cheft. At what period iron was introduced on this coaft is very
uncertain, but.it muft doubtiefs be a conliderable time ago ; and
I may venture to aflert that their implements are not of Englilh
manufacture, fo that their is little doubt- of their being obtained
from the Ruffians. The only implement I faw,, (iron excepted)
was a toe made of jafper, the fame-as thofe ufed by the New
Zealanders. '
The ingenuity of thefe people is not confined to devices in
wood, or drawings on bark; they manufacture a kind of variegated
blanket or cloak, fomething like our horfe cloths; they do not
appear to be wove, but made entirely by hand, and are neatly
finiflied: I imagine thefe cloaks are made of wool collected from
the flans of beads killed in the chace; they are held in great efti-
niation, and only wore on extraordinary occafions.
Befides the flrin coats and cloaks wore in common, they have
large coats purpofely for war, made of the elk flan, tanned, and
wore double, fometimes threefold. Their weapons are Ipears fixed
to a pole fix or eight feet long, and a kind of fliort dagger, which
is wore in a leather cafe, and tied round the body: to this dagger
a leather thong is fattened, at the end of which is a hole for the
middle finger, the leather is afterwards twifted round the wriflr,
in order to fix the dagger firm in the hand; fo that the warrior
lofes his weapon only with his life.
Food in the winter feafon confiits chiefly of dried fifti, but when
the time of hunting comes on, they have greater variety,,amonglt
which broiled feal feems to be reckoned a moll delicious repaft;
they fometimes offered, us pieces of it, and on our refufing this
dainty, always looked at us with a mixture of aftonilhment and
contempt.
contempt. In the fpring, or rather fummer, here are variety of
herbs which the natives eat with great relifh ; and in Norfolk
Sound, we faw the wild lilly root m abundance. Though thefe
poor favages are in their general manners truly in a date or uncultivated
barbarifm, yet in .one inftance they can boaft of a refinement
equal to that of more, polite nations, and that is gaming,
which is carried on here to as great a pitch (comparatively fpeak-
ing) as at any of our moderate fafhionable clubs. The only gaming
implements I faw, were fifty-two fmall round bits of w ood,
about the fize of your middle finger, and differently marked with
red paint. A game is played by two perfons with thefe pieces of
wood, and chiefly confifts in placing them in a variety of pofi-
tions, but I am unable to defcribe it minutely. The man whom
I before mentioned our having on board at Port Mulgrave, loft a
knife, a fpear, and feveral toes at this game in lefs than an hour:
though this lofs was at leaft equal to an Englilh gamefter lofing
his eftate, yet the poor fellow bore his ill-fortune with great patience
and equanimity of temper.
Time is calculated by moons, and remarkable events are remembered
with eafe for one generation, but whether for any longer
period is very doubtful.
Sea otter flrins are the ftaple commodity in the fur trade, the
other varieties we have met with I have before enumerated, and I
was informed by Mr. Etches, that King George’s Sound produced
as many different forts of Ikins as Cook’s River: I have aho
taken notice of the articles mod acceptable in barter, and fltall
only add on that head, that copper-is almoft the only article in
requeft at King George’s Sound; and though faws are obvioufly
of the greateft ufe to the Indians, yet we found them fo little va-
j. lued,