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in valuable furs than their private merchants engaged with ardour in fimilar expeditions. Soon after the return of Beering's crew from the island where he was thipwrecked and died, and which is called after his name, the inhabitants of Kamichatka ventured over to that ifland. CopperIland, which lies full in fight of Beering's-Ifle, was next an easy discovery. This ifland takes its name from the great quantity of copper found upon its beach, which being wathed up by the fea, covers the fhore in fuch abundance, that many fhips may load with it. This copper is moitly in a metallic or malleable ftate, and many pieces feem as if they had formerly been in fufion. The island is not high, but has many hiilocks, each of which has the appearance of having been the funnel of a volcano.

These two small uninhabited fpots were for fome time the only iflands that were known, till a fcarcity of land and a animals, greatly diminished by the Ruffian hunters, occafioned other expeditions. Several of thefe veffels, being driven by ftormy weather to the fouth-eaft, difcovered the Aleutian ifles, fituated about the 195th + degree of longitude. To the north-east of thefe, at the distance of 600 or 800 verfts, lies another group of fix or more iflands, called the Andreanotiski Oftrova. The inhabitants of thefe iflands live in holes dug in the earth, in which they make no fires, even in winter. Their clothes are made like fhirts, of the fkins of the guillinot and puffin, which they catch with fpringes. Over thefe in rainy weather they wear an upper garment, made of the bladder and other dried inteftines of feals and fea-lions oiled and ftitched together. They catch cod and turbot with bone hooks, and eat them raw. As they never lay in a ftore of provifion, they fuffer greatly from hunger in ftormy weather, when they cannot go out to fish; at which time they are reduced to live upon fmall Shell Sth and fea-wreck, which they pick up upon the beach, and eat raw. In the feverett weather they make no addition to their ufual clothing. In order to warm themselves in winter, whenever it freezes very hard, they burn a heap of dry grafs, over which they ftand, and catch the heat under their clothes. The clothes of the women and children are made of fea

otter skins, in the fame form as those of the men. Whenever they pafs a nightat a distance from home, they dig a hole in the earth, and lay themselves down in it, covered only with their clothes and mats of platted grafs. Regardless of every thing but the prefent moment, deflitute of religion, and without the leat appearance of decency, they feem but a few degrees removed from brutes.

South-eaft, or east-south of these islands, at the distance of about 15 degrees, and north by eat of the Aleutian, begin the Fox iflands. This chain of ifles and rocks ftretches eaft-north-east between 56 and 61 degrees of north latitude from 211 degrees of longitude moft probably to the coast of America; and in a line of direction croffing with that in which are the Aleutian illes. In general they are very populous. Unalaika, which is the largeft, is fuppofed to contain feveral thoufand inhabitants. Thefe favages live together in feveral communities, compofed of fifty, and fometimes of two or even three hundred perfons. They dwell in large caves from forty to eighty yards long, from fix to eight broad, and from four to five high. The roof of thefe caves is a kind of wooden grate, which is firft fpread over with a layer of grafs, and then covered with earth. Several openings are made in the top, through which the inhabitants go up and down by ladders. The fmallest dwellings have two or three entrances of this fort, and the longest five or fix. Each cave is divided into a certain number of partitions, appropriated to the feveral fanilies; and thefe partitions are marked by means of takes driven into the earth. The men and women fit on the ground; and the children lie down, having their legs bound together under them, in order to make them learn to fit upon their hams. They feed their children when very young with the coarfelt flesh, and for the moit part raw. If an infant cries, the mother immediately carries it to the fea-fide, and be it fummer or winter holds it naked in the water till it is quiet. This does the children no harm, but hardens them again!t the cold.

Although no fire is made in their caves, they are generally fo warm, that both fexes lit naked. These people obey the calls of nature openly, and without ef

The longitude is reckoned throughout from the firft meridian of the ifle of Fero, one of the Canary ifles, remarkable only from this circumstance, that feveral Geographers reckon their firft meridian from its northernmost extremity.

Two English miles are equal to three veins.

teeming

teeming it indecent. They wath themfelves firft with their own urine, and afterwards with water. In winter they go always bare-footed; and when they want to warm themselves, efpecially before they go to fleep, they fet fire to dry grafs and walk over it. Their habitations being almost dark, they ufe, particularly in win ter, a fort of large lamps, made by hollowing out a ftone, into which they put a rush-wick, and burn train oil. The natives are white, with black hair, have flat faces, and are of a good ftature. The men fhave, with a fharp tone or knife, the circumference and top of the head, and let the hair which remains hang from the crown. The women cut their hair. in a traight line over the foreheads; behind they let it grow to a confiderable length, and tie it in a bunch. Some of the men wear their beards; others have, or pull them out by the roots.

