One of these latter gets six dollars, and teaches his two children—the only two children of his district—to read and write! Four women, who teach the children "A, B, C's," get each one

dollar per year.

The men, sixteen in number, in the employ of government, get each forty to ninety dollars per year, besides provisions for themselves and families. Every fourteen days bread is baked for them.

In the town there are twenty-four stoves—only one to each house; and these stoves require 100 barrels of coal and five fathoms of wood.

There are reckoned to be 1700 Esquimaux sealers in Greenland, 400 fishers, and one Esquimaux officer (a clerk), whose father was a Dane and the Governor of Lievely—Goodhavn. In addition, there are of Esquimaux 17 foremen and boatsmen; 22 coopers and blacksmiths; 87 sailors; 15 pensioners, whose business is to look after goats, and who get half rations of beer, pork, meat, and butter, etc., but full rations of pease, barley, etc. There are also 20 native catechists or missionaries.

The European missionaries and priests number 13 German and 11 Danish.

Of first and second governors there are 31.

Three doctors visit each place once a year. There are 36 European clerks; 7 boat-steerers; 28 coopers, carpenters, and blacksmiths; 19 sailors and cooks; and 8 pensioners.

The whole body of missionaries are paid per annum, in Danish money, $16,360; of which amount Government House gives $14,650, and the East India Missions, at the outside, $2000. For schools and school-books the sum of $6500 is appropriated.

I now proceed with my personal narrative.

Among the numerous visitors that greeted us on our arrival, I was astonished to find myriads of musquitoes. Little did we expect so warm a reception in the arctic regions. Talk about musquitoes in the States as being numerous and troublesome! Why, no man who has not visited the arctic shores in the months of July and August can have a good idea of these Liliputian elephants. In the States the very hum of a musquito is enough to set any one upon his guard. How many a poor soul there has been kept in a state of torment all night by the presence of only two or three musquitoes! But here, in the North, it is a common, every-hour affair to have thousands at one time around you,

some buzzing, some drawing the very life-blood from face, hands, arms, and legs, until one is driven to a state approaching madEven the clothing worn in the States is no protection here against the huge proboscis with which each lady musquito is armed.

On Monday, July 9th, a laughable circumstance occurred. It consisted in the fact that Esquimaux had managed to outwit Yankee, and thus it was:

Sterry—the sharp Sterry, who understands the Esquimaux language, had been assisting Smith, the third mate, in some "trade" with the natives. Sampson, the pilot, was the man who had come on board, with several others, to see what could be picked up. He was accosted by Smith, and asked if he had any thing to trade; but the reply was that "all had gone." In fact, he had parted with every thing of value in his possession, and that, too, for nominal prices in return. Smith, however, was not satisfied, and again pressed the Esquimaux. At length it occurred to Sampson that he had money, with which he could purchase outright some tobacco. So he asked Smith if he had any to sell. Smith replied, "Yes; how much do you want?" Sampson thereupon drew forth a Danish bill, marked "sex skilling"—a shin

plaster—and said, "How much you sell for this?" Smith took the bill with avidity, and showed it to our acute, jocular, and ever

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good-humored Sterry. I here show a fac-simile of it to my readers. Sterry, seeing the "sex skilling" on the bill, thought it to be six shillings Yankee currency, and accordingly himself addressed the Esquimaux in native tongue. "How many plugs for this?" said he. "Four," answered Sampson. Now this, if each had understood the other, would have been clear, straightforward, and a bargain. But Sterry, though well talking Esquimaux on the west side of Davis's Straits, was not so proficient in it at Greenland, where there is a material difference. Accordingly, Sampson's reply he took to mean four pounds of tobacco, which amounted to thirty-two plugs. This, even at the "six shillings" Yankee currency, was a pretty "steep price," for the tobacco was worth at least one dollar and sixty-eight cents. However, for certain reasons connected with an extreme thirst then raging throughout both Sterry and Smith, it was concluded to let the tobacco go that the money might be had. Smith, therefore, went to his chest and got what Sampson wanted. As the plugs of tobacco were counted over to the Esquimaux, his eyes expanded with immense delight and astonishment. He hastened to his kyack with the "godsend," and hurried to the shore, the richest native man in Holsteinborg. Immediately he communicated to his friends the immense wealth that had befallen him from his "sex skillings;" how he had asked only four plugs of tobacco from the white man on board the ship, and he had got eightfold. It was enough. What California was to Americans, so was the barque George Henry now to the Esquimaux of Holsteinborg. Kyack after kyack came with its dignified Esquimaux, each loaded with a large complement of the fortune-making "sex skilling." Sampson, who had so quickly got rich, was among the new-comers, eagerly seeking for more. But, alas for the hopes of men, especially when founded on bank bills! A speculation had already commenced in town on the "skilling notes." They ran up above par to 300, 400, and, at one time, 800 per cent.! And when the Esquimaux, to some scores of persons, arrived on board, they found themselves partly ruined instead of being enriched. Our Sterry and Smith had discovered their mistake, and thus many an Esquimaux, who, like several white men, had invested his all in that sort of paper currency at high figures, found himself almost beggared. Directly Sampson came on board, he was met by Smith at the gangway, and the following took place, to the dismay of the numerous new traders:

