• The most fevere cold fets in, as every where, after the new-year, and is fo piercing in February and March, that the ftones fplit in twain, and the fea reeks like an oven, especially in the bays. This is called the froft-fmoke. But yet this is not fo cold as the dry air. For if a perfon goes off from land into fuch a froft-finoke. he perceives the air directly more mild, and not fo pinching cold, though his cloaths and hair stiffen with rime and ice. But the froft-fmoke is more apt to raise blisters than the dry cold, and as foon as this finoke is wafted into the colder atmosphere, it freezes to little ice-particles, which are driven on by the wind, and create fuch a cutting cold on the land, that one can scarce go out of the houfe without having hands and feet feized on by the froft. When one boils water, it first freezes over the fire, till at length the heat gains the mastery. The froft then proceeds and paves a path of ice over the fluid fea between the islands, and in the confined coves and inlets. At fuch times the Greenlanders are almoft ftarved with hunger, as the cold and ice lay an embargo on their excurfions for food.

We may fix the limits of their fummer from the beginning of May to the end of September; for during thefe five months the natives encamp in tents. Yet the ground is not mellowed by a thorough thaw till June, and then only on the surface; and till then it does not quite leave off fnowing. In Auguft it begins to fnow again; but it feldom lafts on the ground for a winter carpet till October. It is faid, however, that less rain and fnow falls here than in Norway, and indeed I feldom faw the fnow on the fea-fide above a foot deep, except where the wind drove it in heaps, and that never to lie long. The fnow is either foon diffolved by the fun, or difperfed by the wind; in the last case the wind fcatters fuch a subtile fnow-duft, that one fcarce dare put one's head out of doors. But the winter I fpent there, was extraordinary moderate and intermitted. In many years the fnow lies from September to June, blows in drifts in fome places feveral fathom high, and foon freezes fo hard that people can walk over it in fnow-fhoes; and then it muft continue raining for feveral days before it melts.

In the longeft fummer-days it is fo hot, that we are obliged to throw off the warmer garments, efpecially in the bays and vallies, where the fun-beams concenter, and the fogs and winds from the fea are excluded. The fea-water, that remains behind in the basons of the rocks at the recess of the tide, coagulates by the power of the fun to a beautiful white falt. Nay it is fometimes fo hot, in ferene weather and clear fun fhine, upon the open fea, that the pitch melts on the ships fides. Yet we can never have a perfect enjoyment of the Greenland

warmth,

warmth, partly on account of the chilling air emitted from the iflands of ice, which is fo penetrating in the evening that we are glad to creep into our furs again, and can often bear them double; and partly on account of the fogs that prevail on the coaft almost every day from April to Auguft, and are frequently so thick that we cannot fee a fhip's length before us. Sometimes the fog is fo low that it can scarce be distinguished from the water, but then the mountains and upper regions are seen fo much the clearer. The most agreeable and fettled weather is in autumn, but then its duration must be transient, and it is interrupted with sharp night frofts.

When the mift in the cold air congeals to hoar-froft, the fubtile icey Spicula may be difcerned like fine needles or glittering atoms, efpecially when the fun-beams ftream through an opake fhade. They overspread the water with a concretion that ap pears like a spider's web.

It has been many times remarked, that the weather in Greenland is just the reverse to that in Europe; so that when the temperate climates are incommoded with a very hard winter, it is here uncommonly mild, and vice versa. It does not always happen fo; yet I find Mr. Egede obferves in his journal, that in the well-known cold winter between 1739 and 1740 it was fo mild in Difko-creek, that the wild geefe fled from the temperate to this frigid zone to feek warmth in January. There was no ice in the bay till far in March, though in other winters it is commonly covered with ice from October to May. He alfo fays, that though the firmament was often bright and clear, they could not fee the fun till February, though he generally makes his welcome appearance again foon after the new-year. The author afcribes both these effects to the warm and yet imperceptible exhalations, that were forced hither by the rigorous cold in the milder climates.

In Mr. Pontoppidan's Natural Hiftory of Norway, we find, that in the cold winters of 1709 and 1740, the fwans retreated the first time to Norway for the fame reafon. His words are: "At that time the froft was fo vehement even in France, that the centinels froze to death at their stations, and the birds of the air fell down dead. The Baltic was all arched over to fuch a degree, that people travelled over it from Copenhagen to Dantzic, as if it had been a turn-pike road. Yet all the falt-water in this country was open, nay even the haven at Bergen. And on this occafion the wonderful providence of God directed several kinds of water-fowls unknown to us before, and among the reft the fwan, this uncommon way, which a philofopher would certainly have advised them

againft,

againft, namely, to fearch for open waters in the north, when they could not find them in the fouth."

• The latest accounts from Greenland inform us, that the winter of the year 1763, that was extraordinary cold almoft throughout Europe, was fo mild there, that it is often colder. in fummer.'

We fhall omit our author's defcriptions of the natural products of the air, fea, and foil, of this uncomfortable region, because they could afford entertainment only for one species of readers, and we believe are to be found in other publications. The following extracts we apprehend must be agreeable to all,. as they are recommended by an air of originality, and may fatisfy the most rational curiosity.

