land, as the owl and falcon to swoop down | on them from the air. Nevertheless, the snow-bunting chirps and sings its joyous song in the bitter coid of early spring, the plover (charadrius) and sandpiper cry in the hollows of the shore, as they waylay the little larvæ, gnats and flies which also spend an unobtrusive existence there. A plentiful source of nourishment for birds and mammiferous animals is afforded by the sea. In the beds of seaweed on the flat beach, and in the forests of gigantic Laminaria, reside millions of the small species of crustacea which, favoured by the equable temperature of the water, that never varies from year to year, attain an unusual size; bivalves and snails live among the rocks and at the bottom o the sea; they are partly the same as in the Baltic, but are generally of a stronger build. And these crustacea, along with other small fishes, serve for nutriment to hosts of water birds, such as eider-ducks, gulls, divers, terns and others. These birds, which build their nests on the high cliffs, wheel restless and screeching day and night through the air, or splash about in the calm water. They, too, have to defend their young from the birds of prey just mentioned, to whose number we may also add the glaucus-gull, and, above all, the black raven. But, however acceptable to the European explorer the flesh and the eggs, the fur and the feathers of these quadrupeds and birds may be, their value to the natives is insignificant compared with that of the walrus and seal. These are the most important animals on all icebound coasts, on whose existence and use the whole life of the Esquimaux there depends. Even they do not enjoy their spoil unmolested; that mightiest beast of prey, the polar bear, lays equal claim with them on seals, walruses, and reindeer; and between the strength and cunning of the beast, and the intelligence and perse verance of man, is maintained the most wonderful conflict and rivalry.

On the Inhabitants of East Greenland. As to the population of East Greenland, we met no living human being on the whole stretch of coast over which we travelled. The settlement in which Clavering found twelve men in 1823, must, to all appearance, have been deserted at least twenty years ago. However, all remaining traces of it, especially winter and summer dwellings, as well as graves, were carefully searched, and any utensils and weapons that we found were brought home.

Real "winter huts," that is, the stationary winter dwellings of the natives, were found in seven places, to the number of sixteen, the most northerly on Hochstetter's Promontory, the most southerly on Cape Franklin. They are nearly always situated not far from the shore on the south side of those capes which point towards the south-east, and are built in groups of two, three, or sometimes four. Half worked into the ground, the walls are built of suitable and, in the inside, exceedingly smooth stones, pretty regularly set, and as far as they rise above ground, strengthened outside by mounds of earth and stones laid against them. The surface of the walls is only interrupted inside by a few small niches, which are generally found in the corners, especially in the front ones. The floor is partially paved with flat stones, particularly in the corners, which probably served as fireplaces.

The average length of the interior of these huts is, according to several exact measurements, 11 ft., and their breadth 9 ft. The height of the walls, which probably pretty nearly corresponds with the original height, is 31-2 ft. At the front end towards the south, or, which is the same thing, towards the water, there is an opening in the floor of 1 1-2 feet square; it descends to a like depth, and is the commencement of the only egress, a passage or tunnel which extends in a nearly horizontal direction, under the front wall to a length of from 6 to 12 feet. It is constructed of stone, and terminates in a rather wide opening, being itself of barely sufficient size to admit a man in a creeping position. This is moreover the only opening to the hut, for there is no sort of window in the roof. The roof is constructed, as we could clearly prove from some that had fallen down, of two or three wooden poles or laths placed lengthwise over the walls, on which flat stones are laid diagonally, and sometimes supported by more laths, the whole of which is covered and made tight with smaller stones, sods of grass and other things. The whole arrangement of the huts ensures the greatest possible maintenance of heat, as owing to the depth of the door no continual ventilation can be produced, but only the most necessary exchange of air. As to how many inhabitants such huts contained, we cannot, of course, be certain; if we computed them at six, it would be certainly within the mark. In the corners, especially the front ones, we sometimes found so-called "lamps" (Kudluk) of the most primitive form; a stone, with

a hollow, which was still, in some instances, | protected against foxes, but certainly not thickly blackened; in others we found the remains of food, the fat, bones, and flesh of seals.

