofe refentment they dread, if they do not
eat every morfel, and even fup up the very melted greafe in which
the meat was drefled. They fometimes cat till they burft, or bring
on themfelves fome violent diforders. The firft courfe is the greateft
bear they have killed, without even taking out the entrails, or taking
off the fkin, contenting themfelves with fingeing the fkin, as is prac-
tifed with hogs *-.

The Kamt/cbatkans, before their convcrfion to Chriftianity, had al-
moft fimilar fuperftitions refpefting bears and other wild beafts:
they entreated the bears and wolves not to hurt them in the chafe,
4nd whales and marine animals not to overturn their boats. They
never call the two former by their proper name, but by that of Si-
fangi or ill-luck.

At prefent the Kaptt/'-Imtkans kill the bear and other wild beafts
with guns : formerly they had variety of inventions; fuch as filling the
entrance of its den with logs, and then digging down upon the ani-
mal and deftroying it with fpears f . In Sibiria it is taken by making
a trap-fall of a great piece of timber, which drops and crulhes it to
death : or by forming a noofe in a rope failened to a great log j the
bear runs its head into the noofe, and, finding itfelf engaged, grows
furious, and either falls down fome precipice and kills itfelf, or wea-
ries itfelf to death by its agitations.

The killing of a bear in fair battle is reckoned as great a piece of
heroifm by the Kamt/cbatkans as it is with the Americans. The vidtor
makes a feaft on the occafion, and feafts his neighbors with the beaftj
then hangs the head and thighs about his tent by way of trophies.

Thefe people ufe the (kins to lie on, and for coverlets j for bonnets,
gloves, collars for their dogs, foles for their fhoes, to prevent them

• Charlemix, v. 169 to 174. f Hift. Kamt/cbatUt Jr. iii. 7J.

from

BROWN BEAR.

6$

from .flipping on the Ice. Of the flioulder-blades they make indiu-
ments to cut the grafs ( of the intellinesi covers for their faces, to
protefl; them from the fun during fpring j and the Cojfacks extend
them over their windows inftead of glafs. The fleih and fat is among
the chief dainties of the country *.

Superftitions, relative to this animal, did not confine themfclves to
America and Aftat but fpread equally over the north of Europe. The
Laplanders held it in the greateft veneration : they called it the Dog
of Goo, becaufe they eftecmcd it to have the ftrength of ten men,
and the fenfc of twelve f. They never prefume to call it by its
proper name of Guouzbja, leaft it revenge the infult on their flocks ;
but ftyle it MoedJa-aigia, or the old man in a furred cloak f.
« The killing of a Bear was reckoned as great an exploit in Lapland
as it was in America^ and the hero was held in the higheft efteem by
both fexes ; and, by a fmgular cuftom, was forbid all commerce with
his wife for three days. The Laplanders bring home the flain beads
in great triumph. They ercft a new tent near their former dwelling,
but never enter it till they have flung off the drefs of the chafe.
They continue in it three entire days i and the women keep at home
the fame fpace. The men drefs the flcfli of the Bear in the new
tent, and make their repaft, giving part to the females -, but take
great c^e never to beftow on them a bit of the rump. Neither will
they deliver to them the meat through the common entrance of the
hut, but through a hole in another part. In fign of victory, the men
fprinkle themfelves with the blood of the beaft.

After they have finifhed eating the flcfli, they bury the bones with
great folemnity, and place every bone in its proper place, from a
firm perfuafion that the Bear will be reftored, and re-animate a new
body.

At the pulling off the flcin, and cutting the body into pieces, they
were ufed to fing a fong, but without meaning or rhyme i| -, but the

• Hifi. Kamtfcbalka, Fr. iii. 390.
.fiiin*, 50a. II The hat, Sufpl,

t Lami lapmark, Suffl, 64. t The

K anticnt

■ 1

w

BROWN BEAR.

anticnt Fitis had a fong, which, if not highly cmbcUifhcd by the
tranflator, is far from inelegant.

BeaA ! of all foreft beads fubdued and flain.
Health to our huts and prey a hundred-fold
Rellore ; and o'er us keep a conftant guard !
I thank the Gods who gave fo noble prey !
When the grea day-liar hides beyond the alpSt
I hie me home j and joy, all clad in flowers.
For three long nights fliall reign throughout my hut.
With tranfport Ihall I climb the mountain's fide.
Joy op'd this day, joy (hall attend its clofe.
Thee I revere, from thee expcft my prey :
Nor e'er forgot my carol to the Bba«. *.

21. W0LVBR.BNB.

Hift.^ad. N" 176, 177. Sjn ^uai.

Gulo, PalUi Spicil. Zeel. Fa/t. xiv. 25. tab. ii.— Liv. Mvs.

BEAR. With fliort rounded ears, almoft concealed by the fur v
face fharp, black, and pointed : back broad, and, while the
animal is in motion, much elevated, or arched } and the head carried
low : the legs fliort and ftrong : claws long and fliarp, white at their
ends.

The length from nofe to tail twenty-eight inches; of the trunk of
the tail feven inches. It is covered with thick long hairs, reddifli at
the bottom, black at the end j fome reach fix inches beyond the
tip.

The hairs on the head, back, and belly, are of the fame colors,
but much finer and fofter. Before they are examined, the animal ap-
pears wholly black. The throat whitifh, marked with black. Along
the fides, from the flioulders to the tail, is a broad band of a ferrugi-
nous color : in feveral of the Ikins, brought from HudJorCs Bay^ \ ob-

* NitbtWt RujptM Nationt, i. 50t

fcrved

WOLVERENE.

<J7

fcrved this band to be white. The legs are black ; the feet covered
with hair on the bottom. On the fore feet of that which I examined
were fomc white fpots. On each foot were five toes, not greatly di-
vided.

It hath much the adlion of a Bear j not only in the form of its back,
and the hanging down of its head, but alfo in refting on the hind
part of the firft joint of its legs.

This is one of the local animals o{ America. I trace it as far north Placi,

as the Copper river, and to the countries on the weft and fouth of Hud-
forCs Bay, Canada, and the traft as far as the ftraits of Micbillmakinae,
between the lakes Huron and Superior.

I have reafon to think that the Glutton of the old writers is the GtwTYONoroi»
fame with this animal; and that in my Hiftory of Quadrupeds I un-
neceffarily feparated them. Since I have received the late publication
of Dr. Pallas, I am fatisfied that it is common to the north oi America,
Europe, and AJia, even to Kamtfchatka j inhabiting the vaft forefts of
the north, even within the Polar circle. The Kamtfchatkans yalue
them fo highly as to fay, that the heavenly beings wear no other
furs. The (kins are the greateft prefent they can make their miftref-
fes J and the women ornament their heads with the parts of the
white banded variety. The Ruffians call thefe animals Rojfomak ; the
Kamtfchatkans, Tymi, or Tummi.

It is a beaft of uncommon fiercenefs, the terror of the Wolf and Manhers.
Bear j the former, which will devour any carrion, will not touch the
carcafe of this animal, which fmells more fetid than that of a Pole-
cat. It has great ftrength, and makes vaft refiftance when taken;
will tear tAe traps often to pieces ; or if wounded, will fnap the ftock
from the barrel of the mufket ; and often do more damage in the
capture than the fur is worth.

It preys indifferently on all animals which it can mafter. It feeds
by night, and, being flow of foot, follows the track of wolves and
foxes in the fnow, in order to come in for Ihare of their prey. It will
dig up the carcafes of animals, and the provifions concealed by the

K a huntfmen

.68

WOLVERENE.

FVK.

huntfmen deep in the fnow, which it will carry away to other places
to devour. About the Lena it will attack horfes, on whofe backs
are often feen the marks of its teeth and claws. By a wonderful fa-
gacity it will afcend a tree, and fling from the boughs a fpecies of
mofs which Elks and Reins are very fond of j and when thofe ani-
mals come beneath to feed on it, will fall on them and deftroy them :
or, like the Lynx, it afcends to the boughs of trees, and falls on the
J/ Deer which cafually pafs beneath, and adheres till they fall down
with fatigue. It is a greit enemy to the Beaver *, and is on that ac-
count fometimes called the Beaver-eater. It watches at the mouth of
their holes, and catches them as they come out. Itfearches the traps
laid for taking other beafts, and devours thofe which it finds taken.
It breaks into the magazines of the natives, and robs them of the pro-
vifions J whether they are covered with logs, brulhwood, and built
high between two or three (landing trees f .

It lodges in clefts of rocks, or in hollows of trees, and in Sibiria
often in the deferted holes of Badgers; never digging its own den,
nor having any certain habitation. It breeds once a year, bringing
from two to four at a litter %. Its fur is much ufed for muffs. Not-
withftanding its great fiercenefs when wounded, or firft feizure, it is
capable of being made very tame ||.

The flcins are frequently brought from Hudfon*s Bay^ and com-
monly ufed for muffs. In Sibiria the flcin is moft valued which is
black, and has left of the ferruginous band. Thefe are chiefly
found in the mountanous forefts of Jakutjky and ufed by the natives
to adorn their caps. Few of the Sibirian flcins are fent into RuJJia^
but are chiefly fold to the Mongals and Cbineje.

The relations of the exceflive gluttony of this animal j that it eats
till it is ready to burft, and that it is obliged to unload itfelf by
fqueezing its body between two trees; are totally fabulous : like
other animals,, they eat till they are fatisfied, and then leave off §.

* Dohht, 40. t ^'' Grmbam.^ X The fame. || Eiv}. ii. loj.

S Hift^ Kamtjtk, 385*

R A

N.

69

Hift. ^ai, N* lyS^^mVit, v. 46.— -Lev. Mus.

it. Raccooit.

BEAR. With upper jaw larger than the lower: face Iharp-
pointed, and fox-like : ears (hort and rounded : eyes large, of
a yellowilh green ; the fpace round them black : a duflcy line ex-
tends from the forehead to the nofe ; the reft of the face, the cheeks,
and the throat, white : the hair univerfally long and foft : that on
the back tipt with black, white in the middle, and cinereous at the
roots : tail annulated with black and white, and very full of hair :
toes black, and quite divided: the fore-feet ferve the purpofes of a
hand.

Thefe animals vary in color. I have feen fome of a pale brown,
others white. Their ufual length, from nofe to tail, is two feet :
near the tail about one.

Raccoons inhabit only the temperate parts o^ North America, from
New England * to Florida f . They probably are continued in the fame
latitudes acrofs the contmenr, being, according to Dampier, found in
the ifles of Maria, in the South Sea, between the fouth point of Ca-^
lifornia and Cape Ccientes. It is alfo an inhabitant of Mexico^ where
it is called Mapach ||.

It lives in hollow trees, and is very expert at climbing. Like
other beafts of prey, keeps much within during day, except it proves
dark and cloudy. In fnowy and ftormy weather it confines itfelf to
its hole for a week together. It feeds indifferently on fruits or fleih;
is extremely deftrudtive to fields of mayz, and very injurious to all
kinds of fruits j loves ftrong liquors, and will get excefllvely drunk.
It makes great havock among poultry, and is very fond of eggs. Is
itfelf often the prey of Snakes §.

• Jojffilyn't vtj. 8f.
^ Kalm, i. 97< iit 63.

f Attemt e/FloriJa,. 50.

II Firnand, Nov. Hi/p, u

Thofe-

PlA'Ci.

Mankers.

ry^T"^'.:

7«

RACCOON.

Thofe which inhabit places near the fhore live much on fhell-fi(h
particularly oyfters. They will watch the opening of the (hell, dex-
troufly put in its paw, and tear out the contents ) fometimcs the
oyfter fuddenly clofes, catches the thief, and detains it till drowned
by the return of the tide. They likewife feed on crabs, both fea and
land. It has all the cunning of the Fox. Law/on * fays, that it will
ftand on the fide of a fwamp, and hang its tail over into the water :
the crabs will lay hold, miftaking it for a bait; which, as foon as
the Raccoon feels, it pulls out with a fudden jerk, and makes a prey
of the cheated crabs.

' It is made tame with great eafe, fo as to follow its matter along
the ftreets ; but never can be broke from its habit of ftealing, or
killing of poultry f. It is fo fond of fugar, or any fweet things, as
to do infinite mifchief in a houfe, if care is not taken %.

It has many of the aftions of a Monkey j fuch as feeding itfelf
with its fore feet, fitting up to eat, being always in motion, being
very inquifitive, and examining every thing it fees with its paws.
* Notwi'hftanding it is not fond of water, it dips into it all forts of
dry food wiiich is given to it j and will waih its face with its feet,
like a Cat.

It is fought after on account of the fur. Some people eat it, and
efteem it as very good meat. The Swedes call it Siupy and Efpan ; the
Duicbj He/pan -, and the Iroque/e, Affigbro. The hair makes the bcft
hats, next to that of the Beaver. The tail is worn round the neck
in winter, by way of prefervative againfl: the cold ||.

* 131. t Kalm, u lot, | The fame. H ^«A"« u- 97*

HIST.

9 A D G E R.

rt

a

HJSr, ^UAB. GiNus XXI.

BADGER.

American Badger, Hifi. SluaJ, p. 298. P.Smtllir, iv. 226.— Lev. Mvi.

23. COUMON.

BADGER. With rounded ears: forehead, and middle of the
cheeksj marked with a white line, extending to the beginning of
the back, bounded on each fide by another of black : cheeks white :
fpace round the cars dufky : body covered with long coarfe hair, ci-
nereous and white.

The legs were wanting in the (kin which I faw j but I fupply that
defeft from M. de Buffon\ defcription. They were duflcy, and the
toes furnifhed with claws, like the European kind. M. de Buffbn ob-
ferved only four toes on the hind feet 1 but then he fufpefted that
one was torn off from the dried fkin he faw.

Thefe animals are rather fcarce in America. They are found in
the neighborhood of Hudjori's Bay^ and in Terra di Labrador ; and
perhaps as low as Penfylvanniat where they are called Ground Hogs *.
They do not differ fpecifically from the European kind j but are fome-
times found white in America f .

I do not difcovcr them in northern AJia, nearer than the banks of
the Taik %. They are common in Chinay wliere they are frequently
brought to the fhambles, being an efteemed food ||. In northern
Europe, they are found in Norway and Sweden §.

Le Comte de Buffon imagines this animil f to be the Carcajou of
i\iQ AmericanSi and not the Wolveren. The matter is uncertain:

Flack.-

* Kalm, i. 1891
travels, ii. 83.
torn. iii. 242.

t Brijin^ad. 185. | Pallat.

% P^ntoppidan, ii. 28. Faun, Sutc. N° 20.

1.0

II BeU's
f Sufph.

yet

71

BADGER.

yet X ftnd thtt name bellowed on the latter by La Hmtani by Dobbu
who makei it fynonymous j and by Cbarlevoixy though the laft mif-
takei the animal, yet not the manners of that which he afcribes it
to. On the other hand, Mr. Graham and Mr. Edwards omit that
title, and call it only Wolvercn, or Queequchatch,

■J ■::

\

HIST.

vr."'

■''•ji.i-i''

POSSUM*

71

nrST, ^UJD, Genus XXIL

OPOSSUM.

K{/i. ^s0j, N« i%u

OPOSSUM. With ten ctitiing teeth above, eight bcneatSi: «*. Vimiiciaic.
eyes black, fmall, and lively : ears large, naked, membranace-
ous, and rounded: face long and pointed j whilkers on each fide of
the nofe, and tufts of long hairs over the eyes : legs are Ihort j the
thumb on the hind feet has a flat nail, the reft of the toes have on
them fliarp talons: the body is Ihort, round, and thick: the tail
long ; the bafe is covered with hair for three inches, the reft is co-
vered with fmall fcales, and has the difgufting refemblance of a
Snake.

On the lower part of the belly of the female is a large pouch, in
Which the teats are placed, and in which the young lodge as foon as
they are born. The body is cloathed with very long foft hairs, ly-
ing ufually uneven : the color appears of a dirty white j the lower
parts of the hairs dufky : and above each eye is a whitifii fpot : the
belly tinged with yellow.

The length of one I examined Was feventeen inches, of the taH
fourteen.

This fpecics is found as far north as Canada*, where the Frenc% PtAci.
call it IjtRatde bois ; from thence it extends fouthward, even to the
^raftls and Peru. The fingularity of the ventral pouch of the fe-
male, and the manner of its bringing up its young, places it among
the trioft wonderful animals of the new continent.

As foon as the female finds herfelf near the time of bringing forth,
ftie prepares a neft of coarfe grafs, covered with long pieces of
ftkks,«e«r^ur feet high and five in 4iameter, confufedly put to-

• Ctar/tvtix, v. 197,

L

gethcr.

-■(*-

74

O P O

SUM.

gether *, She brings forth from four to fix at a time. As foon as
they come into the world they retreat into the falfe belly, blind, naked,
and cxaftly refembling little foetufes. They faden clofely to the
teats, as if they grew to them j which has given caufe to the vulgar
error, that they were created fo. There they adhere as if they were
inanimate, till they arrive at a degree of perfeftion in Ihape, and
attain fight, ftrength, and hair: after which they undergo a fort of
fecond birth. From that time they run into the pouch as an afylum
from danger. The female carries them about with the utmoft af-
feftion, and would rather be killed than permit this receptacle to be
opened j for ftie has the power of contracting or dilating the orifice
by the help of fome very ftrong mufcles. If they are furprifed. and
have not time to retreat into the pouch, they will adhere to the
tail of the parent, and efcape with her f.

The Opoflum is both carnivorous and frugivorous. It is a great
enemy to poultry j and will fuck the blood and leave the flefh un-
touched:[. It climbs trees very expertly, feeding on wild fruits, and
alfo on various roots. Its tail has the fame prehenfile quality as
that of fome fpecies of Monkies. It will hang "rom the branches
by it, and by fwinging its body, fling itfelf among the boughs of
the adjacent trees. It is a very fluggifh animal j has a very flow
pace, and makes fcarcely any efforts to efcape. When it finds itfelf
on the point of being taken, it counterfeits death $ hardly any torture
will make it give figns of life §. If the perfon retires, it will put ii:«
felf in motion, and creep into fome neighboring bufli. It is more
tenacious of life than a Cat, and will fuffx:r great violence before it
is killed ||.

The old animals are efteemed as delicate eating as a fucking pig -^
yet the fltin is very foetid. The Indian women of Louifiana dye the
hair, and weave it into girdles and garters ^.

• B»rtram^t journal E. Florida, 30. f The fame. % Du Pratz, ii. 65.

\ The fame, 66, || Law/oxt 120. f Dm Pratz, ii. 66^

HIST,

W E E S E L.

%t

HIST. ^UAD. GiMus XXIII.

WEESEL.

Hift, ^tfMi/, N* igt.-^SmUit, iv. 257.— Liv. Mos.

25. CoMMOir.

WEESEL. With fmall rounded ears : beneath each corner of
the mouth is a white fpot : bread and belly white ; reft of the
body of a pale tawny brown. Its length, from the tip of the nofe to
the tail, is About feven inches ; the tail two and a half.

Inhabits the country about Hud/on's Bay, Newfoundland, and as far
fouth as Carolina *. Mr. Graham fent fome over, both in their fum-
mer coat, and others almoft entirely white, the color they aflume in
winter. We meet with them again in Kamt/chatka, and all over
Ruffia and Sibiria j and in thofe northern regions they regularly turn
white during winter. One, which was brought from Natka Sound
in North America, had between the ears and nofe a bed of glolTy
black, which probal^y was its univerfal color before its change. Dr.
Irving faw on Moffen ifland, north of Spitzbergen, lat. 80. an animal,
perhaps of this kind, fpotted black and white f.

Placi.

Hift. ^J. N" igj.—Smllit, if. 262.~Lbv. Mvs.

26. Stoat.

WEESEL. With fhort ears, edged with white: head, back,
fides, and legs, of a pale tawny brown : under fide of tht
body white : lower part of the tail brown, the end black.

In northern countries, changes in winter to a fnowy whitenefs, the
end of the tail excepted, which retains its black color : in this ftatc
is called an Ermine.

* Cattjby, Jff,

t PhipfsU v»f. 58.

L 2

Length,

FiACI.

CAPItQItl..

S T O A T.

Length, from nofc to tail, ten inches ; the tail is five and a half.

Inhabits only Hud/Jon's Bay, Canada, and the northern parts of
North America. In NewfottndLand it is fo bold as to commit its thefts
in open view. Feeds on eggs, the young of birds, and on the mice
with which thofe countries abound. They alfa prey on Rabbits, and
the "White Grous. The fkins arc exported from Canada among whac
the French call kt meniH pellet erie, or fm«U furs *.

It is found again in plenty in Kamtjchatka f, the Kurili iflands, Si~
■iir'u^, and in all the northern extremities etf Einrope. It is icasce in
Kaml/abatkai and itft chafe is. not attended to, amidil the quantity of
fuperior fun. But in Siiiri0.&ad Norway they are acoodderable ar-
ticle of commtrce. In the former, they are taken b. traps, baited
with a bit of QeDx^ -, in the hitter, either ftxot with blunt arrows, or
taken, as garden mice are in England, by a flat ftone propped by a
baited ftick, which falls down on the left touch, and cruihes them to
fleath^* They are found in <S<^'rM in great plenty in woods of birch,
yet arfi never .feen in thofe of fir. Their (kins are fold .tlxexe on tl^c
4p0it from.t!woto<.three pounds.fterjing per itundred ||.

They are not found ron the ArShc Hats. The inhabitants of the
Xfshuktjchi i\r^;get-tliem. in exchange from the .z^«t«ri£0/tt,^here. they
ace of a bcger fizethau any in the /ii/(^/t dominuma.

The excefllve cold of certain winters has obliged ejwenthefe hand^
animals to migrate, as was evident in the year i73q> and. 1744^.

27. PlKI.

Martiw..

Jlifi. ^ad. N" 209.— Br. Zoel. i. N^ i6,Smillii,iv. 245.-- Lev. Musi.

WEESEL. With white cheeks;and'»ip8.of ears; yellow throat
and brcaft J reft of the fur of a fine deep chefnut-color in
the male, paler in ^ the female : tail bufiiy, and of aiieeper;Color than
the body.

• Ciar/eveix, V. 197. f Hijf. Kamt/ciatiai ^gt

i Pnttfpidan, ii, 25. J| G.mtliH.Rjfjj[f. Samlung, ^\i».

X BtlTs trmvth, i. 199*
^ "ibv. S/. M. 188.

Thcfc

PfNC I^ARflN.

♦17

Thcle aniiTiRls nhabit, in great abundance, the northern parts of
JtHtrica i but I believe the fpccics ceafes before it arrives at the tem-
perate provinces. They appear agjiiu in the north of Europe, extend
acrofs the Urallian chain, but do not reach the Oby.

They inhabit foreds* particularly thofe of fir and pine, and make
«heir ocfts in the trees. Bcctd once a year, and bring from two to
four at a iicter. They iiecd principally upon mice i but deilroy alfo
all kinds of birds which they can mafter. They are taken by the
natives of Hudfoiit Bay In fmall log->traps, baited^ which fall on and
kill them. The natives eat the fle&.

Their (kins are among the more valuable furs, and make a mod
important article of commerce. I obferved, that in one of the llud-
/(m's Bay Company's annual iales, not fewer than 111,370 good fkins,.
and ^360 damaged, were fold; and in that year (1743) 30,325 were
imported by the French itovn Canada ir^o the port o( Kochf//e. Thty
«re found in great numbers in the midlt of the woods o{ Canada ; and
once in two or three years come out in great multitudes, as if their
•Kotneats we4[e overftocked : this the hunters look on as a forerunner
•«f gveat ihows, and a feafon favorable to the chafe *.

k is remarkable, that notwithilanding this fpecies extends acrofs the
continent of ^;i»/nVo, from Hudfon's Bay to the oppofite fide, yet it is
>lo(t on-the j^atU fide ©f the ftraits o( ^chukt/cbi -, nor is it recovered
-till you reach CatberinelHiurgy a diftrift of Sibiria weft of T^oboljk, and
twenty-five degrees weft longitude diftant from America. The fineft
in the known world are taken about Ufa^ and in the mountains of
Cauca/us-\. It is known that the ^/chuktfchiX procure the fl^ins for
doathing themfelyes ivova iiixc uijMricans ; -their country being def-
titute of trees, and confequently of the animals, inhabitancs of forefts,.
furjiiftiing thofe ufcful articles.

The Honfe Mar^ip, Hifl. ^ad. N° i^^, is found. neithf^r in 4^e-
rica, or xhcArSlic countries.

Placb.

Maknirs.

• Ckarltvoix, v. 197.

t DeHtrPallM,

X Mulltr, Pief. xxix.

Hij},

P E K A N.

C8. PiKAN.

HiJI. %*/. N» %o\,—Smtllu, vii. 307.-— Lav. Mvs.

WEE S E L. With cars a little pointed : body and head covered
with hair of a mixture of grey, chefnut, and black, and be-
neath protefted by a cinereous down : the lower jaw encircled with
white : legs and tail black : on the breaft, between the fore-legs, a
fpot of white, and another on the belly between the hind-legs : toes
covered above and below with fur.

I faw this and the following animal at Parisy in the cabinet of M.
Auhry^ Curi de St. Louis en Vljle. They were in glafs cafes, fo I
could get only an imperfeft view of them. According to M. de
Bufforiy the length of this was a foot and a half French meafurc j the
tail ten inches *. The fur is fine ; and the Ikins were often imported
by the French from Canada.

This feems to me to be very nearly allied to the European Martin,
N* 15. Br. Zool. vol. i. It agrees very much in dimenfions, and in
the white marks. It is alfo the animal which Mr. Graham fent to the
Royal Society from Hudfon's Bay, under the name of Jackajhy which
he fays harbours about creeks, and lives on fifh. Brings from two to
four young at a time. Is caught by the natives^ who eat the -flefli
and barter the ikins.

39. TiSON.

Hift. ^J. N» 20$.— Smilit, vii. 307.

WEES EL. With a long neck and body : fhortlegs: head and
body brown tinged with tawny : tail black : the down of a
bright alh-color.

* L* Ptktm, torn. xiii. 304. tab. xlii. xlifi.

Length

V I S O N.

Length from head to tail one foot four invhes, Frtncb i tail feven
inches, or to the end of the hairi nine.
Inhabits Canada,

79

Hift' SIsmI. N* 201 » and p. %ti,^9mUh,y\t, 309.
Muftelk ZibcHIns, PalUt 8f. Zttl./s/e. xiv. 54. ub.

