The following brief description of New Caledonia, another district
on the west of the Rocky Mountains, is extracted from Mr. Harmon’s
journal:—
“ New Caledonia was first settled by the North-West Fur Company
in 1806, and may extend from north to south about five hundred
miles, and from 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 in
54i° north latitude, and 125° west longitude. In this large extent of
country, there are not more than five thousand Indians, including
men, women, and children. I t is mountainous, but between its
elevated parts there are pretty extensive valleys, along which pass
innumerable small rivers and brooks. I t contains a great number of
lakes, one of which, Stuart’s Lake, is about four hundred miles in
circumference; and another, Nateotain Lake, is nearly twice as large.
I am of opinion that about oneTsixth part of New Caledonia is covered
with water. There are but two large rivers. One of these, Frazer’s
River, is sixty or seventy rods wide, rises in the Rocky Mountains
within a short distance of the source of the Peace River, and is the
river which Sir Alexander Mackenzie followed for a considerable
distance when he went to the Pacific Ocean in 1793, and which he
took to be the Columbia. The other large river of New Caledonia is
Simpson’s River, which takes its origin in Webster’s or Bear Lake,
and, after passing through several considerable lakes, falls into
Observatory Inlet. The mountains of New Caledonia are not to be
compared, in point of elevation, with those that skirt the Peace River
between Finlay’s Branch and the Rocky Mountain portage, though
there are some which are pretty lofty, and on the summits of one in
particular, wdiich is visible from Stuart’s Lake, the Snow lies during the
■jvhole 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 of
Fahrenheit’s thermometer. The remainder of the season is much
milder than it is on the other side of the mountains 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 15th of November, and is
all dissolved by the 15th of May. About M‘Leod’s Lake the snow
is sometimes five feet deep, and I imagine that this is the reason
that none of the large animals, except a few solitary ones, are to be
met with.
“ There are a few moose; and the natives occasionally kill a black
bear. Caribou are also found at some seasons. Smaller animals likewise
occur, though they are not numerous. They consist of beavers,
otters, lynxes, fishers, martins, minks, wolverines, foxes of different
kinds, badgers, polecats, hares, and a few wolves. The fowls are, swans,
bustards (anas Canadensis), geese, cranes, ducks of several kinds, partridges,
&c. All the lakes and rivers are well furnished with excellent
fish. They are, sturgeon, white-fish, trout, sucker, and many of a
Smaller kind. Salmon also visit the streams in very considerable numbers
in autumn. The natives of New Caledonia we denominate
Carriers ; but they call themselves Ta-cullies, which signifies people
who go upon water.”
Captain Cook, in his third voyage, saw raccoons, foxes, martins, and
squirrels, alive, on the coast of New Caledonia, and obtained skins of
the following animals :-+■
Black-bear, brown-bear, glutton, grey wolf, arctic or stone fox, black
fox, foxes of a yellow colour with a black tip to the tail, foxes of a deep
reddish yellow intermixed with black, raccoon, land-otter, sea-otter,
ermine, martins of three kinds: the common one, the pine-martin, and
a larger one with coarser hair (mustela Canadensis?), lynx, spotted
marmot, hares, and skin of an animal named wanshee by the natives.
In addition to this list, Meares mentions moose-deer skins, and the
skin of a very small species of deer, as among the articles of trade in
possession of the natives at Nootka Sound.
To the north of New Caledonia there is a large projecting corner,
Which belongs to Russia, and has been traversed by the servants of the