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Tuesday, Aug 28 1860

The morning cloudy but before noon clear & fine. P.M. am hot!  Thermometer in the Sun 2 1/2 o'clock 90[[degree symbol]]!

Several Boats out to day, but no whales seen. Barter with the natives somewhat brisk.  Articles accumulating Whale-bone - Walrus tusks - Seal & Bear Skins Boots & mittens.  What the male portion of the Esquimaux went most after tobacco & pipes - are powder, shot & caps.  For 1/2 Box of caps (50) can purchase several pairs of good sized Walrus tusks!
Happy people the Esquimaux!  To-day a Dozen Esq. women were sitting flat on deck busily engaged at their work.  Two were at work on a Boat's sail for Capt. B. - Some Chewing oo-guke (Seal) skins for Kum-ings (Boots) - others sewing - while one was tending a cross baby which by the way was stark naked!  The little fellow is generally as glusome as any body's baby - but a piece of raw seal blubber or something of that sort was setting hard on its [[insertion]] little [[/insertion]] stomach therefore, its troublesomeness.  It is not often that you find an Esquimaux infant but that [[it's?]] quiet & of as little trouble as a lamb.
One Esquimaux lady, whose husband is as dark as half the negroes of the U.S. - really the deepest color of any Esquimaux I have [[insertion]] yet [[/insertion]] seen - has a very pretty white baby looking true blue American all over.  This [[insertion]] is [[/insertion]] either a phenomenon, or [[insertion]] it is [[/insertion]] not!  It is the 2d case of the kind I have met with among this people.  Anglo Saxon Blood!  And no mistake!  It knows no North - No South No East No West!  Its destiny is to show itself everywhere.  No part of Utica contracts its powers but the whole boundless - World has specimens of it!

This P M took dinkey Boat & paddled to my Excursion Boat wh. lies at anchor about 1/2 mile Easterly.  It seems restive as if partaking of my longings to be off to the land [[strikethrough]] of [[/strikethrough]] [[insertion]] where [[/insertion]] my duty calls me!  [[strikethrough]] to go [[/strikethrough]] From it went to Whale Island - took aboard [[Barpe-Kuck?]] & made for the other part of the island.  All my other dogs followed by plunging in & crossing a channel.  I took a fine tramp over this island.  A strange fact that snow (heavy drifts of it) can