20. Sa&li.

WEES EL. With head and ears whitifh: the ears broad, in-
clining to a triangular form, and rounded at top, in the ^Jia-
tic fpecimena j in the Jmerkan, rather pointed : whole bcdy of a light
tawny : feet very large, hairy above and below : claws white.

Length, from nofe to tail, twenty inches » of the trunk of the tail,
four inches i from the bafe to the end of the hairs eight : of a dufky
color.

This defcription is taken from a (kin fcnt from Canada : but it ex-
tends acrofs the whole continent, being frequently found among the
furs which the Americans traffic with among tlic inhabitants of the
T/chukf/cbi Nofs *. T)\t American fpccimen, which I had opportunity of
examining, was of the bleached, or word kind » probably others may
equal in value thofe of Afia.

The great refidence of thefc animals is in /^/i, beginning at the Urat-
lian chain, and growing more and more plentiful as they advance eaft-
ward, and more valuable as they advance more north. None are
found to the north-eaft of the Anadir, nor in any parts deftitute of
trees. They love vaft forefts, efpecially thofe of fir, in which thofe
of molt exquifite beauty are found. They are frequent in Kamtf-
cbatka, and are met with in the Kuril ifles f. They extend from about
lat. 50 to lat, 58.

They are very eafily made tame •. will attach themfclves fo to their
maftcr, as to wander a confiderable way, and return again to their homcw

• Deaer Pallun

f Dtfir, Kami/chat kot 27 s>

3

Placi.

They

Z6

B L fi.

TKfef afehot vr a«¥ : tTifeWdi* th^f ribdbH df their mrig tte S^r^efion
of Jrifiotle is erroneous.
CArTVRt. Anoiher way of taking them, befidcs thofe whidi I Oefo^fe tflfen-

tioned, is by placing a piece of timber from tree to tree horizontally;
near one end of this is placed a bait : over the lower piece of wood is
placed another, fufpendfed bWiquelyj and reftihg at oheend on a pofl:
very flightly ; a rod extends from it to a notMfe^ to which the bait is
faftened. As foon as the Sable feizes_ the meat, the upper timber
falls, and kills the precious animal *. The hunting-feafon always be-
gins with the firft fnovfrs : but they are now become fo very fcarcie, i%
to be confined to the vaft forefts of the extreme parts of Sibiria, ixti
to the diftant Kamt/cbatka. Such has beeft the rage of luxury !
FnswHBK FIRST ^^ ^^ ^"^^ ^^^^ ^hc liter ages that the furs of beafts became an ar-
ysEo AS A Lvxu- tide of luxury. The more refined nations of antient times neveJ-
made ufe of them : thofe alone whom the former ftigmatized as bar-
barians, were cloathed in the (kins of animals. Strain defcribes the
Indians covered with the fkins of Lions, Panthers, and Bears -j- ; and
Seneia J, the Stytbians cloathed with the flcins of Foxes, tod thfe leffer
quadrupeds. VirgU exhibits a pifture of the fava-gc Hy^trh&reariSi
fimilar to that which our late circumnavigators can witnefs t6 'in the
cloathing of the wild Americans ^ unfeen before by arty polifhedpeaple.

Gei&s effrcnVi vTrum Jiiplin tunditur ^uro \
fit f^uduih folvis vetantor corpora fetn.

Moft part of Europe was at this time in fimilar circumftartces. Ctejigr
might be as much amazed with the Ikin-dreffed heroes of Britain, as
our celebrated Coffk was at thofe of his new-difcovcred regions. What
time hath done to us, time, under hunftane Conquerors, may effeft
for them. Civilization may take place, and thofe fpoils of animals,
which are at prefent efiential far cloathing, becofne the mere objc^
of ornaiYient and luxury.

• Decouvtrtis dans h Ittji, &c, iv. 237. tab, vi. f5i.
p. 1 194. I Efijl, £p, xc.

t Strafe, lib. xvii.
I can-

A B

E.

Il

I cannot find that the Greeks or old Remans ever made ufe of furs. It
originated in thofe regions where they moft abounded, and where the
feverity of the climate required that fpecies of cloaching. At firft it
confided of the flkins only, almoft in the ftate in which they were torn
from the body of the beaft ; but as foon as civilization took place,
and manufaftures were introduced, furs became the lining of the drefs,
and often the elegant facing of the robes. It is probable, that the north-
ern conquerors introduced the fafliion into Europe. We find, that
about the year 522, when totiluy king of the Viftgoths, reigned in Italy y
that the Suethons (a people of nnodern Sweden) found nneans, by help
of the commerce of numberlefs intervening people, to tranfmit, for the
ufe of the Romans, faphilinas peUes, the precious (kins of the Sables *.
As luxury advanced, furs, even of the moft valuable fpecies, were ufed
by princes as lining for their tents: thus Marco Poiot in 1252, found
thofe of the Cham of Tartary lined with Ermines and Sables f . He
calls the laft Zibelines, and Zambolines. He fays that thofe, and other
precious furs, were brought from countries far north j from the land of
Darhie/s, and regions almoft inacceflible, by reafon of moralTes and
ice %. The FTelfi fet a high value on furs, as early as the time ofHowel
Dda i, who began his reign about 940. In the next age, furs became
the fafhionable magnificence o{ Europe. When Godfrey of Boulogne, and
his followers, appeared before the emperor yilexis Comnene, on their
way to the Holy Land, he was ftruck with the richnefs of their dreiTes,
tarn ex oftro quam aurifrigio et niveo epere barmelino et ex mardrino gri-
Jioque et vario. How different was the advance of luxury in France,
from the time of their great monarch Charlemagne, who contented
himfelf with the plain fur of the Otter ! Henry I. wore furs j yet in
his diftrefs was obliged to change them for warm fFelJb flannel §. But
in the year 1.337 ^^^ luxury had got to fuch a head, that Edward III.
enafted, that all perfons who could not fpend a hundred a year,
ihould abfolutely be prohibited the ufe of this fpecies of finery.

XVII.

can-

* JwuanJtt J$ Rtiiu Gnkis.
t 160, 161, 162. \\ LigitWallittti

t J* Btt^rtu't CM. 70. PurtkM, iii. a<k
5 Barrhgtiu tu tki Statutts,j^tA. 243.

M Th^fe,

!!!

Is

F I

HER.

Thefe, frorn their great expence, muft have been foreign furs, ob-
tained from the Italian commercial ftates, whofe traffic was at this
perio^ boundlefs. How ftrange is the revolution in the fur trade !
The north oiJfta, at that time, fupplied us with every valuable kind j
at prefent we fend, by means of the pofleffion of Hud/oil's Bay, furs,
to immenfe amount, even to Turkey and the diftant China.

JI. FiSNBii. fly?. J^y. N" 20i.— 5*»///r>, V. 297.— Lev. Mus,

WEES EL. With ears broad, round, and duflcy, edged with
white : head and fides of the neck pale brown mixed with
afti-color and black : hairs on the back, belly, legs, and tail, brown
at the bafe, and bl .ck at th^ir ends : fides of the body brown.

The feet very large and broad, cpvered above and below thickly
with hair : on each foot are five toes, with white claws, fliarp, flrong,
and crooked : the fore legs fhorter than thofe behind : the tail is full
and bufhy, fmalleft at the end. Length, from nofe to tail, is twenty-
eight inches ; of the tail feventcen.

This animal inhabits Hud/on's Bay, and is found in New England,
and as low as Pen/ylvania. About Hudfoh's Bay they are called fVe-
jacks, and fVoodJhocki. They harbour about creeko, feed upon fifh, and
probably birds. They breed once a year, and. have from two to four
at a birth. The natives catch them, ancl difpofe of the fkins, which
are fold in England for four or fix ftiillings apiece. Such is the ac-
count I received from Mr. Graham.

The late worthy Mr. Peter Collinjon tranfmitted to me the fol-
lowing relation, which he received from Mr. Bartram : — " They are
** found in Pen/ylvania -, and, notwithftanding they are not amphibi-
" ous, are called Fibers, and live on all kinds of lefler quadrupeds."
I do not know how to reconcile thefe accounts of the fame animal
(for fuch it is) unlefs n preys indifferently on fifli and land animals,
as is often the cafe with rapacious beafls, and that both Mr. Graham
«nd Bartram may have overlooked that circumftance*

Hi/f.

STRIATED WEESEU

?3

* ^i

ftifi. ^mJ. N» to-j.—SmtBitt V. 297.

32. Striateb

TfTEESEL. With fmall and rounded ears: the ground color
^^ of the whole animal black, marked on the back and fides
with five long parallel lines of white ; one extending from the head
along the top of the back to the bafe of the tail j with two others on
each fide, the higheft of which reaches a little way up the tail : the
tail is long, and very bufhy towards the end.

This fpecies varies in the difpofition of the ftripes, and I fufpedt
the nwle is entirely black, as defcribed by M. Du Pratz*-, who fays,
that the female has rings of white intermixed. If that is the cafe,
the Coa/ey which M. de Buffon f received from Virginia^ is of this
'kind. It is of an uniform color; but what is a ftronger proof of
their differing only in fex, is the agreement in number of toes in the
fore feet, there being four on each j an exception to the char aAer of
this Genus.

In fize it is equal to an European Pole-cat, but carries its back
more < vated.

Theie animals are found from Pen/ylvania as far as Louifiana, where
they arc known by the name of the Pole-cat J or Skunk i which is
gHven indifferently to both of thefe foetid beafts.

Nature hath furnifhed this and the following a fpecies of defence
fuperior to the force either of teeth or claws. The French moft juftly
call thefe animals enfans du Dial>le, or children of the Devil, and BStes
puantes, or the (linking beafls j as the Swedes beftow on them that of
Fijkatta. The pefliferous vapour which it emits from behind, when
it k either attacked, purfued, or frightened, is fo fufFocating and
foetid, as at once to make the boldell affailant retire with precipita-

• Vol. ii. 67. t xiii. Ceafi, p. 388. Lt Ctntfutt (the female) ibid. tab.

xxxviii. xl. t Catijby, ii. tab. 62.

M 2

tion.

;w •*.•■,':■

84

STRIATED WEESELr

tion. A finall fpace is often no means of fccurity j the animal cither
"will turn its tail, and by a frequent crepitus prevent all repetition of
attempts on its liberty -, or elfe ejaculate its ftifling urine to the dif-
tance of eighteen feet ♦. Its enemy is ftu lifted with the abominable
ftench i or perhaps experiences a temporary blindnefs^ fliould any of
the liquid fall on his eyes. No walhing will free his cloaths from
the fmell : they muft even be buried in frelh foil, in order to be ef-
feftually purified.

Perfons who have juft undergone this misfoitune, naturally run to
the next houle to try to free themfelves from it $ but the rights of
hofpitality are denied to them: the owner, dreading the infection, is
fure to (hut the door againfl them.

Profeflbr Kalm ran the danger of being fufFocated by the ftench of
one, which was purfued into a houfe where he was.

A maid-fervant, who deftroyed another in a room where meat was
kept, was fo afFefted by the vapour as to continue ill for feveral days;
and the provifions were fo infected, that the mafter of the houfe was.
forced to fling them away f .

Travellers are often obliged, even in the midft of forefts, to hold
their nofes, to prevent the efFeds of its ftench.

The brute creation are in like dread of its effluvia. Cattle will
roar with agony j and none but true-bred dogs will attack it : even
thofe are often obliged to run their nofes into the ground before they
can return to complete its deftrudlion. The fmell of the dogs, after
a combat of this nature, remains for feveral days intolerable.

Notwithftanding this horrible quality,, the fl.efli is eaten, and is
eftecmcd as fweet as that of a Pig. The bladder muft be taken out*
and the (kia flayed off, as foon as the animal is killed J-

I fhould think it a very difagrecable companion : yet it is often;
tamed fo as to follow its mafter like a Dogj for it never emits ita

• £alm, i. 175.

f Thfr fame, 277.

vapour

STRIATED WEESUL. SKUNK.

vapour unlefs terrified *. It furcly ought to be treated with the
higheft attention.

The (kin is reglefted by the Eurofgans, by reafon of the coarfenefs
of the hair. The Indians make ufe of it for tobacco pouches, which,
they carry before them like the Highlanders.

It climbs trees with great agility. It feeds on fruits f and infe61:s.
Is a great enemy to birds, deftroying both theif eggs and young. It
will alfo break into hen-roofts, and dcftroy all the poultry J. It
breeds in holes in the ground, and hollow trees, where it leaves its
young, while it is rambling in queft of prey.

nijl. ^ad. N" zii.^SmelUe, v; 297.— Lev. Mus.

3.}. Skunk*

WEESEL. With ihort rounded ears : fides of the face white ;
from the nofe to the back extends a bed of white j along the
top of the back, to the bafe of the tail, is another broad one of black,
bounded on each fide by a white ftripe : the belly, feet, and tail,
black. But the colors vary : that which is figured by M. de Buffon
has a white tail : the claws on all the feet very long, like thofe of a
Badger : the tail very full of hair.

This inhabits the continent of America^ from Hud/on^s Bay § to
Peru II . In the laft it is called Cbinche. It burrows like the foriner,^
and has all the fame qualities. It is alfo found in Mexico, where it ii
called Conepatli or Boy's little Fox <[ .

• Kalm, i. 278. f Catijly, ii. tab. 62. J Kalm, i. 274. { Sent

from thence by Mr. Graham. || Ftuiliie Ob/. Peru, 1714, p. zji.. f Rt,-^

navdex, Mtr, 382.

HIST,

\m

M

OTTER.

OTTER.

fllS T. ^UJD. G E K u s XXIV.

34. COMMOK*

^i/l, ^ad, N* ti6.^Mr. Zttl. i. N* ig.'—SmtUit, W. 23s.— Lsy. Mvi.

OTTER. With fliort rounded cars : head flat and broad : long
whiflcers : aperture of the mouth fmall : lips very mufcular, de-
figncd to clofe the mouth firmly while in the adion of diving : eyes
fmall, and placed nearly above the corners of the mouth : neck fhort :
body long: legs (hort, broad, and thick: five toes on each foo^»
CAch furniihed with a ftrong membrane or webi tail deprefled, and
tapering to a point.

The fur fine j of a deep brown color, with exception of a white
fpot on each fide of the nofe, and another under the chin.

Thefe aaimals inhabit as far north as Hudfon's Bay, Terra di Labra-
dor, and Canada, and as low fouth as Carolina and Louijiana *; but
in the latter provinces are very fcarce. The fpecies ceafes farther
fouth. iMw/on fays that they are fometimes found, to the weftward
of Carolina, of a white color, inclining to yellow. Thofe of North
America arc larger than the European, and the furs of fuch which in-
habit the colder parts are very valuable. Their food is commonly
filh } but they will alfo attack and devour the Beaver f.

They are found again in Kamtfchatka, and in moft parts of northerj}
Europe and Afia, but not on the ArSlic flats : are grown very fcarce
in Rufia, The Kamtfchatkans ufe their furs to face their garments, or
to lap round the flcins of Sables, which are preferved better in Otter
fkini than any other way. They ufually hunt them with dogs, in
time of deep fnow, when the Otters wander too far from the banks of
rivers %,

* Ltnu/»H, 119, and DuPralz, ii. 69.
115* 116.

t Dtbbi, 4Q.

I Hifi. Kamt/,

The

E R.

*1

The Amtrieam round Hud/on' s Bay fhoot or trap them for the fake
of (he Ikins, which arc fent to Europe. They aifo ufe the (kins for
pouches, ornamented with bits of horn) and eat the flefh.

Otters are probably continued along the Arffic pAvts of America,
weftwardj being found on the moft eaftern, or the greater Fox
J[/lanJs^ which are fuppofed to be pretty near to that continent.

Lefler Otter, Hiji. ^ad. N' izB.

35-

MiN]

OTTER* With a white chin: rounded ears : top of the head
in fome hoary,, in others tawny : the body covered with fhort
tawny hairs, and longer of a duflcy color : the feet broad, webbed, and
covered with hair : the tail duflcy, ending in a point. This animal
is of the fhape of the common Otter, but much fmaller : its length
being only twenty inches from head to tail ; of the tail only four.

It inhabits the middle provinces of North America, from New Jer-
Jey to th« Carolinas. I did n^ difcovey it amortg the fkins lent by
Mr. Graham from Hudforfs Bay -, the animal defcrlbed as one of this
fpecies difFering from the many I have feen frtfm the more fouthern
colonies : yet pollibly it may be found in a more northern latitude
than that which I have given it, if the Foutereaux, an amphibious
fort of little Pcdecats mentton(id by La Hontan, be the fame *.

It frequents the banks of rivers, inhabiting hollow trees, or holes
which k forms near the water f. It has, like the Skunks, when pro-
voked, a mo(V exceflively foetid fmell. It lives much upon filh, frogs,
and aquatic infefts ; dives admirably, and will continue longer under
water than the Mu(k-beaver ^i : yet at times it will defert its watery
haunts, and make great havoke in the poultry yards, biting off the
heads of the fcTwls, and fucking the blood. At times it lurks amidft

Descriptiok

• i. 6it

f Kalith, ii. 6tk

9

I i;.ctter ftoVk Mr. Ptt»C«llin/nm,

A-Mekica.

the

IS

AsJAi

EUROPI.

LE6SER OTTER.

the docks and bridges of towns, yrhcrc ic proves a wfcful enemy to
rats *.

It is befides very dcftruftive to the Tortoife i whofe eggs it fcrapei
out of the fand and devours : and eats the frelh-vrater mufclcsj whofe
(hells are found in great abundance at the mouth of their holes. It
is capable of being made tame, and domefticated f.

The fpecies is fpread in Afioy along the banks of the Taiky in the
Orenburg government |. None are feen in Sibma j but appear
again near the rivers which run into the Amur, Its fur is in thofc
parts very valuable, and efteemed as next in beauty to the Sable. It
is cither hunted with dogs or taken in traps. In Europe it is found
in Poland and Litbuaniat where it is named Nurek; and the Germans
call ic Nurtz. It is Mfo an inhabitant of Finland: the natives call it
Tifburi i the Swedes, M<enk §, a name carried into America by (bmc
Swedijh colonift, and with a flight variation is ftill retained.

56. Sea*

Hiji. Siuai, N» 230.

Lacra Marina, Kalan. AW. Ctm. Pttnp, u. ^67, tab, xvi.

Caftor Marin, Hijt. Ktmifcbatia, 444.

Sea Otter, MuUtr, 57, 58II.— Ley. Mvs.

Descriptiok«

OTTER. With hazel irides : upper jaw long, ^nd broader than
the lower : nofc black : ears ereft, conic, fmall : whiflcers long
and white : in the upper jiiw fix, in the lower four, cutting teeth :
grinders broad : fore legs thick ; on each four toes, covered with
hair, and webbed : the hind feet refemble exa£tly thofe of a Seal : the
toes divided by a ftrong Ihagreened membrane, with a (kin (kirting
the external fide of the outmoft toe, in the manner of fome water fowl.

• K«lm,\x. 61. t Lmu/»n, 122. J Dr. Pallai. \ Fauna Sute. ti* 13.

II I here infert the fynonyms ; for in the Synopfis of Quadrupedi, following Linnteiu
ar.d Brifttt, I confiiund the BrafiUau Otter of Marfgravt with this animal.

The

SEA OTTER.

Th€ Ikin is extremely thick, covered clofely with long hair, re-
markably black and glofTy ; and beneath that is a foft down. The
hair fometimes varies to filvery. The hair of the young is foft and
brown.

The length, from nofe to tail, is about three feet s that of the tail
tliirtccn inches and a half. The tail is deprefled, full of hair in the
middle, and fharp-pointed. The weight of the biggeft, feventy or
eighty pounds.

Thefe are the mod local animals of any we are acquainted with,
being entirely confined between lat. 44 and 60, and weft longitude
ia.6 to 150 eaft from Londouy in the coaft and fcas on the north-eaft
parts of America -, and again only between the Kamtfchatkan fhores
and the ifles which intervene between them and America. They
land alfo on the Kuril iflands ; but never are (ccn. in the channel be-
tween the north-eaft part of Sibiria and America.

They are moft extremely harmlefs, and moft Angularly afFedtionate
to their yo'ng. They will never defert them, and will even pine to
death on being robbed of them, and ftrive to breaihe their laft on
the fpot where they experienced the misfortune.

It is fuppofed that they bring but one at a time. They go be-
tween eight and nine months with young, and fuckle it almoft the
whole year. The young never quits its liam till it takes a mate.
They are monogamous, and very conftant.

They bring forth on land : often carry the young between their
teeth: fondle them, and frequently fling them up and catch them
again in their paws. Before the ; oung can fwim, the old ones wiD
take them in their fore feet, and fwim about upon their backs.

They run very fwiftly : fwim fometimes on their lides, on their
backs, and often in a perpendicular direftion. They are very fpor-
tive, embrace each other, and kifs.

They never make any refiftance j but endeavour, when attacked,
to fave themfelves by flight : when they have efcaped to fome dif-
tnncCj they will turn back, and hold one of their fore feet over their

N eyes.

Sizt.

Placi;

Mannbri.

'W'^f—.T

CArruKi.

Fun.

SEA OTTER.

eya, to gaze, as men do their hands to fee more clearly in a funny
day J for they arc very duU-flghted, but remarkably quick-fcented.

They are fond of thofc parts of the ff a which abound moft v-th
weeds, where they feed on filh, fcpia, lobftcrs, and fhell-filh, which
they comminute with their flat grinders.

They are taken different ways : in the fummcr, by placing nets
among the fea-plants, where thefe animals retire in the frequent ftorms
of this tempeftuous coaft.

They are killed with clubs or fpcars, either while they lie aflecp
on the rocks, or in the fea floating on their backs.

Thirdly, they arc purfued by two boats till they arc tired, for
they cannot endure to be long at a time under water.

During winter they are brought in great numbers to the Kurilian
iflands, by the eaftern winds, from the Amet^can fhorc. .

The hunter goes with a dog, who points them. He knocks it on
the head, and flays it, while the dog is beating about for another.

They are called in the Kamtfchatkan tongue Kalan, in the plural
Kalani.

Their flefh is preferred to that of Seals by the natives ; but the
unfortunate crew who were {hipwrecked in the expedition in 1741,
under Captain Beringy found it to be infipid, hard, and tough as
leather j fo that they were obliged to cut it in fmall pieces before
they could eat it. Others pretend, that the flefh of the young is very
delicate, and fcarcely to be diftinguifhed from young lamb.

But the valuable part of them is their fkin. Few are brought into
Europe ; but great quantities are fold to the Chineje^ at vaft prices, from
feventy to a hundred rubles apiece, or 14 or 25 1. fterling each.
What a profitable trade might not a colony carry on, was it pofTible
to penetrate to thefe parts of North America by means of the rivers
and lakes ! The accefs to Pekin would be then eafy, by failing up
the gulph of Petcbeli. At prefent, thefe valuable furs are carried by
land above three thoufand miles to the frontiers of Cbinat where they
are delivered to the merchants.

I Thefe

SEA OTTER.

Thefe animals partake very much of the nature of Seals, in their
almoft conftant reddence in the water, their manner of fwimming,
fin-like legs, and number of fore teeth. In their ears they greatly
refemble the little Seal of my Hiftory of Quadrupeds, N' 386, and
Teem the animals which connect the genera of Otters and Seals.

They are feen very remote from land, fometimes even at the dif-
tance of a hundred leagues.

9»

N 2

D I V.

//'■

/

■/: ;x ; r -'• / 1 "^ n

liiZ^'V ^ ,.!■' T-/,-?CV.7 ;:)i"' '-'fr;.

!':i!"j -

m.

D I V. II. Sect. II.

DIGITATED QJJADRUPEDS.

Without Canine Teeth : and with two Cutting Teeth

only in each jaw.

^"^,l7^'%t -r-Jfl^:

^fe«:?V»iv;

.KT'ly^Vr'':-'

94

VARYING HARE.

DIV. II. Sect. II. Digitated Quadrupeds. .

Without Canins Teeth : and with two Cutting Teeth

only in each jaw.

Generally Herbivorous, or Frugivorous.

HARE.

HIST. ^U A D, Genus XXVI.

37. Varyino.

Mift. ^gaJ, N« 242.— Alpine Hare, Br. Z-l. i. N'ai.— Liv. Mvs.

HARE. With the edges of the ears and tips black: the colors,
in fummer, cinereous, mixed with black and tawny : tail always
white.

Mr. Graham fays, that thofe of Hud/on' s Bay are of the fame fize
with the common j but thofe which I have examined in Scotland are
much lefs, weighing only fix pounds and a half: the con.mon Hare
weighs upwards of eight.

This Ipecies inhabits Greenland^ where alone they continue white
throughout the year*} and are very numerous amidft the fnowy
mountains. They are ufually fat; and feed on grafs, and the
white mofs of the country. They are found about the rocks at
Churchill^ and the ftreights of HudJotCs Bay ; but are not common.
They breed once a year, and bring two at a time f. They change
their color to white at approach of winter. They are met with in
Canada and Newfoundlands after which tho fpecies ceafes to the
fouthward, or at left I have no authority for its being continued i
the Hare of New England feeming, by JoJ[elyn\ account, to be the
following fpecies.

* Crmtz, i. 70. Egt/t, 62.

t Mr. Graham,

The

VARYING HARE.

The Greenlandtrs eat the flefh dreffed, and the contents of the
ftomach raw. They ufe the excrements for wick for their lamps j
and cloath their children with the foft and warm (kins.

This fpecies abounds from lAvonia to the north-eaft part of Sibiria
and Kamt/cbatka -, and from Archangel to Saratofy on the banks of the
IVolgdy in eaft lat. 49. 52, and even farther into the Orenburg govern-
ment. In Sibiria they quit the lofty mountains* the fouthern boun-
daries of that country, and, coUefbing in flocks innumerable, at ap-
proach of winter migrate to the plains, and northern wooded parts*,
where vegetation and food abound. Mr. Bell met with them daily
in their progrefs *. Multitudes of them are taken in toils by the
fo. try people, not for the fake of the flefh, but the Ikins; which are
Ic Vterjburgt and from thence exported to various parts.

91

American Hare, Ph. Tranf. Ixil. 4. 376. Hift. ^gaJ. N^ 243.

