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[The Personal Diary of Dr. Clawbonny] May 5th 1860

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2011 05:53:12 -0700 (PDT)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

It's been quite a while since we last saw anyone, so this morning was
rather pleasantly pleased to be allowed to go on what I believed is
termed "shore leave" with Commander Shandon, Johnson, Foker, and Strong.
We were heading towards the small town of Uppernawik which holds claim
to the the most northerly part of Denmark. As we arrived on the shores,
we were greeted by the governor and his family. Needless to say I
greeted him in Danish (although I do not claim to be an expert in the
language) and with Foker knowing about twenty words of native Greenland
language we managed to get a grasp of the governor's personal history.
The governor was born on the island, and had never left his native
country. He did the honours of the town, which is composed of three
wooden huts, for himself and the Lutheran minister, of a school, and
magazines stored with the produce of wrecks. The remainder consists of
snow-huts, the entrance to which is attained by creeping through a hole.
Having been formally greeted, the rest of the town came to meet us and
some residents even went so far as to kayak out to where the Forward was
moored (presumably just to have a look at our ship). Whilst everyone was
happily chatting with the government, I went to have a word with the
minister and wondered what he was doing so far north. It turned out that
he was on a journey towards Proven on the south of Uppernawik and so
couldn't tell me that much about the town at all. Seeing that the
governor was not in the midst of a conversation I decided to find out a
bit more about the commercial affairs, the customs and manners of the
Esquimaux. He told me that that seals were worth about 40 pounds
delivered in Copenhagen, a bearskin forty Danish dollars, a blue fox
skin four, and a white one two or three dollars. I also wished (purely
out of professional curiosity) to visit one of the Esquimaux huts. Now I
grant you getting in was not the easiest of things to do (in fact I fear
I may have put some weight on since we left Liverpool) and in the end I
had to admit defeat. Perhaps it was a good thing as well when the
governor told me that the usual contents of a hut was (and I tried my
best not to feel physically sick).
As we came back, Strong showed me his latest acquisition. Loads of eider
duck eggs (twice as big as hen's eggs) which considering that all we
have had since Liverpool was salted meat I reckoned it would made a
pleasant change.

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to The Personal Diary of Dr. Clawbonny on
3/27/2011 11:29:00 AM

Received on Sun 27 Mar 2011 - 14:53:19 IST

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