regions where the internal heat of the body needs most to be excited, an inexhaustible supply exists, of the very description of food best suited to the purpose; and that, where the warmth of a summer sun never summons from the chilled and benumbed earth a vegetable provision for the calls of the human appetite, there should be found—what is far better-the oils and the fat with which the Arctic province of the animal kingdom so peculiarly abounds. Nor, must it be forgotten, that with this abundance there also exists a relish, on the part of the inhabitants, for substances, the mere odour of which, in the chamber where they are to be partaken of, is sufficient to expel with disgust a native of this country. The incredi ble quantity of this description of food, rancid as it is, which an Esquimaux is capable of devouring at a meal, has astonished the Europeans by whom it has been witnessed. Twenty pounds of salmon, for instance, is stated as no uncommon quantity to be devoured by an individual at a single meal. Excess, indeed, is followed, among them, as well as in more civilized nations, with its own punishment; but there can be no doubt, that the cold of these regions is materially deprived of its painful effects on the human frame by eating as largely as nature will easily permit; so that the tendency to make a full meal, which is universally exhibited among them, and is no doubt a part of their constitution, must be looked upon as a collateral provision of the same wise over-ruling Power, liable indeed to abuse, but, when rightly regulated, calculated to promote the welfare of this remote people.

2. The clothing of the Arctic tribes, and especially of the Esquimaux, is almost entirely composed of furs. Providence, which has kindly adapted the coats of the lower animals in these regions, to the rigours of their climate, has thus, at the same time, brought within the reach of man the means of a warm exterior defence from the cold to which he is exposed.

Neither the flannels of more civilized countries nor the skins of more southern climates, are at all to be compared to the valuable clothing with which, by the same exertion and ingenuity which are requisite to procure their food, they are

furnished, among the hills and islands of their icy homes. The long hair, which gives to the white bear and musk-ox their shaggy aspect; the rough coat of the rein-deer, the hare, and the fox,-cover a close warm downy inner garment of fur, rendered thicker by the first severe onset of winter, which effectually preserves the animal, for which it was originally provided, from the intensity of the northern storms; and, when snatched from its first owner by the lord of the lower world, affords to him a similar protection. Clothed in a double garment of deer-skin, encircling the body, and reaching in front from the chin to the middle of the thigh, and behind to the calf of the leg, with sleeves so long as to cover the points of the fingers; with the hair of the inner garment, as a warm exciting covering, next the body, and that of the outer one, from its roughness, extremely unfavourable to the radiation of heat, in the reverse direction; his limbs protected by two pairs of boots, and, above these, trowsers of the skin of the seal or of the deer,-an Esquimaux can endure, without danger or inconvenience, a degree of cold, to which we, in this temperate zone, are utter strangers. Nor are we to imagine that the piercing climate, which has imposed the necessity for such defences, has had any effect in souring the disposition, or lessening the enjoyment of this singular race. the contrary, they have generally been found remarkable for their good humour and easy temper. Their very dresses, frequently ornamented with fringes of leather, or tassels of bone, bear testimony that the hardships of their lot have neither cramped their taste, nor stifled their natural love of ornament. With an air of freedom and of personal comfort that can hardly be believed, while he enjoys the protection I have just described, the hardy native courageously braves an intensity of frost sufficient to congeal mercury. He proceeds on his journey, or pursues his prey, with a hilarity and keenness which testify, that the Being who has placed him among the horrors of his icy abode, has also afforded him ample means of defence and enjoyment. G. J. C. D.

On

ELEVENTH WEEK-WEDNESDAY.