33. AUEKICAN.

HARE. With ears tipt with grey : neck and body rufty, cine-
reous, and black : legs pale rufl color : belly white : tail black
above, white beneath.

The diftinfbions between this and the common Hares and varying
Hares are thefe : — They are lefs, weighing only from three pounds
eight ounces to four pounds and a half: the length to the fetting-on of
the tail only nineteen inches. The hind legs are longer in proportion
than thofe of the common Hare or varying Hare -, the length of this,
from the nofe to the tip of the hind legs, extended, being two feet
five : of a varying Hare, mcafured at the fame time, in Hud/on's Bay^
only two feet feven and a half; but from the nofe to the tail was two
feet : its weight feven pounds fix ounces.

Size;

OP A VAKYINe.

Hari.

• Traveit, oflavo ed, i. 246.

Thefe

;/ -*^»?*j %'*^''^ V-''

.^^

96

AMERICAN HARE.

Thefe animals are found from Hudfoti's Bay to the extremity of
North America; but fwarm in countries bordering on the former.
In the time of M. Jeremict who redded in Hudjon's Bay from 1708 to
17 14, twenty-five thoufand were taken in one feafon *. At prefcnt
they are a principal winter food to our refidents there. They arc
taken in wire fnares* placed at certain intervals in fmall openings
made in a long extent of low hedging formed for that purpofe j the
animals never attempting to jump over, but always feek the gaps.
Thefe hedges are removed, on the falling of the fnows, to other places,
when the Rabbets feek new tracks f . Their flefh is very good j but
almoft brown, like that of the Englijh Hare.

From HudforCs Bay, as low as New England, thefe animals, at ap
proach of winter, receive a new coat, which confifts of a multitude
of long white hairs, twice as long as the fummer fur, which ftill re-
mains beneath. About the middle of April they begin to Ihed their
winter covering.

From New England fouthward they retain their browji color the
whole year. In both warm and cold climates they retain the fame
nature of never burrowing ; bur lodge in the hollow of fome decayed
tree, to which they run in cafe they are purfued. In the cultivated
parts oi America, they make great havoke among the fields of cabbage,
or turnips %. In Carolina, they frequent meadows and marlhy places j
and are very fubjedk to have maggots breed in the (kin §. In that
province they breed very often, and even in the winter months, aivl
bring from two to fix at a time; but ufually two or four ||.

I know of no ufe that is made of the (kins, excepting that the na-
tives of Hudjon's Bay wrap them round the limbs of their children, to
preferve them againft the cold.

• VoyagM au Nwt(, iii. 344. \ Dragt, i. 176.

§ Lofwfin, I2Z. II DoUor Gerdtu,

X.Kalm, ii. 46.

• •

With-

A L P I N E H A R E,

• * Without a tail.
Hiji. ^aJ. N« 2\9.—Blackb. Muf.

HARE. With Ihort, broad, rounded ears : long head, and whifkers :
fur dufky at the roots ; of a bright bay near the ends i tips
white : intermixed are divers long dufky hair».

Length nine inches.

Found from the Altaic chain to lake Baikal, and from thence to
Kamtfchatka, They dwell amidft the fnows of the loftieft and mod
dreadful rocky mountains, and never defcend to the plains. They
alfo are faid to inhabit the fartheft Fox or Aleutian iflands : therefore
poflibly may be met with in America. * "^

The manners are fo amply defcribed in my Hiftory of Quadru-
peds, that I fhail not repeat an account of them.

39. AtPiNr

O

til ST.

:.^"-;7Sii£^-f;,^r ;y^=7'^-v-"

?;«-"v-.;,:a:.;-

e A ST O R.

£ftAVER«

iST/^ r ^U/lD. Genus XXVII.

40. Castoki

Hifi. ^tuul, IV tsu-^SmeWt, v. ti.<— Lit. Mat.

Description.

ftx-A**..

BEAVER. With a blunt nofe: ears ihoit, rounded, and hid in
the fur : eyes fmall : very ftrong cutting teeth : hair of a deep
chefnut brown : fore feet fmall, and the toes divided : hind feet large,
and the toes webbed : the tail eleven inches long, and three broad;
almofl ov^al, flat, and covered with thin fcales.

The ufual length, from nofe to tail, is about two feet fourj. but I
have meafured the Ikin of one, which was near three feet long.

Beavers vary in color. They are fometimei found of a deep black,
efpecially in, the north. In Sir Jfiton Lever's mujeum is a fpecimen
quite white. As they advance fouthward, the beauty of their fur
decreafes. Among the JUinois they are tawny, and even as pale as
ftraw color *.

In North America thefe animals are found in great plenty all round
HiidJorCs Bay, and as low as Carolina f and Louiftana if. They are
not known in Eaft Florida §. The fpecies alfo ceafes before it arrives
in South America. To fpeak with precifion, it commences in lat. 60, .
or about the river of Seals, in HudJotCs Bay ; and is loft in lat. 30, in ,
Louifiana.

From Hudfofi's Bay and Canada, I can trace them weftward to lao
degrees of longitude, a» far as the tradl weft of Lac Rouge, or the
Red lake ||. The want of difcovery prevents us from knowing whe-
ther they are continued to the weftern extremity of this great conti-
nent oppofite to A/ia : probably they are, for the Ruffian adventurers
got fome of their (kins on the ifle of Kadjak, which the natives mud

* Ckttrlmtix,v, 140. + Law/cn,

»/EaJt Florida, 50. \\ D^bbs, 35.

X Du.PratK, ii. 69, § Mceunt

4iave

fie
aci

<'r,'. ■;":-iiyf'C'r''

.CASTOR.

have had from America. They certainly are not found in the iflanda
of the new Archipelago j nor yet in Kamtfchatka *, by reafon of the
interruption of woods, beyond the river Konyma. From thence I
doubt whether they are met with aflbciated, or in a civilized ftatc>
nearer than the banks of the river Jetie/gi, or the Konda, and other
rivers which run into the Oi_>' ; but they ;' icund fcattered in the
woody parts of independent Tartary ; alfo m Ca/an, and about the
Taiky in the Orenburg government. In tlie fame unfociable ftatc they
inhabit Europe, and are found in RuJJia, in Lapiand, Norway, and
Sweden.

Thefe are the moft fagacious and induftrious of animals. They
live in fociety, and unite in their labors, for the good of the com-
monwealth they form. They ere6l edifices, fuperior in contrivance
to the human beings. They ufually live near, and lliew a dexterity
in their oeconomy unequalled by the four-footed race.

In order to form a habitation, they feleft a level piece of ground,
with a fmall rivulet running in the midft. To efFedt their works, a
community of two or three hundred aflembles : every individual
bears his fhare in the laborious preparation. Some fall trees of great
fize, by gnawing them afunder with their teeth, in order to form
beams or piles ; others are employed in rolling the pieces to the wa-
ter } others dive, and fcrape holes with their feet in order to fix them j
and another fet exert their efforts to rear them in their proper places:.
A fifth party is bufied in collecting twigs to wattle the piles. A fixth*
in coUefting earth, ftones, and clayj others carry it on their broad
tails to proper places, and with their feet beat and temper the earth
into mortar, or ram it between the piles, or plaifter the infide of the
houfes.

All thefe preparations are to form their dwellings within an arti-
ficial piece of water or pond, which they make by raifing a dam
acrofs the level fpot they had pitched on. This is done, firft by driv-

* The Sea Beaver (as it U called) Sp, of this work, mull not be confounded with
thii.

O s ing

$9

Saoacitt.

Dwellings.

Laboki.

D&ut.

"P"'" ,;■*■"-*''

»»-r'-* f ..

■J, ■^■:r-'t^fK-<;'/-.

lOO

UoVIBI,

CASTOR.

ing into the ground (lakes, five or fix feet long, placed in rows, and
fecuring each row by wattling it with twigs, and filling the inter-
ftices with clay, ramming it down clofe. The fide next to the water
if floped, the other perpendicular. The bottom is from ten to
twelve feet thick ; the thicknefs gradually diminiflies to the top,
which is about two or three. The centre of the dam forn-.s afegment
of ft circle j from which extends, on each fide, a fl:rait wing : in the
midft of the centre is ufually a gutter left for the wafte water to dif-
chflrgn itfelf. Thefe dams are often a hundred feet long, and nicely
covered with turf.

The houfes thefe wife animals make, are placed in the water col-
lc(5tcd by means of the dam, and are feated near the fliore. They are
built upon piles, and are fometimes round, fometimes oval ; the tops
are vaulted, fo that their infide refembles an oven, their outfide a
dome. The walls are made of earth, (lones, and fticks, and ufually
two feet thick. They are commonly about eight feet high above the
furface of the water *, and are very neatly and clofely plaiftered on
the infide. The floor is a foot higher than the water. The houfe,
fometimes, has only one floor, which is ftrewed with leaves or mofs,
on which each Beaver lies in its proper place j at other times there
are three apartments j one to lodge, another to eat in, and a third to
dung infs for they are very cleanly, and inflantly caufe the filth to
be carried off by the inferior Beavers,

M, Du Pratz % fays, that thofe of Louiftana form numbers of cells,
and that each animal, or more probably each pair, poflTefs one. He
fays, that he has feen no lefs than fifteen of thefe cells furroundirrg
the centre of one houfe. He alfo acquaints us, that the Beavers of
Louiftana are a third lefs than the brown fort ; are covered with a ci-
nereous down, which is covered with long filvcry hairs.

In each houfe are two openings j one towards the land, the other
Is within, and communicates with the water, for the conveniency of

• Clirkt i. 142. t Mr. Graham, Cattfy, ^/. xxx. | i. 241.

getting

/

R.

lOI

NvMBER or
ucuszi ;

getting to their magazine of provifion in frofty weather. This ori- Maoaiiihi.
fice u formed fo as to be beyond the thicknefs of the ice j for they
1( dge their provifions under the water, and dive and bring it into
their houfe according as they want it.

Their food is laid in before winter by the tenants of each houfe ; Food,

it confifts of the bark and boughs of trees. Law/on fays that they
are fondeft of the faflafras, afli, and fweet gum. In fummer they
live on leaves, fruits, and fometimes crabs and cray-filh ; but they
are not fond of fi(h.

The numb r of houfes in each pond is from ten to twenty-five:
the number of animals in each, from two to thirty. They are fup-
pofed to aflbciate in pairs ; are therefore monogamous : another proof
of their advances towards civilization.

I think I have heard that every family confifts of an even number, opinhabitanti.
Sometimes the community, within the precindt of a dam, confifts of
four hundred ; but I prefume this muft be in places little frequented
by mankind.

They begin to build their houfes, when they form a new fettle-
ment, in the fummer -, and it cofts them a whole feafon to finifti their
work, and lay in their provifions.

They are very attentive to their fafety j and on any noife take to
the water for their further fecurity. They form vaults or burrows in
the banks of the creek formed by the dam, into which they retreat
in cafe of imminent danger.

They feem to be among quadrupeds, what Bees are among inie£ls.
They have a chief, or fuperintendant, in their works, who dircfts the Overieirs.
whole. The utmoft attention is paid to him by the whole commu-
nity. Every individual has his talk allotted, which they undertake
with the utmoft alacrity. The overfeer gives a fignal by a certain
number of fmart flaps with his tail, exprefllve of his orders. The
moment the artificers hear it, they haften to the place thus pointed
out, and perform the allotted labor, whether it is to carry vvood, or
draw the clay, or repair any accidental breach.

They

T*y- 1 fci M»JiilMilMiM''''''''i'

loa

n.

CiN riNBLI.

SlAV|l.

THIIR WOOD HOW
CVT.

They have alfo their ccntinels, who, by the fame kind of fignU,
give notice of any apprehended danger.

They are faid to have a fort of flavilh Beaver among them (analo-
gous to the Drone) which they employ in fervile Works, and the do-
medic drudgery *.

I have mentioned before their fagacity in laying in the winter pro-
vifion. They cut the wood they prefer into certain lengths} pile
them in heaps beneath the water, to keep them moid ; and, when they
want food, bite the wood into fmall pieces, and bring it into their
houfes. The Indians obfervc the quantity which the Beavers lay in
their magazine at approach of v/inter. It is the Almanack of the
Savages j who judge from the greater or Icfs ftock, of the mildncfs or
feverity of the approaching feafon f.

The expedition with which they cut down trees, for the forming
their dams, is amazing. A number furrounds the body, and will in
a few minutes gnaw through a tree of three feet in circumference i
and always contrive to make it fall towards the fpot they wifh %.

Beavers have in America variety of lakes and waters in which they
might fix their feats -, but their fagacity informs them of the preca-
rious tenure of fuch dwellings, which are liable to be overthrown by
every flood. This induces them to undertake their mighty and mar*
vellous labors. They therefore feleft places where no fuch inconve-
niences can be felt. They form a dam to fupport a refervoir, fed
only by a fmall rill ; and provide for the overflow of the wafte water
by a fuitable channel in the middle of their bank. They have no-
thing to fear but from land floods, or the fudden melting of the
fnows. Thefe fometimes make breaches, or damage their hoafes ;
but the defedts are inflanfly repaired.

During the winter they never ftir out, except to their magazines of
provifion j and in that feafon grow exceflively fat.

They are ftrongly attached to certain haunts, there being places
jvhich they will not quit, notwithftanding they are frequently dif-

* Mr; Qraham' t CbmrUv9ix» v. 151.

X Cat^,Jff,lo.

turbed*

CASTOR.

«oj

Terrieu
Bmavkrs.

curbed. There is, fays Cbarlfvoix, a flrong inftance on the road be-
tween Montreal and lake Huron, which travellers, through wantonncfs,
annually moleft i yet is always repaired by the induftrious inhabi*
tants.

In violent inundations they are fometimes overpowered in their
attennpis to divert the fury of the water. In thofe cafes they fly into
the woods : the females return as foon as the water abates ; the males
continue abfent till July, when they come back to repair the ravages
made in their houfcs *.

Beavers breed oivce a year, and bring forth the latter end of winter j
and have two or three young at a birth.

There is a variety of the Beaver kind, which wants cither tf}e fa-
gacity or the induftry of the others, in forming dams and houfes.
Thefc are CiUed Terriers. They burrow in the banks of rivers, and
make their holes beneath the freezing depth of the water, and work
upwards for a great number of feet. Thefe alfo form their winter
magazines of provifion. Beavers which efcape the deftruflion of a
community, are fuppofed often to become Terriers.

Strange animal feen by Mr. Pbipps and others in Newfoundland, of
a (hining black : bigger than a Fox : fliaped like an //a/w// grchound :
legs long : tail long and taper. One gentleman faw five fitting on a
rock with their young, at the mouth of a river j often leapt in and
dived, and brought up trouts, which they gave to their young. Wlicn
he fliewed himfclf, they all leapt into the water, and fwam a little
way from fhore, put their heads out of the water and looked at him.
An old furrier faid, he remembered a fkin of one fold for five guineas.
The French often fee them. in Uare Bay.

Beavers have, befides man, two enemies j the Otter, and the Wol- TMtiR eneuibi.
»verenej which watch their appearance, and deftroy them. The lad
is on tha account calledi in fome parts of America, the Beaver-eater.
They are very eafily overcome; for they make no refinance : and have
no fecurity but in flight.

• Charlevoix, v. 1 5 ^.. .

a.

U

jfj.SJfT' f-

1 04

iI«W TAKIK.

CASTOR.

It is not wonderful that fuch fociablc animals (hould be very affec-
tionate. Two young Beavers, which were taken alive ami brought
to a neighboring faftory in Hud/on's Bay, were preferved for fome
time J and throve very faft, till one of them was killed by an acci-
dent. The furvivor inftantly felt the lofs, began to moan, and ab-
ftained from food till it died *.

They are taken feveral ways : fometimes in log-traps, baited with
poplar fticks, laid in a path near the water. The Indians always
walh their hands before they bait the traps, otherwifc the fagacious
animal is furc to fliun the fnare.

Sometimes they are (hor, either while they are at work, or at food,
or in fwimming acrofs the rivers. But thefe methods are ufed only
in fummer, and not much praftifed } for the (kins in that feafon arc
far lefs valuable than in the winter. At that time they are taken in
nets placed above and below their houfcs, acrofs the creeks, on (lakes.
If the water is frozen, the ice is cut from (hore to (hore, in order to
put down the (lakes. When the net is fet, the Indians fend iheir
women to the Beaver-houfes to difturb the animals j who dart into
the water, and are ufually taken in the net, which is indantly hauled
up ; and put down again with all expedition. If the Beaver mi(rcs
the net, it fometimes returns to its houfe, but oftener into the vaults
on the fides of the banks j but the poor creature feldom efcapes, be-
ing purfued into all his retreats, the houfes being broke open, and
the vaults fcarched by digging along the (hores.

The value of the fur of thefe animals, in the manufa6lure of hats,
is well known. It began to be in ufe in England in the reign of
Charles i. f, when the manufaflure was regulated, in 1638, by procla-
mation ; in which is an exprefs prohibition of ufuig any materials ex-
cept Beaver fluffy or Beaver wool ; and the hats called dprni-cadors
were forbidden to be made, unlcfs for exportation.

This caufcd a vaft cncreafc of demand for the (kins of the Beavers.
The Indians, on the difcovery of America, fcem to have paid very

• Dragis vcy, i. 151. f Rjmtr^t Fmdira, xx. 230.

littlt

o u;

105

little attention to them, amidft the vaft variety of beads they at that
time poneflTed, both for food and cloathing. But about the period of
the falhion of hats, they became an article of commerce, and objeft of
chafe. The fouthern colonies foon became exhauded of their
Beavers i and of later years the traffic has been much conBned to Ca-
nada and Hudfon's Bay. The importance of this trade, and the ra-
vages made among the animal creation in thofe parts, will appear by
the following (late of the imports into the ports of London ind
Rocbelte'xn 1743. I take that year, as I have ni. other comparar.ve
Hate :

Hud/on'i Bay company fale, begun Novemher lyrh 1743.
16,750 Beaver (kins.
14,730 Martins.
590 Otters.
i>iio Cats, i. e. Lynx.
310 Fox.
600 Wolverenes.
310 Black Bears.
1,850 Wolves.

40 Woodfhocks, or Filhers.
10 Minx.
5 Raccoon.
120 Squirrels.
130 Elks, i. e. Stags.
440 Deer.
Imported into RocbelU in the ;ri "• ; year.
127,080 Beavers.
16,512 Bears.
110,000 Raccoon.
30,325 Maidhs.
12,428 Otters and Fiihcrs.
1,700 Minx.
i»2ao Cats.

P 1,267 Wolves.

io6

C A

O R.

1,267 Wolves.
9a Wolverenes.
10,280 Grey Foxes and Cats.
451 Red Foxes,

This great balance in favor of the French arifes not only from their
fupcrior honefty in their de.' lings with the ignorant Indianst but the
advantageous fituation of Canada for the fur trade. They had both
fides of the river St. Lawrence i the country round the five great
lakes i and the countries bordering on the rivers flowing into them ;
and finally, the fine fur countries bordering on the Hudfon*s Bay
company, many cf whofe waters falling into the St. Lawrence,
gave an eafy conveyance of thofe commodities to Montreal i where
a fair is annually kept, with all the favage circumftances attendant
on Indian concourfe.

The traffic carried on in HudftnCs Bay is chiefly brought from the
chain of lakes and rivers that empty themfelves into the bay at
Nelfon'% river, running foutherly from lat. 56 to lat. 45. Lake
Pacbegoia is the molt northerly : there the Indians rendezvous in
March, to make their canoes for the tranfportation of the furs j for
at that feafon the bark of the birch-tree feparates very eafily from
the wood.

41. Musk.

}fi/f, ^ad. N* iiz^—Smtllit, v. 260.

BEAVER. With a thick nofe, blunt at the end : ears Ihort, hid
in the fur : eyes large : body thick, and in form quite refembles
that of the Beaver ; its color, and that of the head, a reddifh brown :
breafl: and belly cinereous, tinged with ruft-color : the fur is very
Toft and fine.

The toes on every foot are difUnA and divided : thofe of the
hind feet fringed on both fides with ftifl* hairs or brifUes, clofely fet
together : tail comprefTed, and thin at the edges, covered with fmall
fcalcs, with a few hairs intermixed.

1 Length,

M U

K.

107

Length, from nofe to tail, one foot: of the tail nine inches.

Thefe animals are in fome parts of iiitiMr/rtf called the Little Beaver,
on account of its form, and fome parts of its ceconomy. From its
fcent it is ftyled the Muflc Rat, and Mufquafli. The Hurons call it
Ondathra i from which M. de Buffon gives it the name of Ondatra *.

It is found from Hud/on's Bay to as low at left as Carolina f. Like
the Beaver, it forms its houfe of a round fhape, covered with a
dome, and conftrudted with herbs and reeds cemented with clay.
At the bottom and fides are feveral pipes, through which they pafs
in fearch of food i for they do not lay in a ftock of provifion, like
the former. They alfo form fubterraneous paflages, into which they
retreat whenever their houfes are attacked.

Thefe houfes are only intended for winter habitations; are deferted,
and rebuilt annually. During fummer, they live in pairs, and bring
forth their young from three to fix at a time. At approach of win-
ter, they conftru£k their houfei, and retire into them, in order to be
protected from the inclemency of the feafon. Several families occupy
the fame dwelling, which is oft-times covered many feet with fnow and
ice ) but they creep out and feed on the roots which lie beneath.
They are very fond of the jlcorus VeruSt or Calamus Aromaticus J.
This perhaps gives them that ftrong muflcy fmell thefe animals are fo
remarkable for } which they lofe during winter, probably when this
fpecies of plant is not to be got. They alfo feed on the frefh-water
Muflels. They feed too on fruit \ for Kalm fays, that apples are
the baits ufed for them in traps. We may add, that in winter they
eat the roots of nettles, and in fummer, ftrawberries and raA>erries ||,
during which time it is rare to fee the male and female feparate.

The flelh is fometimcs eaten. The fur is made ufe of in the ma-
nufa£l:ure of hats. The Mu(k*-bag is fometimes put among cloths,
to preferve them from worms or infcfts

Thefe animals, as well as the Beaver, feem to have their 'Terriers, or
fome which do not give themfelves the trouble of building houfes.

X. 12.

t Lami/M, lao.

) Lmu/oH, 120.

P a

II Cbgrltvtiie, V4 158.

but

io8

■;•■■< ;; A'^■:'ii'■r^''^ii*/^i>^,''r}ir'.y\y■y'^^f^ ''jj " ■■\i '"' "

M V

K.

but burrow, like Water-rats, in banks adjacent to lakes, rivers, and
ditches*, and often do much damage, by admitting the water
through the embankments of meadows. They continue in their
holes, except when they are in the water in fearch of food. They
make their nefts with fticks, placing a lining of fome foft materials
within f. Charlevoix % adds, that they fometimes make ufe of a
hollow tree for their refidcncc*

When taken young, they are capable of being tamed j are very
playful and inoffenfive, and never bite.

* Kalm, ii. 56, and CiarkvotM, t Xaltt u< 58*

I V. 158.

NJST.

\/7^ ?-t^' •

CANADA PORCUPINE.

r

f«i

HISS, ^UAD. Genus XXVI II.

PORCUPINE.

Hifi. ^uaJ. N" 257. — Liv. Mus.

42. Canada.

PORCUPINE. With Ihort ears, hid in the fur : hair on the
heady body, legs, and upper part of the tail, long, foft, and^of a
dark brown color j but fometimes found white : on the upper part
of the head, body,, and tail, are numbers of (Irong fharp quils i the
longefl, which are thofe on the back, are three inches long -, the
ihorteft ar« towai Js the head and on the (ides,, and concealed in the
hair} mixed. with them are certain ftiff draggling hairs, at left thrtse
inches longer than the others,, tipt with dirty white : the under fide
of the tail is white.

On. each fore foot are four toes j on the hind five j all armed with
long claws, hollowed on the under fide.

The fize of one, which Sir Joseph Banks brought from iVi?tt;/o«»</-
land, was about that of a Hare, but more compaftly made i the
Back arched j and the whole form refembling that of the Beaver :
the tail is fix inches Jong, which,, in walking, is carried a little bent
upwards.

This fpecies inhabits y/mmcif, frorn'Muei/oti* s Bay to Canada *y New-
foundland, New England i and, but rarely, as far fouth as Virginia f.
Law/on makes no mention of it among the animals of Carolina. Du
Pratz X fays, it loves the cold, and is found on the banks of the
Illinois. It may therefore be ranked among the local northern ani-
mals..

They are found in great plenty about Hudfon's jB/iy, where the trad-
ing Indians depend much on them for food. They are reckoned ex-
cellent eating, even by the Europeans^ tafting, when roafted, like fuck-

• Cbarhvtix, v, 198.

t Cattfyt Jff, XXX. I ii. 6i,

ing-

no

CANAD

PORCUPINE.

ing-pig. The bones, during winter, are of a greeniih yellow, owing,
as is fuppofed, to their feeding during that feafon on the bark of the
pine. It is obferved, that the bones of animals fometimes take a
tinfture from their diet ; for example, thofe of bcafts which feed on
madder become red *. They are alfo very fond of the bark of ju-
niper. In fummer, they live on the wild fruits, and lap water, but
will not go into it. In winter, take fnow by way of beverage.

They nefUe under the roots of great trees, and will alfo, in queft
of fruits, afcend the boughs. When the Indians difcover one in a
tree, they cut it down, and kill the animal by a blow on the nofe.

They defend themfelves with their quills. They fly from their
purfuer j but when they cannot efcape, will fidle towards their ene-
my, in order to pulh their quils into him : they are but weak inftru-
ments of offence } for a fmall ftroke with the hand againft the grain
will bring them from the flcin, leaving them (licking (lightly in the
fle(h. The Indians ufe them to make holes in their nofes and ears,
for the placing their nofe and ear-rings, and other finery f. They
alfo trim the edges of their deer-(kin habits with fringes of dyed
quils Xy or make pretty linings with them for the bark boxes.

They are very indolent animals, (leep much, and feldom travel a
mile from their haunts I.

M. de Buffon gives two figures of this bea(t, under the name of Le
Coendou and L'Ur/on. The fird: he makes an inhabitant of Braftl :
the laft, of Hud/on's Bay : but the Coendou is a very different ani-
mal §. The two figures he has exhibited are of our Porcupine in the
winter and fummer drefs, the hair growing thinner as the warm
feafon approaches f. His Coendou (hews it in the firft ftate, his Ur/on
in the fecond **.