They mark various figures on their faces, backs of their hands, and the lower parts of their arms, by pricking them first with a needle, and then rubbing the parts with a fort of black clay. They make three incifions in the under lip; they place in the middle one a flat bone, or a fmail coloured ftone, and in each of the fide ones they place a long pointed piece of bone, which bends and reaches almoft to the ears. They likewise make a hole through the griftle of the note, into which they put a fmall piece of bone in fuch a manner as to keep the noftrils extended. They alfo pierce holes in their ears, and wear in them what little ornaments they can pro

cure.

Their dress confifts of a cap and a fur coat, which reaches down to the knee. Some of them wear common caps of a party-coloured bird-skin, upon which they leave part of the wings and tail. On the forepart of their hunting and fishing caps they have a fmall board like a fcreen, adorned with the jaw-bones of fea-bears, and ornamented with glafs beads, which they receive in barter from the Ruffians. At their feftivals and dancing parties, they use a much more fhowy fort of caps. Their fur coats are made like fhirts. The mens dress is made of birds-fkins, but the womens of fea-otters and fea-bears. These fkins are dyed with a fort of red earth, and neatly fewed with finews, and ornamented with various tripes of fea-otters fkins and leathern fringes. They have alfo upper garments made of the intestines of the largest fea-calves and fea-lions.

Their veffels confit of two forts: the

larger are leathern boats or baidars, which have oars on both fides, and can hold 30 or 40 people. The fmaller veffels are rowed with a double paddle, and resemble the canoes of the Greenlanders, containing only one or two perfons: they never weigh above thirty pounds, being nothing but a thin fkeleton of a boat covered with leather. In thefe, however, they pafs from one ifland to another, and even venture out to fea a confiderable diftance. In calm weather they go out in them to catch turbot and cod with bonehooks and lines made of finews and feaweed. They ftrike the fish in the rivulets with darts. Whales and other fea animals thrown afhore by the waves are carefully looked after, and no part of them is loft. The quantity of provifions which they procure by hunting and fishing being far too finall for their wants, the greatest part of their food confifts of fea-wreck and fhell-fish, which they find on the shore.

No ftranger is allowed to hunt or fish near a village, or to carry off any thing fit for food. When they are on a journey, and their provifions are exhaufted, they beg from village to village, or call upon their friends and relations for affittance.

They feed upon the flesh of all forts of fea animals, and generally eat it raw. But if at any time they chufe to dress their victuals, they make use of a hollow stone : having placed the fish or flesh thereon, they cover it with another, and close the interftices with lime or clay. They then lay it horizontally upon two stones, and light a fire under it. The provifion intended for keeping is dried without falt in open air. They are at present very fond of fnuff, which the Ruffians have introduced amongst them.

No traces were found of any kind of worship among them. Several perfons indeed pafs for forcerers, pretending to know paft and future things, and are held in high veneration, but without receiving any emolument. If a whale happen to be caft on fhore, the inhabitants affemble with great marks of joy, and perform a number of extraordinary ceremonies. They dance and beat drums, and then cut up the fish, of which the best part is confumed on the spot. On fuch occafions they wear fhowy caps; and some of them dance naked in wooden masks, which reach down to their fhoulders, and reprefent various forts of fea animals. Their dances confilt of thort steps forwards, accompanied with ftrange geftures.

Feafts are very common: particularly

M

when

when the inhabitants of one ifland are vifited by those of the others. The men of the village meet their guests beating drums, and preceded by the women who fing and dance. At the conclusion of the dance, the hoft invites them to partake of the feafts; after which ceremony the former return to their dwellings, place mats in order, and ferve up their belt provifion. The guests next enter, take their places, and after they are fatisfied the diverfions begin; which are chiefly dancing and capering, beating drums, and finging.

Marriage ceremonies are unknown amongst them, and each man takes as many wives as he can maintain; but the number feldom exceeds four. These women are occafionally allowed to cohabit with other men: they and their children are also not unfrequently bartered in exchange for commodities. Filial duty towards the aged is not held in eftimation by these iflanders. They are not, however, deficient in fidelity to each other. When a rich iflander dies, the body is bound with, thongs, and afterwards left to rot in the air in a fort of wooden cradle, hung upon a crofs bar, fupported by forks. Upon these occafions they cry and make bitter lamentations. But the bodies of poor people, wrapped up in their clothes or mats, are buried in the earth.

Their Toigons or Princes are those who have numerous families, and are skilful and fuccefsful in hunting and fifhing.

