the nuns are extremely ingenious in writing, and in embellishments, which they perform with a variety of beautiful colours, with gilding, in imitation of the initials in ancient manufcripts, and they ftick them up by way of ornament in their churches and cells. By thefe different manufactures, the public ftock of this afcetic people is well fupplied, as no denomination of Chriftians can be their enemies.

Although the two fexes live feparately from one another in their town, yet the Dunkards are far from being enemies to marriage. In that cafe the parties muft indeed leave the town, but they are fupplied out of the public fund with whatever is neceffary for their fettling elsewhere. This they generally do as near as they can to Ephrata, to which they fend their children for education. They have in their fociety a prefident, one Philip Miller, who was regularly educated at the university of Hall, in Germany. He is faid to be a man not only of learning, but of good fenfe. He went over on fome fcruples of confcience from the Calvinifts, among whom he had taken orders, to the Dunkards. Though rigidly adhering to their doctrine and manners, yet he is open, affable, and communicative, and makes no fecret of the religious principles of the Dunk ards to ftrangers. Baptifm they administer by dipping, or plunging, but to adult perfons only. They hold freewill, and think that the doctrine of original fin, as to its effect upon Adam's pofterity, is abfurd and impious. They difclaim violence, even in cafes of felf-defence, and fuffer themselves to be defrauded or wronged, rather than go to law. They are fuperftitious to the laft degree in obferving the fabbath; and all their prayers and preachings, during their worship, are extempore. Humility, chastity, temperance, and other Chriftian virtues, are commonly the fubjects of their discourses; and they imagine, that the fouls of dead Chriftians are employed in converting those of the dead, who had no opportunity of knowing the Gofpel. They deny the eternity of hell-torments, but believe in certain temporary punishments that will be inflicted on infidels, and obftinate perfons, who deny Chrift to be their only Saviour; but they think that at a certain period all will be admitted to the endless fruition of the Deity. A people, whofe principles are fo harmless, and whole practice is fo fimple and virtuous, cannot be otherwife than happy upon earth. Among themselves they know nothing but harmony and mutual affection; every one chearfully performs the talk of industry MOD. VOL. XXXVI, affigned

L

Account of Hudjon's

bay.

affigned to him, and their hofpitality and courtesy to ftrangers are unbounded.

HUDSON'S. BAY.

THE trade of the country is become fo confiderable to Great Britain, that, though it affords but few settlements, and no cities, the hiftory of it is as interefting as that of any other Amerian colony.

Hudson's Bay extends from 51 deg. to 65 deg. north lat. and from 78 deg. to 95 deg. weft long. from London. The whole in length may be about fix hundred miles, and its northern boundary may be reckoned at Davis's ftreights; the country lying to the north of that being claimed by the Danes. The entrance of the ftreights is variously reprefented. At Refolution Ifland, it is faid to be twelve or thirteen leagues wide, but others make it not half fo much. As to the freights themfelves, they are faid to be a hundred and twenty leagues in length; the fhores, on both fides, being inhabited by a moft favage race. At the mouth of the freights lies Refolution Ifland; and in the ftreights themselves lie the iflands Charles, Salisbury, and Nottingham and Mansfield island is fituated in the mouth of the bay. The truth is, the whole of this vaft country is fo inhofpitable, great part of it being without inhabitants,. that the geography of it is very uncertain. We fhall, however, prefent our readers with the general description of it from the beft authorities.

The fouth coaft of Hudfon's Streights is known by the name of Terra de Labrador, and is by fome called New Britain. It extends from the 50th to the 63d degree of latitude, and from the gift to the 79th degree of longitude, weft from London; its form being triangular. The inland parts of this country are but little known, and are inhibited by the Efquimaux Indians, the moft untamed and intractable people in America. They were firft difcovered. by the Danes, but no fettlement has ever yet been made in their country. They have no fettled habitation, nor do we know of any villages or towns among them. They are thought to be fo numerous, that they can bring thirty thoufand fighting men into the field; but though mischievous, untameable, and treacherous, they are exceffively cowardly; and fometimes, in the night-time, they cut the cables of fhips that they may enjoy their wrecks in the morning. The French have several times built forts and little towns upon their frontiers, in hopes of enticing them to traffic with them, but all to no purpofe; for even the zeal

of the miffionaries could make no impreffion upon their barbarous manners. The only commodities they trade in. are furs, which they exchange for knives, fciffars, pots, kettles, and the like hardware; but if an European fhip fhould fuffer them to come near it in too great numbers, they will, if they can, mafter the crew and plunder the veffel.

On the other fide Hudfon's Streights, to the north of The North Labrador, lies what is called the North Main, bounded on Main the east by Davis's Streights, on the north by Baffin's Bay, and on the weft by a nameless ftreight. Some geogra phers have imagined the whole of this country to be an ifland, ftretching from the 62d to the 75th degree of north latitude. Some call it James Ifland; others fuppofe it to confift of three fmall islands, that on the north-west being cut through by Cumberland Bay, the mouth of which lies under the arctic circle, and runs to the north-west. White-bear Bay feparates the ifle on the fouth-east from that on the fouth-weft. Cape Mary, by fome called Charles Cape, lies on the fouth-weft fhore of the last mentioned island, and Smith's Bay and Cape Baffin on the western. coaft; but all writers feem to agree in acknowleging their ignorance of the inland parts. North Bay lies to the fouth of the ifle on the eaft of White-bear Bay. On the foutheaft point of it are the ifles of Refolution, and Lumley's Inlet lies on the eastern coast. The ifle that lies to the north-east of Cumberland Bay has Cape Walfingham on fouth, to the east of which stands Mount Raleigh, and Cape Bedford is higher up. The Cumberland Islands lie in the bay of that name.