They are faid to copulsite in Septembevy and to bring only one
young, the firfl week in Jpril; another, which it brings forth, being
always dead ff.

• Phil Tranf. Ixii. 374. f Dragftvof. i. 177. J The fame, 191.

II Mr. Graham, ^ See Sjm. ^ad, N<> f E4m, U^fi. BirJt, i. 53.

•• Hift. Nat. xii. tab. liv. U. ff Mr. Graham.

Hisr,

QUEBEC AND MARYLAND MARMOT.

Ill

HIST, ^UAD. Genus XXIX.

MARMOT.

Hift. ^uad. N» 259.

Mus empetra, Pallas Nov. Sp. ^uad.fafc. i. 7$.

4j. Q51BEC.

MARMOT. With fhort rounded ears: blunt nofe : cheeks
fwelledj and of a cinereous color : end of the nofe black :
top of the head chefnut : the hair on the back grey at the bottom,
black in the middle, and the tips whitifh : the belly and legs of a
deep orange, or a bright ferruginous color.

Toes black, naked, and quite divided : four toes, vrith the rudi-
ments of another, on the fore feet, five on the hind feet : tail fhort,
dufky, and full of hair.

The fpecimen which I faw formerly at Mr. Brook's, alive, appeared
larger than a Rabbet ; but the fpecimen in the Royal Society's Mu-
feum • was only e? ven inches long from nofe to the tail, and the
tail three inches. This probably was a young one.

Hifi. ^uaJ. N" i6o.-'Sm$ait, iv. 346.

MARMOT. With prominent dark eyes : fhort rounded ears :
nofe fharper-pointed than that of the lafl, and of a cinereous
colour : head and body of a brown color, which is lighter on the
fidei, and flill more fo on the belly : the legs and feet dufky : toes
long, and divided : claws long, and fharp : tail dufky, and bufhy ;
half the length of the body : a fpecific diftinftion from the other
kinds.

Size of a Rabbet.

• Ph:I. Tran/. Ijcu. 378.

Inhabits

44. Martland.

v/

lt%

45. KOART«

HOARY AND TAIL LESS MARMOT.

Inhabits the temperate and warm parts o^ North America, from
Tenjylvania to the Bahama Iflands. It feeds on fruits, berries, and
vegetables. In the provinces it inhabits the hollows of trees, or
.burrows under ground, fleeping for a month together. The Euro-
fean fpecies continues dormant half the year : whether it takes a long
fleep in the warm climate of the Bahamas I am uncertain. It dwells
there among the rocks, and makes its retreat into the holes on the
approach of the hunters. In thofe iflands it is very fond of the
berries of the Ehretia Bourreria, called there Strong Back. The flefh
is reckoned very good, but refcmbles more that of a Pig than a
Rabbet *.

It is called there the Bahama Coney. By Mr. Edwards, who Bgures
one from Maryland, tlie Monax, or Marmot of America f .

Wifi. ^d. N» s6i.— Lev. Mws.

MARMOT. With the tip of the nofe black : ears Ihort, and
oval : cheeks whitilh : crown dulky and tawny : hair in all
parts rude and long ; on the back, fides, and belly, cinereous at the
bottoms, black m the middle, and tipped with white, fo as to fpread
a hoarinefs over the whole : legs black : claws dulky : tail full ot
hair, black and ferruginous.
Size of the preceding.
Inhabits the northern parts of North America.

46. TaIL-4.111.

Hi/l. ^Mod. N« ^Lbt. Mv*.

MARMOT. With Ihort ears : color of the head and body a
cinereous brown : the extremities of the hairs white : two
cutting teeth above, four below : no tail.
About the fize of the common Marmot. .
Inhabits Hudfon^s Bt^,

• C0t^ Carti. ii. 79. ^//. xxviu. f ffi/f, Birdi, u, 104.

WJ,

EAR-LESS MARMOT.

uj

Hift, ^ad. N' adj. — SmtlUi, viii. 234.

47. Eak-less.-

MARMOT. Without ears : face cinereous: back, and hind
part of the head, of a light yellowifli brown; fomctimes
fpotted diftinftly with white, at others undulated with grey : belly
and legs of a yellowifli white : tail about four inches and a half long.
Length, from nofe to tail, about nine and a half. But there is a
pygmy variety wholly yellow, and with a fliort tail, frequent near
the fait lakes, between the mouths of the Yaik and the Jemba.

Inhabits Bohemia^ Auftria, and Hungary, and in the Ruffian empire j
begins to be common about the Occa, eaft oi Mojcoiv ; extends over
all the temperate and open parts of Sibiria, and about Jakutjk^ and in
Kamtfchatka. It is alfo on the illand of Kadjak, and was feen in great
numbers by S teller on Schamaghi's Ifles, almoft clofe on the fliore of
North America, which give it place in this part of the work.

They burrow, and fink the pipes to their retreats obliquely, and
then winding j and at the end is an arched oblong chamber, a foot in
diameter, ftrewed with dried grafs. The entrances, or pipes, of the
males are of greater, and thofe of the females of lefler, diameters.
Towards winter they make a new pipe to their neft, but that only
reaches to the turf j and with the earth which is taken out they fill
up the fummer pipe.

They live entirely in a (late of folitude, unlefs in the amorous
feafon, when the females are found in the fame burrows with the
males; but they bring forth In their own burrows, and by that
means prevent the males from deflroyi-ng the young, as they cannot
enter by reafon of the narrownefs of the pipes, the males being
fuperior in fize to their mates. They flcep all night; but in the
morning quit their holes, efpecially in fine weather, and feed and
fport till approach of night. If the males approach one another,
they fight fliarply. The females often fet up a very fliarp whiftle j
the males are, for the mod part, filcnt. At the fight of a man, they

Q^ inflianUy

Manncrj.

m

'■■>'.'

"4

M

M

T.

inftantly run into their burrows ; and are often feen flanding upright,
and looking about them, as if on the watch : and if they fpy an/ body,
give a loud whiftle, and difappear.

They are very eafdy tamed, and become very fportive and amuf-
ing J and are very fond of being ftroked and cherifhed. In this
(late they will eat grain, and many forts of herbs. In a wild ftate
they prey on mice, and fmall birds, as well as vegetables. Gmelirt
fays, that in Sibiria they inhabit granaries ; but I do not find it con-
firmed by Doftor Pallas. Gmelirt adds, that thofe who frequent
granaries, feek. for prey during the whole winter* : as to the others,
they certainly remain torpid all the fevcre feafon, and revive on the
melting of the fnows.

They bring forth from three to eight at a time. The young grow
very quick, and defert the maternal burrows in the fummer.

Their enemies are all forts of Weefels, which dig them out of their
holes. More males than females perifli, as the latter are fiercer,
and defend themfelves much better. During day they are fnatched
up by hawks and hungry crows.

In fome places they are taken in fnarcs, for the fake of their fkins,
which are ufually fent to China. The Kamtfcbatkans make moft ele-
gant garments and hoods of them ; fpecimens of the latter are pre-
fcrved in the Leverian Mufeum. In Sibiria their flefh is efteemed a
great delicacy, efpecially in autumn, when they are a lump of fat.

The Rujfians call them Sujlik j the Sibiriansy Jevra/cbaj and Jemu-
ranka j the Katnifcbatkanst Syrath.

* Vojtap en Sikritt »• 378»

BOBAK,

MARMOT.

"J

A. BoBAK, Hift. ^mJ. N" zSi.'^Smllit, vii. 198.

MARMOT. With Ihort oval thick cars : fmall eyes : upper
part of the body greyilh, mixed with long black and duflcy^
hairs, tipt with grey : throat mft-colored : reft of the body and
infide of the limbs yellowifli ruft : four claws on the fore feet, and
a fhort thumb furnifhed with a ftrong claw : five toes behind : tail
fliort, flender, and full of hair. Length fixteen inches : of the tail
five.

Inhabits Polandt the Ukraine^ Tartaryy Sibiria, and even in plcnt]^
in Kamtfchatka.

Its manners moft amply defcribed in the Hiftory of Quadrupeds.

0^1

HIST,

'UKTr-

ii6

HUDSON S QJJ I R R E L»

SQUIRREL.

Jllsr. :ZUJD. Genus XXX.
N. B, The ears of the American Squirrels have no tufts.

48. Hudson.

Hudfon's Bay Squirrel, HiJI, Siuad. N'' 374,— Lev. Mui.

SQUIRREL. Of a ferruginous colour, marked along the top
of the back with a line of a deeper hue : belly of a pale a(h-co-
lor, mottled with black, and divided from the fides by a dulky line :
tail Ihorter and lefs bufhy than that of the European kind ; of a ruft-
color, barred, and fomeiimcs edged with black.

Inhabits the pine-forefts of HudJnCs Bay and Labrador : live upon
the cones : keep in their ncfts the whole winter. Are found as high
as the Copper river ; yet do not change their colors by the feverity
of the winter, like the Petits gris of northern Europe and JftOy from
which they form a diftindl fpecies. I know of only one exception in
change of color in thofe oi America, Sir AJhton Lever being poffcfled
of a fpecimen of a milky whitenefs i but he did not know from
what part of the continent it came,

Carolina *. With the head, back, and fides, grey, white, and fer-
ruginous, intermixed : belly white : the color divided from that of
the fides by a ruft-coloured line : lower part of the legs red : tail
brown, mixed with black, and edged with white.

Both thefe are rather lefs than the European Squirrels.

49. Gret. HiJl. ^ai. N" 272. — Smtllit, v. 331. — Lev. Mus.

SQUIRREL. With hair of a dull grey color, intermixed with
black, and frequently tinged with dull yellow : belly white. But
they vary> the body being fometimes of a fine uniform grey.

* Lefler Grey Squirrel, Hifi, ^tul. p.

This

.- ')

GREY S QJJ I R R E L.

This is the largcft of the genus, and grows to half the fizc of a
Rabbet.

In ytmerica I do not difcover this animal farther north than New
England* ; from whence they arc found in vaft numbers as far fouth as
Louiftana f . Thefe, and the other fpecics of Squirrels, arc the
greateft pefts to the farmers of North /fmcriea. They fvvarm in fc-
veral of the provinces, and often dcfccnd in troops from the back
fettlements, and join the relb in their ravages on the plantations of
mayz, and the ^'arious nuts and maft which that fertile country
produces.

Thofe which migrate from the mountains generally arrive in au-
tumn i inftantly clear die ground of tho fallen acorns, nuts, and maft,
and form with them magazines for their winter provifions, in holes
which they dig under ground for that purpof,*. They are often
robbed of their hoards -, for the colonifts take great pains to find
them out ; and oft-times the hogs, which rove about the woods, root
up and devour >eir magazines. It is from i.hefe that they fupply
thcmfelvcs, from time to time, with provifions, quitting their nefts,
and returning with a fufHcient ilock to laft thein for fome fpace i it
being obfervcd, that during winter they do not care to quit their
warm retreat, unlcfs on a vifit to their ftorehoufes j therefore, when-
ever they are obferved to run about the woods in greater numbers
than ufual, it is a certain fign of the near approach of fevere cold -,
for inftinft diredts them to lay in a greater (lock than ufual, leaft the
inclemency of the weather fhould deprive them of accefs to their
fubterraneous magazines.

The damage which they do to the poor planters, by deftroying the
mayz, is incredible. They come by hundreds into the fields, climb
up the ftalks, and eat the fweet corn wrapt up in the heads, and
will deftroy a whole plantation in a night. For this reafon they were
profcribed. In fome places the inhabitants were, each, obliged an-^
nually to bring in four Squirrels heads. In others, a fum was given>

»7

Jcftlfa't viy».S6^

t Bofu, i, 361.

about

'— » • (

'- s

118

GREY S Q^U I R R E L.

tbout three pence, for every one that was killed. This proved fuch
an encouragement, as to fct all the idle people in the province in
purluit o( them. Pen/ylvania paid, from January 1749 to January
1750, 8000 1, currency : but on con. plaint being made by the depu-
ties, that their trcafuries were exhauded by thcfe rewards, they were
reduced to one half. How improved muft: the (late of the Antericans
then be, in thirty-five years, towage an expenfive and fuccefsful war
againft its parent country, which before could not bear the charges
of clearing the provinces from the ravages of thefe infignificant ani-
mals !

It has been obfervcd, that the Squirrels arc greatly multiplied
within thefe few years, and that in proportion to the encreafc of
the fields of mayz, which attradl them from all parts j I mean not
only the grey fpecies, but all the others.

They are eaten by fome people, and are eftcemcd very delicate.
Their fkins, in America, are ufed for ladies Iboes ; and are often im-
ported into England, for lining or facing for cloaks.

They make their nefts in hollow trees, with mofs, ftraw, wool, and
other warm materials. They chiefly inhabit trees of the deciduous
kind J but fometimes in pines, whofe cones are an article of their
provifion. They keep their nefts for feveral days together, feldom
ftirring out, except for a frelh fupply of food. Should a deep fnow
prevent them from getting to their ftorehoufes, multitudes perifli
with hunger.

When they are fitting on a bough, and perceive a man, they in-
ftantly move their tails backward and forward, and gnalh their teeth
with a very confiderable noife. This makes them detefted by the
fportfmen, who lofe their game by the alarm they give. The Grey
Squirrel is a difficult animal to kill : it fits on the higheft trees, and
often between the boughs, and changes its place with fuch expedi-
tion that the quickeft markfman can fcarcely find time to level his
piece i and if it can once get into a hole, or into any old neft^ nothing

can

f^Trtr-i^f

CAT AND BLACK SQJJIRREL.

can provoke it to get out of its afylum. They run up and clown the
bodies of treei, but very rarely leap from one to the other.

They are eafily made taiiw- -, will even be l)roiight to phiy with
cats and dogs, which in a ftatc of domcfticity will not hurt them.
They will alfo attach thcmfelvcs fo far as to follow children to and
from the woods.

They agree in their manner of feeding with the pMropean kinds j
and have all the fame fort of attitudes.

119

SQUIRREL. With coarfe fur, mixed with dirty white ami
black : the throat, and infide of the legs and thighs, black : the tail
is much Ihorter than is ufual with Squirrels, and of a dull yellow,
mixed with black : in fize equal to that of the Grry.

Inhabits Virginia. Mr. Knaphan, in whofe colledion I found it,
informed me, that the planters called it the Cat Squirrel.

I fufpeft tliat this animal is only a variety. Law/on * fays,
that he has feen the Grey fpecies pied, reddifli, and black ; but this
point muft be determined by natives of the countries which they
inhabit, who, from obfervation, may decide by their manners, or
their colors, in different feafons, or periods of life.

/5. Cat.

Hi/. ^mJ. N" 273.— .ffrflWB*/ Ztohgj, tab. xlvii.— Lev. Mus,

SQUIRREL. With white ears, nofe, and feet : the body totally
black : the tail black, tipt with white : in fize equal to the
former.

Thefe fometimes vary : there being examples of individuals which
are wholly deflitute of any white marks. The beautiful figure of
one of thefe animals from Eaji Florida^ in Mr. Brown's Zoology, has
ears edged with white, and a much longer tail than ufuaK

• Hi/. Card. 124,
Q.4

Inhabits

50. Blacr*

J 20

FLYING S QJU I R R E L.

Inhabits neither Hudfon's Bay nor Canada^ but is found in moll
other parts of Americay as far as Mexico *. It is equally numerous,
and as deftruftive to the mayz as the Grey Squirrel, but breeds and
aflbciates in troops feparate from that fpecies f -, yet makes its neft
in the fame manner, and like it forms magazines of provifion againft
the fevere feafon.

In Mexico, and probably in other parts of America, they eat tlic
cones of pine-trees j and lodge in the hollows of the trees.

51. Flyino.

A. With membranes from leg to leg.
Ni/f. ^ad. N' 283.- -Smellie, v. 307.— Lev. Mus.

SQUIRREL. With large black eyes: round and naked ears :
a membrane, covered with hair, extending from the fore to the
hind legs : the hairs on the tail difpofed flatways on each fide : are
long in the middle, fhort towards the end, which tapers to a point :
that and &z body of a brownifli cinereous : the belly white, tinged
with yellow.

Inhabits all parts of North America, and as low as Mexico, where
it is called ^imichpatlan %. The natives oi'Virginia named it AJfa-
fanic II .

They live in hollow trees. Like the Dormoufe, they fleep the
v/hole day ; but towards night creep out, and are very lively and
aftive. They are gregarious, numbers being found in one tree. By
means of the lateral membranes, they take prodigious leaps, im-
properly called flying ; and can fpring ten yards at an effbrt.
When they would leap, they extend the hind legs, and fl:retch

* Is the ^aiibttchalUtlHtic, or TlilacotequiUiu, of the Mtxicans. Firnandtz., 8.
t Catejhy, ii. 73. \ Ftrnand, Nov. Hi/p, 8. || Smith's Firginia, 27.

2 out

HOODED S QJJ I R R E L,

MI

but the intervening fkin, which producing a larger furface, makes ?hc
animals fpecifically lighter than they would otherwifc be : even with
all this advantage, they cannot keep in a ftrait line, but are urged
downward with their weight. Senfible of this, they mount the tree in
proportion to the didance of the leap they propofe to take, lead they
fliould fall to the ground before they had reached a place of fecurity.

They never willingly quit the trees, or run upon the ground, be-
ing conftant refidents of the branches. They go in troops of ten or
twelve, and feem in their leaps, to people unaccuilomed to them,
like leaves blown off by the wind. ^

They bring three or four young at a time. They ufe the fame
food, and form their hoards like other Squirrels.

They arc very eafily tamed, and foon grow very familiar. They
feem of a tender nature, and to love warmth, being very fond of
creeping to the fleeve or pocket of the owner. If they are flung
down, they ihew their diHike to the ground, by inltantly running up
and flieltering themfelvei in hit cloaths.

H/Jf. S^aJ. N* J84.

SQPIRREL. With the lateral (kins beginning at the ears,
uniting under the chin, and extending, like thofe of the former,
/rom fore le^ to hind leg : the ears naked, and rather long : the hairs
on the tail difpofed horizontally.

The color of the upper part of the body reddifti : the lower part
cinereous, tinged with ycUow. •

This fpecics, according to Stbth who is the only perfon who has
defcribed or figured it, came from Virginia *. Linnaus is very
confufed in his fynonyms of this and the former kind ; that of
Mr. Edwards refers to the other fpecics j and that of Seba, in his
article of Sciurus FelatiJ, to both f.

* Sti.Muf. i. tab. xliv. p. 7s.

t Sjift, N»t, iij, where he calU i| Mm fti'vn i and p. 8d, where he &y\ei it Sciuru/.

R It

52. HOODBO.

lil

Km

I2Z

SEVERN" RIVER S QJU I R R E L.

It is Angular that there Ihould be only one fpecimen ever brought of
this fpecies, from a country we have had fuch great intercourfe with.
It may perhaps be a monftrous variety, by the extent of the fkin into
a fort of hood. As to color, that is an accidental difference, whicbi
happens to numbers of other animals.

53. Sevbrm
River,

Hiji. ^ad, N" 282.

Greater Flying Squirrel, Ph. Tr. Ixli. 379.

SQUIRREL. With the hair on the body and fides of a deep
cinereous color at the bottom ; the ends ferruginous : breaft and
belly of a yellowilh white : the whole coat long and full : the tail
thick of long hairs, difpofed in a lefs flatted manner than thofe of
the European kind ; brown on the upper fide, darkeft at the end ; the
lower part of the fame color with the belly ; .ne lateral fkin, the
inftrument of flight, difpofed from leg to leg, in the fame manner
as in thefirfl: Ipecies, N° 51.

In fize it is far fuperior to the common Flying Squirrel, being at
left equal to the Englijh kind.

This fpecies is found in the fouthern parts of Hudfotis Bay, in the
forefts of the country bordering on Severn river in James's bay..

A. Common. Hijf. ^ad. N" 266. — Sme!Iie,v/. 268.— Lev. Mus;

s

QLURREL. With tufted ears : head, body, and legs, ferru-
ginous : breaft and belly white : tail reddifli brown.
This fpecies inhabits the northern world, as high as Lapmark; is
10 con-

-/ //

COMMONS QJUIRREL. :

continued through all the Arftic countries, wherefoever wood is
found i abounds throughout Sibiriaf except in the north-eaft parts,
and in Kanitfchatka, where it ceafes, by reafon of the ceflation of
forefts.

In all thefe countries they are red in fummer, but at approach of
■winter change to various and elegant greys. Their furs are of ex-
quifite foftnefs, and are the forts known to us by the name of Petit
Gris. In the more foutherly parts of thefe cold climates, they retain
a tinge of the fummer red, and are lefs valuable. The change of
color is effefted gradually, as is its return in fpring to its ferruginous
coat.

It. is very Angular, that the alteration is n-^t only performed in the
feverity of the open air, but even in the warmth of a ilove. Dr.
Pallas made the experiment on one which was brought to him on the
lath oi September, and was at that tim« entirely red. About the 4th
oi OSlober many parts of the body began to grow hoary j and at
the time it happened to die, which was on the 4th of November, the
whole body had attained a grey color, and the legs, and a fmall part
of the face, had alone the reddifti tinge *.

The varieties are as follow: — A blackifli one, with the fur footy tipt
with red, and full black glofly tail, are common about lake Baikal,
and the whole courfe of the Lena. Sir AJIoton Lever is in poffeflion
of one of a jetty blacknefs, with a white belly : its ears, as well as
thofe of all the Petit Gris, are ajiorned with very long tufts. Thefe
change in winter to a lead-color, and are taken in the thick Jlpine
forefts, where ihtPinus Cembra, or Stone Pines, abound. The fkins
of thefe are negledted by the Chineje, but greatly efteemed in Europe,
efpecially the tails, for facings of dreffes.

Thi-s variety is obferved fometimes to migrate in amazing num-
bers from their lofty alpine abodes, compelled to it whenever there
happens to be a fcarcity of provifion f. Swarms have appeared even

113

• Nov. Sp, ^<i, 373. t Nov. S^. an. 188.

R 2

m

K'PifS>.sr«vt:;;":

»a4 EUROPEAN FLYING SQUIRREL,

in the town of tomjky in defcrted houfes, and in the towers of the fortif-
fications j where numbers are taken alive, and of great fize, by tlie
children of the place.

A beautiful and large variety, about the Baraboy called the teleu-
tiariy is in great efteem for its beautiful grey color, like a Gull's
back, with a filvery glofs, and finely undulated. Their fummer
color is ufually duflcy red, and the fides and feet black. Thefe are
highly eftcemed by the Chinefe^ and fell at the rate of 6 or 7/. fterling
per thoufand *

A fmall variety of this, lefler even than the common kind, is met
with about the neighborhood of the Kajym and JJet.

A variety is alfo met with which change to a white color ; and
others again retain a white color both in winter and fummer.

The late navigators to the Icy fea brought home with them from
Tulo Condor^ a knot of iflands in north lat. 8. 40. on the coaft of
Cambodia^ a Squirrel totally black;.

B. EuiiopEAif Flying S<iyiRRELj Eifi.^uitd. N» zS^.'—S.vul/it, v. 307.— .Liv. Mus.

SQUIRREL. With naked ears:, flying membranes extending
from the middle of the hind legs to the bafc of the fore feet,
and fpreading there in a rounded fail : tail full of hair, and round at
the end : color of the upper part of the body a fine grey, like that
of a Gull's back : the lower part white.

Length to the tail four inches and a quarter ; of the tail, five.

Inhabits the birch-woods of Fwmark, Lapland, Finland, Lithuania,
and Livonia. Is found in jf/ta, in the woods of the Urallian chain,
and from thence to the river Kolyma. Neftles in the hollows of trees
remote from the ground, where it makes its neft of the fofteft mofles.
Is always fblitary, except in the brecding-feafon, and never appears

* Mim, Rujf. AJidt- Tiit ia4>

m

ff/:

EUROPEAN FLYING SQUIRREL.

m the day-time. Lives on the buds aiid catkins of the birch, and
on the fhoots and buds of pines, which give its juices a itrong re-
finous fmell; and its excrements will burn ftrongly, with a pitchy
fcent. The laft are always found at the root of the tree, as if the
animal defcended to eafe nature. It feldom comes out in bad wea- '
ther i but certainly does not remain torpid during winter j for it is
often taken in the traps laid for the Grey Squirrels. The Ikins are
often put up in the bundles with the latter, fo that the purchafer is
defrauded, as their fur is of no value. They leap at vaft diftances
from tree to tree, and never defcend but for the purpofe before
mentioned. By reafon of fimilitude of color between them and the
birch bark, they are feen with great difficulty, which preferves them
from the attacks of rapacious birds.

They bring forth two, three, and rarely four, young at a time.
When the parent goes out for food,, (he laps them carefully up in the
mofs. They are very difficult to be preferved, and feldom can be.
kept alive, by reafon of want of proper food. They are born blind,
and continue fo fourteen days. The mother pays them great atten-.-
»ion i broods over them, and covers them with its flying membrane,.
The RnJ^ani call them hjetaga^Qt the Flying,

105

HIST.

■ .i:^--^i,f?y-V'-';v.';'-.;tr.^. :^y - •■

■ f -, ^v, .■■■ ■ y-

126

STKIPED DORMOUSE,

DORMOUSE.

HIST. ^UJD. Genus XXXI,

54. Stri -lj,

Ground Squirrel, HiJl.Sl*ud. H' zSS.-'SmtJ/ie, v. 329.— tEv. Mu$.

DORMOUSE. With naked rounded t-ars :. the eyes full and
black ; about them a whitifh fpace : the head, body, and tail,
of R reddilh brown, dcepeft on the laft : from neck to tail a black
line extends along the top of the back : on each fide run two others,
parallel to the former, includin^j between th-m another of a yellow-
'fh white : bread and belly v. hite : the toes almoft naked, and of a
fitfh-color } long, flender, and very diftinft ; four, with the rudiment
of a fifth, on the fore feet ; five perfeft toes on the hind.
Sub. The length is about, five inches and a half j of the tail, to the end

of the hairs, rather longer.

Inhabits all parts of North Amerkay I think, from HudJorCs Bay to
Louifiana j certainly from Canada, where the French call them Les
Suijfcs, from their fkins being rayed with black and white, like the
breeches of the Switzers who form the Pope's guard *.

