ELEVENTH WEEK-MONDAY.

I. ON THE INHABITANTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS.

We are naturally led, from the contemplation of man in winter, to view him placed by the hand of Providence amid the horrors of the Frozen Zone, where summer hardly ever penetrates, even in its least striking characteristics; where the solar heat is barely sufficient to dissolve for a few months the snow on the lower grounds, or the southern slopes, and to awaken the vegetable world to so languid a life, that even the hardier tribes of herbivorous animals find but a meagre subsistence. It would be difficult to conjecture any inducement which could have led originally to the voluntary occupation by man of so inhospitable and sterile an abode; and we are almost constrained to rest on the idea, that, in the accomplishment of the Divine intention of peopling the globe, the Supreme Governor has urged mankind, by some mysterious impulse, independent of his natural inclinations. Furnished with a power of accommodation to all climates, and aided and prompted, no doubt, by circumstances, man has often unconsciously fulfilled the first command of his Creator, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.' Issuing from the Plain of Shinar, to every point of the compass, the human race, after filling up the fertile regions of the Asiatic continent, radiated thence towards all the quarters of the globe; till, after the lapse of ages, they brought the most inhospitable regions, and most distant islands, under their dominion. In this process of dispersion, even the wastes of Siberia, and the snowy deserts of Boothia Felix, received a portion of the human family. God, by whom they were conducted, and who had implanted within them an indomitable perseverance, and an amazing versatility of mind, had also prepared for them, even there, the means of subsistence; and, though hardships were to be encountered, and difficulties to be overcome, of which the inhabitants of more favoured

climes were ignorant, there was spread for them, in the various kingdoms of Nature, a provision ample enough to satisfy all their real wants.

In illustrating this subject, I shall turn my attention exclusively to the state and character of those nations who are known by the general name of Esquimaux, and who dwell in the most northerly regions hitherto explored, I mean the higher latitudes of the continent of America. Consulting those enterprising adventurers who have in later years penetrated the frozen seas, or wintered among the snows and storms of this extreme portion of the world, we shall thus be brought to understand how ample are the resources of Providence, even in the very coldest portions of the world; and, much more, how rich must be the provision made by the Creator in countries where the frost is less intense, and the rigours of the climate less severe. We shall find that objects which, in temperate latitudes like ours, are regarded as useless or troublesome, are there capable of being turned to the most valuable account; that the snow, for example, which, to the delicate foot of the luxurious European, is cold, and cumbersome, and disagreeable, grows in importance as we travel towards this ultimate corner of the earth. In the backwoods of Canada, during the grim reign of winter, it affords the only means of transporting the produce of the land; and, what is very remarkable, forms a hard and easy path for this purpose, at the very season when the convenience of the ag riculturist demands it. But, in the native country of the Esquimaux, we shall find its value greatly enhanced, affording shelter and warmth, as well as facilities of easy transit. It is true, we shall not discover, in these wild and miserable districts, accommodations either so choice or so convenient as in temperate regions: nor will our general argument thereby be weakened. God, who has arranged the various conditions of the different orders of His creatures, has kindly bestowed upon some advantages which he has seen meet to withhold from others; and, while we perceive that this is but consistent with the general system of His providence throughout

our degenerate world, it is enough for us to know, that, even amid the blackness and horrors of an Arctic winter, we can find ample reason to adore that goodness, which, under circumstances apparently hopeless, has proved a sufficiency for the sustenance of a considerable portion of His rational

creatures.

The grand necessities of that remote people, then, may be considered under the several heads of Food, Clothing, Dwellings, Fire, and Light.

1. The daily food of the Esquimaux, as may well be supposed, is not directly derived from the soil. The land, perhaps in itself sterile, and at all events incapable, from the severity of the climate, of yielding a remunerating return for its cultivation, lies undisturbed by the hand of man, in all its original barrenness. Its spontaneous productions are few

and of small value.

