who reside along its shores. But I could not learn from them, to what nation those white people belong. I imagine, however, that they are Americans, who come round Cape Horn, to carry on what is called a coasting trade; for I cannot learn that they ever attempted to make establishments along the sea coast.”

Thursday, Aug. 22. "One of the natives has caught a salmon, which is joyful intelligence to us all; for we hope and expect, that in a few days, we shall have them in abundance. These fish visit, to a greater or less extent, all the rivers in this region, and form the principal dependence of the inhabitants, as the means of subsistence.

Monday, Sept. 2. "We now have the common salmon in abundance. They weigh from five to seven pounds. There are, also, a few of a larger kind, which will weigh sixty or seventy pounds. Both of them are very good, when just taken out of the water. But, when dried, as they are by the Indians here, by the heat of the sun, or in the smoke of a fire, they are not very palatable. When salted, they are excellent.

"As soon as the salmon come into this lake, they go in search of the rivers and brooks that fall into it; and these streams they ascend, so far as there is water to enable them to swim; and when they can proceed no farther up, they remain there and die. None were ever seen to descend these streams. They are found dead in such numbers, in some places, as to infect the atmosphere with a terrible stench, for a considerable distance round. But, even when they are in a putrid state, the natives frequently gather them up and eat them, apparently with as great a relish, as if they were fresh.

Tuesday, 17. "Between nine and ten o'clock this forenoon, the sun was eclipsed, for nearly half an hour, which event alarmed the natives greatly; for they considered it as foreboding some great calamity, about to fall upon them. They therefore cried and howled, making a savage noise. Their priests or magicians took their hands full of swan's down, and blew it through their hands towards the sun, imploring that great luminary to accept of the offering thus made to him, to be put on the head of his sons, when engaged in dancing, and to spare the Indians. They suppose that the Sun has children, who, like those of the Carriers, are fond of putting swan's down on their heads, when they dance.

I explained to them the cause of the darkness; at which they appeared both pleased and astonished, and acknowledged that my account of the subject was rational, but wondered how I could obtain a knowledge of such hidden and mysterious things.

Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1812. "This being the first day of the year, Mr. McDougall and I dined with all our people, in the hall. After our repast was ended, I invited several of the Sicauny and Carrier Chiefs, and most respectable men, to partake of the provisions which we had left; and I was surprised to see them behave with much decency, and even propriety, while eating, and while drinking a flagon or two of spirits.

"After they had finished their repast, they smoked their pipes, and conversed rationally, on the great difference which exists, between the manners and customs of civilized people, and those of the savages. They readily conceded that ours are superior to theirs.

Monday, 13. "On the 9th inst. a Sicauny died at this place; and the following circumstances attended his incineration, to-day. The corpse was placed on a pile of dry wood, with the face upwards, which was painted and bare. The body was covered with a robe, made of beaver skins, and shoes were on the feet. In short, the deceased was clothed in the same manner as when alive, only a little more gaily. His gun and powder-horn, together with every trinket which he had possessed, were placed by his side. As they were about to set fire to the wood, on which the deceased lay, one of his brothers asked him if he would ever come among them again; for they suppose that the soul of a person, after the death of the body, can revisit the earth, in another body. They must, therefore, believe in the immortality, though they connect with it the transmigration, of the soul.

"The deceased had two wives, who were placed, the one at the head, and the other at the foot of the corpse; and there they lay until the hair of their heads was nearly consumed by the flames, and they were almost suffocated by the smoke. When almost senseless, they rolled on the ground, to a little distance from the fire. As soon as they had recovered a little strength, they stood up, and began to strike the burning corpse with both their hands alternately; and this disgusting, savage ceremony was continued, until the body was nearly consumed. This operation was inter

rupted by their frequent turns of fainting, arising from the intensity of the heat. If they did not soon recover from these turns, and commence the operation of striking the corpse, the men would seize them by the little remaining hair on their heads, and push them into the flames, in order to compel them to do it. This violence was especially used towards one of the wives of the deceased, who had frequently run away from him while he was living. "When the body was nearly burned to ashes, the wives of the deceased gathered up these ashes, and the remaining pieces of bones, which they put into bags. These bags they will be compelled to carry upon their backs, and to lay by their sides, when they lie down at night, for about two years. The relations of the deceased will then make a feast, and enclose these bones and ashes in a box, and deposit them under a shed, erected for that purpose, in the centre of the village. Until this time, the widows are kept in a kind of slavery, and are required to daub their faces over with some black substance, and to appear clothed with rags, and frequently to go without any clothing, except round their waists. But, at the time of this feast, they are set at liberty from these disagreeable restraints.