They are extremely numerous : live in woods, yet never run up
trefii, except when purfued, and find no other means of efcape. They
I've under ground, burrow, and form their habitations with two en-
trances, that they laay iei.ure a retreat through the one, in cafe the
other Ihould be flopped. Thefe . "••k- animals fcxrm their fubterra-
neous dwellings with great Ikill, working them into the form of long
galleries, with branches on each fide, every one terminating in an
enlarged apartment, in which they hoard their ftock of winter pro-
vifionl. Their acorns are lodged in onej in a fecond the mayz, in
a third the hickery-nuts, and in the laft their moft favorite food.

ChMrlivtix, V. I ''8.

t Kalm, \. izz, 325.

the

>/

STRIPED DORMOUSE.

the Chlnquaquiny or chefnut. Nature has given to them, as to the
Hamfter *, a fine conveniency for collefting its provifions, having fur-
nifhed them with pouches within their cheeks, which they fill with
tnayz, and other articles of food, and fo convey them to their ma-
gazines.

Thofe of Sibiria live chiefly on feeds, and particularly on the
kernels of the Cembra, or Stone Pine j and thefe they hoard up in
fuch quantities, that ten or fifteen pounds of the niofl choice have
been found in a fingle magazine f .

They pafs the whole winter either in fleep or in eating. During'
the fevere feafon, they very rarely ftir out, at left as long as their
provifions laft; but if by an unexpected continuance of bad wea-
ther their provifions fail, they will then fally out, and dig under
ground in cellars where apples are kept, or into barns where mayz is
ftored, and make great devaftations. They will even enter houfes,
and eat undifmayed, before the inhabitants, any corn they chance to
meet with J. The Cat makes great havock among them, being at all
feafons as great an enemy to them as to domeftic Mice. It is hunger
alone that tames them. They are naturally of a very wild nature, will
bite moft feverely, and cannot by any means be rendered familiar.

They are remarkably nice in the choice of their food, when the vari-
ety of autumnal provifions gives opportunity. They have been ob-
ferved, after having ftuffed their pouches with the grains of rye, to
fling it out when they meet with wheat, and to replace the rye with
the more delicious corn.

Their (kins, form a trifling article of commerce, being brought
over among le menue pelliterie, the fmall furs, and ufed for the lining
of ladies cloaks.

In Sibiria they are killed with blunt arrows, or caught in fall-traps.
About the Lenuy the boys go out in the amorous feafon of thefe
little animals, and, ftanding behind a tree, mimic the noife of the
females, which brings the males within reach of their fticks, with which

• Hiji. ^ad, N" 324. + Pallas, Nev. S/i, an. 379. X D» Pratz, ii. 68-

they

157

i

i 'rM

k

"1

,T-t^'

Ml .-ENGLISH DORMOUSE.

they kill them. The ikins are fold to the Cbinefe merchants. About
the Ltnat a thoufand of their ikins are not valued at more than fix
4>r eight rubles *.

Thefe animals are found in great numbers in JJiay beginning about
the river Kama ■)■, and from thence growing more and more frequent
in the wooded parts of Sibiria j but thefe> and all the fpccies of
Squirrel, ceafe towards the north-eaft extremity of the country, by
reafon of the interryptioil of woods, which cuts them off from Kamt~
/tbatka.

f 5. EnCLIIH f Oorffloare, Br. Zttl. i.N* 2i^-*Hifi. Sijuul. N" ti^.'-Smllii, ir. 334.— Lev. Mvs.

Mr. Law/on fays that the Englijb Dormoufe is found in Carolina ;
"but it has not as yet been tranfmitted to Great Britain, In order to
ftfcertain the fpecies, I add a brief defcription.

DORMOUSE. With full black eyes : broad, thin, femi-tranf-
parent ears : throat white : refl: of the body and the tail of a
tawny red. Size of the common Moufe j but the body of a plumper
form, and the nofe more blunt : tail two inches and a half long,
covered on every fide with hair.

In Europe, inhabits thickets ; forms its ned at the bottom of a tree
or (hrub j forms magazines of nuts for winter food ', fits up to cat,
fike the Squirrel ; lies torpid moft of the winter j in its retreat,
rolled up into the fhape of a ball } retires to its nefl: at approach of
cold weather.

* PtIUs, Nov. Sp. a*. 380.

t A river falling into tht Wolga about forty miles below C<i/2i«.

Hist.

BLACK HAT.

l«9

Hisr. ^UAD, Genus XXXIII.

RAT.

Br. Zoel. i. N' i^.'-HiJ. ^uaJ. N" ig-j.-^SmiUit, iv. j/j.— Lev. Mu».

56. Black.

RAT. With head and body of a very deep iron grey, nearly
black : belly afh-colored : legs almofl naked, and dulky : a
claw inltead of a fifth thumb on the fore feet. Length, from nofc
to tail, feven inches j tail near eight.

Inhabits North America^ not only the fettled parts, but even the
rocks of the Blue mountains *, remote from all human dwellings.
There they live among the ftones, and in the fubterraneous grottos
frequent in thofe hills. They lie clofe during day, but at night
come out, and make a molt horrible noife amidft thefe American
alps. In violent frofts they lie torpid j and in the inhabited parts
of the country they are obferved to redouble their fcreaks before fe-
vere weather, as if they had fome prefage from their conftitutions.

By Mr. Bartram's obfervations it appears very certain, that thefe
animals are natives of America. They are found even at prefent in
the moft defolate places, as well as in the houfes and barns of the
inhabited parts. It is unknown in Europe, that either the common
Rat or Moufe ever deferted the haunts of mankind, for rocks and
deferts: they therefore have been tliere from the earliefl: times. It
is likely, that if ever the Blue mountains become inhabited, the
wild Rats will quit their rocks, and refort to thofe places where they
find harveiled food, and will quickly become pernicioufly domefric.

We are pofitively told, that South America was free from thefe
troublefome animals, till they were introduced there from Europe, by
the means of fhips, in 1 544 f.

BarJram, as quoted by Mr, Kalm, ii, 47.

f GarcUaJ/b dt la Vega, 384.

S

We

■'»,„.'-,r ";'"'.■'■ ' T'-^ T' "jr'T-i^™

i3« BROWN, AMERICAN, AND WATER, RAT.

We find none of the fpecics in Kamt/chatka, nor any wher' to the

caft of the Urallian chain. America mufl: therefore have been ftocked

with them from the fide of Euripe. They are very common in

, RuJJia. Towards Aftracan they arc very fmall, but of the fame color

with the others.

57. Brown. Br. Zttl. i. N" ik.—HiJi, ^uad. N" i^S.-'SmtlJit, iv. 356.— Lev. Mus,

RAT. Above, light brown mixed with tawny, duflty, and cine-
reous : below, of a dirty white : four toes before, and a claw
inftead of a fifth toe.

I have no authority for giving this fpecies a place here : but muft
fuppofe that the new world could not poflibly efcape the peft, as it is
univerfally become a moll deftruftive inhabitant oi European Ihips.

58. American.

Hijl. ^Mi. N<» 499.

Ch&racho, J'iit CMjemac, or Great Mouft of the MoHgu/s.—Luv. Mus.

RAT. With the upper jaw extending very far beyond the lower :
ears large and naked : tail rather fhorter, in proportion, than
that of the Blacky to which it is rather fuperior in fize : color a dufky
brown.

The fpecimen, from which this defcription is taken, was fent from
North America to Sir Ajhton Lever \ but I am not informed, whether
it only frequented the defcrts, or infefted houfes.

^. Watir.

hr. Zool. H'^oo.—Hifl. ^ad, N" 300. — SmiUie, iv. S90.— Lev. Mrs.

RAT. With fmall eyes: ears covered with the fur: teeth yel-
low : body covered with long hairs, black mixed with a few of
a ruft-color : belly of a deep grey.

Length

MOUSE, AND FIELD RAT.

iji

Length of the head and body fevcn inches j tail five, covered with
fhort black hair?. Weight nine ounces.

Inhabits North America, from Canada to Carolina *. In the firft,
varies to tawny and to white f '• feeds on the fry of filh, infcfts, (hcll-
fllh, frogs, and roots } burrows on the banks of ponds and rivers ;
and dives and fwims as well as an Otter, notwithftanding it is not
web-footed.

In northern Europe and jifia it is extremely common ; from Peterf-
burgh to Kamtfchatka in Siiiria, they ■' wice as large as in other
places. They are found alfo from i.^ .imJ to the Ca/pian fea, and
alfo in Perjia -, and are one of the animals which endure the cold of
the Ardtic circle.

Br. Zoal. i. N' lO.—Hift.^aJ. N» ^oi. —Smllte, iv. 28a.— Lbv. Mos.

THIS common animal needs no defcription. It is very abun>
dant in the inhabited parts oi JmericaX, and is to be found
from Peterjburgb perhaps as far as Kamt/chatka.

Kalm imagines them to be natives of America \ for he aflures us
that he has killed them in the crevices of the rocks in defert places,
far from the haunt of man H.

60. Mouti.

Hift.^atl. N'joi. «. American.— fW//«, ir. 285.<— Lev. Mvff.

RAT. With great, naked, and open ears : cheeks, fpace below the
, ears, and fides quite to the tail, orange- colored : back dufky
and ruft-colored, marked along the top, from head to tail, with a
dark line : throat, bread, and belly, of a pure white : tail duflcy
above, white beneath : feet white : hind legs longer than thofe of
the Englijh kind.

Length about four inches and a half} of the tail, four inches.
Inhabits Hudfon's Bay and New York.

61. FtlLD.

* Laniu/on Carolina, \zz>
The fame, 47.

t De Buffon, xlv, 401,
S 2

X Kalm, ii. 46.
Hift.

IMAGE EVALUATrON
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

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lit

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^

13*

VIRGINIAN, LABRADOR, ANP HUDSON'S, RAT.

62. ViRGIIilAir.

Hlfl. ^ad. N* 307.

RAT. With a black nofe : fur Ihort, and in all parts white:
limbs ilendcr : tail very thick at the bafe, tapering to a point,
and cloathed with long hair.

Seha alone, vol. i. p. 76. tab. xlvii. fig. 4, dcfcribes this fpecies.

^l. Labrador.

$1x1.

Colors.

mji. ^ad. N» 295.

RAT. With a blunt nofe : mouth placed far below : upper lip
bifid : ears large, naked, rounded : fore legs fhort, furnifhed
with four toes, and a tubercle inftead of a thumb : hind legs long
and naked, like fome of the Jerboas : toes long, flender, and diftinft j
the exterior toe the Ihorteft : thumb ihort.

The whole length of the animal is eight inches, of which the tail
is four and three quarters.

Color above a deep brown, beneath white, feparated on each fide
by a yellow line.

Inhabits HudJorCs Bay and Labrador. Sent over by Mr. Graham^

6f. Hvdsok'i.

* * With fhort tails,
fli/?. :^fl</. N*3i9.— Lev. Mvs.

RAT. With foft long hair, dufky at the bottom, whitifh brown
at the points : along the middle of the back, from head to tail,
runs a dufky line : fides yellowifh : belly and infide of the thighs of
a dirty white.

Legs very fhort : on the toes of the fore feet of the male only are
four very large and fharp claws, tuberculated beneath j in the fe-
male fmaller and weaker : on the hind feet five toes with flender

claws.

Tail

MEADOW AND HARE-TAILED RAT.

Tail not three quarters of an inch long, terminating with long
ftifF hairs -, it is fcarcely vifible, being almoft loft in the fur.

Defcribed from a fkin which Doftor Pallas favored me with, which
he received from the Labrador coaft. : ^

This is nearly a-kin to the Lemmus,

»33

Short-tailed Field Moufe ? Br. Z»»I. i. N° 3 1 — Hifi. ^ad. N" 322 l—Sml/it,
! iv. 293.— 'Lev. Mvs.

65. Mbadow?

RAT. With a blunt nofe : great head: prominent eyes: ears
buried in the fur : head and upper part of the body of a ferru-
ginous brown mixed with black : belly of a deep alh-color.

Length, from head to tail, fix inches; tail only one and a half, witti
a fmall tuft at the end.

Inhabits HudforCs Bay and Newfoundland^ in the laft very nume-
rous, and does vaft damage in the gardens \ refides under ground.

Hift, ^d, N» 320.

66.HARB-'rAILBI>.

RAT. With fmall and rounded ears : head broad; color dufky
and tawny brown : the belly of a dirty white : a dufky lin*
pafles from between the eyes, and extends obfcurely along the
back. Larger than the common Moufe. Defcribed from fo muti-
lated a fpecimen, fent to the Royal Society from Hudjon's Bay *, that
it was impoffible to determine the fpecies j only, by the dark line
along the back, it feemed likeft the Hare-tailed, an inhabitant
of Sibiriat whofe manners are defcribed in the Hiftory of Qua-
drupeds.

• Pb% Tr, Ixii. 379, Sp.- 15*

(Economic,

\

<3*

/ ^M IE C O N O M I C RAT.

.' ■? i^.f

!- 1 v'- : ■■ :v

A. CEcONOMic, Hijf. ^aJ. N* 313.— D^^. KMm*/eh»tkm, Fr. ed. 392.

RA T. With naked ears, ufujdiy hid in the fur : fmall eyes : teeth
tawny : limbs ftrong : color, an intermixture of black and yel-
low, darkeft on the back : under fide hoary.
' Length four inches and a quarter, to the tail j the tail one inch.

Inhabits in vaft abundance Sibiria, from the eaft fide of the Ural-
lian chain, even within the Arabic circle, and quite to Kamt/chatka.
It is the noted 'Tegultfchitcb of that country, didinguifhed by its cu-
rious oeconomy and by its vaft migrations.

They make their burrows with the greateft (kill, immediately be-
low the furface of the foft turfy foil. They form a chamber of a
flattifh arched form, of a fmall height, and about a foot in diameter,
tx> which they fometimes add as many as thirty fmall pipes or entrances.
Near the chamber they often form other caverns, in which they lodge
their winter ftores: thefe confift of various kinds of plants, even
fome of fpecies poifonous to mankind. They gather them in fum-
mer, harvefl: them, and even at times bring them out of the cells
to give them a more thorough drying in the fun. The chief labor
refts on the females. The males, during fummcr, go about folitary,
and inhabit fome old nefts ; and in that feafon never touch their
hoards, but live on berries. They are monogamous, and the male
and female at other times found in the fame neft. The female brings
two or three young at a time, and breeds often in the year.

10 No

CECONOMIC AND RED RAT.

131

No little animals are fo rcfpefted by the Kamtfchatkans as thefe,
for to them they owe a delicious food ; and with great joy, about
autumn, rob the hoards, and leave there many ridiculous prefents
by way of amends : they alfo never take tht whole of their provifions,
and leave befides a little dried avaries of iifii for their fupport.

But the migrations of thefe Mice, in certain years, is as extraordi- Micratioms.
nary a fa6l as any in natural hiftory : I will only mention thofe of
Kamtfchatka. The caufe is xmknown. Doftor PaJlas thinks it may
arife from the fenfations of internal fire in that vulcanic traft, or a
prefcience of fome unufual and bad feafon. They gather together in
the fpring in amazing numbers, except the few that are converfant
about villages, where they can pick up fome fubfiftance. This makes
it probable that the country is over-ftocked, and they quit it for
want of food. The mighty hoft proceeds in a direft courfe weft-
ward, and with the utmoft intrepidity fwims over rivers, lakes, and
even arms of the fea : many are drowned, many deftroyed by water-
fowl, or rapacious fifli ; thofe which efcape reft awhile, to balk, dry
their fur, and refrefh themfelves. If the inhabitants find them in that
Htuation, they treat them with the utmoft tendernefs, and endtavour
to bring thenx to life and vigor. As foon as they have croflcd the
river Penjcbim, at the head of the gulph of the fame name, tluijfiturn
fouthward, and reach the rivers Judoma and Ochot by the middle of
July. The fpace is moft furprifing, on confulting the map of the
country. The flocks are alfo fo numerous, that an obferver has
waited two hours to fee them all pafs. Their return into Kamtfchatka^
in O£lobert is attended with the utmoft feftivity and welcome. The
natives confider it as a fure prognoftic of a fuccefsful chafe and
filhery : the firft is certaiji, as the Mice are always followed by mul-
titudes of beafts of prey. They equally lament their migration, i&
the feafon is certainly filled with rains and tempefts.

i

Red.

i3«5

LEMMUS RAT.

B. Rtv, Wjl. ^laJ. U' 31^:

RAT. With briftly nofe and face: ears oval, rifing above the
hair, naked, only tipt with fur : color, from forehead to rump,
a bright red : fides light grey and yellow : belly whitifli : tail dulky
above, light below.

Length not four inches ; tail more than one.

Grow very common beyond the O^, and live fcattered over all
Sibiriot in woods and mountains, and about villages j extend even
to the Arftic circle. It is the lychetanauji/chu, or Red Moufe of the
Kamtfchatkans . It is a fort of drone : makes no provifion for itfelf, but
robs the hoards of the laft fpecies *. Lives under logs of trees j fre-
quents hoiifes ; dares the fevereft weather, and is abroad amidft the
fnows ; feeds on any thing, and is often caught in the traps fct for
Ermines, .in attempting to devour the bait.

C. Lemuus^ Hijt.^ad. N° 317, — Godde Saeppan, Leemt, 22^.

RAT. With fmall eyes and mouth : upper lip divided : ears fmall,
pkced far backwards : four flender toes on the fore feet, and a
ftiarp ciawy like a cock's fpur, in place of a thumb : fkin very thin.
Color of the head black and tawny, of the belly yellow.

Length of thofe of Scandinavian Lapland, above five inches; thofe
of the Ruffian dominions not four.

The manners and wonderful migrations of the Lemmi of Europe,
have been fully treated of in my Hiftory of Quadrupeds.

They abound in the countries from the IVbite Sea to the gulph of
the Oby, and in the northern end of the Urallian chain j but differ
in fize and color from thofe of Europe. Like them, they migrate at
certain periods -, and tend from the Urallian mountains, fometimes
towards Jenefei, fometimes towards Petzorab, and at thofe times re-

• De/cr. Kamt/chatka, 392.

joice

LEKji AKD RIW.GEn RAT.

joioe the SamoUds witH a rich chftfe of the aoiiiiab which purfuc the
wanderers. The Samoieds alTert, that the Rein-Deer will greedily
dcvpur them j perhaps they take them medicinally, as Sheep are
koova ^$ gpeedUy cio ^ek t^A A^fdlow Spiiders.

157

D. Lena, Mus Gmtlini, fallat, Nov, Sf. «». 19$.

1^ AT. With fliort round ears : white whiflcers ; thick broad bd-
-^^ dy, in all parts nearjy of equal breadth: tail JJiort, thickly
cov.ered with rude hairs : five ttxes on the fore feet, with claws vqry
ftroog and white : four on the hind feet, with claws rnuch weaker t
the fur pretty long ; three parts of its length, from the root«, cine-
reous, the reft white ; fo that the animal appears entirely white, except
the cheeks, which are alK-colorcd, and the chin, which is duflcy.

The length is three inches one-fifth, the tail four-fifths of an
inch.

They are feen in great numbers in autumn, on the borders of the
Icy Sea, and about the parts of the Lgna that fall into it. They
appear fuddenly, and depart as expeditioufly. They feed on the
roots of mofles, and are themfelves the food of yirffic Foxes. Per*
haps they extend to the fenejei : for it is faid that there are two forts
of Mice found there; one wholly whitej the other black, yellow, and
white, which perhaps is the Lemtnus *.

B. RiNciD, Hift.^uatt. 140205.

RAT. With a blunt nofe: ears hid in the fur i hair very fine t
claws ftrong and hooked : color of the upper part, fometimes
ferruginous, fometimes light grey undulated with deep ruft-color J
a crefcent of white extends on each, from the hind part of the head
towards the throat, bounded on each fide by a bed of ruft-color.

* Ntv, Sf, an, 197.

T

Length

138 T C H E L A G R A T. '

Length to the tail little more than three inches ; tail one, termi-
nated by a briftly tuft.

Found in the jir£tie neighborhood of the Oby. Makes its neft
with rein- deer and fnowy liver- worts, juft beneath the turfy fufface»
Are faid to migrate, like the Lemmus,

F. Tghblag, Dt/cr, Kamt/tbatia^ 392* • ,-

THE author of the defcription of that great peninfula fays na
more than that it is a very fmall fpecies i frequents houfes ;,
and will go out and eat boldly any thing it has ftolen^ The natives:
call it ^iMa^atdhitch^

HIST.

FCETIU SHREW,

K9

Bnr ^UAD. Gin us XXXIX.

SHRE\V,

Br. Zoti.x. H" p.'-Hf/l. ^t/, ti" i^i.— SmHie, iv. 30J.

67. Foetid ?

SHREW. With the head and upper part of the body dulky:
fides of a brownifli ruft-coter : eyes very fmall, ahnoH hid in
the fur: ears fliort : nofe very long and flender : upper mandible
extends far beyond' the lower.

Inhabits Hu^fon's Bayy and probably Carolma^ as Lati^Jon mentions
a Moufe found there which poifons Cats * if they eat it. It is a no-
tion in England that they are venomous : it is notorious that our Cats
will kill, but not feed on them ; probably thofe of Aneriea have the
fame inftinA : fo that their deaths in the new world mud arife from
fome other caufe, and be faifely attributed to thefe animals.

Mr. Graham fent over two other fpecimens, befides that dcfcribed.
They were of a duflcy grey above, and of a yellowifh white beneath :
their fizc, rather lefs than the Englijh kind; one being only two inches
and a quarter long, the other only two inches j but they ''cttncdi not
to differ fpecifically from the other.

The common Shrew is found in Ru£ia j in all parts of Sibiriaf even
in the ArStic flats ; and in Kamtjcbatka.

J* Hifi, Carolina, it^.

T *

Hisr.

H©

LONG-TAILED AND RADIATED MOLE.

MOLE.

Hisr. ^UJD. Gbkus XX3tV.

68.Loiia TAiLEOk

Hi/l. ^ad. No 352.— Lb V. l/Lv%.

MOLE. With two cutting teeth in eadh jaw, artd tw6 fliarp
flender canine : the grinders fmall aild fharp : noTe long, the
end radiated with Ihort tendrils r fore feet not fo broad as thofe of
the Engliflj Mole, furnilhed with very long white claws : toes on the
hind feet quite fcparated: body not fo thick and full as that of
the common fpecies : hair long> foft, and Of a Kifty broWn : tait co-
vered with Ihort hair.-

Length of the body four inches two-tenths j of the tail, two and
a half.

Inhabits North America. Received from Nenv Torjt.

69. Raoiatbi.

MiUtNEHS.

Wi/f. ^aJ. N» i^,i.--Smillit, iv. 3^16.— ^Liv. Mtts.

MOLE. With a long nofe, radiated like the former: the
body ihocter, and moce full : hair duflcy, very long, fine^ and
compaA : fore feet refembling thofe ef the preceding ; but the toes,
of the hind feet ace clofely conne£ted.

Length to the tail three inches. iJirec quarters : the tail flenderi,
round*, and tapeK> one inch three-tenths long..
Received from Nmt Tork

This fpecie&fomis fubterraneo«s paflages in. the fields, running in.
various directions, and very {hallow. Their courfe may be traced
by the elevation of t|»e earth on- the furface, in form of a little bank,
two inches high, and as broad as a man's hand. Thefa holes are
unable to fupport any weight, fo that walkers find it very trouble-
5 ibme

BROWN MOLE.

fome to go over places where thefe animals inhabit, the ground per-
petually breaking under their feet *.

Thefe Moles have all the (Irength in their legs as thofe of Europe,
and work in the fame manner. They feed on rootSj are very iraf-
cible, and will bite very fcycrely, ■

141 ^

Hijl. ^mI. N» 353.— Liv. Mvi.

70. B«OWK.

MOLE. With a long and very flender nofe : two broad cutting
teeth in the upper, four fharp and flender in the lower, jaw ;
the two middlemoft fliort : the grinders very numerous, ftrong, (harp,
and feparate : the fore feet very broad j thofe and the hind feet ex-
aftly like thofe of the £Kro/M» kind. • . .-

Length about fix inches I tail one.

I received two fpecimens of this animal from Netv Tork. The
hair in both foft, filky, and glofly : the hair in each duflcy at the
bottom } but in one, the ends were of a yellowifh brown ; in the
other, brown '. the feet and tail of both were white. I fufpedk that
they were varieties of the kind defcribed by Seba f, which he got
from Virginia : it was totally black, glofl*ed over with a moft re-
fplendent purple. I may here note, the Tail-lefs Mole, figured by
Seia in the fame plate, is not a native ofSibiria, as ht makes it; but
is an inhabitant of the Cape of Good Hope. j

Thefe three fpecies agree pretty nearly with the Shrew in the fore
teeth ; for Which reafon Linnaus clafles the two he defcribes among the
Sorices. I call them Moles from their (hape, which differs not from
the European kind ; but thofe who chufe to be very fyflematic, may
divide the genus of Shrews, and ftyle thefe Sorices 'Talpie-formes.

PlACI.

* KaliHt it 1901

f P. 51. tab. xxxli.

T3

European,

144

MOLE. HEDGE^HOG.

A. EvKOPiAN, A{/7. i^V. li. N* Br.Z-l.u

MOLE. With fix cutting teeth in the upper i eight in the
lower jaw i and two canine teeth in each : color of the fur
black.
Placi. \n\iikt\x& Swtden i but does not extend farther than the fouth of

Norway y where it is called Vond^ Ii frequent in the temperate parts
of Rnffia^ and even in Siiiria, as far as the Lena, In Sihiria it is
twice as big as thofe oiHurope. Is found there milk-white, but more
ufually fo in the yercbotupuu mountains.

« v

I*. I

. .ii /X'.O II'

H E D G E - H O G, Hift. ^tad. Ginus XXXVI.

B. Common, Hi/f. ^ad, ii. N« 355.— ^r. 2m/. i. N*

f I

pLACIa

HE D G E- H O G. With noftrils bounded on each fide by a loofe
flap : ears rounded : back covered with prickles, white, barred
-with black : face, fides, and rump, with ilrong coarfe hair : tail an
inch long.

Is found in Sweden^ in the diocefe dlAggerhuys j and in that of
Bergen^ in Norway *. It is called, in the Norwegian tongue, Bujiedyvtl,
Is common in Ruffta, except in the extreme northern and fouthern
parts. None in Sibiriat ox vttY fcarce at left.

