rows. Insensibly captain Cook and two or three of his companions introduced themselves among them, The distribution of a few beads among some of them soon created a degree of confidence, so that they were not alarmed when the captain was joined by a few more of his people; and, in a short time, a kind of traffic was entered into. In exchange for tobacco, knives, beads, and other articles, they gave a few arrows, and some of their clothing; but nothing could induce them to part with a spear or a bow. These they held in continual readiness, never quitting them, except at one time, when four or five persons laid theirs down, while they favoured the party with a song and a dance; and even then they placed them in such a manner, that they could lay hold of them in a moment,

Their arrows were pointed either with stone or bone, but very few of them had barbs, and some of them had a round blunt point. What use these are applied to is not known, unless it be to kill small animals without damaging the skin. Their bows were such as had been observed on the American coast: their spontoons, or spears, were of iron or steel, and of European or Asiatic workmanship; and considerable pains had been taken to embellish them with carving, and inlayings of brass, and a white metal. Those who stood with bows and arrows in their hands, had the spear slung by a leathern strap over their right shoulder. A leathern quiver slung over their right shoulder, served to contain arrows; and some of these quivers were exceedingly beautiful, being made of red leather, on which was very neat embroidery, and other ornaments. Several other things, and particularly their clothing, indicated a degree of ingenuity, far surpassing what

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

any one could expect to find among so northern a people.

Their apparel cousisted of a pair of breeches, a cap, a frock, a pair of boots, and a pair of gloves, all made of the skins of deer, dogs, seals, and other animals, and extremely well dressed; some with the hair or fur on, and others without it. The caps were made in such a manner, as to fit the head very close; and besides these caps, which were worn by most of them, our navigators procured from them some hoods, made of dog skins, that were sufficiently large to cover both head and shoulders.

The village was composed both of their winter and their summer habitations; the former are exactly like a vault, the floor of which is sunk below the surface of the earth. One of them which captain Cook examined, was of an oval figure, about twenty feet in length, and twelve or more in height; the framing consisted of wood, and the ribs of whales, judiciously disposed, and bound together with smaller materials of the same kind. Over this framing, a covering of strong coarse grass was laid, and that again was covered with earth; so that on the outside, the house had the appearance of a little hillock, supported by a wall of stone, of the height of three or four feet, which was built round the two sides and one end. At the other end of the habitation the earth was raised sloping, to walk up to the entrance, which was by a hole in the top of the roof over that end. The floor was boarded, and under it was a sort of cellar; at the end of each house was a vaulted room, which he supposed was a store-room. These store-rooms communicated by a dark passage with the house; and with the open air by a hole in the roof, even with the ground;

but they cannot be said to be entirely below ground, for one extended to the edge of the hill along which they were made, and which was built up with stone. Over it stood a kind of sentry-box or tower, formed of the large bones of great fish. Their summer huts were of a tolerable size, and circular, being brought to a point at the top; slight poles and bones, covered with the skins of sea animals, composed the framing. Captain Cook examined the inside of one: there was a fire-place just within the door, where a few wooden vessels were deposited, all very dirty. Their bed-places were close to the side, and occupied about one-half of the circuit: some degree of privacy seemed to be observed, for there were several partitions made with skins. The bed and bedding consisted of deer skins, and most of them were clean and dry. The canoes of these people are of the same kind with those of the northern Americans; some, both of the large and small sort, being seen lying in a creek near the village.

From the large bones of fish, and other sea aniinals, it appeared, that the sea furnished them with the greater part of their subsistence. The country seemed extremely barren, not a tree or shrub being to be seen. At some distance to the west was a ridge of mountains, covered with snow, that had fallen not long before.

All the Americans who had been before seen, were rather low of stature, with round chubby faces, and high cheek-bones; these people, on the contrary, had long visages, and were stout and well made, seeming to be a quite different nation; which does not serve to support the opinion, that America was first peopled from the peninsula of Asia. The people who inhabit this eastern extremity of Asia,