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mediators. The way which is used for this intercourse, already
mentioned by Simpson, is formed by the Nunatak, Kuwak and
Selavik rivers to the west, and the Colville river to the north,
in connection with lakes. The Kuwak especially was
investigated into the interior, Eskimo dwellings being met with the
whole way. On the banks of a tributary river from the south,
the Umakuluk, inhabitants of the same race were found who
never had seen white men before. Relatively to the high northern
latitude, the vegetation here shows an extraordinary luxuriance,
trees being found measuring two feet in diameter. These
natives had birch-bark canoes. Along the banks of the said
three rivers together, they numbered somewhat more than
800 souls.
If these facts relating to the distribution of the present
population of Alaska and its remnants from an earlier period
are taken into account, it might with some reason be said to
have still maintained the appearance of a country peopled by
Eskimo in the interior, as well as on its sea shore, in
continual intercourse with each other, like that of the supposed
culture home, with the only difference, that the conflux to the
latter from a still farther off interior, and, at the same time
the spreading of emigrants from it over the arctic regions has
ceased. To the said remnants, properly speaking, ought to be
added the well known immense refuse heaps on the Aleutian
islands explored by Dall. Certainly nothing can be ascertained
concerning the nationality of the ancient settlers to whom the
remnants are due, but still the latter, at any rate, indicate that
a tendency to directing their migrations towards the north
western sea shores has prevailed among a certain part of the
aboriginal tribes of North America. However, we still must
bear in mind that, notwithstanding what we have asserted in
favour of Alaska as the culture home, this as yet remains a
hypothesis. The origin of the Eskimo from Asia is still not
sufficiently disproved, and this holds good of the surmise too
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