10

* Umt, S29. PnttffiiUm, ii. aft.

D I V.

■i^WiT'iJiliTW m I

Id I V. III.

PINNATED <^U ADRUPEDS;
Or> with Fiw-LjjcB Febt,

144

^ARCTIC WALRUS.

D I V. III. Pinnated Quadrupeds j
Or, with Fin-like Feet.

WALRUS.

HIST. ^U A D. Genus XLI.

71. Arctic.

DiscRiPTioir.

W^

Uift. ^ai, N<»373. — Phifpi'tviy. 184.

Rofmarus, ZimmtrmaM, ^^o.

Le Tricheque, Scbrtber, ii. 82. tab. Ixxix.

Cheval Maiin, H^ft. Kamtfchatk», ^fj.—SmelUe, vli. 354. — ^Lev. Mws,

'ALRUS. With a round head j fliort neck j fmall and fiery
eyes, funk a dinger's .d^pch hx the fodcets, and retradile from
external injuries * : mouth very fmall ; lips very thick, befct above
and below with great whiflcers, compufed of briilles, tranfparent,
and thick as a ftraw : inftead of ears are two minute orifices, placed
in the moft diftant part of the head.

Body is very thick in the middle, IcfTening gradually towards the
tail. The (kin in general is an inch thick, and two about the neck f ,
and much wrinkled about the joints : it is covered with Ihort hair,
of a moufe-color j fome with reddifh, others with grey ; others are
almod bare, as if they were mangy, and full of fears J.

The legs are very fhort ; on each foot are five toes, connected by
webs, with a fmall blunt nail to each. The hind feet, like thofe of
Seals, are very broad : the tail is very fliort : the penis two feet long,
and of a bony fubflance.

* Crantz, i. 126.

t CrantK, i. 125.

I Marttn't SpUnhrgt

In

ARCTIC WALRUS.

«4S

In the upper jaw arc two very long tuflcs, bending downwards.
No cutting teeth j but in each jaw, above and below, four grinders,
flat at top, and the furfaces of thofe which I examined much worn.
The length of the largeft tulk I have heard of, was two feet three
inches, EngUfo raeafure, the circumference at the lower end, eight
and a half j the greateft weight of a fingle tulk twenty pounds :
but fuch are rarely found, and only on the coafts of the Icy fea, where
they are feldom molefted, and of courfe permitted to attain their full
growth*.

The Walrus is fometlmes found of the length of eighteen feet,
and the circumference, in the thickeft part, ten or twelve. The
weight from fifteen hundred to two thoufand pounds.

Inhabits, in prefent times, the coafts of the Magdalene iflands, in-
the gulph of St. Laurence, between latitude 47 and 48, their molt
ibutherly refidence in any part of the globe They are not found
on the feas of Labradtre. The E/kimaux purchafe the teeth, for
the heading their Seal-darts, from the Indians of Nuckvank, about lat.
60; who fay, that they are annually vifited in the winter by multitudes
of thefe animals f . They are found in Davis's Streigbts, and with-
in Hud/on' s BayXy in lat. 62. They alfo inhabit the coaft of Green-
land. I am uncertain whether they frequent Iceland; but they are
found in great numbers near the iflands of Spitzbergen, and on all the
floating ice from thence to Cherry Ifle, a folitary fpot intermediate
between the laft and the moft northerly point oi Norway. In 1608,
they were found there in fuch numbers, huddled on one another,
like hogs, that a Ihip's crew killed above nine hundred in {cvtn
hours time §.

If they are found in the feas of Norway, it is very rare || in thefe
days. Leems, p. 316, fays that they fometimes frequent the fea
about Finmark j but about the year 980, they feemed to have been
fo numerous in the northern parts, as to become objedls of chafe and

TltTII.

• HiJ. Kamtfcbatka, izo.
\ Marttat Spitxbtrg. 182.

t Pb. Tranf. Ixiv. 378.
Pontofpidaa,i\. 15^,

u

J. Ellit's vty. 80.

commerce*.

Placb.
America*

Sfitzseroen.
Cherry Isle.

Norway*.

14«

ARCTIC WALRUS.

Nova Zembla,
AND Icr Sea<

Mannem.

commerce. The famous Olther the Norwegian, a native of Helge-
land in the diocefe of Drontbeim, incited by a moft laudable curiofity
and thirft of difcovery, failed to the north of his country, doubled
the Nortb Cape, and in three days from his departure arrived at the
fartheft place, frequented by the Horfe-whale fifliers. From thence
he proceeded a voyage of three days more, and perhaps got into the
White Sea. On his return he vifited England, probably incited by
the fame of King Alfred's abilities, and the great encouragement he
gave to men of diftinguifhed charafter in every profeflTion. The
traveller, as a proof of the authenticity of his relation, prefented the
Saxon monarch with fome of the teeth of thefe animals, then a fub-
ftitute of ivory, and valued at a high price. In his account of his
voyage, he alfo added that their (kins were ufed in the (hips inftead
of ropes *.

They are found again on the coafts of Nova Zembla, and on the
headlands which ftretch moft towards the north Pole j and as far as
the TJchutki point, and the ifles off that promontory. They fcarcely
extend lower than the neighborhood of the country of the Anadyr, but
are feen in great abundance about cape Newnham, on the coaft of
America. The natives of the iflands off the Tcbutki Nofs ornament
themfelves with pieces of the Walrus (luck through their lips or nofes ;
for which reafon they are ca'.led by their neighbors Zoobatee, or large-
teethed f. The natives about Unalafcba, Sandwich Sound, and Turn-
again river, obferve the fame falhion. I entertain doubts whether
thefe animals are of the fame fpecies with thofe of the Gulph of St.
Laurence. The tufks of thofe of the Frozen Sea are much longer,
more (lender, and have a twift and inward curvature.

They are gregarious, and fometimes have been found together in
thoufands ; are very (hy, and avoid the haunts of mankind. They
ufually are feen on the floating ice, preferring that for their refidence,
as their bodies require cooling, by reafon of the heat which arifes
from their excc(rive fatnefs |.

• Uatkluyt, i. 5.

•t Hift. Kant/chutka, 47.

XNov. Cm. Pttrof, ii. iji.
They

ARCTIC WALRUS.

M7

They arc monogamous ; couple in 'Junty and bring forth in the
<earlieft fpring*. They bring one t> or very rarely two young at a
t:me ; feed on fea-plants, fifli, and fhells, which they either dig out
of the fand, or force from the rocks with their great teeth. They
make ufe alfo of their teeth to afcend the iflands of ice, by faitening
them in the cracks, and by that means draw up their bodies.

They flecp both on the ice and in the water, and fnorc exccflively
loud :|:.

They are harmlefs, unlefs provoked j but when wounded, or at-
tacked, grow very fierce, and are very vindidtive. When furprifed
tipon the ice, the females firft provide for the fafety of the young, by
flinging it into the Tea, and itfelf after it, carrying it to a fecurc
diftance, then returning with great rage ta revenge the injury.
They will fometimes attempt to faften their teeth on the boats, with
an intent to fink them, or rife in numbers under them to overfct
them } at the fame time they Ihew all marks of rage, by roaring in a
dreadful msuiner, and gnafliing their teeth with great violence j if.
once thoroughly irritated, the whole herd will follow the boats till they
lofe fight of them. They are ftrongly attached to each other, and
will make every effort in their power, even to death, to fet at liberty
their harpooned companions ||.

A wounded Walrus has been known to fink to the bottom, rife
fuddenly again, and bring up with it multitudes of others, who united
in an attack on the boat from which the infult came §.

They fling the water out of their noftrils, as the Whale does out of
its head. When chafed hard, they commonly vomit, aiid fling up
frnall flones. Their dung is like that of a Horfe, and exceffively
fetid, efpecially where they are found in large companies.

The tongue, which is about the fize of a Cow's, may be eaten, if
boiled frelh j but if kept, foon runs into oiL The teeth ufed to be
applied to all the purpofes of ivory j but the animals are now killed

U^K.

* Ian: Gretnl, 4,
S Phifft't vey. 57.

t SartHtx, 4.

X Martins, IC9.

U a

II Martens, no.
only

1^8

ARCTIC WALRUS.

-only for the fake of the oil. Seamen make rings of the briftlcs of
the whiflcers, which they wear as prefervatives againfl: the cramp.
The French coach-makers have made traces for coaches of the (kins,
which are faid to be ftrong and elaftic ♦. The Ruffians formerly ufed
the bone of the penis pulverifcd, as a remedy againft the ftone f.
Bartbolinus % recommends it, infufed in ale, in fits of the ftrangury.
The Greenlandtn eat the flelh and lard, and ufe the laft in their lamps.
Of the flcin they make ftraps. They fplit the tendons, into thread i
and ufe the teeth to head their darts, or to make pegs in their boats.

Their only enemies, befides mankind, are the Polar Bears, with
whom they have dreadful confliAs. Their feuds probably arifc
from the occupancy of the fame piece of ice. The Walrus is ufually
viftorious, through the fuperior advantage of its vaft teeth ||. The
effefts of the battle are very evident j for it is not often that the
hunters find a beafl with two entire tufks §.

" The Walrus, or Sea Cow, as it is called by the AmerUanSy* fays
"LotA Shuidham %t '* is a native of the Mdi^</fi/m^ iflands, St. 70/&»'s,
" and Anticojii, in the gulph of St. Laurence. They refort, very
" early in the fpring, to the former of theft places, which feems by
" nature particularly adapted to the nature <^ the animals, abound-
** ing with dams (efcallops) of a very large fize j and the mofl:
*' convenient landing-places, called Ecboueries. Here they crawl up
*< in great numbers, and remain fometimes for fourteen days together
" without food, when the weather is fair j but on the firft appear-
" ance of rain, they retreat to the water with great precipitation.

• Dt Bufftn. t W»rm. Muf. 290.

( As quoted in Mufeum Regium HafniM, &c. pars. i. fefl. ili. 9.

H Egtde, 83. § Cra»t», i. iz6. f Piil. Tran/. Ixv. part. i. 249.

The Frtncb call them Vacbti Marintt. Charlevoix, v. 216. That voyager fayi,
that the Englijb had once a fiftiery of thefe aniroali on the IJlt dt Sable, a fmall idand
fouth oiCafi Breton ; but it taraed out to no advantage.

cc

They

ARCTIC WALRUS.

»49

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They are, when out of the water, very unwieldy, and move with
great difficulty. They weigh from fifteen hundred to two thou-
fand pounds, producing, according to their fize, from one to two
barrels of oil, which is boiled out of the fat between the (kin and
the flefh. Immediately on their arrival, the females calve, and
engender again in two months after ; fo that they carry their young
about nine months. They never have more than two at a time,
and feldom more than one.

" The Ecboueries* arc formed principally by nature, being a gradual
flope of foft rock, with which the Magdalene iflands abound, about
eighty or a hundred yards wide at the water-fide, and fpreading fo
as to contain, near the fummit, a very large number of thefe ani-
mals. Here they are fufi^ered to come on (hore, and amufe thcm-
felves for a confiderable time, till they acquire a degree of bold-
nefs, being at their firft landing fo exceedingly timid as to make
it impoflible for any perfon to approach them.
" In a few weeks they aflemble in great multitudes : formerly, when
undifturbed by the Americanst to the amount of feven or eight
thoufand. The form of the Echcuerie not allowing them to re-
main contiguous to the water, the foremoft are infenfibly pulhed
above the flope. When they are arrived at a convenient diflance,
the hunters, being provided with a fpear Iharp on one fide, like a
knife, with which they cut their throats, take advantage of a fide
wind, or a breeze blowing obliquely upon the fliore, to prevent
the animals from fmelling them, becaufe they have that fenfe in
great perfedion. Having landed, the hunters, with the alTiflance
of good dogs, trained for that purpofe, in the night-time endea-
vour to feparate thofe which are moft advanced from the others,
driving them different ways. This they call making a cut ; it is
generally looked upon to be a moft dangerous procefs, it being
impoflible to drive them in any particular dircftion, and difficult
to avoid them} but as the Walrufes, which are advanced above

• This word is derived frcm Ethoucr, to land, or run on fliore.
3

3*5

the

iSO

ARCTIC WALRUS.

*' the flope df the EcboMtriCi are deprived by the darknefs of the
<* flight from every direftion to the water, they are left wandering
«« about, and killed at leifure, thofe that are nearcft the fliore being;
«* the firft viftims. In this manner have been killed fifteen or fix-
*« teen hundred at a cut.

** The people then Ikin them, and take off a coat of fat which, al-
<* ways furrounds then), and diflblve it into oil. The Ikin is cut
«* into dices of two or three inches wide, and exported to America
«« for carriage traces, and into England for glue. The teeth make
<» an inferior fort of ivory, and is manufaftured for that purpofe j
«t but very foon turns yellow."

HIST,

COMMON SEAL*

<5«

llisr. ^UJD. Genus XLlI.

SEAL.

Kafligiak, Faun. Crienl. N°6. — Lev. Mus.

72. COMMOK*

SEAL. With a flat head and nofe : large black eyes: lal'ge
whifkcrs : fix cutting teeth in the upper jaw ; four in the lower:
two canine teeth in each jaw : no external ears : hair on all parts
Ihort and thick : five toes on each foot, furnifhed with ftrong fharp
claws, and ftrongly webbed : tail fliort and flat.

Ufual length of this fpecies, from five to fix feet. Their colof
differs ; dufky, brinded, or fpotted with white and yellow.

Inhabits all the European feas, even to the extreme north ; and is
found far within the ^r£Ik circle, in both European and Jfiatic feas.
It is continued to thofe of Kamf/chaika ♦.

Thefe animals may be called the flocks of the GreenlanderSy and
many other of the Arftic people. I cannot defcribe the ufes of them
to the former more exprcfTively than in the very words of Mr. Crantz,
a gentleman very long refident in their chilly country.

*' Seals are more needful to them than Sheep are to us, though they
furnifh us with food and raiment ; or than the cocoa-tree is to the
Indians^ although that prefents them not only with meat to eat, and
covering for their bodies, but alfo houfes to dwell in, and boats to
fail in, fo that in cafe of necefllty they could live folely from it. The
Seals flefh (together with the Rein-deer, which is already grown
pretty fcarce) fupplies the natives with their moft palatable and fub-
ftantial food. Their fat furnifhes them with oil for lamp-light, cham-
ber and kitchen fire j and whoever fees their habitations, prefcntly

• SttlUtt in Ntv, Com, Pttrep, ii, 290.

7

THBIR 6RSAT
VSB TO THB

Greinlandeks.

finds.

154

COMMON SEAL.

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finds, that if they even had a fuperfluity of .wood, it would not do,
they can ufe nothing but train in them. They alfo mollify their
dry food, moftly fifti, in the train j and finally, they birter it for all
kinds of necefliaries with the faftor. They can few better with
fibres of the Seals finews than with thread or filk. Of the flcins of
the entrails they make their windows, curtains for their tents,
(hirts, and part of the bladders they ufe at their harpoons ; and
they make train bottles of the maw. Formerly, for want of iron,
they made all manner of inftruments and working-tools of their
bones. Neither is the blood wafted, but boiled with other ingre-
dients, and eaten as foup. Of the fkin of the Seal they ftand in
the greateft need ; for, fuppofing the (kins of Rein-deer and birds
would furnifli them with competent cloathing for their bodies,
and coverings for their beds j and their flefti, together with filh,
with fufficient food; and provided they could drefs their meat
with wood, and alfo new model tiieir houfe- keeping, fo as to have
light, and keep themfelves warm with it too ; yet without the
Seals Ikins they would not be in a capacity of acquiring thefe
fame Rein-deer, fowls, filhes, and wood; becaufe they muft cover
over with Seal-flcin both their large and fmall boats, in which they
travel and feek their provifion. They muft alfo cut their thongs
or ftraps out of them, make the bladders for their harpoons, and
cover their tents with them j without which they could, not fubfift
in fummer.

«* Therefore no man can pafs for a right Greenhnder who cannot
catch Seals. This is the ultimate end they afpire at,, in all their
device and labor from their childhood up. It is the only art
(and in truth a difficult and dangerous one it is) to which.they are
trained from their infancy j by which they maintain, themfelves,
make themfelves agreeable to others,, and become beneficial mem-
bers of the community*.

• Hift, Greeiti. i. 130.

'* The

COMMON SEAL.

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" The Greenlanders have three ways of catching Seals: either fing-
ly, with the bladder j or in company, by the clapper-bunt j or in
the winter on the ice : whereto may be added the (hooting them
with a gun.

" The principal and moft common way is the taking them with
the bladder. When the Greenlander fets out equipped according
to the 7th Sefbion, and fpies a Seal, he tries to furprife it una-
wares, with the wind and fun in his back, that he may not be
heard or feen by it. He tries to conceal himfelf behind a wave,
and makes haftily, but foftly, up to it, till he comes within four,
five, or fix fathom of it ; mean while he takes the utmofi: care
that the harpoon, line, and bladder, lie in proper order. Then he
takes hold of the oar with his left hand, and the harpoon with
his right by the hand-board, and fo away he throws it at the
Seal, in fuch a manner that the whole dart flies from the hand-
board and leaves that in his hand. If the harpoon hits the mark,
and buries itfelf deeper than the barbs, it will diredlly difengagc
itfelf from the bone-joint, and that from the Ihaft i and alfo un-
wind the ftring from its lodge on the kajak. The nnoment the
Seal is pierced, the Greenlander muft throw the bladder, tied to
the end of the ftring, into the water, on the fame fide as the Seal
runs and dives j for thar he does inftantly, like a dart. Then the
Greenlander goes and takes up the fliaft fwimming on the water,
and lays it in its place. The Seal often drags the bladder with it
under water, though 'tis a confiderable impediment, on account
of its great bignefs j but it fo wearies itfelf out with it, that it
muft come up again in about a quarter of an hour to take breath.
The Greenlander hailens to the fpot where he fees the bladder
rife up, and fmites the Seal, as foon as it appears, with the great
lance defcribed in the 6th Seftion *, This lance always comes
out of its body again ; but he throws it at the creature afrefh
every time it comes up, till 'tis quite fpent. Then he runs the

Mannir or

TAKING.

* See the Se&ions referred to, and tab. v.
X

" little

«54

COMMON SEAL.

" little lance into it, and kills it outright, but ftops up the wound
" diredly to prcfcrve the blood j and laftly, he blows it up, like a
" bladder, betwixt fkin and flelh, to put it into a better capacity of
" fwimming after him -, for which purpofe he faftens it to the left-
*» fide of his kajak, or boat *.

" In this exercife the Gretnlander is expofed to the moft and
** greateft danger of his life j which is probably the reafon that they
** call this hunt, or fifhery, kamaveck, i. e. the Extinftion, viz. of life..
" For if the line fhould entangle itfelf, as it eafily may, in its fud-
** den- and violent motion; or if it fhould catch hold of the kajak,,
*♦ or (hould wind itfelf round the oar, or the hand, or even the neck,
" as it fometimes does in windy weather j or if the Seal fhould turn
** fuddenly to the other fide of the boat; it cannot be otherwife than
«* that the kajak mufl be overturned by the ftring, and drawn down*
** under water. On fuch dcfperate occafions the poor Greenlander
" flands in need of all the arts defcribed in the former Seftion, to
" difentangle himfelf from the firing, and to raife himfelf up from
" under the water feveral times fuccefllvely ; for he will continually
** be overturning till he has quite difengagcd himfdf from the line.
** Nay, when he imagines himfelf to be out of all danger, and comes
too near the dying Seal, it may fVill bite him in the face or handj.
and a female Seal that has young, inftead of flying the field, will
" fometimes fly at the Greenlander in the mofl vehement rage, and
«• do him a mifchief, o- bite a hole in his kajak that he mufl fink.

" In this way, fingly, they can kill none but the carelefs flupid
" Seal, called Attar/oak \. Several in company mufl purfue the
" cautious Kaffigiak % by the clapper-hunt. In the fame manner they
« alfo furround and kill the Attarjoit || in great numbers at certain
" feafons of the year j for in autumn they retire into the creeks or
" inlets in flormy weather, as in the Nepijet found in 5<a//'s river,
** between the main land and the ifland Kangeky which is full two

C(

€C

* See vol. i. 150. tab. viii.
It Ditto, a variety of N* 77.

t Sec N* 77. of this work.
9

t Ditto, N» 72.'
leagues

COMMON SEAL.

US

C(

((

<{

«

** leagues long, but very narrow. There the GretnlaMders cut ofTthcir
retreat, and frighten them under water by fhouting, clapping, and
throwing ftones -, but, as they muft come up again continually to
«' draw breath, then they perfccute them again till they are tired,
«« and at laft arc obliged to (lay fo long above water, that they fur-
«• round them, and kill them with the fourth kind of dart, thrfcribed
*' in the 6th Seftion. During this hunt we have a Hne opportunity
'« to fee the agility of the Greenlanders, or, if I may call it fo, their
huirai--like manoeuvres. When the Seal rifcs out of the water,
they all fly upon it, as if they had wings, with a defperate noife »
the poor creature is forced to dive again direftly, and the moment
he does, they difperfe again as faft as they came, and every one
gives heed to his poft, to fee where it will ftart up again ; which
«« is an uncertain thing, and is commonly three quarters of a mile
** from the former fpot. If a Seal has a good broad water, three
" or four league' each way, it can keep the fportfmen in play for a
•« couple of hours, before 'tis fo fpent that they can furround and
«« kill it. If the Seal, in its fright, betakes itfelf to the land for a
<« retreat, 'tis welcomed with (licks and (lones by the women and
«« children, and prefently pierced by the men in the rear. This is
<« a very lively and a very profitable diverfidn for the GreenlanderSf
" for many times one man will have eight or ten Seals for his
<« fliare.

** The third method of killing Seals upon the ice, is moflly prac-
" tifed in Dijkot where the bays are frozen over in the winter. There
*« are feveral ways of proceeding. The Seals themfelves make
«« fometimes holes in the ice, where they come and draw breath j
** near fuch a hole a Greenlander feats himfelf on a (lool, putting
<' his feet on a lower one to keep them from the cold. Now when
" the Seal comes and puts its nofe to the hole, he pierces it in-
" (lantly with his harpoon i then breaks the hole larger, and draws
<* it out and kills it quite. Or a Greenlander lays himfelf upon his
" belly, on a kind of a (ledge, near other holes, where the Seals

X a come

i|6

COMMON SEAL.

USBS IN Kamt-

SCHATKA.

M

«(

If

(C

t<

" come out upon the ice to baflc themfelves in the fun. Near this
" great hole they make a little one, and another Grttnlandtr puts
a harpoon into it with a very long (haft or pole. He that lies
upon the ice looks into the great hole, till he fees a Seal com-
ing under the harpoon i then he gives the other the fignal, who
runs the Seal through with all his might.

«' If the Gretnlander fees a Seal lying near its hole upon the ice,
he Aides along upon his belly towards it, wags his head, and
grunts like a Seal ; and the poor Seal, thinking 'tis one of its in-
nocent companionsj lets him come near enough to pierce it with
his long dart.

•• When the current wears a great hole in the ice in the fpring,
*' the Greenlanders plant themfelves all round it, till the Seals come
" in droves to the brim to fetch breath, and then they kill them
" with their harpoons. Many alfo are killed on the ice while they
" lie fleeping and fnoring in the fun *."

Nature has been fo niggardly in providing variety of provifion for
the Greenlanders, that they are neceflitated to have recourfe to fuch
which is offered to them with a liberal hand. The Kamtfcbatkan na-
tions, which enjoy fcveral animals, as well as a great and abundant
choice of fifh, are fo enamoured with the tafte of the fat of Seals,
that they can make no feaft without making it one of the di(hes.
Of that both Ruffians and Kamtfchatkans make their candles. The
latter eat the flefh boiled, or elfe dried in the fun. If they have a
great quantity, they preferve it in the following manner :

They dig a pit of a requifite depth, and pave it with ftones j then
fill it with wood, and fet it on fire fo as to heat the pit to the warmth
of a ftove. They then colleft all the cinders into a heap. They
ftrew the bottom with the green wood of alder, on which they place
feparately the flefh and the fat, and put between every layer branches
of the fame tree j when the pit is filled they cover it with fods, fo
that the vapour cannot efcape. After fome hours they take out both

• PP- »S3» 4. S' 6> 7'

fat

COMMON SEAL.

»57

CUSTOU.

fat «nd flefh, and keep i: for winu 's provifions, and they may be
preferved a whole year without Tpoiling.

The Kamt/cbatkafis have a moii lingular ceremony. After they take Svfirititiooi
the flefli from the heads of the Seals, they bring a veflVI in form
of a canoe, and fling into it all the fculls, crowned with certain herbif
and place them on the ground. A certain perfon enters the habita-
tion with a fack filled with Toncbitcbe, fweet herbs, and a little of the
bark of willow. Two of the natives then roll a great ftone towards the
door, and cover it with pebbles -, two others take the fweet herbs
and difpofe them, tied in little packets. The great ftone is to
fignify the fea-fhore, the pebbles the waves, and the packets Seals.
They then bring three difhes of a hafh, called Tolkoucba -, of this
they make little balls, in the middle of which they ftick the packets
of herbs : of the willow>bark tliey make a little canoe, and fill it
with 1'olkoucba, and cover it with the fack. After fome time, the
two Kamtfcbatkans who had put the mimic Seals into the Tolkoucba,
take the balls, and a vefiel refembling a canoe, and draw it along the
fand, as if it was on the fea, to convince the real Seals how agreeable
it would be to them to come among the Kamtfcbatkans, who have a
fea in their very jurts, or dwellings. And this they imagine will in-
duce the Seals to fufFer themfelves to be taken in great numbers.
Various other ceremonies, equally ridiculous, are praftifed ; in one
of which they invoke the winds, wbicb drive the Seals on their Jhores,
to be propitious *.

Befides the ufcs which are made of the flelh and fat of Seals, the
Ikins of the largefl are cut into foles for fhoes. The women make
their fummer boots of the undrefled flcins, and wear them with the
hair outmoft. In a country which abounds fo greatly in furs, very
little ofiore u,fe is made of the fkins of Seals in the article of drefs
than what has been mentioned f. But the Koriaks, the Oloutores, and
Tcbutjchi, form with the fkins canoes and veflcls of different fizes,
fome large enough to carry thirty people.

• Dt/cr. Kamtfchatktt, V5.

t The fame, 41, 42. 424.

