HE dress of the Esquimaux is made of the skins of reindeer and of seals; the former for winter, the latter for summer. The jacket is round, with no opening in front or behind, but is slipped on and off over the head. It is close-fitting, but not tight. It comes as low as the hips, and has sleeves reaching to the wrists. The women have a long tail to their coat, reaching nearly to the ground. These jackets are often very elaborately ornamented. Capt. Hall thus describes the trimming of one: "Across the neck of the jacket was a fringe of beads-eighty pendants of red, blue, black, and white glass beads, forty beads on each string. Bowls of Britannia metal tea-spoons and table-spoons were on the ap hanging in front. A row of elongated lead hot ran around the border of the tail. Six airs of Federal copper cents, of various dates, were pendent down the middle of the tail; and a huge brass bell, from an old-fashioned clock, was at the top of the row of cents."

All the jackets have a hood made at the back, for carrying their children, or covering their

heads in cold weather. In winter they wear two jackets: the exterior one with the hair outside, the inner one with the hair next to the body. Before the men enter into the main igloo, they take off the outer part of their jackets, and place the same in a recess made in the snow wall of the passage-way.

Those

Their breeches reach below the knee, and are fastened with a string drawn tightly around the lower part of the waist. worn by the women are put on in three pieces, each leg and the body forming separate parts.

The full winter dress for the feet consists of, 1st, long stockings of reindeer fur, with the hair next the person; 2nd, socks of the eiderduck skins, with the feathers on and inside; 3rd, socks of sealskin, with the hair outside; 4th, kumings (native boots), with legs of tuktoo, the fur outside, and the soles of ookgook.

All wear mittens, though the women generally wear only one, and that on the right hand; the left is drawn within the sleeve. Finger-rings and head-bands of polished brass also form part of the female costume.

ESQUIMAUX FOOD. Curious indeed are the tastes and habits of the Esquimaux regarding food.

We are told that on one occasion, when Sir Edward Parry wished for a portrait of one of the women in the tribe, he could find no present so acceptable for herself and her husband as a packet of candles, which they ate with avidity; though he had the politeness to draw the wicks out of the lady's mouth whilst she swallowed the tallow.

An intelligent young man, named Ayonkitt, had been invited by Commander Lyon to dine with him, shown how to use his knife and fork, and taught to wipe his mouth before drinking. Afterwards he was conducted to wash his face and hands; and so anxious did he appear afterwards to possess the cake of Windsor soap, that Lyon presented it to him; when, to his utter amazement, Ayonkitt swallowed it, as if it had been a sugar-plum.

This peculiarity of taste is sufficiently accounted for by the knowledge of what constitutes the ordinary food of the people. Captain Hall gives the following interesting description of a native feast:

"A whale had been captured by the George Henry's crew, and the natives gave every assistance in towing it alongside the ship. We of the white race were proud of our victory over such a monster of the deep, and they of the darker skin were rejoiced at having aided in the capture of what would very soon give them an immense quantity of 'black skin' and 'krang' for food.

"The skin of the Mysticetus (Greenland whale) is a great treat to the Esquimaux, who eat it raw; and even before the whale was brought to the ship, some of the skin, about twenty square feet, had, by permission, been consumed by hungry natives. The 'black skin' is threefourths of an inch thick, and looks like indiarubber. It is good eating in its raw state even for a white man, as I know from experience; but when boiled and soused in vinegar, it is most excellent.

"I afterwards saw the natives cutting up the krang (meat) of the whale into such huge slices as their wives could carry; and as they worked, so did they keep eating. Boat-load after boat-load of this did they send over to the village, where several deposits were made upon islands in the vicinity. All day long

"The blood of this whale, a short time after its death, was rising 100 Fahrenheit. Forty-eight hours after, its krang was still quite warm."

were they eating; and, thought I, 'What monstrous stomachs must these Esquimaux have!' Yet I do not think, on the whole, they eat more than white men. But the quantity taken in one day-enough to last for several days-is what astonishes me! They are, in truth, a peculiar people. God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the whole face of the earth, and hath deter mined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitations.' Take the Esqui maux away from the Arctic regions—from the shores of the northern seas, and they would soon cease from the face of the earth. The bounds of their habitations are fixed by the Eternal, and no one can change them. Thus these people live.

"My opinion is, that the Esquimaux practice of eating their food raw is a good one—at least for the better preservation of their health. To one educated otherwise, as we whites are, the Esquimaux custom of feasting on uncooked meats is highly repulsive; but eating meats raw or cooked is entirely a matter of education. 'As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined,' is an old saw, as applicable to the common mind of a people in regard to the food they eat as to any thing else. When I saw the natives actually feasting on the raw flesh of the whale, I thought to myself, Why cannot I do the same?' and the response to my question came rushing through my brain, independent of prejudice, Because of my education-because of the customs of my people from time immemorial.'

