he dries it up.  He uses the double-bladed paddle, which is held with both hands in the middle, striking the water with a quick regular motion, first on one side and then on the other.  By this means the canoe is impelled at a great rate, and in a direction as straight as a line can be drawn.  In sailing from Egoochshak to Samganoodha, two or three canoes kept way with the ship, though she was going at the rate of seven miles an hour.

Their fishing and hunting implements lie ready upon the canoes, under straps fixed for the purpose.  They are all made, in great perfection, of wood and bone, and differ very little from those used by the Greenlanders, as they are described by Crantz.  The only difference is in the point of the missile dart, which, in some we saw here, is not above an inch long; whereas Crantz says, that those of the Greenlanders are a foot and a half in length.  Indeed, these darts, as well as some others of their instruments, are so curious, that they deserve a particular description; but, as many of them were brought away on board the ships, this can be done at any time, if thought necessary.  These people are very expert in striking fish, both in the sea, and in rivers.  They also make use of hooks and lines, nets and wears.  The hooks are composed of bone, and the lines of sinews.

The fishes which are common to other northern seas, are found here; such as whales, grampusses, porpoises, swordfish, halibut, cod, salmon, trout, seals, flat-fish; several other sorts of small fish; and there may be many more that we had no opportunity of seeing.  Halibut and salmon seem to be in the greatest plenty, and on them the inhabitants of these isles subsist chiefly; at least, they were the only sort of fish, except a few cod, which we observed to be laid up for their winter store.  To the north of 60 deg., the sea is, in a manner, destitute of small fish of every kind; but then whales are more numerous.

Seals and that whole tribe of sea-animals, are not so numerous as in many other seas.  Nor can this be thought strange, since there is hardly any part of the coast, on either continent, nor any of the islands lying between them, that is not inhabited, and whose inhabitants hunt these animals for their food and clothing.  Sea-horses are, indeed, in prodigious numbers about the ice; and the sea-otter is, I believe, no where found but in this sea.  We sometimes saw an animal, with a head like a seal’s, that blew after the manner of whales.  It was larger than a seal, and its colour was white, with some dark spots.  Probably this was the sea-cow, or manati.