Seals

i5«

C O .M M O N SEAL.

Capture.

Massaget^
cloathed in
Sea-l-sicins.

Seals fwarm on all the coafts of Kamtfchatka, and will go up the
rivers eighty verjis in puriuit of fifh. They couple on the ice in
Jpril, and fomctimes on the rocks, and even in the fea in calm
weather. The 'Tmgufi give the milk of thefe animals to rheir chil-
dren inflead of phyfic.

The Seals in this country are killed by harpooning, by fhooting, by
watching the holes in the ice and knocking them on the head as they
rife i or by placing two or three ftrong nets acrofs one of the
rivers which thefe animals frequent : fifty or more people aflemble
in canoes on each fide of the nets, while others row up and down,
and with great cries frighten the Seals into them. As loon as any
are entangled, the people kill them with pikes or clubs, and drag
them on fhore, and divide them equally among the hunters j fome-
times a hundred are taken at a rime in this manner.

The navigators obferved abundance of Seals about Bering's ifland,
but that they decreafed in numbers as they advanced towards the
ftraits ; for where the Walrufes abounded, the Seals grew more and
more fcarce.

I did not obferve any Seal-fkin garments among thofe brought
over by the navigators, fuch as one might have expefted among the
E/qnimaux of the high latitudes they vifited, and which are fo much in
ufe with thofe oiHudforis Bay and Labrador. That fpecies of drefs
doubtlefsly was worn in the earlieft times, Thefe people wanted rheir
hiftorians ; but we are affured that the Majfageta * cloathed them-
felves in the (kins of Seals. They, according to D'anville, inhabited
the country to the eaft of the Ca/pian fea, and the lake Aral -, both of
which waters abound with Seals.

Seals are now become a great article of commerce. The oil from
the vaft Whales is no longer equal to the demand for fupplying thq
magnificent profufion of lamps in and round our capital. The
chafe of thefe animals >s redoubled for that purpofe; and the ficins*
properly tanned, are in confiderable ufe in the manufadory of boots
and Ihoes.

• Straho, lib, xi. 781.

HiJI.

GREAT SEAL,

>59

Hift. ^ad. N" 382.

Phoca Barbata, Faun. Grtinl N' 9. — ^Urkfuk. GritnU

Lakkuk, Hift,Kamt/chatk», 420. — Lev. Mus.

75. Grbat.

SEAL. With long pellucid white whiflcers with curled points :
back arched : black hairs, very deciduous, and thinly difperfed
over a thick ikin, which in fummer is almoft naked : teeth like the
common Seal : fore feet like the human hand ; middle toe the
longeft ; thumb fhort : length more than twelve feet.

The Greenlanders cut out of the fkin of this fpecies thongs and
lines, a finger thick, for the Seal-fifhery. Its flefli is white as veal,
and efteemed the moft delicate of any ; has plenty of lard, but does
not yield much oil. The fkins of the young are fometimes ufed to
lie on.

It inhabits the high fea about Greenland; is a timid fpecies, and
ufually refts on the floating ice, and very feldom the fixed. Breeds
in the earlieft fpring, or about the month of March, and brings forth
a fingle young on the ice, ufually among the iflands j for at that
feafon it approaches a little nearer to the land. The great old ones
fwim very flowly.

In the feas of the north of Scotland is found a Seal twelve feet long.
A gentleman of my acquaintance Ihot one of that fize on the coaft
of Sutherland ; but made no particular remarks on it. A young one,
feven feet and half long, was fhewn in London fome years ago, which
had not arrived at maturity enough even to have fcarcely any teeth*:
yet the common Seals have them complete before they attain the fizQ
of fix feet, their utmoft growth.

A fpecies larger than an Ox, found in the Kamtfcbatkan feas from
56 to 64 north latitude, called by the natives Lachtak\. They weighed

• Ph. Tran/, Abr. ix. 74. tab. v. xlvii, 120,

t Ntv, Com, Pttrep, ii. 290.
eieht

i6o

ROUGH SEAL.

eight hundred pounds : were eaten by Bering's crew ; but their fleih
was found to be very loathfome*. The cubs are quite black.

Si-.LLER has left behind him accounts of other Seals found in thofe
wild feas ; but his defcriptions are fo imperfeft as to render it im-
pofTible to afcertain the fpecies. He fpeaks in his MSB. of a middle-
fized kind, univerfally and moil elegantly fpotted j another, black with
brown fpots, and the belly of a yellowifh white, and as large as a
yearling Ox ; a third fpecies, bfack, and with a particular formation
of the hinder legs ; and a fourth, of a yellowifh color, with a great
circle on it of the color of cherries f .

74. RoVGHt

Hifl. ^d. N» 383.

Phoca Foetida, Faun. Grutil. N" 8.— Neitfcck Grtnl. Crantx, u

SEAL. With a (hort nofe, and fliort round head : teeth like the
common Seal : body almoil of an elliptical form, covered with
lard almofl: to the hind feet : hairs clofely fet together, foft, long,
and fomewhat ereft, with curled wool intermixed : color duflcy,
ilreaked with white i fometimes varies to white« with a dufky dorfal
line.

Does not exceed four feet in length.

Never frequents the high feas, but keeps on the fixed ice in the re-
mote bays near the frozen land j and when old never forfakes its
haunts. Couples in June ; brings forth in January^ on the fixed ice,
which is its proper element. In that it has a hole for the benefit of
fiihing i near that it remains ufually folitary, rarely in pairs. Is very
incautious, and often fleeps on the furface of the water, yielding itfelf
a prey to the Eagle. Feeds on fmall fifti, (hrimps, and the like. The
ufes of the (kin, tendons, and lard, the fame with thofe of other
Seals. The flelh is red, and foetid, efpecially that of the males,
which is naufeated by even the Greenlanders.

MulUr't voj, 6e.

t Dr. Pallas, and De/tr, Kamtfchatka, 420.

The

LEPORINE SEAL.

i6i

The Seal-hunters in Newfoundland have a large kind, which they
call the Square Phipper, and fay weighs five hundred pounds. Its coat
is like that of a Water-dog j fo that it feems by the length of hair
to be allied to this j but the vaft difference in fizc forbids us from
pronouncing it to be the fame fpecies.

Phoca Leporina, Ltpetbin, A3, Acad. Pttrep: pars i. 264. tab viii. ix.—
Hijl.^ad. N°38i.

SEAL. With hair of an uniform dirty white color, with a tinge
of yellow, but never fpotted j hairs ere6t, and interwoven ; foft
as that of a Hare, efpecially the young : head long : upper lip fwell-
ing and thick : whiflcers very ftrong and thick, ranged in fifteen
rows, covering the whole front of the lip, fo as to make it appear
bearded : eyes blue, pupil black : teeth ftrong ; four cutting teeth
above, the fame below*: fore feet Ihort, and ending abrupt: the
membranes of the hind feet even, and not waved : tail fhort and
thick i its length four inches two lines.

Length of this fpecies, from nofe to tip of the tail, is fix feet fix ;
its greateft circumference five feet two. The cubs are milk white.

This kind inhabits the White Sea during fummer, and afcends and

defcends the mouths of rivers f with the tide in queft of prey. It is

alfo found on the coafts of Icelandy and within the Polar circle from

Spitzbergen to Tchuiki No/s, and from thence fouthward about Kamt-

fchatka.

Like the others, it is killed for its fat and fkin. The laft is cut
into pieces, and ufed for ftraps and reins. The flcins of the young,
which are remarkably white, are dyed with black, and ufed to face
caps, in imitation of Beavers flcins j but the hairs are much ftifFer,
and do not foon drop off.

* Mr. Ltpechin compares the number of the teeth to that of another kind (our
Harp Seal) which, he fays, has only four teeth in the lower jaw.
t The fame.

Y Hijt.

75. LlPORINE.

SlKK.

i

i5s

HOODED SEAL.

76. Hooded. ^^. ^^Z. N» 384.

Phoca Leonina, Fatm. Grtnl. N* 5.

SEAL. With four cutting teeth above, four below: fore feet
like the human -, the thumb long : the membranes on the hind
feet extend beyond the claws : on the forehead of the male is a thick
folded fkin, ridged half the way up, which it can inflate and draw
down like a cap, to defend its eyes againfl ftorms, waves> flooes, and
fand. The females and young have only tht rudiment of this guard.
It has two fpecies of hair j the longeft white, the fhorteft thick, blacky,
and woolly, which gives it a beautiful grey color.

It grows to the length of eight feet. The Greenlanders call it
Neit/ek-Joak *, or the Great Neitfek. It inhabits only the fouthern
parts of their country, where it inhabits the high feas j but in Aprily
Mayy and Juae, comes nearer to the land. Is polygamous ; copulates
with its body ere£t. Brings forth in April one young upon the ice.
Keeps much on the great fragments, where it fleeps in an unguarded
way. Bites hard : barks, and whines : grows very fierce on being
wounded j but will weep on being lurprized by the hunter. Ffght
among themfelves, and inflift deep wounds. Feed on all kinds of
greater filh. The (kins of the young form the moft elegant dreffcs
for the women. The men cover their great boats with thofe of the
old i they alfo cover their houfts with them, and when they grow old
convert them into facks. They ufe the teeth to head huntihg-fpears.
Of the gullet and inteftines they make the fea-drefTes. Theftomach
is made into a fifhlng-buoy.

It is alfo found in Newfoundtand'. Our Seal-hunters name it the
Hooded Seal,, and pretend they cannot kill it till they remove that
integument. TYit Germans cdXWl Klap-MutZt from its covering its
face as if with a cap.

The moft dreaded enemy which this fpecies has in Greenland^ is
the Phy/eter Mcrops ', on the very fight of which it takes to the ice.

* CrantK, i. 2|,

and.

HARP SEAL.

and quietly expefts its fate *. The Greenlanders therefore detefl; this
fpecies of Whale, not only on account of the havock it makes among

the Seals, but becaufe it frightens them away from the bays f.

It is entirely different from the Leonine Seal, or from that of the
South-fea, called the Bottle-nose.

163

Hift. ^Md. N" 385.

Phoca Oceanica, Ktylatca Ruffis, Liptchln, AS. Acad. Pttrop. pan i. 259. tab.

vi. vii.
Phoca Greenlandica, Faun. Grienl. N° 7.— Atak Gretnl. Atarfoak, Crantx, i. 1 14.

SEAL. With a round head: high forehead : nofe fhort : large
black eyes : whifkers difpofed in ten rows of hairs : four cutting
teeth in the upper jaw, the two middlemoft the longeftj four alfo in
the lower, lefs fharp than the others : two canine teeth in each jaw :
fix grinders in each jaw, each three-pointed : hairs fliort: fkin thick
and flrong.

Head, nofe, and chin, of a deep chefnut color, nearly black j reft
of the body of a dirty white, or light grey : on the top of the
Ihoulders is a large mark of the fame colorj with the head bifurcated,
each fork extending downwards along the fides half way the length
of the body. This mark is always conftant ; but there are befides a
few irregular fpots incidental to the old ones.

The female has only two, retrafbile, teats j and brings only one
young at a time. The cub, the firft year, is of a bright alh-color,
whitifli beneath, and marked in all parts with multitudes of fmall
black fpots, at which period they are called by the Ruffians White
Seals. In the next year they begin to be fpotted j from that period
the females continue unchanged in color. The males at full age,
which Mr. Crantz fays is their fifth year, attain their diftinguifhing
fpot, and are called by the Greenlanders Attar/oak % ; by the Ruffians^
Krylatka, or winged.

77. Harf.

* Faun. Groeul, p. 9.

t The fame, p. 45^
Y 2

X Crantz, i. 1x4.
This

$u

HARP SEAL.

S121.

Usis»

This inhabits the fam* countries with the Jiufn^b undLepcriw Sgal,',
4>ut loves the coldeft parts of the coaft. Continues on the loofc ice
of Novt ZeiHhlti the -whole year j and is fcen oftly in the winter ih
«hfc WhiPe Sfii, oh the floating ice can-ied frorti the northern feas.
It brings forth its young about the end of JfprU, and after fuckling
it a fufficient time departs with the firft ice into the Frozen Ocean.
The young remains behind for fome time, then follows its parent
with the ice which is loofed from the fhore *.

It abounds in Greenland and about Spifzl^ergen, efpccially in the
bottoms of the deep bays. Migrates in Greenland twice in the year:
in March, and returns in May -, in June, and returns in September.
Couples in Julyy and brings forth towards the end of March or be-
gining of April: has one young, rarely two, which it fuckles on frag-
ments of ice far from land. It never afcends the fixed ice -, but
lives and fleeps on the floating iflands in great herds. Swinns in great
numbers, having '^ne for a leader, which fcems to watch for the fe-
curity of the whole. Eats its prey with its head above water. Swims,
in various ways ; on its belly, back,^ and fide, and often whirls about
as if in frolick. Frequently fleeps on the furface of the water. Is.
very incautious. Has great dread of the Phy/eter MicropSy which
forces it towards the ftiore. It is often furrounded by^ troops of
hunters, who compel it even to land, where it is eafily killed..

It is found alfo about Kamifchatkay being the third fpecies men-
tioned by Steller.,

It grows to the length of nine feet. The meafurements of one de-
fcribed by Mr. Lepechin are as follow — The length, from the nofe to
the tip of the tail,, was fix feet : the length of the tail five inches three
lines : the girth of the thickeft part of the body four feet eight.

The flcin is ufed to cover trunks j that of the young, taken ip div
ifle of Sdovkiy on the wcfl: fide of the White Sea, is made into boots,
and is excellent for keeping out water. The Greenlanders, in dreffing
the flcins, curry oflT the hair, and leave fome fat on the infide to ren-

* Ja^ A<ai, Pttnp> pars 263.

3

der

RUBBON AND UHSINE SEAL.

der them thicker. With thcfc they cover their boats, and with the
undreffcd (kins their tents j and, when they can get no other, make
ufe of them for cloathing.

The oil extraftcd from the blubber of this Seal is far the moft
valuable, being fwctft, and fo free from greaves as to yield a greater
quantity than any other fpecics. The flclh is black.

The NewfoundlMd Seal-hunters call it the Harp, or Heart Seal,
and name the marks on the fides the faddle. They fpeak too of a
brown fort, which they call BfdUmert and believe to be the ydung
of the former.

t«5

Hift. ^uad. N' 380. fig. at p. 513.

SEAL. With very fliort briftly hair, of an uniform glofly color^
almoft black : the whole back and fides, comprehended within
a narrow regular ftripe of pale yellow.

It is to Dr. Pallas I owe the knowlege of this fpecies. He re-
ceived only part of the (kin, which feemed to have been the back,
and fides. The length was four feet, the breadth two feet three -,
fo it muft have belonged ta a large fpecies. k was taken off the
Kuril iflands.

78. RvBBOK.

Hift. ^uaJ. N" 3871

Kot Rita's Gentilibus ad Sinum Ptmebinieumt Tarlat/chiga, Nov, Com. Pitrop. il. 331.

tab XV.
Sea Wolf •, Perntty, Engl. Tr. 187. tab. xvi.—U/loaVvoy. i. 226.
CJ:at Marin, HiJ. Kamt/thatka, 433,

SEAL. With a high forehead : nofe projeffclng like that of a
dog : black irides : fmaragdine pupil : whiflcers compofed of
triangular hairs, thinly fcattered : noftrils oval, divided by z/eptum :
lips thick i their infide red, and ferrated.

* The French generic name tar the Seal it £«»/ Marin, and the Spanifi, Loie Ma-
rtin*,

In

79. UastKB.

1 -vA

i66

URSINE SEAL.

ToNouB, Ears.

JTORB LEGS..

Tbbth, In the upper jaw four bifurcated cutting teeth ; on each fide of

thefe a very Iharp canine tooth bending inwards $ beyond thcfe ano-
ther, which, in battle, the animal ftrikes with, as Boars do with their
tuflcs. Inftead of grinders, in each upper jaw are fix ftiarp teeth
refembling canine, and very flightly exerted. In the lower jaw four
cutting teeth, and canine like thofe in the upper; and on each fide
ifen others in the place of grinders. When the mouth is clofed all the
teeth lock into each other.

The tongue rough and bifid : the ears fiiort, fniall, and fharp-
pointed, haiiy on the outfide, fmooth and poliflied within.

Fore legs two feet long, not immerfed in the body, like thofe
of other Seals, but refemble thofe of common quadrupeds. The
feet are furniflied with five toes, with the rudiments of nails ; but
thefe are fo entirely covered with a naked flcin, as to be as much
concealed as a hand is with a mitten. The animal ftands on thefe
legs with the utmoft firmnefs; yet the feet feem but a fiiapelefs
mafs.

The hind legs are twenty-two inches long, and fituated like thofe
of Seals ; but are capable of being brought forward, fo that the ani«
mal makes ufe of them to (cratch its head : on each are five toes,
conneded by a large web ; and are a foot broad. The tail is only
two inches long.

The body is of a conoid fhape. The length of a large one is
about eight feet j the circumference near the fiioulders is five feet,
near the tail twenty inches. The weight eight hundred pounds.

The female is far inferior in fize to the male : it has two teats,
placed far behind.

The whole animal is covered with long and rough hair, of a
blackifii color ; that of the old is tipt with grey j and on the neck of
the males is a little longer and ereft : beneath the hair is a foft fur
of a bay color. The females are cinereous. The flcin is thick and
ftrong.
Place. Thefe animals are found in amazing multitudes on the iflands be-

tween

Hind legs.

Tail.

BoDy.

Female.

Color.

URSINE SEAL.

167

MiaHATORT.

■V---

tween Kamtfcbatka and America •} but arc fcarcely known to land on
the Aftatic fhore : nor are they ever taken except in the three Kurilian
iflands, and from thence in the Bobrowoie More, or Beaver Sea, as
far as the Kronojki headland, off the river Kamt/chatka, which com-
prehends only from 50 to 56 north latitude. It is obfervable that
they never double the fouthern cape of the peninfula, or arc found
on the weftern fide in the Pen/cbinjka fea : but their, great refort has
been obferved to be to Biring's iflands. They arc as regularly mi-
gratory as birds of pafiage. They firft appear off the three Kurili
iflands and Kamtfcbatka in the earlieft fpring. They arrive exceflTively
fat } and there is not one female which does not come pregnant. Such
which are then taken are opened, the young taken out and flcinned.
They are found in Bering's ifland only on the weftern ftiore, being
the part oppofite to /ffioy where they firft appear on their migration
from the fouth. They continue on ftiore three months, during which>
time the females bring forth. Excepting their employ of fuck-
ling their young,, they pafs> their time in total inactivity. The males Lono slbep and
fink into the moft profound indolence, and deep fleep ; nor are they
ever roufed, except by fome great provocation, arifing from an inva-
fion of their place, or a jealoufy, of their females. During the whole,
time they neither eat nor drink. Steller diffefted numbers, without,
finding the left appearance of food in their ftomachs.

They live in families. Every male is furrounded by a feragUo of L»ve ik fami-
from eight to fifty miftreffes. j thefe he guards with the jealoufy of
an eaftern monarch. Each family keeps feparate from the others,
notwithftanding they lie by thoufands on the fhore. Every family,
with the unmarried and the young, amount to about a hundred and
twenty. They alfo fwim in tribes when they take to the fea.

FASTI NO.

LIES.

• They fay that the Sea-Cat, or Siwutcha, is found in thofe iflands ; but Siwutcha.'
is the name given by the Kamt/ebatkans and Kuriliani to the Ltonine Seal only«
Ntrtbtrn Arthiptlago, Sic, by Fob SttfbUu, Printed for Hydingir, 1774, p. 34<

TJir-

i6»

URSINE SEAL.

Affectiom to-

WARI)1 THEIR,

YOUNC.

CoNFLICTSt

Causesof thbm.

The males fliew great aflfe^ion towards their young, and equal
tyranny towards the females. The former are fierce in the protec-
tion of their offspring; and fhould any one attempt to take their
cub, will ftand on the defenfive, while the female carries it away in
her mouth. Should flic happen to drop it, the male inflantly quits its
enemy, falls on her, and beats her againft the (tones till he leaves
her for dead. As foon as flie recovers, flie crawls to his feet in the
moft fuppliant manner, and waflies them with her tears; he at the fame
time brutally iisfults her mifery, ftalking about in the moft inlblent
manner. But if the young is entirely carried off, he melts into the
greateft affliftion, likewife ftieds tears, and fliews every mark of deep
forrow. It is probable that as the female brings only one, or at mo(t
two cubs, he feels his misfortune the more fcnfibly,

Thofe animals which are deftitute of females, through age or itn-
potence, or are deferted by them, withdraw themfelves from fociety,
and grow excefllvely fplenetic, peevifli, and quarrelfome j are very
furious, and fo attached to their antient ftations, as to prefer death
to the lofs of them. They are enormoufly fat, am emit a moft
naufeous and rank fmell. If they perceive another animal approacli
its feat, they are inftantly roufed from their indolence, fnap at the
encroacher, and give battle. During the fight they infenfibly in-
trude on the ftation of their neighbor. This creates new offence; {o
that at length the civil difcord fpreads through the whole ihore, at-
tended with hideous growls, their note of war. They are very
tenacious of life, and will live a fortnight after receiving fuch
wounds as would foon deftroy any other animal.

The particular caufes of difputes among thefe irafcible beafts arc
the following : — The firft and greateft is, when an attempt is made to
feduce any of their miftreffes, or a young female of the family: a
battle is the immediate confequence of the infult. The unhappy
vanquiftied inftantly lofes his whole fcraglio, who defert him for the
vidorious hero.

The

URSINE SEAL.

The invafion of the ftation of another, gives rife to fredi conHldbsi
and the third caufe is the interfering in the difputcs of others. The
battles they wage are very tremendous j the wounds they inflid very
deep, like the cut of a fabre. At the conclgfion of an engagement
they fling themfelvcs into the fea to wafti off the l^ood.

Befides their notes of war, they have fevcral others. When they Nom.
lie on Ihore, and are diverting themfelves, they low like a Cow. After
viftory they chirp like a Cricket. On a defeat, or after receiving a
wound, mew like a Cat.

Common Seals, and Sea Otters, ftand in great awe of thefe ani- D*«ad tub Leo-
mals, and Ihun their haunts. They again are in equal awe of the
Leonine Seals, and do not care to begin a quarrel in their (ighr,
dreading the intervention of fuch formidable arbitrators ; who like-
wife poITefs the firfl: place on the ihore.

The great and old animals are in no fear of mankind, unlefs they Fe** "ot Maw
are fuddenly furprized by a loud ihout, when they will hurry by
thoufands into the fea, fwim about, and ftare at the novelty of their
difturbers.

When they come out of the water, tliey (hake themfelves, and
fmooth their hair with their hind feet t apply their lips to thofe of
the females, as if they meant to kifs them : lie down and baflc in the
fun with their hind legs up, which they wag as a Dog does its tail.
Sometimes they lie on their back, foraetimes roll themfelves up in-
to a ball, and fall afleep. Their fleep is never fo found but they
are awoke by the left alarm j for their fenfe of hearing, and alfo
that of fmelling, is moft exquifite.

They copulate, more humanoj in Jufyt and bring forth in the June
following ; fo they go with young eleven months. The cubs are
as fportive as puppies ; have mock fights, and tumble one another
on the ground. The male parent looks on with a fort of compla-
cency, parts them, licks and kiifes them, and feems to take a greater
aflfedbion to the vidbor than to the others.

cofulatiov.
Gestation.

They

170

ir n S T N E SEAL.

Uiii.

SwiiT iwiMMi»». Tliey fwim with amazing fwiftncfs aiul ftrcngih. even at the rate

of fevcn or eight miles an hour, and often on their back. They

dive well, and continue a great while under water. If wounded in

• that clement, they will feize on the boat, carry it with them with

great impetuofity, and often will fink it.

When they wifli to alcend the rocks, they fix their fore feet on
them, arch their backs, and then draw thcmfelves up.
CArTvm. The Kamt/chatkans take them by harpooning, for they never land

on their fliore. To the harpoon is faftened a long line, by which
they draw the animal to the boat after it is fpent with fatigue j but
in the chafe, the hunters are very fearful of too near an approach,
leaft the animal fhould fallen on and fink their veflel.

The ufes of them are not great. The flelh of the old males is
rank and naufeous ; that of the females is faid to rcfemble lamb} of
the young ones roafted, a fucking pig. The Ikins of the young, cut
out of the bellies of the dams, are efteemed for cloathing, and are
fold for about three (hillings and four pence each ; thofe of the old
for only four (hillings.

Their re-migration is in the month of September^ when they depart
cxcelTively lean, and take their young with them. On their re-
turn, they again pafs near the fame parts of Kamtfchatka which they
did in the fpring. Their winter retreats are quite unknown ; it is
probable that they are the illands between tlic Kurili and Japan^ of
which we have fome brief accounts, under the name of Ccmpngm
Land, States Land, and Jejo Gafma, which were discovered by Martin
Uriel in 1642*. It is certain that by his account the natives em-
ploy themfelves in the capture of Seals f . Sailors do not give
themfelves the trouble of obferving die nice diftindtion of fpecific
marks, we are therefore at liberty to conjefture thofe which he faw

Rl-MIORATION.

• He failed from the etft fide of Japm in the (hip Caflruom, vifitcd the ifle Ofjt/f,
and difcovered the iflands which he called Stalts Land and Company Land» tlw 1 ait not
•stry remote from the moft fouthern Kurili illand. Rtcutil dt vej, au Nerd, iv. 1.

t The fame, 12.

URSINE SEAL.

«y«

to b€ our*anim»U, cfpccially as we can fix on no more convenient
place for their winter quarters. They arrive along the fliorcs of the
Kuriii iflands, an J part of thofc of Kamt/tbatka, from the fouth. Ihey
land and inhabit only the weftcrn fide of Bering % ifle, which face*
Kamtjcbatka j and when they return in Seftemhtr^ their route is due
fouth, pointing towards the difcoveries of Uriel. Had they mi-
ijrated from the fouth-eaft as well as the fouth-weft, every ifle, and
every fide of every ifle, would have been filled with them ; nor fliould
we have found (as we do) fuch a conftant and local refidcncc.