"As I stood upon the rocky shore, observing the busy natives at work carving the monster before me, my eye caught a group around one of the vertebræ, from which they were slicing and eating thin pieces of ligament that looked white and delicious as the breast of a Thanksgiving turkey! At once I made up my mind to join in partaking of the inviting (?) viands actually smoking in my sight. Taking from the hands of Ugarng his seal-knife, I peeled off a delicate slice of this spinal ligament, closed my eyes, and cried out, Turkey!' But it would not go down so easy. Not because the stomach had posted up its sentinel to say, 'No whale can come down here!' but because it was tougher than any bull beef of Christendom! For half an hour I tried to masticate it, and then found it was even tougher than when I began. At length I discovered I had been making a mistake in the way to eat it. The Esquimaux custom is to get as vast a piece into their distended mouths as they can cram.

and then, boa constrictor-like, first lubricate it over, and so swallow it quite whole!

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"When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Therefore I tried the Esquimaux plan, and succeeded; but that one trial was sufficient at the time.

"A day or two afterward I again went on shore to where a portion of the whale's carcass remained.

"The natives were so careful of the prize, that numerous piles of stones, covering deposits of krang and blubber, were seen on the islands around. This would seem to bespeak a provident, instead of an improvident trait in their character; but I am inclined to think the former is more the exception than the rule.

"One old woman kindly came to me and offered a generous slice of the 'whale-gum' she was feasting on. Reaching out my hand, with one stroke of herood-loo' (a woman's knife-an instrument like a mincing-knife) she severed the white, fibrous strip quick as thought.

It cut as old cheese. Its taste was like unripe chestnuts, and its appearance like cocoa-nut meat. But I cannot say this experiment left me a very great admirer of whale's gum, though, if the struggle was for life, and its preservation depended on the act, I would undoubtedly eat whale's gum until I got something better to my liking."

On another occasion, Captain Hall describes a seal-feast:

:

One of the natives on his way to the ship discovered a seal-hole, but, being hurried for time, he merely erected a pile of snow near at hand, and squirted tobacco juice as a mark upon it. On his return he readily found the hole by this mark, and he determined to try for the prize by spending the night' in attempting to gain it. Accordingly, binding my shawl and various furs round his feet and legs, he took his position, spear in hand, over the seal-hole. This hole was buried in two feet of snow, and had been first detected by the keen sagacity of one of the dogs with him. While watching, he first thrust the spindle shank of the spear a score of times down through the snow, until he finally hit the small aperture leading through the ice. It was a dark night, and this made it the more difficult: for, in striking at a seal, it will not do to miss the exact spot where the animal comes to breathe-no, not by a quarter of an inch. But, to make sure of being right when aiming, he put some dark tuktoo hair directly over it, and thus, after patiently watching the whole night long, he was re

warded in the early morning by hearing the seal blow. In a moment more he captured it by a well-directed aim of his spear.

"

The seal weighed, I should say, about 200 lb., and was with young. According to Innuit custom, an immediate invitation was given by the successful hunter's family for every one to attend a 'seal-feast.' This was speedily done, and our igloo was soon crowded. My station was on the dais, or bed-place, behind several Innuit women, but so that I could see over them and watch what was going on.

"The first thing done was to consecrate the seal, the ceremony being to sprinkle water over it, when the stalwart host and his assistant proceeded to separate the 'blanket'—that is, the blubber, with skin-from the solid meat and skeleton of the seal. The body was then opened and the blood scooped out. This blood is considered very precious, and forms an important item of the food largely consumed by Esquimaux. Next came the liver, which was cut into pieces and distributed all around, myself getting and eating a share. Of course it was eaten raw-for this was a raw-meat feastits eating being accompanied by taking into the mouth at the same time a small portion of delicate white blubber, which answered the same as butter with bread. Then followed distributing the ribs of the seal for social picking. I joined in all this, doing as they did, and becoming quite an Innuit, save in the quantity eaten. This I might challenge any white man to do. No human stomach but an Innuit's could possibly hold what I saw these men and women devour.

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Directly the feast was ended all the company dispersed. Tookoolito then sent around bountiful gifts of seal-blubber for fire-lamps; also some seal meat and blood. This is the usual custom among the Innuits, and, undoubtedly, is a virtue to be commended. They share each other's successes, and bear each other's wants. Generally, if it is found that one is short of provisions, it may be known that all are. When one has a supply, all have."

Sometimes the seal meat is cooked in a pan suspended for three or four hours over the firelamp. When it is ready, it is served up by first giving each person a piece of the meat. This is followed by a dish of smoking-hot soup -that is, the material in which the seal has been cooked.

The seal meat is eaten by holding it in both hands, the fingers and the dental "mill" supplying the offices of both knife and fork.

hearted Tweroong came in, with her pretty china tea-saucer full of golden salmon, smoking hot. The very sight of it made me better.

"The next day, September 4th, I was still confined to my tent by sickness. The abscess on my shoulder had become so painful, that every remedy in my power to apply was resorted to. At length a salve formed of reindeer tallow gave me some relief. During this time every kind attention was paid to me by the Innuit women, especially Tweroong, who