the climate is much more temperate than at York Fort and Churchill Settlement. Potatoes, turnips, and almost every species of kitchen garden ftaff, are reared with facility; and, no doubt corn might be cultivated, if the lords of the foil, the Hudion's Bay Company, had patriotifm enough to make this extenfive country of any fervice to Great-Britain. But it has been an invariable maxim with them for many years paft, to damp every laudable endeavour in their fervants, that might tend to make thefe countries generally beneficial to the Mother Country. This conduct will appear very extraordinary to those who are unacquainted with the felf-interefted views of the Company. They nagine, that if it was known to the nation, that the lands they poffefs were capable of cultivation, it might induce individuals to enquire into their right to an exclusive charter; it is therefore their bufiness to reprefent it in the worst light poffible, to difcourage an inquiry, which would shake the foundation of their beloved monopoly.

Throughout the woods to the fouthward the ground is covered With a very thick mols, among which grow various kinds of fmall fhrubs, bearing fruit, fuch as gooleberries, currants, ftrawberries, raipberries, cranberries, with many others too tedious to fention. A herb, which the natives call Wee fuc a pucka, grows very plentifully in all parts of the country. The Indians make ule of it by way of medicine; it makes a very agreeable tea, and is much uted here, both by Europeans and natives, not only for its pleafant flavour, but for its falutary effects. Its virtues are many; it is an aromatic, very ferviceable in rheumatic cafes, ftrengthens the ftomach, relieves the head, and alfo pro motes perspiration. Outwardly, it is applied to gangrenes, contufions, and excoriations; in the latter cafe the powder is made ufe of. Another herb of much utility to the natives grows likewife here; this they call Jack afh a puck. They mix it with their tobacco to reduce its ftrength.

In the interior of the country is a great quantity of coal, which is conveyed down the rivers by the currents. Ả perlon belonging to the Hudion Bay Company once brought down a piece he had taken from the earth, where it was piled up in heaps. It was in every refpe&t fimilar to that brought to London from the North of England and Scotland. He faid that he asked the Indians the use of it; and on their expreffing their ignorance, he put fome of it in the fire, which burnt violently to their gicat aftonishment. What other treasures may be concealed in this unknown repofitory, or what valuable ores may be intermixh the coal, we will not take upon us to determine.

All thefe countries are well ftored with moofe, beavers, otters, &c, but the red deer, jumping deer, and buffaloc, are not to be found till where the country becomes more open, and so free from woods, that in many places fcarce a fufficiency can be procured to make a temporary fire for travellers, who are obliged inftead thereof to ufe buffaloe dung.

Many fpacious lakes are to be found in the inland parts. Moft of thefe abound with fifh, especially when joined to la river; but the natives feldom or never look after them, and the greater part of thofe Indians who come to the English fettlements to trade, will neither eat fish, water-fowl, nor any amphibious animal.

How far the foil of this country may be favourable to the culture of vegetables, we are not able to advance. Experiments, which fhould be our principal guide to knowledge in these matters, never having been much made use of, though we may venture to afiert, that many parts would admit of cultivation. The Hudfon's Bay Company fervants have tried Indian corn and barley, by way of experiment, which came to perfection; potatoes, turnips, carrots, radishes, onions, &c, have been lately reared, and found as good as thofe in Canada,

The fruits which spontaneously shoot up, are not in fuch great variety in the wilderneffes of Canada, as in the country we are Speaking of, The natives colle&t vast quantities of a kind of wild cherries and bring them in for fale. The Hudfon's Bay people ake an excellent beverage of them, which is grateful to the tafte, and is an excellent antifcorbutic. Rafpberries, ftrawberries, currants, cranberries, and an infinity of other kinds are to be found every where. So that a perfon, without the help of ammunition, may in the fummer fcafon procure a very comfortable fubfiftence, were he bewildered, and alone. Should any one be in this fituation, almost every pond of water would furnish him with eggs of ducks, &c. and every thicket with a fatiety ef delicious fruit.

The caftern coaft is barren, past the efforts of cultivation. The furface is every where uneven, and covered with males of stone of an amazing fize. It is a country of fruitles and frightful mountains, fome of an aftonifhing height. The vallies are full of axes, formed not from fprings, but rain and fnow, fo chilly as to be productive of a few small trout only. The mountains have bere and there a blighted shrub, or a little mois. The vallies are fall of crooked, ftunted trees, pines, fir, birch, and cedars, or rather à fpecies of the juniper, In latitude Co on this conft, egetation ceales. The whole fhore, like that on the well, is faced with islands at lome distance from land,

The principal rivers which water this country, are the Wager, Monk, Seal, Pockerckesko, Churchill, Nelfon, Hayes, New Severn, Albany, and Moofe rivers, all which empty into Hudion's and James Bay from the weft. The mouths of all the rivers are filled with fhoals, except Churchill's, in which the largest fhips may lie; but ten miles higher the channel is obftructed by fand banks. All the rivers as far as they have been explored, are full of rapids and cataracts, from ten to fixty feet perpendicular. Down these rivers the Indian traders find a quick paffage; but their return is a labour of many months.

INHABITANTS, CUSTOMS, &c.