Thursday, 30. "On the 17th inst. accompanied by Mr. McDougall, twelve of my men and two Carriers, I set out on a journey to the territory of the Nâte-ote-tains, a tribe of Indians, who have never had any intercourse with white people, and few of whom have ever seen them. After travelling, with all possible expedition, during seven days, generally on lakes, we arrived at their first village.

"They treated us with much respect, and with great hospitality. "The day following, we proceeded on our route; and, during our progress, we saw four more of their villages. The five villages, which we visited, contain about two thousand inhabitants, who are well made and robust. They subsist principally on salmon, and other small fish. The salmon here have small scales, while those at Stuart's Lake have none. The clothing of these people, is much like that of the Carriers. I procured from them vessels, curiously wrought, of the smaller roots of the spruce fir, in different shapes. Some of them are open, like a kettle, and will hold water. They also let me have a blanket or rug, which was manufactured by the Atenâs, of the wool of a kind of sheep or goat.

"These animals are said to be numerous, on the mountains in their country. They told us, that we had seen but a small part of the Nâte-ote-tains, who, they say, are a numerous tribe. They speak a language peculiar to themselves, though the greater part of them understand that spoken by the Carriers.

"The country which we travelled over in this route, is generally level. Few mountains are to be seen. A heavy growth of timber evinces that the soil is good. We saw no large animals, excepting the cariboo; but we were informed, that black bears, and other kinds of the larger animals, exist in considerable numbers, in that region.

Monday, April 6. "Six Indians have arrived from Frazer's Lake, who delivered to me a letter, written by Mr. David Thompson, which is dated August 28th, 1811, at Ilk-koy-ope Falls, on the Columbia river. It informs me, that this gentleman, accompanied by seven Canadians, descended the Columbia River, to the place where it enters the Pacific Ocean, where they arrived on the 16th of July. There they found a number of people, employed in building a fort for a company of Americans, who denominated themselves the Pacific Fur Company."

Mr. Harmon resided more than eight years west of the Rocky Mountains, and gives the following account of the Indians dwelling there:

"That part of the country, west of the Rocky Mountains, with which I am acquainted, ever since the North-West Company first made an establishment there, which was in 1806, has gone by the name of New-Caledonia; and extends from north to south, about five hundred miles, and east to west, three hundred and fifty or four hundred. The post at Stuart's Lake, is nearly in the centre of it, and lies, as already mentioned, in 54° 30′ north latitude, and in 125° west longitude from Greenwich. In this large extent of country, there are not more than five thousand Indians, including men, women and children.

"New-Caledonia is considerably mountainous. Between its elevated parts, however, there are pretty extensive vallies, along which pass innumerable small rivers and brooks. It contains a great number of small lakes, two of which are considerably large. These are Stuart's Lake, which is about four hundred miles in

circumference, and Nâte-ote-tain Lake, which is nearly twice as large. About one sixth part of New-Caledonia is covered with water. There are two large rivers. One of these I denominate Frazer's river, which may be sixty or seventy rods wide. It rises in the Rocky Mountains, within a short distance of the source of Peace river; and is the river which Sir Alexander McKenzie followed a considerable distance, when he went to the Pacific Ocean, in 1793, and which he took to be the Columbia river; but it is now known to be several miles north of that noble stream. The other large river of New-Caledonia, rises near Great Bear's Lake; and after passing through several considerable lakes, it enters the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles north of Frazer's river.

"The mountains of New-Caledonia, in point of elevation, are not to be compared with those which we pass in coming up that part of Peace river, which lies between the Rocky Mountain portage and Finlay's branch. There are some, however, which are pretty lofty; and on the summits of one in particular, which we see from Stuart's Lake, the snow lies during the whole of the year,

"The weather is not severely cold, except for a few days in the winter, when the mercury is sometimes as low as 32° below zero, in Fahrenheit's thermometer. The remainder of the season is much milder than it is on the other side of the mountain, in the same latitude. The summer is never very warm, in the day time; and the nights are generally cool. In every month in the year, there are frosts. Snow generally falls about the fifteenth of November, and is all dissolved by about the fifteenth of May.

Some

"There are a few moose; and the natives occasionally kill a black bear. Cariboo are also found at some seasons. smaller animals are found, though they are not numerous. They consist of beavers, otters, lynxes or cats, fishers, martins, minks, wolverines, foxes of different kinds, badgers, polecats, hares, and a few wolves. The fowls are swans, bustards, geese, cranes, ducks of several kinds, partridges, &c. All the lakes and rivers are well furnished with excellent fish. They are the sturgeon, white fish, trout, sucker, and many of a smaller kind. Salmon, also, visit the streams, in very considerable numbers, in Autumn. A small share of industry, therefore, would enable the natives, at