Taking the "cussed" bill from his pocket and handing it to Sampson, Smith said, "No good; too little money for four pounds tobacco." Sampson, with honest face, looked Smith in the eye, and replied, "He be good;" which really was true—good for its face, sex skilling, equivalent to about three cents federal coin. But Sterry, who had joined, now insisted, in as good "Husky" (Esquimaux) language as he could command, that "too little money for good deal tobacco," and he held up his finger of one hand, a thumb and all his fingers of the other. Sampson now understood, and woefully but honestly said, "I go get tobacco and bring it back." Smith handed him the bill, but Sampson at once told him to keep it until he should return. "No," said Smith, "take it along with you. I'll trust you. I see you're honest, and wish to do what is right. It's Sterry's fault," he added, afterward, "or I should not have been caught so. But, if I never get my tobacco again, I don't care. I've learned a good lesson, and that is, not to deal in 'Husky' bank-stock. I'm now a Jackson man. D—n all banks except that of Newfoundland, where I hope yet to catch more cod on my way to and from these parts."

Need I say that the Esquimaux had to return on shore very crestfallen with their disappointment? Who would not have been, especially after investing in stocks, as many of them had done?

To finish the history of this affair, I may as well add here that, in a few days after this, "Sampson," with all his family and his friends, left Holsteinborg for some other place. Smith therefore became minus four pounds of tobacco, and the "sex skilling" besides! Thus the Esquimaux completely outwitted two of our smart Yankees, and, what is more, did it without the smallest intention of dishonesty at the time. Sterry always declared that he thought the "sex skilling" bill was six Yankee shillings, and both he and Smith acknowledged they were anxious to get some Greenland money to "splice the main brace." Ever afterward they had frequent reminders from our ship's company of the joke.

Thursday, July 10th, was a most interesting day to me, on account of a visit paid by Captain Budington and myself to Governor Elberg. Leaving the ship, which was anchored half a mile from the landing, we were taken on shore by an Esquimaux boat rowed by natives, and arrived at Government House about 4 P.M. We found him busily engaged with his clerk in preparing an Annual Report for the King of Denmark; but he kindly welcomed us, and, putting aside his labors, escorted us into a private

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room. Here we soon entered into genial conversation; and a present from Captain Budington of sweet potatoes grown in Florida (never before seen by the governor), with a case of preserved quinces from me, much pleased him.

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Hearing that I had on board a copy of M'Clintock's Voyage, he asked for the loan of it, and I let him have it soon afterward. Captain M'Clintock, in the account of his voyage, thus speaks of his visit to Holsteinborg in the latter end of April, 1858: "We have been visited by the Danish residents—the chief trader or governor, the priest and two others. I afterward visited the governor, and found his little wooden house as scrupulously clean and neat as the houses of the Danish residents in Greenland invariably are. The only ornaments about the room were portraits of his unfortunate wife and two children. They embarked at Copenhagen last year to rejoin him, and the ill-fated vessel has never since been heard of. * * * This is a grand Danish holiday; the inhabitants are all dressed in their Sunday clothes at least all who have got a change of garment—and there is both morning and evening service in the small wooden church. This is the only part of Greenland where earthquakes are felt. The governor told me of an unusually severe shock which occurred a winter or two ago. He was sitting in his room reading at the time, when he heard a loud noise like the discharge of a cannon. Immediately afterward a tremulous motion was felt; some glasses upon the table began to dance about, and papers lying upon the window-sill fell down. After a few seconds it ceased. He thinks the motion originated at the lake, as it was not felt by some people living beyond it, and that it passed from *The mountain scenery is really charmThe clergyman of Holsteinborg was born in this colony, and has succeeded his father in the priestly office; his wife is the only European female in the colony. Being told that fuel was extremely scarce in the Danish houses, and that the priest's wife was blue with the cold, I sent on shore a present of coals."

N.E. to S.W. ing.

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The governor invited us to visit the various buildings and the town. We first directed our steps to the general government store, where we saw almost as much variety as in a country store at home. There was a little of every thing, with a good deal of malt, barley, pease, and dry bread, which will keep for years.

In a warehouse near the landing I noticed large quantities of