In digging through the rubbish of earth and stones, which covered the floor of the huts, in a layer of from six to twelve inches, we obtained several utensils, or fragments of them, as well as a number of pieces of wood, bone, &c., the waste of their work.

against hungry bears. The form of the graves seems to have no particular meaning, but to have been regulated by the form of the stones available, as flat stones are necessary for the covering of oblong graves. In the interior we generally found quite a heap of earth and willow leaves (blown in), from among which the bones were only partially, or sometimes not at all visible. The bodies must, of course, have decomposed very soon in the Greenland climate; even the bones were already partially decayed in the damp ground. The long graves lie lengthways towards the south; it could be seen from several that the head lay towards the north, and that therefore the dead were buried as if to face the south.

Of their summer dwellings also traces are everywhere found, viz. the so-called "tent-rings," that is, stones left there after being used in fastening the border of the tent. They are arranged in circles of from ten to twelve feet in diameter, with an opening turned towards the water, and generally divided into a front and back half by a diametrical row of stones. They The graves were numerous and scatare met with on nearly all parts of the tered, often at a great distance from the coast, both close to the winter huts and dwellings. Nearly all admitted of close also at a great distance from them. They investigation; and twelve skulls, as well were most numerous on Walrus Island as many single bones were brought back and on Shannon Island (Cape Philip for subsequent and more thorough examBroke), where they not only lay close to one another, but so to speak, in several generations on the top of one another. As for the rest, we may also mention holes, lined and covered with stones, from 12 to 18 inches in diameter, which are found in the vicinity of the dwellings, either made in the ground or built against a larger stone or rock, and which represent roughly built store-rooms; they are found scattered in every direction, and may have served as places for the safe preservation of game. In the neighbourhood of the dwellings, especially of the huts, close and often luxuriant grass, intermingled with the various beautiful flowers, has sprung up from easily assignable causes. The bleached bones of seals, walruses, narwhals, and other animals, relics of former banquets, which are thickly strewn over this green grass, stand out clearly and characteristically.

ination. Strange to say, weapons and utensils were very seldom found in the graves, although, as they were made of ivory, they would have been kept in good preservation. On the other hand, we discovered, in what was probably a child's grave, a human figure roughly carved out of wood; and in another grave, among rocks, we found the pieces of a finely carved wooden box of about 9 x 4 x 2 1-4 inches.

The things we discovered were made of wood, horn, bones, ivory (walrus and narwhal teeth), and stone.

Besides a pretty goblet, we found a cajak-rudder and several dagger hilts, handles, &c., manufactured of wood; also two figures of animals, roughly carved. A dog-sledge, which lay on the shore, nearly complete in all its parts, deserves special mention. It consists, as is well known to be the case in West Greenland, The graves must also be mentioned. of two rnnners, very roughly made, about They are not dug in the ground, at least seven feet long, across which several very seldom, but consist of a superstruc- boards are fastened with thongs, and at ture of stones over the corpse, which is the end two sloping pieces fastened as a placed in either a recumbent or a crouch- back. In place of our iron tires, the runing position. The form of these is eitherners are covered underneath with strips oblong (4 1-2 ft. long, 2 1-4 ft. wide, 1 1-2 of bone, ivory, or whalebone, fastened with ft. high), or circular (3 1-2 ft. in diameter.) wooden pegs. In the first case, the cc vering consists of flat long stones or short ones, which are supported by rods placed underneath; in the other case, the roof is arched all round. Any accidental gaps are carefully filled up with stones of all sizes down to the very smallest. In this manner the body can be

All the wood there is drift-wood, which, however, is not very plentiful on those coasts, and whose origin (Siberia or America) and species (fir or larch) have still to be more exactly determined.