On the melting of the snow, the surface of the earth is found clothed with a stunted herbage, consisting chiefly of short coarse grass, affording a sufficient meal to the tribes of animals, which, during the winter months, had migrated to less sterile countries, but offering little to satisfy the cravings of the human appetite, and still less to provoke the indulgence of a luxurious taste. A few of the vegetable productions, indeed, are occasionally employed by the natives; but they are neither depended on as necessaries of life, nor cultivated for domestic purposes. Under these circumstances, the hardy natives are driven to the resources afforded by the animal productions with which, happily, their country abounds. Of these we may mention several of the more remarkable. The smaller species of rein-deer which, in summer, are found in considerable numbers over the most northerly districts of America, and even among the islands of the Arctic Ocean, where they arrive in spring by crossing the yet unbroken ice, offer them a delicious banquet. These animals are tracked through the snow with that zeal and perseverance which generally characterize the hunting excursions of a barbarous people; and, notwithstanding their proverbial fleet

ness, fall victims, in great numbers, to the sure aim of the Esquimaux archers. The musk-ox is an animal peculiar to very cold and inhospitable latitudes; and though, being sometimes of a savage temper, he needs to be approached with caution, is constantly pursued, as affording a principal article of food. At certain seasons, indeed, its flesh possesses a very strong and unpleasant flavour of that odorous production from which its name is derived; but, in general, it is highly palatable, and has often been eaten with relish by Europeans, who describe it as very similar in taste to beef. To these may be added the hare, the wolf, and the fox; the two last of which are caught in ingenious traps, baited with fish, or any sort of animal garbage, and are readily attracted to the neighbourhood of the snare, by setting fire to a little rancid oil or refuse fat. The flesh of the fox, strange as it may appear, is not only much esteemed by the Esquimaux, but even by European travellers, who, when fresh provisions were scarce, have often partaken of it with relish. In addition to these quadrupeds, it need hardly be remarked, that the Esquimaux are furnished, by the hand of their bountiful Creator, with an immense and most valuable supply of fish. The enormous whale and the delicious salmon, the walrus and the seal, are all made tributary to their daily necessities. They have exerted their ingenuity in the preparation of the staves, the spears, and other instruments employed in their capture; and these, though far indeed from the perfection exhibited in the tackle of a European, manifest a greater share of the inventive faculties than we could easily have believed to belong to so rude and ungainly a people.

The immense quantity of fish taken and preserved by them, every season, for the supply of their winter necessities, almost exceeds our belief. But the contemplation of the exuberant abundance which their stores supply, while it leads to the conclusion, that no portion of the globe is so wild or inhospitable as to be destitute of proofs of the care and rich bounty of our Heavenly Father, awakens within us a senti ment of adoration, as well as of astonishment. 'The earth is full of his goodness.' G. J. C. D.

ELEVENTH WEEK-TUESDAY.

II. ON THE INHABITANTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS. FOOD AND CLOTHING.

It is generally admitted by physiologists, that the activity of the human body, in the generation of internal heat, though dependent, in a great degree, on the original constitution, is powerfully affected by the quality, as well as the quantity, of the food consumed. It would moreover appear, that, to excite the heating powers of the living principle in man, there is nothing found by experience so valuable as an oily diet. In temperate regions, this fact is recognized by medical men, in cases of protracted rheumatism, in which the regular use of the oil extracted from the liver of the cod, is found highly beneficial in bracing the system to resist the effects of external cold, and enabling it, by an increased action, to banish the gnawing pains of that distressing complaint. Any one can tell how much, on exposure to the cold of a winter day in our own climate, hunger increases the chilly sensations of the body, and how much comfort a sufficiency of animal food is calculated to afford. A meagre diet is best adapted to a warm climate or season, agreeing well with the relaxed state of the body under a tropical sun, or the parching heats of summer; but affording no defence against the bitter effects of a severe frost. I believe it has been frequently remarked by persons familiar with the Polar Seas, that sailors of a full habit of body, a sanguine temperament, and a florid complexion, if in good health, are the least affected by the feeling of severe cold; and these are just the men most generally addicted to eating considerable portions of animal food. A thin and bilious person, on the other hand, who eats sparingly, and loathes a large portion of fat or oily substances, finds it painful to be long exposed to the chilling influence of a northern sky. How remarkable an example of Providential care, then, does it appear, that, in those very