eflablifhments, of which there are four principal ones. Both thefe'
riyprs-are navigable-for.eaaoes ;tpthgil;fouree* wkhouta fall; ;th'Ottgfejin
Ibnie paEt&r^fne are rapids4 carfed by oecaifional beds of linae-ftone,'
and giravg! |i. bqtjn general they*;a fandy bottom.
The Affiniboins, and lorne of.the Fall, or Big-bellied Indians, are‘the
principal inhabitants of this country, and border on the river, occupying
the pentre part of it; that next Lake Winipic, and. about its fource, being
the ftatjon of die Algonquins and KnifteneaUx* who have chofenk in pre-
fprence.,tq their, owneoukfry? ^Fhey do not exceed five? hundred! fami-
lies. . They are not beaver hunters, which accounts for their allowing
the? divifion juft mentioned,, as the lower and upper partis of this river
have thofe animals, which are not found in the intermediate diftriS.
They confine themfelves to hunting the buffalo, and trapping wolves,
which cover the country. What they do* not want of the former for
raiment and food* they fometimes make. intopemimcaaiy or pounded
meat, while they melt the fat* and prepare the fkins ih their hair; for
winter. The wolves they never eat* but produce a tallow from their fat*
and prepare their fk in s a ll which they bring to exchange for arms and
ammunition, rum* tobacco, knives, and> various baubles, with thofe who
go to traffic in their country.
The Algonquins, and the Knifteneaux, on the contrary, attend to
the fur-hunting, fb that they acquire the: additional articles cff cloth,
blankets* &c. but their paffion for rum ©feeii puts it out of their power
to fupply themfelves with* real neceflaries.
The
Thene^t river of magnitude, .is the-rriver^Dattphin, ■ which empties
itfelf at the head of St, Martin’s Bay, qri; the Weft fide of the-Lake
Winipic, latitude nearly 52. 15. North,'taking.its fource in the fame mountains
as-the-laft-mentioned river'>as,^gl.l as/the Swan and Red-Deer
River, the latter paffing through.the, lake of the fame name, as well as
the former, and both continuing their epurfe through the Manitoba Lake,
W>hishj-yfrom- thenc^, withf Lajte Winipjcv to,w/thin;nine
mifes_qfnthq Red; ^Rive^, andt^b-yj w h a t . t h e river Dauphiq,
djfembogues , ia^ythat lake., Thefe
rivers areyvery,rapid* and interrupted^ by -faflpjj^. the^ed being.generally
rpeky. .All thi? country, to the;tSqpth branch, o f thej.Saftatchiwine,
abounds in beaver, mey^fetdeer,^ fallow-dieer^elks, bears*) buffalo^, &p.
The foil is g$fd,*aqd ^hg^rer^uny a^pmjk^lLave been made to i^ife
the efeulpnt plants^ &c. ithasbeim.fqqt^d prodqfliyp.
• Oa thefe watgrsyare threejprmcipa^forta for trade. Fprt*Dauphiti,
which-was eftablifhed -by the Frenpft before the conqueft. Red-Dee^-
River, and Swan-RkerForts, with occaiional detachedspofts from thefe*
The inhabitants. ar.e the Knifteneaux, frpm the Nqrth^qjf. Lake Winipic
; and Algonquinj|i(fjpni the >cquntry ihptween^the Red • River and
Lajse Superior; and Tome,, frQm the Rainy L(akq^,frut as .they aye nqt
fixed inhabitants* theirjiuipber canno^b^ dqtermiped: they do not, however,
at* any-time exceed two hundred warriors. In, general tJrtjy. are
good hunters.* , There -is no other confiderable river except tfe
Safkateh^wine, which I fhaH mention prefently, that empties itfelf into
4the_ Lake ^injpic.., ,
I Thofe