As to iron instruments, only one was discovered. It was a piece of iron an

inch long, fastened into a wooden handle. | appearance of those who once lived here. As the shaping of all the wooden articles People are too ready to trace the cause to indicates the use of stone instruments, it the climate becoming colder, and to the inis very probable that this iron may have crease of the ice enclosing the coast, and been a present from Clavering to the generally cite as proof several facts which Esquimaux then living there. are partly false and partly falsely applied. We saw nothing made of flint, but sev- But we all, in consequence of a whole eral splinters of it, and one whole un- | series of reasons, which cannot here be broken stone in the huts. It is to be re- more fully developed, are unable to agree marked, that with this exception, we with such a view. On the contrary, we hardly found any flint. Some fine spear- have the well-known assertion, that there points and knives were made of slate, are periods of favourable and unfavouraparts of vessels constructed of a softer crystalline slate; most of the articles, however, were made of bone or tusk. In default of saws, these are divided into the desired shapes by boring holes close to one another in the intended planes of division, so that at last the parting may be effected by the appliance of some force. A smooth surface can then be obtained by scraping, grinding, and polishing. Of the mechanism of the boring, we could find no direct explanation.

ble years, i. e. winters, confirmed by our own sojourn, and by the state of the ice on the coast. And so the conjecture may not be false that, on account of some such particularly unfavorable years, and owing to hunger and cold, infirmity and mortality may have increased, that the few remaining inhabitauts must have been driven by hunger to expose themselves to greater dangers and exertions, and that thus, perhaps, the last may have sought safety in a migration towards a more beautiful land, the existence of which they knew or sus

According to our observations, the huts of the former inhabitants of East Green-pected, farther south. land, between lats. 73 and 76°, may be estimated at about 16, and the population at about 100 persons. In the year 1823, it seems pretty certain that only two inhabited huts were in existence (observed to contain 12), and these must have been forsaken between 20 and 30 years ago. This circumstance, and the existence of traces of huts of considerably earlier date at the southern stations, together with the traditions prevalent among many branches of Esquimaux of an impending extinction, may perhaps best answer the question that has universally arisen about the dis

EXPERIMENTS WITH GUNPOWDER. Experiments on gunpowder still claim the attention of artillerists in foreign countries as well as in our own. The Prussians have recently made an attempt to manufacture pebble powder, without success. They complain of it as too brisante, and have fallen back upon prismatic. The Russians have finally adopted the latter powder, and are manufacturing it in large quantities at the Government mills of Okta. The Swedes, Danes and Dutch have only a limited number of heavy guns, for which they will probably introduce prismatic powder. On the other han, the Italians, Turks, Egyptians, and French, will in all probability adopt some form of pebble. The Spaniards are particularly in want of a slowburning explosive, their gunpowder, corresponding to our R. L. G., being extremely violent and 66 brutal" in its action. We understand that Spain has lately been supplied for experimental purposes with some English-made peb1134

LIVING AGE.

VOL. XXIV.

Among the obsevations and collections here made by us there is, perhaps, little really new, yet their significance may be quite peculiar, as these settlements in East Greenland have not for many centuries been in communication with those of other Esquimaux. The utmost exertions would have been necessary to hold any communications with the West, on account of the high mountainous interior, and with the south, owing to the east coast being eternally beset with ice. But time does not allow a further discussion of this point.

ble. The Americans were the originators of prismatic powder; but they seem to have altogether abandoned this form in favour of largegrained powder of a similar class to pebble. The chief disadvantages of prismatic powder are the labour it entails of building up each cartridge, and the want of uniformity in the hardness of the outer crust or skin of the prism. The latter is a manufacturing difficulty, mainly depending on the amount of moisture contained in the powder when it goes into the mould, and may seriously affect its behaviour in large charges. We have adopted, says the Globe, pebble powder provisionally, and our future experiments with this powder will probably bear on the questions of cheapening manufacture, giving regularity to the grain, and ascertaining what would be the effect of varying the chemical composition, particularly as regards the charcoal.