Their weapons confilt of bows, arrows, and darts: they throw the latter very dexterously, and to a great diftance, from a hand-board. For defence they ufe wooden fhields Whenever they are wounded in any encounter, or bruised by any accident, they apply a fort of yellow root to the wound, and fait for fome time. When then head aches, they open a vein in that part with a tune lancet. When they want to glue the points of their arrows to the fhaft, they strike their nofe till it bleeds, and ute the blood as glue. Notwithstanding their favagenefs they are very docile; and the boys, whom the Ruffians keep as hottages, loon acquire a knowledge of their language.

No, large trees were seen upon these iflands, but they produce underwood, finall fhrubs, and plants. The winter is much milder than in the eaftern parts of Siberia and continues only from November to the end of March. The fnow feldomes upon the ground for any time.

Rein-deer, bears, wolves, and icefoxes, are not found in thefe iflands; but

they abound in black, grey, brown, and red foxes, for which reason they are called the Fox-Iflands. During the day they lie in caves and clifts of rocks; towards evening they come to the shore in search of food. They have long ago extirpated the brood of mice, and other finall animals. They are not in the fmallest degree afraid of the inhabitants, but diftinguish the Ruffians by the fcent, having experienced the effects of their fire-arms. The number of fea-lions, fea bears, and seaotters is very confiderable. Upon some of the islands wam fprings are to be found, and in Unalafhka there are two burning mountains. Indeed, all these islands abound with such funnels of volcanos as were found on Copper-Island; infomuch that no island, however small, was found without one; and many of them confifted of nothing else. In short, thefe iflands, without any stretch of imagination, may be confidered as thrown up by fome late volcanos. The apparent novelty of every thing seems to justify this conjecture; nor can any objection be derived from the vegetable productions with which these islands abound; for, the summer after the lower diftrict of Holland was gained from the sea, it was covered over with wild mustard All these ifles are fubject to violent and frequent earthquakes, and abound in fulphur. It is not faid whether any lava was found upon them; but there was a fort of party-coloured tone as heavy as iron. From this account it is by no means improbable, that the copper found at Copper-Island has been melted in fome eruption.

The cuftoms and manners of the inhabitants of Aleütian ifles are nearly fimilar to thofe of the inhabitants of the FoxIslands. The former, indeed, are rendered tributary, and entirely subject to Ruffia; and most of them have a flight acquaintance with the Ruffian language, which they have learned from the crews of the different veffels who have landed there.

Having thus defcribed the produce of thefe iflants, with the cuftoms and manners of their inhabitants, it will be requifite to give fome idea of the commerce carried on by the Rulians. Most of the veffels equipped for thefe expeditions are twomatted: they are commonly built without iron, and in genera! fo badly constructed, that it is wonderful how they can live in fo ftormy a fea. They are called in Ruffia Shetiki, or Sewed veffels, because the planks are fewed together with things of

leather.

leather. The largest of thefe veffels are manned with 70 men, and the finalleft with 40. The crew generally confifts of an equal number of Ruffians and Kamtchatdals. The latter occafion a confiderable faving, as their pay is fmall. But Ruffian mariners are more enterprizing and more to be depended on in time of danger than the others; fome therefore are unavoidably neceffary.

The equipment of each veffel ordinarily cofts from 15,000 to 20,000 roubles *, and fometimes the expences amount to 30,000. Every veffel is divided into a certain number of fhares, generally from thirty to fifty, and each share is worth from 300 to 500 roubles.

The risk of the trade is very great, as fhip-wrecks are common in the fea of Kamtchatka, which is full of rocks, and very tempestuous. Befides the crews are frequently furprized and killed by the

iflanders, and the veffels deftroyed. In return the profits are very confiderable; the gain upon a fuccefsful voyage being at a moderate computation cent. per cent. Should the veffel be capable of performing a fecond voyage, the expences are of courfe confiderably leffened, and the shares at a lower price.

Some idea of the profits of a fuccefsful voyage may be deduced from the fale of a rich cargo of furs brought to Kamchatka in 1772. The tenth part of the skins being delivered to the Customs, the remainder was distributed in 55 fhares. Each thare confifted of twenty fea-otters, 16 black and brown foxes, 10 red foxes, three fea otters tails; and fuch a portion was fold upon the fpot from 800 to 1000 roubles; fo that according to this price the whole lading was worth about 50,000 roubles.

* A rouble on an average is equal to four fhillings.

To the EDITOR of the UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE.

SIR,

Your bumble Servant,

D. M.

If the following valuable Anecdote be thought worthy a Place in your next Magazine, it is at your Service. Carlifle, Aug. 4, 1780. ACCOUNT of EDWARD BURTON, Efq; of Longnor, near Shrewsbury. [From PHILIPS's Hiftory of SHREWSBURY.]

