king one of our boats, we
shipped an Esquimaux pilot, called "Frederick," and started on June
21st, at 2 o'clock in the morning. To all our inquiries about Disco,
Frederick had but one reply,--"by and by you see." He liked rum and
biscuit, and was only to be animated by the conversation turning upon
seals, or _poussies_, as the natives call them. Then indeed Frederick's
face was wreathed in smiles, or rather its oleaginous coat of dirt
cracked in divers directions, his tiny eyes twinkled, and he descanted,
in his broken jargon, upon the delight of _poussey_ with far more
unction than an alderman would upon turtle. After threading the islets
we struck to north-east by compass, from the northernmost rock of the
group, which our guide assured us would sink below the horizon the
moment of our arrival off Godhaab. He was perfectly right, for after
four hours' pulling and sailing we found ourselves under a small
look-out house, and the islets of our departure had dipped.

Entering a long and secure harbour, we reached a perfectly landlocked
basin: in it rode a couple of Danish brigs, just arrived from
Copenhagen, with stores for the settlement; and on the shores of this
basin, the Danish settlement of Godhaab was situated, a few stores, and
the residence of two or three officials,--gentlemen who superintended
the commercial monopoly to which I have before referred: a flag-staff
and some half-dozen guns formed the sum total.

Landing at a narrow wooden quay, close to which natives and sailors
were busy unladening boats, we found ourselves amongst a rambling
collection of wooden houses, built in Dano-Esquimaux style, with some
twenty native lodges intermixed. Very few persons were to be seen
moving about: we heard afterwards that the body of natives were
seal-catching to the northward. A troop of half-caste boys and girls
served, however, to represent the population, and in them the odd
mixture of the Mongolian with the Scandinavian race was advantageously
seen.

A Danish seaman conducted Captain O----, Dr. D----, and self, to the
residence of the chief official, and, at the early hour of six, we made
a formal visit.

His mansion was of wood, painted black, with a red border to the
windows and roof: no doubt, so decorated for a good purpose; but the
effect was more striking than pleasing. A low porch with double doors,
two sharp turns in a narrow dark passage,--to baffle draughts, no
doubt,--and we found ourselves in a com