From Blackwood's Magazine.
THE MAID OF SKER.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

TWO POOR CHILDREN.

And

how things turn out, with nineteen men out of twenty. In spite of chances, he may have happened just to be the twentieth. I know for sure that he turned up well, though vexed with a tribulation. Evil times began upon him, when he was By this time I owe it to all the kind peo- nothing but a boy. He fell into a pit of ple who have felt some pity for our Bardie trouble through his education; and ever and her fortunes to put off no longer a few since from time to time new grief had little things which I ought to tell them. overtaken him. A merrier little chap, or In the first place, they must not think of one more glad to make the best of things. me, but look upon me as nobody (treat me, could not be found; as was said to me by in fact, as I treat myself), and never ask the cook, and also the parlour-maid. He what I knew just now, and what I came to would do things, when he came out among know afterwards. Only to trust me (as the servants, beautifully; and the maids now they must) to act in all things hon-used to kiss him so that his breath was ourably, and with no regard to self; and taken away with pleasing them. not only that, but with lofty feeling, and a then he went to school, and all the maids, sense of devotion towards the members of and boys, and men almost, came out to the weaker sex. see the yellow coach, and throw an old Captain Drake Bampfylde was the most shoe after him. This, however, did not unlucky of born mortals. To begin with, help him, as was seriously hoped; and he was the younger son of that very fine why? Because it went heel-foremost, from Sir Philip, and feeling that he had far more the stupidity of the caster. News came, wit and enterprise than his elder brother, in a little time, that there was mischief upwhile thankful to nature for these endow-ward, and that Master Drake must be ments, he needs must feel amiss with her fetched home, to give any kind of content for having mismanaged his time of birth. Now please to observe my form of words. I never said that he did so feel, I only say that he must have done so, unless she had made him beyond herself; which, from her love for us, she hardly ever tries to do. However, he might have put up with that mistake of the goddess that sits crosslegged, I have heard of her, I can tell you, and a ship named after her; though to spell her name would be a travail to me, fatal perhaps at my time of life, I

mean

to say, at any rate, that young Drake Bampfylde might have managed to get over the things against him, and to be a happy fellow, if he only had common luck. But Providence having gifted him with unusual advantages of body and mind, and so forth, seemed to think its duty done, and to leave him to the devil afterwards.

This is a bad way of beginning life, especially at too young an age to be up to its philosophy; and the only thing that can save such a man is a tremendous illness, or the downright love of a first-rate woman. Thence they recover confidence, or are brought into humility, and get a bit of faith again, as well as being looked after purely, and finding a value again to fight for, after abandoning their own. Not that Drake Bampfylde ever did slip into evil courses, so far as I could hear of him, or even give way to the sense of luck, and abandon that of duty. I am only saying

again. For he was at an ancient grammar-school in a town seven miles from Exeter, where everything was done truly well to keep the boys from fighting. Only the habit and tradition was that if they must fight, fight they should until one fell down, and could not come to the scratch again. And Drake had a boy of equal spirit with his own to contend against, not however of bone and muscle to support him thoroughly. But who could grieve, or feel it half so much as young Drake Bampfylde did, when the other boy, in three days' time, died from a buzzing upon his brain? He might have got into mischief now, even though he was of far higher family than the boy who had foundered instead of striking; but chiefly for the goodwill of the school, and by reason of the boy's father having plenty of children still to feed, and consenting to accept aid therein, that little matter came to be settled among them very pleasantly. Only the course of young Drake's life was changed thereby, as follows.

The plan of his family had been to let him get plenty of learning at school, and then go to Oxford Colleges and lay in more, if agreeable; and so grow into holy orders of the Church of England, well worth the while of any man who has a good connection. But now it was seen, without thinking twice, that all the disturbers and blasphemers of the Nonconformist tribe, now arising everywhere (as

in dirty Hezekiah, and that greasy Hepzibah, who dared to dream such wickedness concerning even me), every one of these rogues was sure to cast it up against a parson, in his most heavenly stroke of preaching, that he must hold his hand, for fear of killing the clerk beneath him. And so poor Drake was sent to sea; the place for all the scape-goats.