Before I quit this article I muft obferve, that there fcems to be
in the feas of Jejo Gafimo another fpecies of Seal, perhaps our little
Seal, N" 386. Iliji. ^ad. The account indeed is but obfcurc,
which I muft give as related by Charlevoix in his compilations rc-
fpefting that ifland. " The natives," fays he, '* make ule of an oil
" to drink, drawn from a fort of fifh, a fmall hairy creature witl\
«* four feet." If this account is true, it ferves to point out the far-
theft known rcfidence of this genus, on this fide of the northern lie-
rnifphere.

Finally, the Ur/me Seals are found in the fouthcrn hemifphcre, Ursini Sial in
even from under the line, in the ifle of Gallipagos f, to New Georgia%, thk southirm
in fouth latitude 54. 15. and weft longitude 37. 15. In the interme-
diate parts, they are met with in New Zeland \\, in the ifle oi'Juan
Fernandez^ and its neighbor Maffa Fueray and probably along the
coafts of Chili to Terra del Fuego^ and Staten Land, In Juan Fer-
nandez, Staten Land, and new Georgia %, they fwarm ; as they do at
the northern extremity of this vaft ocean. Thofe of the fouthern
hemifphere have alfo their feafons of migration, Alexander Selkirkj
who pafled three lonely years on the ifle of Juan Fernandez, remarks

HEMIsrUBRg.

t Woodes Rogtrt's vey. 265. He fays that they are neither fo numerous there, nor U
their fur fo fine as thofe on Juan Ftrnandtx, which is faid to be extremely foft and
delicate.

X Cook's vey. ii. 213. || Catk, i. yt. 86. Forfttr't Ob/. 189, fl An/onU

voj. 122. Cook, ii, 194, 213,

Z a " that

l^^

URSINE AND LEONINE SEAL.

that they come afhore in June, and ftay till September *. Captain
Cook found them again, in their place of remigration, in equal abun-
dance, on Staten Land and New Georgia, in the months of December
and January f ; and Don Perneiy % found them on the Falkland
iflands, in the month o{ February.

According to the Greenlanders, this fpecies inhabits the fouthern
parts of their country. They call it Auvekajak. That it is veiy fierce,
and tears to pieces whatfoever it meets; that it lives on land as
well as in water, fwims moft impetuoufly, and is dreaded by th«
hunters 11 ..

Sq, Leonine*

MiJ}. ^ad. N"^ 389.

Beftia Marina, Kurillit, Kamtfchadidis tX. Ru£ii, Kuril/ico^ xtomine Sinuul/cba diClai

Nev. Com. Petrop, ii. 360.
Lion Marin, Hiji. Kamt/chatka, 4^8..

SEAL. With a large head : nofe turning up like that of a pug
Dog : eyes Targe ; ptipil fmaragdine : the greater angle of each
as if ftained with cinnabar color. In the upper jaw four fmall cut-
ting teeth J the exterior on each fide remote, and at fome difl:ance
from thefe are two large canine teeth: in the lower jaw four fmall
cutting teeth, and the canine : the grinders fmall and obtufe $ four
on each fide above, and five below : ears conic and eredt ; feet exafb-
ly like thofe of the Urfine Seal'.

Along the neck of the male is a mane of ftifF curled Hair; and
the wholie neck is covered with long waved hairs, fuch as diftinguifh
a Lion ; the refl: of the animal cloathed with fhort reddifh hairs^
tliofe of the female are of the color of ochre j the young of a much>
deeper. The old animals grow grey with age.

• Seliiri's account in ^. Rogers's voy. 136. f ii. 194. 2i}, % His

tvy»^Ci.Enil, Tr\ 187. If Faun. Gteenl. p. 6.

The

LEONINE SEAL.

173

The weight of a large male beaft is fixteen hundred pounds.
Length of the males is fometimcs fourteen, or even eighteen feet *.
The females are very difproportionably lefler, not exceeding eight
feet.

Inhabits the caftern coafts of Kamtfchatka^ from cape Kronozki as
low as cape Lapatka and the Kurili i (lands, and even as far as
Mat/mat, wliich probably is tht fame with Je/b Gafima. Near MatJ-
mai Captain 6^««^^r^ obferved a certain ifland of a moft piiSturefque
form, bordered with roclcs refembling buildings, and fwarming with
thefe animals, to which he gave the name of the Palace of the Sea
Lions f . Like the Urjine Seals, they are not found on the weftern
fide of the peninfula. They abound, in the months of Jujje, July-,
Augufty and September, on Bering's ifland, which they inhabit for the
fake of quiet parturition and fuckling their young. Steller alfo
faw them in abundance in July on the coads of America.

They do not migrate like the foimer j but only change .the place
of refidence, having winter and fummer ftations J. They live chiefly
on rocky Ihores, or lofty rocks in the fea, wiiichfeem to have been
torn away from the land by the violence of fome earthquake ||.
Thefe they climb, and by their dreadful roaring are of ufe in foggy
weather to warn navigators to avoid deftruftion.

They copulate in the months of Auguji and Sepfemler ; go ten
months, and bring only one at a time. The parents fliew them little
affeftion, often- tread them to death through carelefsnefs, and will
fuffer them to be killed before them without concern or refentmenc.
The cubs are not fportive, like other young animals, but are almoil
always afleep. Both male and female take them to fea to learn
them to fwim ; when wearied, they will climb on the back of their
dam ; but the male often puflies them off, to habituate them to the

• Narhorough, 31. Ptnrtfe Falkland JJlts, 28. Pernttti, viy. Malouinei, 240. By his
confounding the names of this and the Botde-nofe Seal, N" 288. Hr/l. ^ad, he
led me into a miflake about the length of this.

i.De/.r. Kamt/datka, 433. | Nov, Cem, Pe/rof. ii. 365, || MuJUr's voj. 6b.

&

excrcife.

»74

LEONINE SEA L.

FlAH MANKIND

V)IL8S3 HABITU'
ATSD,

Notes.

Food.

cxercife. The Ru^atis were wont to fling the cubs into the water,
ftnd they always fwam back to (bore. r-

The males treat the females with great refpe^l, and are very fond
of their carefles. They are polygamous, but content themfelves
with fewer wives than the former, having only from two to four
apiece.

The males have a terrible aCped:, yet ithey take to flight on the firft
appearance of a human creature i and if they are difturbed from
their fleep, feem feized with great horrors, figh deeply in their at-
tempts to go away, fall into vaft confufion, tumble down, and trem-
ble in fuch a manner as fcarcely to be able to ufe their limbs. But if
they are reduced to a ftrait, fo as not pofllbly to efl^eft an cfcape,
they grow defperate, turn on their enemy with great fury and noife,
and even put the moll valiant to flight.

By ufe they lofe their fear of men. Steller once lived for fix days
in a hovel amidll their chief quarters, and found them foon recon-
ciled to the fight of him. They would obferve what he was doing
with great calmnefs, lie down oppofite to him, and fuffer him to
feize on their cubs. He had an opportunity of feeing their conflifts
about their females ; and once faw a dudl between two males, which
lafted three days, and one of them received above a hundred
wounds. The Urfine Seals never interfered, but got out of the way
as faft as pofTible. They even fuffered the cubs of the former to
fport with them without ofiVring them the left injury.

This fpecies has many of the fame aftions with the former, in
fwimming, walking, lying, and fcratching itlHf. The old bellow
like Bulls i the young bleat like Sheep. Steller izys, that from their
notes he feemed like a ruftic amidft his herds. The males had a
ftrong fmell, but were not near fo fetid as the Urfine fort.

Their food is fifli, the lefler Seals, Sea Otters, and other marine,
animals. During the months of June and July the old males almoft
entirely abfl.ain from eating, indulge in indolence and fleep, and be-
come exccflively cmaciaiid.

The

LEONINE SEAL.

»75

pi.

Tlie voyagers made ufe of them to fubfift on, and thought the
flefh of the young very favoury. The feet turned- irtto jelly on be-
ing dreflcd, and in their fituation were efteemcd great ddicacies.
The fat was nor oily i that of the young refembled the fuct of mutci/n,
and was as delicious as marrow. The flcin was ufeful for ftrapsf,
ihoes, and boots.

The Kamtfchatkans efteem the chafe of thefe animals a generous
diverfion, and hold the man in higheft honor, in proportion to the
number he has killed. Even thefe heroes are very cautious when
they attack one of the animals on Ihore : they watch an opportunity
when they find it afleep, approach it againft the wind, ftrike their
harpoon, faftened to a: long thong, into its bread, while , their
comrades fatten one end to a flake, and that done,, he takes to his
heels with the utmoft precipitation. Thef effedt his deftnidic^n at
a diftance, by fliooting him with arrows, or flingihg their lances
into him ; and when exhaufted, they venture to come near enough to
knock him on the head with clubs.

When they difco/er one on the lonely rocks in the fea, they fhoot
it with poifoned arrows : unable to endure the pain of the wound,
heightened by the falt-water, which it plunges into on the firft re-
ceiving it, it fwims on Ihore in the greateft agony. If they find a
good opportunity, they transfix it with their weapons -, if nor, they
leave it to die of the poifon, which it infallibly does in twenty-four
hours, and in the moft dreadful agony *.

They efteem it a great difgrace to leave any of their game behind :
and this point of honor they often obferve, even to their own de-
ftrudtion ; for it happens that when they go in fearch of thefe ani-
mals to the ifle of Jlait, which lies fome miles fouth-weft of Lapatka
promontory, they obferve this principle fo religioufly, as to over-
load their boats fo much, as to fend them and their booty to the
bottom ; for they fcorn to fave themfelves, at the expence of throw-
ing overboard any part f .

Uses.

Chaii*

• Defer. Kamt/chatka, 377.

t Nov. Com, Pttrop. ii. 302.

This

176

LEONINE SEAL.

This fpecifis has been difcovcred very low in the fouthern hefni-
fpherc i but, I believe, not on the weftern fide. Sir Jobn Narbo-
rougb *mct with them on an ifland off Port DefirCi in lat. 47. 48. Sir
Richard Hawkins f found them on Pinguin ifle, within the fecond Nar-
row of the ftreights of Mageilan. They abound in the Falkland
IJlands Xi and were again difcovcred by Captain Cook on the New Tear's
JJlandsy off the weft coafl: o^Staten lMnd\, In thofe fouthern latitudes
they bring forth their young in the middle of our winter, the feafon
in which our late circumnavigators § vifited thofc diftont parts.

• Vy. 31. + yy-Ti* X Ptrnttf$>vcy. 18S. Ub. xvi.

II Cecif ii. 194. 203. The months in which thefe animals were obferved by the na-
vigators, victtjammmy and Ftinuny, but by Sir J.ifmritnugb, in the ftreights «f
IS^gillan, about the 4th ofllhirth, O. S.

.% Ferftir't n/y, u, ^i^

Hisr.

WHALE-TAILED MANATL

«77

Hist. ^UAV. Genus XLIIL

\.->rt

MAN ATI.

iMorflcaia Korowa, Rufforum. Nov. Com. Pitrtp. ii. 294.
Vaches Marines, Defer. Kamt/cbatka, 446.

81. Whalb-

TAILBO.

MAN AT L With a fmall oblong fquarifh head, hanging down :
mouth fmall : lips doubled, forming an outward and inward
lip : about the junftion of the jaws a fet of white tubular bridles, as
thick as a pigeon's quil, which ferve as drainers to permit the run-
ning out of the water, and to retain the food : the lips covered with
ftrong bridles, which ferve indead of teeth to crop the drong roots
of marine plants : no teeth, but in each jaw a flat white oblong bone
with an undulated furface, which being placed above and below,
p'^'-forms the ufe of grinders to comminute the food.

A^odrils placed at the end of the nofe, and lined with bridles : no
ears, only in their place a fmall orifice.

Eyes very fmall, not larger than thofe of a Sheep, hardly vifible
through the little round holes in the flcin ; the irides black i the
pupil livid : tongue pointed and fmall.

The whole animal is of great deformity : the neck thick, and its
union with the head fcarcely difcernible : the two feet, or rather
fins, are fixed near the fhouldcrs j are only twenty -fix inches long j
are deditute of toes, or nails, but terminate in a fort of hoof, concave
beneath, lined with bridles, and fitted for digging in fand.

The outward flcin is black, rugged, and knotty, like the bark of an
aged oak : without any hair ; an inch tliick, and fo hard as fcarcely
to be cut with an ax ; and when cut, appears in the infide like ebony.
From the nape to the tail it is marked with circular wrinkles rifing
into knots, and fliarp points on the fide. This flcin covers the whole

A a body

17^

WHALE-TAILED MANATL

Tau.

Sttr.

body like a cruft, and is of fingular ufe to the animal during winter,
in protecting it againft the ice, under which it often feeds, or againft
the fharp-pointed rocks, againft which it is ^ften dafhed by the
wintry ftorms. It is alfo an equal guard againft the fummer heats j
for this animal does not, like moft other marine creatures, feed at
the bottom, but with part of the body expofed, as well to the rays
of the fun as to the piercing cold of the froft. In faft, this inte-
gument is fo eflential to its prefervation, that Steiler has obferved
feveral dead on the fhore, which he believes were killed by the ac-
cidental privation of it. The color of this fkin, when wet, is dufky,
when dried, quite black.

The tail is horizontally flat j black, and ending in a ftiiF fin, com-
pofed of laminae like whale-bone, terminating with fibres near nine
inches long. It is flightly forked j but both ends are of equal
lengths, like the tail of a Whale.

It has two teats placed exaftly on the breaft. The milk is thick
and fweet, not unlike that of a Ewe. Thefe animals copulate more
bumanoy and in the fcafon of courtfhip fport long in^, the fea j the
female feigning to Ihun the embraces of the male, who purfues her
through all the mazes of her flight.

The body, from the Ihoulders to the navel, is very thick j from
thence to the tail grows gradually more flender. The belly is very
large j and, by reafon of the quantity of entrails, very tumid.

Thefe animals grow to .the length of twenty-eight feet. The
meafurements of one fomewhat leffer, as given by Mr. Steiler ^ are as
follow :

The length, from the nofe to the end of the tail, twenty-four
feet and a half: from the nofe to the Ihoulders, or fetting-on of the
fins, four feet four. The circumference of the head, above the
noftrils, two feet feven ; above the ears, four feet : at the nape of the
neck, near feven feet : at the fhoulders, twelve : about the belly,
above twenty : near the tail, only four feet eight : the extent of the
tail, from point to point, fix feet and a half.

The

WHALE-TAILED MANATI.

179

The weight of a large one is eight thoufand pounds. Weight.

Inhabits the Ihores of Bering's and the other iflands which inter- Placi.

vene between the two continents. They never appear off Kamt/chatkat
unlefs blown afhore by tempefts, as they fomctimes are about the
hay of Jwat/cha. The natives flyle them Kapufiniky or cabbage-
eaters, from their food. This genus has not been difcovered in any
other part of the northern hemifphere. That which inhabits the
eaftern fide of South America, and fome part of Africa, is of a dif-
ferent fpecies. For the latter I can teftify, from having feen one
from Senegal. Its body was quite fmooth; its tail fwelled out in
the middle, and floped towards the end, which was rounded *. To
fupport my other opinion, I can call in the faithful Dampier j who
defcribes the body as perfeftly fmooth f : had it that ftriking inte-
gument which the fpecies in queftion has, it could not have efcaped
his notice. Let me alfo add, that the fize of thofe which that able
feaman obferved, did not exceed ten or twelve feet j nor the weight
of the largeft reach that of twelve hundred pounds J.

I fufpeft that this fpecies extends to Mindanao, for one kind is cer-
tainly found there ||. It is met with much farther fouth; for I dif-
cover, in the collection of Sir Joseph Banks, a fketch of one taken
near Diego Rodriguez, vulgarly called Diego Rais, an ifle to the ealt of
Mauritius -, and it may poffibly have found its way through fome
northern inlet to the feas of Greenland -, for Mr. Fabricius once dif-
covered in that country the head of one, half confumed, with teeth
exadly agreeing with thofe of this fpecies §.

Thefe animals frequent the ftiallow and fandy parts of the Ihores, Makkers.
and near the mouths of the fmall rivers of the ifland of Bering, feem-
ingly pleafed with the fweet water. They go in herds : the old keep
behind and drive their young before them : and fome keep on
their fides, by 'way of protedtion. On the rifing of the tide they

* A figure of this fpecies is given in De Buffon, xii. tab. Ivii. and in Stireitr, ii.
tab. Ixxx.

t f^'J' »• 33' X Ibid. II Dampier, i. 321. § Faun, Gmnl. p. 6.

A a 2 approach

^

1 80

WHALE-TAILED MANATI.

approach the fhorcs, and arc lb tame as to fufFer themfclvcs to be
ftroked : if they are roughly treated, they move towards the fea i
but foon forget the injury, and return.

They live in families near one another: each confifts of a male and
female, a half-grown young, and a new-born one. The families
often unite, fo as to form vaft droves. They are monogamous.
Tliey bring forth a fingle young, but have no particular time of par-
turition i but chiefly, as Steller imagines, about autumn.

They are moft innocent and harmlefs in their manners, and moft
ftrongly attached to one another. When one is hooked, the whole
herd will attempt its refcue : feme will drive to overfet the boat, by
going beneath itj others will fling themfelves on the rope of the
hook and prefs it down, in order to break it i and others again will
make the utmoll efforts to force the in.lrument out of its wounded
companion.

Their conjugal affection is moft exemplary : a male, after ufing
all its endeavours to releafe its mate which had been ftruck, purfued
it to the very edge of the water j no blows could force it away. As
long as the deceafed female continued in the water, he perfifted in
his attendance ; and even for three days after flie was drawn on lbore>
and even cut up and carried away, was obferved to remain, as if in
expeftation of her return.

They are moft voracious creatures, and feed with their head under
water, quite inattentive of the boats, or any thing that pafTes about
them ; moving and fwimming gently after one another, with
much of their back above water. A fpecies of loufe harbours in the
roughnefs of their coats, which the Gulls pick out, fitting on them as-
Crows do on Hogs and Sheep. Every now and then they lift their
nofe out of the water to take breath, and make a noife like the fnort-
ing of Horfes. When the tide retires, they fwim away along with
it ; but fometimes the young are left alhore till the return of the
water : otherwife they never quit that element : fo that in nature, as
well as form, they approach the cetaceous animals, and are the link
between Seals and them.

They

WHALE-TAILED MANATL

They were taken on Bering's ide by a grt-at hook faftened to a
lor j; rope. Four or five people took it with them in a boat, and
rowed amidft a herd. The ftrongeft man took the inrtrument, (Iruck
it into the nearefl animal j which done, thirty people on fliore feized
the rope, and with great difficulty drew it on fhore. The poor crea-
ture makes the ftrongeft refiftance, afllfted by its faithful companions.
It will cling with its feet to the rocks till it leaves the (kin behind ;
and often great fragments of the crufty integument fly off before it
can be landed. It is an animal full of blood ; fo that it fpouts in
amazing quantities from the orifice of the wound.

They have no voice ; only» when wounded, emit a deep figh.

They have the fenfes of fight and hearing very imperfcdl j or at
left negleft tlie ufe of them.

They are not migratory j for they were feen about Bering's ifland
the whole of the fad ten months which Mr. Steller pafled there after
his fhipwreck.

In the fummer they iftxe very fat j in the winter fo lean that the
ribs might be counted.

The (kin is ufed, by the inhabitants about the promontory Tcbukt-
chi, to cover their boats. The fat, which covers the whole body like
a thick blubber, was thought to be as good and fweet as M<?y-but-
ter : that of the young, like hogs-lard. The flefti of the old, when
well boiled, refembled beef : that of the young, veal. The flefh will
not refufe fait. The crew preferved feveral calks full, which was
found of excellent fervice in their efcape from their horrible con-
fijiement *.

To this article muft be added an imperfed defcription of a marine
animal feen by Mr. Steller on the coaft of Jmerica, which he calls a
Sea Ape. The head appeared like that of a Dog, with fliarp and
upright ears, large eyes, and with both lips bearded : the body
round and conoid -, the thickeft part near the head : the tail forked i

181
Capture.

Uses,
The Fat.

Lean.

Sea Ape.

MulUr't vey, 62, Nov, Com. Ftlrop. lu 329.

the

~ I'TPVPTC ""M3f?KnJI} TS"'

l83

SEA

APE.

Sea
Beluga.

the upper lobe the longen: : the body covered with thick hair, grey
on the back, reddifh on the bc-ll/. It fcemcd deftitute of feet.

It was extremely wanton, and played a multitude of monkey-
tricks. It fomctimes fwam on one fide, fometimes on the other fide
of the fhip, and gazed at it with great admiration. It made fo near
an approach to the veflel, as almoft to be touched with a pole ; but
if any body moved, it inftantly retired. It would often (land ered
for a confiderable fpace, with one-third of its body above water;
then dart beneath the fhip, and appear on the other fide -, and repeat
the fame thirty times together. It would frequently arife with a fea-
plant, not unlike the Bottle-gourd, tofs it up, and catch it in its
mouth, playing with it numberlefs fantaftic tricks *.

On animals of this fpecies the fable of the Sirens might very well
be founded.

I fhall conclude this article with a recantation of what I fay in the
357th page of my Synopfis, relating to the Beluga -, which I now find
was colledted, by the author I cite, from the reports of Cojfacks, and
ignorant fifhermen. The animal proves at laft to be one of the
cetaceous tribe, of the genus of Dolphin, and of a fpecies called by
the Germans fVit-FiJchy and by the Ruffians Beluga f j both fignifying
White fifh : but to this the laft add Morjiaia, or of the/ea, by way of
diftinguifhing it from a fpecies of Sturgeon fo named. It is com-
mon in all the ArSiic feas j and fornas an article of commerce, being
taken on account of its blubber. They are numerous in the gulph
of St. Lawrence i and go with the tide as high as ^ebec. There
arc filheries for them, and the common Porpejfey in that river. A
confiderable quantity of oil is extradted j and of their Ikins is made
a fort of Morocco leather, thin, yet ftrong enough to rcfift a mufquet-
ball %. They are frequent in the Dwina and the Ohy ; and go in
fmall families from five to ten, and advance pretty far up the rivers
in purfuit of filh. They are ufually caught in netsi but arc fomc-

• Hifi. Kamt/cbatka, 136.

+ Pallas, Itin. Hi. 84. tabi iv. CraHtfi Grttnl, i, 114* Punias'i Pi/grinu,m, 549.

X Charltvoi^e, v. a 17.

times

SEA BELUGA.

I8j

times harpooned. They bring only one young at a time, which is
dufky J but grow white as they advance in age ; the change firft
commencing on the belly. They are apt to follow boats, as if they
were tamed; and appear extremely beautiful, by reafon of their re-
Iplendent whitenefs *.

It being a fpecies very little known, and never well engraven, I
Ihall give a brief defcription, and adjoin an engraving taken from
an excellent drawing communicated to me by Dr. Pallas.

The head is Ihort : nofe blunt : fpiracle fmall, of the form of a
crefcent : eyes very minute : mouth fmall : in each fide of each jaw
are nine teeth, (hort, and rather blunt; thofe of the upper jaw are
bent, and hollowed, fitted to receive the teeth of the lower jaw when
the mouth is clofed : pedtoral fins nearly of an oval form : beneath
the fkin may be felt the bones of five fingers, which ternrinate at
the edge of the fin in five very fenfible projeftions. This brings it
into the next of rank in the order of beings with the Manati. The
tail is Vivided into two lobes, which lie horizontally, but do not
fork, except a little at their bafe. The body is oblong, and rather
flender, tapering from the back (which is a little elevated) to the
tail. It is quite deftitute of the dorfal fin.

Its length is from twelve to eighteen feet. It makes great ufe of
its tail in fwimming ; for it bends tha: part under it, as a Lobfter
does its tail, and work: it with fuch force as to dart along with the
rapidity of an arrow.

A full account of the fifli of the Whale kind, feen by the Reverend
Dr. Borlafe f between the Lc.id's End and the Scilly iflands, is a
dejideratum in the Britijh Natural Hiftory. He defcribes them as
being from twelve to fifteen feet long ; fome were milk-white, others
brown, others fpotted. They are called Tbornbacks, from a fharp
and broad fin on the back. This deftroys my fufpicion of their be-
ing of the above fpecies.

DBScmrTioN.

Sizi.

Faim, Crttttl, 51.

t Ot/. Sdllf I/lands, 3.

IV, Winced,.

i I'

IS4

NEW YORK AND LONG-HAIRED BAT.

BAT.

IV. Winced.
irisr. ^UAD. Genus XLIV.

82. New Yokk.

Hift. ^aJ. N" 403.— Lev. Mui.

BAT. With the head like that of a Moufe : top of the nofe a
little bifid: ears broad, ihort, and rounded: in each jaw two
canine teeth : no cutting teeth : tail very long, inclofed in the mem-
brane, which is of a triangular form : the wings thin, naked, and
duflcy : bones of the hind legs very flender.

Head, body, and upper part of the membrane inclofing the tail,
covered with very long hair of a bright tawny color, paleft on the
head, beginning of the back, and the belly : at the baf'c of each
wing is a white fpot.

Length from nofe to tail two inches and a half; tail, one inch
eight-tenths : extent of the v ings, ten inches and a half.

Inhabits the province of New Tork; and difcovered hy Dr. Former*
n New Zealand, in the South Seas.

Sj. Long*

HAIRED.

Mr, Clajtcit, in Pi. Trau/, MriJg, iii. 594.

BAT. With long draggling hairs, and great ears.
The above is all the account we have of this fpecies j which
is faid to be an inhabitant of Virginia.

Mr. Law/on fays, that the common Bat is found in Carolina f .

• Oi/ervatitns, t^c. 189.

t Hijf, Carolina, 125.

Hijf,

■?;•*

NOCTULE AND COMMON DAT*

Its

Hiji. ^Md. N" 407.— Great Bat, Bf. Z»ti. i. N'jl*

I4. N^QTVlif

BAT. With the nofe nightly bilobatcd : ears fmall and rounded :
on the chin a fmall wart : body of a cinereous red.
Extent of wings fifteen inches : body between two and three in
length : tail, one inch feven-tenths.

Brought from Hud/on' s Bay in fpirits. I faw it only in the bottle ;.
but it appeared to be this fpecies.

A. Common Bat, Mift. ^J. N<> 411.— ^r. Ztel. i. N<*4i.— Lit. Mvs.

THIS fpecies is found in Icelandy as I was informed by the late
Mr. Fletfchery which is the moft northernly refidence of this
genus. In Jfia I can trace them no farther eaftward than about the
river Jrgun, beyond lake BaikaL

:l

B k

CLASS