THIS

HIS gentleman, who lived in the reign of Queen Mary I, was a zealous affertor of the Proteftant religion during the whole of her unhappy reign, and is by Mr. Fox, in his Acts and Monuments, named among those who by various means escaped perfecution. One day fitting in his own parlour alone, meditating on the troubles of the times, and the deliverances he and others had found, though many had fuffered; while he was reflecting, he heard a general ringing of all the bells in Shrewsbury, which he concluded must be for the acceffion of the Lady Elizabeth to the throne, by the death of Queen Mary. Longing to know the truth, and not daring to fend away any of his fervants to enquire, he fent his eldeft fon, a youth about fixteen years of age, ordering him, if the bells rang for the Lady Elizabeth's acceffion, to throw his hat up into the air, ar fome place from whence he might fee it, to gratify his expectation. The young man, finding it was as expected, threw up his hat, which his father fecing, was

fuddenly affected with fuch extremity of joy, for the liberty and comfort the Proteltants had now fuch a profpect of, that he retired from the window, where he faw the fign, with difficulty gained a chair, and immediately expired By his last will he ordered that his body fhould be buried in the parish church of Saint Chad, in Shrewsbury; and that no mass-monger" fhould be prefent at his interment. His friends, defigning to execute his will in this refpect, brought his body to the church, and were there met by the curate, Mr. John Marshall, who faid, that Mr Burton was an heretic, and should not be buried in his church. (This being the day of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, the Popifh priests were yet in place.) One of Mr. Burton's friends aufwered, As to his being an Heretic, God would judge that at the laft day. The curate replied, Judge God, or judge Devil, he fhall not be buried in this church. Mr. Burton's friends were obliged to carry his body back again, and to bury it in his own garden.

We have inferted the above as a very curious hiftorical trait, but our obliging correfpondent will not infer from this, that, in these happier times, we think the profeffors of any religion can be guilty of fuch inhumanity as is recorded of the curate of St. Chad, except where fuperftition is the prevailing genius of the country, as in Spain and Portugal. At Paris it would perhaps be looked upon now with as much deteftation, as they doubtlefs regard the violences that lately difgraced our own metropolis. An enlightened fpirit of philofophy has been gradually fapping the foundations of bigotry and intolerance, and with the fpirit of the times, fo much the reverse of what it was even a few years ago, mankind feem more fufceptible of the tweet impreffions of humanity. A fimple fact may vouch for this. About ten years ago, M. le Tourneur published at Paris a Tranflation of Dr. Young's Night Thoughts in French; and for the frontispiece to the fcond volume he chofe that awful scene which our poet fo pathetically deplores, the interment of his daughter-in-law, to whom, about forty years fince, the bigotted inhabitants of Montpellier had denied a grave. The execution of the engraver is calculated to infpire every heart with an abhorrence of fuperftition, wherever it be found; and the tranflator himself, though a Catholic, enters warmly into the parental execrations of his author. The reader, who has not the tranflation at hand, may be gratified with the French verfion of the paflage, beginning with

Snatch'd in thy prime! and in thy bridal hour!'

Night, 3, 1. 151, &c. 'O ma fille, enlevée à la fleur de tes ans, ton heure nuptiale; au moment où la fortune te fouricit avec ton amant, lorfque

ton ame ouverte au plalfir commençoit à fentir le bonheur d'être, lorsque les aveugles' mortels te nommoient hautement la plus heureufe des amantes - - - - c'est alors que ta cendre refte fur une terre étrangère ! Ses durs habitans n'ont pu te refufer des larmes. Parceque tu n'adorois pas Dieu à leur maniére, ils s'étonnoient de s'attendrir fur toi. Mais fi les cruels ont pleuré, ils n'en étoient pas plus humains. Tandis que la Nature les forcoit de donner des larmes involontaires à la morte de Narciffe, la Superftition infenfible fe livrant à fon extravagance lui refuse un tombeau.'

O zèle barbare & haï d'un Dieu bienfaifant! Ces hommes impitoyables ont refusé de répandre une pouffière fur une pouffière; bienfait dont ils ne privent pas les plus vils animaux ! &c. If the fame bigotted fpirit, to which darker ages, and even more recent times, have been witness, did now influence the more fenfible and enlightened amongst the Roman Catholics, would not this paffage have been profcribed by the French Licenfer? On the contrary, his Imprimatur contains the higheft eulogy of our poet. By order of my Lord Chancellor I have read feveral Poems of the late Dr. Young. The importance of the lef fons which this perfuafive Poet of virtue hath given to mankind; the noble enthufiafm with which he defcants on the dignity of our nature, and the grandeur and elevated deftiny of an immortal foul; the bold and glowing touches which characte rize his pencil, all unite to render him worthy of univerfal admiration. And it is to increase our philofophical and literary riches to give in our language the works of an author, who must ever be dear to the advocates of pure morality, and to all who have a taste for the beautiful and sublime in poetry.'

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