66

sailors were delighted, having hope of prize-money. That they never got, of course (which, no doubt, was all the better for their constitutions), but their knowledge of battle led them to embark again with him, having sense (as we always have) of luck, and a crooked love of a man whose bad luck seems to have taken the turn. And yet their judgment was quite amiss, and any turn taken was all for the worse. Captain Bampfylde did a thing, which even I, in my hotter days, would rather have avoided. He ran a thirty-two gun frigate under the chains of a sixty-four. He thought they must shoot over him, while he laid his muzzles to her water-line, and then carried her by boarding.

Nothing could have been finer than this idea of doing it, and with eight French ships out of nine, almost, he must have succeeded. But once more his luck came over, like a cloud, and darkened him. The Frenchmen had not only courage (which they have too much of), but also what is not their gift, with lucky people against them, self-command and steadiness. They closed their lower ports, and waited for the Englishmen to come up. They knew that the side of their ship fell in, like the thatch of a rick, from the lower ports, ten feet above the enemy. They had their nettings ready, and a lively sea was running.

Here ill-fortune dogged him still, as its manner always is, after getting taste of us. He heeded his business so closely that he tumbled into the sea itself; and one of those brindle-bellied sharks took a mouthful out of him. Nevertheless he got over that, and fell into worse trouble. To wit, in a very noble fight between his Britannic Majesty's sloop of war Hellgoblins" carrying twelve guns and two carronades (which came after my young time), and the French corvette "Heloise,' of six-and-twenty heavy guns, he put himself so forward that they trained every gun upon him. Of course those fellows can never shoot anything under the height of the moon, because they never stop to think; nevertheless he contrived to take considerable disadvantage. By a random shot they carried off the whole of one side of his whiskers; and the hearing of the other ear fell off, though not involved in it. The doctors could not make it out: however, I could thoroughly, from long acquaintance with cannon-balls. Also he had marks of powder under his skin, that It grieves as well as misbecomes me would never come out, being of a coarse- to describe the rest of it. The Englishgrained sort, and something like the bits men swore with all their hearts at their of tea that float in rich folks' tea-cups. ladders, the sea, and everything, and their Happening, as he did by nature, to be a captain was cast down between the two fine, florid, and handsome man, this pow-ships, and compelled to dive tremendously; der vexed him dreadfully. Nevertheless in a word it came to this, that our people the ladies said, loving powder of their own, that it made him look so much nicer. That however, was quite a trifle, when compared to his next misfortune. Being gazetted to a ship, and the whole crew proud to sail under him, he left the Downs with the wind abaft, and all hands in high spirits. There was nothing those lads could not have done; and in less than twelve hours they could do nothing. A terrible gale from south-west arose; in spite of utmost seamanship they were caught in the callipers of the Varne, and not a score left to tell of it.

These were things to try a man, and prove the stuff inside him. However, he came out gallantly. For being set afloat again, after swimming all night and half a day, he brought into the Portland Roads a Crappo ship of twice his tonnage, and three times his gunnage; and now his

either were totally shot and drowned, or spent the next Sunday in prison at Brest.

Now here was a thing for a British captain, such as the possibility of it never could be dreamed of. To have lost one ship upon a French shoal, and the other to a Frenchman! Drake Bampfylde, but for inborn courage, must have hanged nimself outright. And, as it was, he could not keep from unaccustomed melancholy. And, when he came home upon exchange, it was no less than his duty to abandon pleasure now, and cheerfulness, and comfort; only to consider how he might redeem his honour.

In the thick of this great trouble came another three times worse. I know not how I could have borne it, if it had been my case, stoutly as I fight against the public's rash opinions. For this Captain was believed, and with a deal of evidence, to