We have already mentioned the difcovery of the Streights of Davis, who, in 1585, failed to the fouth-weft cape of Greenland, in the latitude of 62 degrees, which he called Cape Defolation. Here he traded with the natives for peltry ware, fmall cod, and mufcles. He afterwards advanced to 66 degrees 40 minutes. In a fecond voyage which he made to the fame coaft, he difcovered many places to the weft; and afterwards proceeded as far as 72 degrees, 12 minutes. But what goes by the name of his ftreights, extends to the 75th degree of longitude, and there it communicates with Baffin's Bay, or rather what is called Chrif tian Sea. To the north of this Chriftian Sea lies fir Thomas Smith's Bay, in the 78th degree of north latitude. But though it appears to run northward, we have no particular defcription of it. On the western coast of Baffin's Bay are two founds or inlets; the most northern in latitude 76, is called Alderman Jones's Sound; and the other, in latitude 74 degrees and 20 minutes, is termed fir James Lancaster's

L 2

New

North

Wales.

Lancaster's Sound; the country lying round Baffin's Bay goes by the name of Prince William's Land; but we know nothing more of it.

To the fouth of Prince William's Land lies New North Wales, which has on its fouth New Denmark, and on its west another land, but both of them unknown. Wager's Streights have been already defcribed, and the Welcome, or Ne Ultra, is a narrow ftreight between the 62d and 63d degree of north latitude. Captain Middleton meeting with land there, which trended away from eaft-by-north to northby-weft, was in hopes that it was the extreme part of America; he therefore called it Cape Hope; but, to his difappointment, he met with a deep bay, which he called Repulfe Bay, and which, though in the month of Auguft, was full of broken ice. In that bay, about latitude 66 degrees, 45 minutes, lies Cape Frigid, fo called from lying on a frozen freight; but it is not clear whether this was an ifland, or the main land. As to the ftreight itself, it seems to be no more than an arm of the fea, three leagues wide, and full of iflands. From the tides of flood obferved here, it is probable there is a north-weft paffage into the western ocean. We know very little or nothing of the Jand between the Welcome and part of Baffin's Bay, only that it is barren and inhofpitable; and by fome it is laid down as an ifland. From Cape Hope to the mouth of Wager's Streights, or River, the country is unknown. The mouth of Wager's Streights, lying in latitude 65 degrees, 23 minutes, is not above two or three miles wide; but five or fix miles within its entrance, it extends to fix or eight miles. It is full of islands and rocks, but the lands on both fides are high. In latitude 65 degrees, 50 minutes, is the entrance of a fmall river; but how far it runs inland, is not known. The great plenty of deer that appeared on its banks, fuggefted the name of Deer Sound, and in the vallies there are faid to be large fresh lakes, with plenty of grafs, deer, and water-fowl; but the highlands confift of a kind of a rocky marble. In this found fome whales were likewife feen. The moft fouthern cape at the entrance of Wager's Streight, is called Cape Dobbs. South-westward, in latitude 65, lie Whalebone Point and Cape Fullerton. Brook Cobham, or Marble Ifland, which lies in latitude 63, has to the weft of it an opening within land, called Rankin's Inlet. To the fouth are two other openings, called Whale Cove, and Love Grove. It is thought by many, that thefe openings, though yet but very imperfectly known, lead to the South Sea, which, if true, would be a difcovery of the highest importance. The country, from Wager's Streights to Seal River, the mouth of which lies

in latitude 60 degrees, 30 minutes, is called New Denmark, fo termed, from its having been taken poffeffion of for the Danes by captain Monck.

Monck.

This captain Monck was employed by Chriftiern the IVth, Discoveries king of Denmark, to find out a paffage between Greenland of captain and America, fo as to facilitate the voyage to the Eaft Indies, foon after Mr. Hudfon had mifcarried in the fame attempt. He failed from the Sound on the 16th of May, 1619, with two fhips, one carrying forty-eight, and the other fixteen men. On the 20th of June, he reached Cape Farewell, which he found fituated in 62 degrees, 30 minutes latitude, but covered with ice and fnow. He fteered from thence to Hudfon's Streights, which he denominated Chriftiern's Streight, and landed on what he supposed an ifland oppofite to Greenland. Here he met with favages, who feemed to be a harmless, fimple people, but very fhy, It was with the utmost difficulty, that while he remained at Reen Sund, (for fo he called the island where he was) he defended his fhip from the vaft fhoals of ice which every where furrounded him. He found several other islands in Hudfon's Streights; and wherever he landed, he fet up the arms of Denmark, and took poffeffion in that king's name, He afterwards vifited feveral coafts and feas, to all which he affigned new names, in honour of his royal mafter, though they had before received names from Hudfon and other Englishmen. Continuing his courfe weft-north-west, he came to 63 degrees 20 minutes; where, being furrounded by the ice, he was obliged to winter in a place which he called Monck's Winter Harbour, and the country round it be called New Denmark. On the 7th of October, having fecured his fhips in a creek, he'difcovered a river, and attempted to fail up it; but could make no prcgrefs, because of the vaft fhoals of ice which he encountered. He then attempted a paffage by land, but meeting with no inhabitants, he returned another way. In his progrefs, he perceived many druidical kind of altars, with bones near them, and other indications that the country was not deftitute of inhabitants, though he could bring none of them to traffic with him; and he concluded that they led a wandering life, like the Tartars and the Laplanders.

The miferies from the cold and froft which thofe Danes fuffered during the winter, were inexpreflible; and so many of them died, that captain Monck was obliged to do the duty of a common man. At last, their provision of bread failed them. Towards the end of May they faw abundance of wild fowl of all kinds; but they were to weak to catch them. The captain himself by this time fell ill,