The Greenlanders call themselves without any further ceremony innuit, i. e. men, indigene or natives. The Icelanders, who many hundred years ago discovered and poffeffed this country and the neighbouring coafts of America, called them in fcorn Skrællings, becaufe they are little of ftature; few exceeding, the moft not amounting to, five foot high, and having the appearance of imbecility at the fame time. Yet they have well fhaped, proportionable limbs. Their face is commonly broad and flat, with high cheek-bones, but round and plump cheeks. Their eyes are little and black, but devoid of fparkling fire. It is true their nofe is not flat, but it is small, and projects but little. Their mouth is commonly little and roued, and the under-lip fomewhat thicker than the upper. Their body is dark-grey all over, but the face brown or olive, (and yet in many the red fhines through). This brown colour feems not to be altogether from nature, because their children are born as white as others, but may proceed in part from their dirtiness, for they are continually handling greafe or train, fit-. ting in the fmother of their lamps, and feldom wash themfelves. Yet the climate may contribute a good deal to make this colour hereditary and proper to them, after fo many gene. rations, especially the fudden alternative of cold and raw air, and burning heat of the fun in fummer; and this makes the Europeans that live there fomewhat browner too. But it is probable their perpetual trainy food may contribute the moit to their olive-tinge, for their blood becomes fo dense, hot and, unctuous by it, that their fweat fmells like train, and their hands feel like bacon clammy. But there are fome that have a moderate white skin, and red cheeks, and more whofe face is not fo very round; these might eafily pafs undistinguished among the Europeans, efpecially among the inhabitants of fome of the mountains of Switzerland. I have alfo feen, Greenlanders

Greenlanders whofe fathers were Europeans, but they were educated according to the Greenland mode. Thefe are not different from the reft in colour, but in certain lineaments of the countenance. Again, I have feen the children of another European by a half-Greenland woman, that were as beautiful as any in Europe.

They have univerfally coal-black, ftraight, ftrong and long hair on their heads, but they have feldom any beard, because they constantly root it out. Their hands and feet are little and foft, but their head and the rest of their limbs are large. They have high breasts and broad fhoulders, especially the women, who are obliged to carry great burdens from their younger years. Their whole body is fleshy, and well enriched with fat and with blood; therefore they can endure the cold very well with very thin cloathing and bare heads and necks; and they commonly fit naked in their houses, all except their breeches; their bodies then emit such a hot steam, that an European that fits by cannot endure it. And when they (the chriftian converts from among this nation) are affembled even in the wintertime to their divine worship, they evaporate or rather blow out fuch a calidity, that we are prefently obliged to wipe off the fweat, and can fcarce draw our breath for the thick exhalation.

They are very light and nimble of foot, and can use their hands too with a good deal of dexterity and skill. There are but few maimed or infirm people among them, and fewer mifhapen births. They do not want for activity and strength of body, though they don't know how to fet about any work they are not used to; however, in their own business they excel us. Thus a man that hath eat nothing for three days, at least nothing but fea-grass, can manage his little kajak or canoe in the moft furious waves; and the women will carry a whole reindeer the space of four leagues, or a piece of timber or stone, near double the weight of what an European would lift.

It is hard to form a true judgment of their temperament, because their mental qualities are fo blended, that one cannot take a distinct furvey of them. Yet they feem to be principally of a fanguine difpofition, intermixed with fomething phlegmatic I fay principally, for there is a difference among Greenlanders, as well as among other nations, and there are alfo cholerick, and melancholy complexions. They are not very lively, much lefs jovial and extravagant, yet they are good-humoured; amicable, fociable, and unconcerned about the future. Confequently they are not covetous to scrape a heap of stuff together, but are liberal in giving. It is true, one cannot perceive any peculiar high fpirit in them, but yet they have, out

of

of ignorance, a good fhare of what we may call ruftic or peafant's pride, fet themfelves far above the Europeans, or Kablunet as they call them, and make a mock of them among themfelves. For though they are obliged to yield them the preeminence both in understanding and manual performances, yet they don't know how to fet any value on these. Whereas on the other hand their own inimitable skill in the catching feals, which is their staff of life, and befides which nothing is indifpenfably neceflary with them, affords fufficient food for their good conceit of them felves. And 'tis certain they are not fo foolish and ftupid as the favages are commonly thought to be, for in their ways and employments they are wife and fharp enough. But yet they are not fo ingenious and polished neither as many report them to be. Their reflexion or invention difplays itself in the employments neceffary to their fubfiftence, and what is not infeparably connected with that, has not a thought of theirs beftowed on it. Therefore we may attribute to them a fimplicity without fillinefs, and good feufe without the art of reasoning. They count themselves to be the only civilized and well- bred people, becaufe many unfeemly things which they fee too often among the Europeans, feldom or -never occur among them. Therefore they ufe to say, when they see a quiet modeft ftranger: "He is almoft as well-bred as we;" or, '66 He begins to be a man, that is, to be a Greenlander." They are not litigious but patient, and recede when any one encroaches upon them; but if they are pushed to that degree that they can go no further, they become fo defperate, that they regard neither fire nor water.

They are not idle, but always employed about fomething; yet they are very variable or fickle, fo that if they begin a thing, and any unexpected difficulty thwarts them, they throw it by directly. In the fummer they fleep five or fix hours, and in the winter eight. But if they have worked hard, and waked all night, they will fleep the whole day. In the morning, when they stand with penfive filence upon fome eminence, and take a furvey of the ocean and the weather, they are commonly thoughtful and dejected, because the burdens and the dangers of the day ftand in profpect before them. But when no labours demand their application, or they return home from a fuccefsful fishery, they are chearful and converfible..

They are fuch adepts in difguifing' or fuppreffing their paffions, that we might take them for Stoics in appearance. They affect also to be very refigned in calamitous accidents. They are not foon irritated to anger, or can easily bridle their animofity; but in fuch cafes they are quite dumb and fullen, and don't forget to revenge themselves when an opportunity prefents itself.'