III. ON THE INHABITANTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS.-DWELLINGS AND FIRE.

3. In all climates, but more especially in the extreme north, it is a matter of indispensable importance to the inhabitants, to provide for themselves shelter from the inclemency of the weather. The lengthened journeys which these tribes are compelled by their necessities to undertake, the frequency of their removals, and the obliterating effects of falling snow, all tend to render it at once inconvenient and useless for them, even were it practicable, to erect permanent dwellingplaces. Had they wood, stone, and mortar at command, these materials would be to them of little avail. The villages of to-day, deserted to-morrow, and next day buried many feet beneath the snowy covering which enveloped, for so large a portion of the year, the surface of their country, would, ere their return, be altogether useless, even if they were sure, at the end of several months, to find the spot on which they stood. But we need not say that such appliances as these are not within their reach. The wreck left by the southern wave, when it washes their shores, may sometimes, indeed, provide them with a tree, a mast, or a spar; but these materials are too eagerly coveted, and too valuable for constructing the smaller articles required by them, to leave any sufficient proportion for such purposes as building ; while, of the architectural uses of stone and lime, they seem to be altogether ignorant. But for all these wants, they are furnished, by the protecting providence of God, with an ample and highly appropriate substitute, however strange it may appear to the inhabitants of temperate regions. The snow which covers the soil for by far the greater portion of the year, offers them the refuge which their necessities require. Migrating, as they do, from time to time, in search of food, at the close of each day's journey they erect their tem

porary dwellings, at little expense either of materials or workmanship; and, when they reach the station which they pro pose to occupy for a few months, even then their mode of building is of the simplest sort. It is thus described by Sir John Ross:-'Having ascertained, by the rod used in examining seal-holes, whether the snow is sufficiently deep and solid, they level the intended spot by a wooden shovel, leaving beneath a solid mass of snow, not less than three feet thick. Commencing then, in the centre of the intended circle, which is ten feet or more in diameter, different wedgeshaped blocks are cut out, about two feet long, and a foot thick, at the outer part; then trimming them accurately by the knife, they proceed upward, until the courses, gradually inclining inwards, terminate in a perfect dome. The door, being cut out from the inside, before it is quite closed, serves to supply the upper materials. In the mean time, the women are employed in stuffing the joints with snow, and the boys in constructing kennels for the dogs.'* In the interior, the only furniture that is to be seen, consists of a sofa of snow, occupying nearly a third of the breadth of the area, about two feet and a half high, level at the top, and covered with various skins, forming the general bed or sleeping-place. The hut is lighted by a window of ice nicely inserted in the building, and secured by frozen snow; and the entrance is by a passage, long, narrow and crooked, the outer aperture of which is planned, and from time to time altered, so as to secure the inmates from the prevailing winds of the season. The stores are laid up in smaller huts, constructed to receive them; and they, and the kennels for the dogs, which invariably accompany the tribes, are formed of the same material. It will naturally be conjectured, that such dwellings as have now been described, must be extremely cold, and liable, on any accession of artificial heat, to be rendered altogether uninhabitable, by the perpetual distillation of water from the icy walls. But there are several considerations which must be taken into the account, to enable us to judge of the suitable. * Voyage, p. 298.

VOL. IV.

27

ness of these habitations for the hardy race who occupy them. It must be noticed, in the first place, as a most important provision for their comfort, that snow is a very imperfect conductor of heat. The severe cold of the external air, therefore, makes but a small impression on the temperature of a chamber situated beneath a snow-wall of considerable thickness. Then, from its extreme whiteness, it is, comparatively speaking, little liable to be dissolved by the heat of a lamp or fire, being much more ready to reflect caloric than to absorb it. These facts, however, striking as they are, it is clear, could not prevent the most annoying effects, were a strong heat constantly kept up within their circumscribed apartments. But here we find another important provision. The bodily frame, in all latitudes, speedily becomes inured, by habit, to the climate to which it is exposed, and the standard of temperature requisite for comfort, accordingly rises or falls, as we live nearer the equator or the poles. While the African shivers under the summer warmth of the temperate zone, a degree of heat scarcely sufficient to raise the mercury to the freezing point, affords to the patient Esquimaux, in his snowy hut, quite enough of warmth to make him comfortable; and, even if the temperature should, at times, be raised so high as to promote a rapid distillation from the walls, his ideas of luxury do not render this a very serious inconvenience. When we remember that it is not luxury which these rude tribes value, but simply shelter, we shall be less surprised with their contentment, especially when we learn that their clothing affords them sufficient security against the wetting influence even of melted snow. They experience quite as much of comfort as they desire, in finding themselves, during sleep, snug in their bags of fur, though the spot on which they lie be neither very dry nor very soft; for this defence provided for them by the care of their Divine Preserver, answers to them all the ends for which it is needed. 4. In a region such as this, of frost and snow, of storm and tempest, it will easily be believed that the inhabitants are