The inhabitants among the mountains are Indians; along the coafts, Efquimaux. The Hudion's Bay Indians, in all probability, were originally tall, properly proportioned, ftrongly made, and of as manly an appearance as any people whatever. This, however, was before their commerce with Europeans had enervated and debaled their minds and bodies, by introducing fpirituous liquors among them, and habituating them to fevere courfes of drinking. They are naturally much addicted to this fatal cuftom; but when it is encouraged and enforced by those who call themselves an enlightened people, it certainly is not only blameable, but highly criminal. Were common sense but made ufe of to direct the conduct of thole who are benefited by the trade carried on with the Indians, felf-intereft and good policy would teach them to difcoure. as much as poffible, a habit fo prejudicial to them, and fatally nctive to thefe miferable people. They are generally of a し volent difpofition, and caly to be perfuaded by persons who tand their language; but as a moft unconscionable gain is toy trading in fpirits with them, it is not to be fuppofed the will ever be induced to put a stop to this unchriftian practive. An Indian will barter away all his furs, nay even leave himfeif without a rag to cover his nakedness, in exchange for that vile unwholefome ftuff, called English brandy. If by fuch exceffive intoxication they only irreparably injured their own conftitutions, and debilitated their race, the coniequences, though pernicious, would not be fo dreadful as they usually are; but during their intoxication not only fresh quariels enfue, ola grievances are alfo renewed, and death is frequently the confequence of former bickerings, which but for this ftimulator had been buried in oblivion.

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By this diabolical commerce the country is impoverished of inhabitants, the trade of courfe imperceptibly declines, and this extenfive fettlement is in a great mealure prevented from rivelling ny of our other foreign eft.blishments,

The natives are however a people of a middle fize, of a copper complexion, their features regular and agreeable, and few Biftorted or deformed perfons are seen among them. When young they have exceffive large bellies, which is to be attributed the enormous quantity of food they devour; but as they grow yowards puberty this part decreases to a common fize. Their ontitutions are ftrong and healthy, and their disorders few ; the chief of thefe is the dyfentery, and a violent pain in the breast, which the English call the Country Distemper. The latter is fuppofed to proceed from the cold air being drawn into the lungs; which impeding the veffels from spreading throughout that organ, hinders the circulation, and renders refpiration extremely painful and difficult. They feldom live to a great age, but enjoy all their faculties to the last.

In their difpofitions they are mild, affable, and good-natured, when fober; but when intoxicated they are loft to every focial quality, and difcover the greatest propenfity to quarrelling, theft, and the worst of vices, When we view the fair fide of their characters, we find them kind, courteous, and benevolent to each other, relieving the wants and neceffities of their diftreffed brethren with the greatest good-nature, either by counfel, food, or cloathing. The good effects of this excellent difpofition are frequently experienced by themfelves; for, as in their mode of life no one knows how foon it may be his own fate to be reduced to the verge of extremity, he secures for him!elf a return of kindness, fhould he experience that viciffitude. On the other hand they are fly, cunning, and artful to a great degree; they glory in every species of furacity and artifice, especially when the theft or deception has been fo well executed as to escape detection. Their love to their offsprings is carried to a very great height. From the state of childhood to maturity they feldem or never correct their children, alledging that when they grow up they will know better of themfelves. Neither is this indulgence made a bad ufe of when reflection fucceeds the irregularities of youth; on the contrary, fentiments of reverence, gratitude, and love, link their affections to the authors of their being; and they feldom fail to give the utmost affiftance to their aged parents whenever their imbecility requires it.

With refpect to their corporeal abilities, they are almost without exception great walkers; they patiently endure cold, hunger, and fatigue; and bear all misfortunes with admirable fortitude and refignation, which enables them bravely to encounter the profpect of ill, and renders the mind ferene under the preffure of adverfity. As their country abounds with innumerable

herds of deer, elks, and buffaloes, they frequently make great flaughter among them; and upon thefe occafions they have no re gard to futurity, or providing for an unsuccessful day. Whether they happen to be pining under the grafp of pinching neceflity, or enjoying themselves in all the happinefs of health and plenty, they kill all they can, having an incontrovertible maxim among them, which is, "the more they kill, the more they have to kill:" and this opinion, though diametrically oppofite to reafon or com mon fenfe, is as pertinacioufly held by them, as his tenets are by the most bigotted enthufiaft, Indeed, they too frequently find it to their coft to be grounded on folly, as they fometimes fuffer ex, treme hunger through it; nay, many have been ftarved to death, and others have been reduced to the fad neceffity of devouring their own offspring.

As a great part of the Factory provifions confifts of geefe killed by the Indians, the English fupply them with powder and fhot for this purpose, allowing them the value of a beaver fkin for every ten geese they kill; accordingly, after the Indian has got this fupply, he fets off from his tent early in the morning into the marthes, where he fets himself down, with a degree of patience 'difficult to be imitated, and being fheltered by a few willows, waits for the geese. They fhoot them flying, and are so very dexterous at this fport, that a good hunter will kill, in times of plenty, fifty or fixty in a day. Few Europeans are able to endure cold, fatigue, hunger, or adverfity in any fhape, with an equal degree of magnanimity and compofure to that which is familiar to the natives of this country. After being out a whole day on a hunt, expoied to the bleakeft winds and moft penetrating cold, and that without the least thing to fatisfy the calls of nature, an Indian comes home, warms himlelf at the fire, finoaks a few pipes of tobacco, and then retires to reft, as calm as if in the midft of plenty; but if he happens to have a family, he cannot always boast of this equanimity; when reduced to extremity, his affection for them predominates over his philofophy, if it might be fo called, and it gives way to the most pungent forrow.

A belief in fome over-ruling invitible power bears a principal fhare in the character of these unpolifhed Indians. By this he is induced to impute every occurrence of his life to fupernatura! caufes. His good or bad fuccefs in hunting, the welfare of his friends and family, his duration in this mortal ftate, &c. all depend upon the will and pleasure of fome invifible agent, whom he sup. pofes to prefide over all his undertakings: for inftance, one inan will invoke a confpicuous ftar, another a wolf, one a Leur, and