Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian | Page 7

with assiduous kindness by Mr.
Hallowes, of Canterbury, the skilful surgeon employed by the College,
who showed much hospitality to Kalli. One of Mr. Hallowes' family
circle on Christmas-day was always the good-humoured broad-faced
Esquimaux. At their juvenile parties, the youth joined cheerfully in the
sports of the children, and he sometimes sung them some of the wild
and plaintive airs peculiar to his tribe.
It is believed that Kalli never omitted his morning and evening prayers
by his bed-side, and his utterance was full of devout earnestness. Mr.
Bailey remembers once travelling with him to Deal, and while in the
railway carriage, the youth quietly took out of his pocket a little book,
which was afterwards found to be a collection of texts for each day in
the year. For some time he was reading thoughtfully the text for the day.
No notice was taken of this to him; and as for himself, never perhaps
was any one more free from the least approach to ostentation.

Greenland Esquimaux Vocabulary
In the year 1853, Kalli rendered essential Service in the preparation of a
Greenland Esquimaux Vocabulary, for the use of the Arctic Expedition
of that year. The work was printed by direction of the Lords of the
Admiralty, with a short Preface acknowledging the advantage of his
assistance. Captain Washington, R.N., Hydrographer of the Admiralty,
says in the Preface, "Every word has now been revised from the lips of
a native. In the Midsummer vacation in 1852 Kallihirua passed some
days with me, and we went partly over the Vocabulary. I found him
intelligent, speaking English very fairly, docile and imitative, his great
pleasure appearing to be a pencil and paper, with which he drew
animals and ships. At the Christmas holidays, we revised more of the
Vocabulary, &c."
A member of the Expedition afterwards visited St. Augustine's College
and stated that the Vocabulary had been found to be of much service.

Visit to Kalli at College
The writer of this Memoir well recollects the circumstances of a visit
which he paid with his family to St. Augustine's College, Canterbury,
on a bright day, in August, 1853, when (it being the vacation) only
three students remained in residence. These were 1. Kallihirua, 2. a
young Hindoo by name Mark Pitamber Paul, and 3. Lambert McKenzie,
a youth of colour, a native of Africa, sent to the College by the Bishop
of Guiana. Kalli, who was the only one of these personally known to
the author, did not at first appear. He had strolled out to witness a
cricket-match in a field near Canterbury, but Blunsom, the College
porter, said that he had promised to return by two o'clock, and that he
was very punctual.
It is here due both to Blunsom and his wife, to say that they were most
kind friends to Kalli, watching over him with the most thoughtful
attention, and the tenderest care throughout.
As the Cathedral clock struck two, Kalli entered the College-gates.
With hair black as the raven's wing, and eyes sparkling with
good-humour, he made his appearance; and soon showed a desire to do
the honours of the College. His dress was neat, like that of a young
English gentleman, and he had a gaiety of look and manner, but far
removed from foppery of apparel or demeanour. With true
politeness--that of the heart--he accompanied the visitors over the
Library, the Chapel, the Common Hall and the Dormitories of the
College; each student having a small bed-room and study to himself.

His Amusements and Occupations
Kalli took great pleasure in exhibiting the carpenter's shop, a spacious
crypt below the Library. Attention was there called to the wooden
frame of a small house, in the construction of which, it appeared, he
had borne a part. He said, when asked, that he should most probably
find the knowledge of carpentering valuable some day, and that he

should like to teach his countrymen the many good and useful things
which he had learned in his College. He spoke little, and was evidently
conscious of his imperfect pronunciation, but in answer to a question
on the subject, he said he hoped to tell his people about religion, and
the truths of the Gospel which he had been taught in England.
His amusements were of a quiet and innocent kind. He made small
models of his country sledges, one of which, a very creditable
performance, is in the Museum in the College Library, and a rough
rustic chair, now in the College garden, is of his manufacture. He was
fond of drawing ships, and figures of the Seal, the Walrus, the Reindeer,
the Esquimaux Dog, and other objects familiar to him in the Arctic
regions.
[Illustration: WALRUS AND SEAL.]
His sketches of animals and ships were very correct, and