NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.

in order to get into, or out of, this curious habitation. There is an hole
of about eighteen inches fquare on the top of it, which ferves the three-
fold purpofe of a window, an occafional door, and a chimney. The
under-ground part of the floor is lined with fplit wood. Six or eight
ftumps of {mall trees driven into the earth, with the root upwards, on
which are laid fome crofs pieces of timber, fupport the roof of the
building, which is an oblong fquare of ten feet by fix. The whole
is made of drift-wood covered with branches and dry grafs ; over which
is laid a foot deep of earth. On each fide of thefe houfes are a few
{quare holes in the ground of about two feet in depth, which are covered
with {plit wood and earth, except in the middle. Thefe appeared to
be contrived for the prefervation of the winter ftock of provifions. In
and about the houfes we found fledge runners and bones, pieces of
whalebone, and poplar bark cut in circles, which are ufed as corks to
buoy the nets, and are fixed to them by pieces of whalebone. Before
each hut a great number of f{tumps of trees were fixed in the ground,
upon which it appeared that they hung their fifh to dry.

We now continued our voyage, and encamped at eight o'clock. I
calculated our courfe at about North-Welt, and, allowing for the wind-
ings, that we had made fifty-four miles. We expeéted, throughout the
day, to meet with fome of the natives. On feveral of the iflands we per-
ceived the print of their feet in the fand, as if they had been there but a
few days before, to procure wild fowl. There were frequent fhowers of
rain in the afternoon, and the weather was raw and dilagreeable. We faw
a black fox; but trees were now become very rare objeéts, except a few

_dlwarf willows, of not more than three feet n’ height,
I The