/
N A T I V E T RI B E S, A N D
Cheplwian on the loth O a o b e r i^ and proeqeded Up: the'Peace river,
cr Urijiga, in aS. W. riireaiohftiU hereached a high kqd'.beyoad^e I
Slope? er RockynMauntains, the -height! ,§fj .whicM^ compute« at 17 1
yards; After importing their canoe, -with forme diffieuhy^tfey tftn-
-barked ona M lTiveron the i M M p
the river-Gtfegan, Columbia, or therea t River of th#{WiMfte $»£»
and eburfe ©f which were before tdt^ly^m-iftmderftood. ■ g jp H
grettedthsat-he did: nothpurfae this river to its -mouth r but af^pgfceed-
ing a confiderable way he returned againft the ftream, - and aft^rvfards I
travelled to the Pacific Ocean by land ; and reached pne of the mgpxjgpns
inlets kt. 5a? ;2©', hy Mr. Areowfinkb’s map of the fpeadfto^.. His
adventures and difficulties, on this new route, ;are ftriking and fe&la rj
and will amply reward the rider’s curiofity. On the weft .of fhe,Un-
jiga beautiful feenery was' obferved, intprfperfed wkh.hill 'and .djiwn,
with groves of poplars, and enlivened with vaft herds of plks pu4h$?up*
lands, and of buffaloes on the plains. The laft fa much abound, |bhat I
in fome places the country refpmbles a flail-yard. That fier,ce^ecies
caUedlhe grizzly hear was alfo feen. The^jiga/is from
4 to 800 yards wide; and the cold was often extreme,' rather, from the |
height of the general level than that of (the mOuntains, whiph-deesnot
exceed 1500 feet Among the bird s. obferved. were blue-
birds, and beautiful humming birds.’ Beavers are cojnmop*- ^ d Tracks
of moofe deer were remarked. Where they reached the Oregan, it-was
was about 200. yards wide. Towards the Pacific the natives are fairer
than in the-other parts of North America; and one man wasrat leaft %
- feet four inches in height. Their eyes are not dark, like thofe of the
other Indians, but grey, with a tinge of red. The men wear only a I
robe made of the bark of the cedar tree, rendered as fine as- hemp, #>me-
times with borders of red and yellow threads; and the women add a
fhort apron. Some of their canoes are forty-five feet in . length,
the gun-wale being inlaid with the teeth of the fea otter, not with
human teeth, as Captain Cook fuppofed. On the 20th of July
179-5 Mr. Mackenzie reached an arm of the fea where the tide was
abated, and had left a large fpace covered with fea weed." In Septem-
U NC O N QJJ E R E D CcD'VMTRl E-S* 645
bef *793 he. returnedtfQ /&j®";Cl^glwia% »fany»1! 1 of i<$efven
months. /
Thefe voyages having Gohff^&rahlydniproved'the geography of North
America, - ■ Ibwasrthoaght;properi to riarrkteithem:atfiome length./.ft is
tSPberegretted that fome .ohfenrity 'attfqs! from the, want pfs a djftin#
nonienelatur^ anal ufe 4cc abu ie of fom e kb<e-appgjlapn
tiorls.! Thus the Athapufco/ lakeK-©£H:eaj?ne','3S!riaa;hdoubtedly -fthes; SJave
lake of Pond;^Whd(iisi lfeift,'te;hayE-5|fe&njJh|!:^ff^^^|sef;Sf^#^ibfihfac-,
kenzie; while the- laft Sberhsho avoid- that? namq* ha-
nilhed from his maps^ .ortcosSnaed to ajfthall ra|||graHra| jv^i^jd-id^the
hake of thfelifflfls^ which laft fomefuppofeitQ'hetitih e.gSUJ3i«£jAthspufccj.
In4ike manner.there ace three fakes-, Galled by .tfenijM^name of Wippif
peg. | Does this ftrange confufion, unknown to the geography>of any
other'country,1 arife from thct.satives, ^phihijsbf inatteupob otf .the,?re-
lators, or from commercial jealoufy, which would obfeure or reftridt the
di&oweries, of other traders ?* However this k§^ &om thefe fthd'iQfther
diftoy dries communicated 'hyi>pffiSQF£- of -the Hutlfortfs Bay.Company*
the geography of-North America begins to open 1toth ,.more.;,clea.^efs,i fis
may he judged from Mr. Arrowfmitlvs laft map, 180,^. ., The, huge
northern lakes a-r@ now laid, down with fuperion.apon^acy. - Tfie great
ritjeftfLJipjiga, -after penetrating .the weftern rangp- an obtains,, jfi-ows
N.j E. towards the Lake of the Hills, wheftcedt receives,.a ftiorthu)
large ftf earn ; and- being .afterwards abfurdly enough ffyledi
river, k bends N. W. to the great Slave lake, whence it blues by the
name of’ Mackenzie’s river. < Shchtat leaft is Mr. .Mackenzie’s idea jff
* According to Mr. Mackcn'/.ie, p. 122, the word athahafcit, 'in the language of the Knifti-
neaux, implies a flat low fwampy country, fnbject to inundations; but he has not explained t lie
original name: of tfle SlaVe lake. ^ The native \yords gre however of fuch a prodigious length, that
it is'often proper to drop them, hut they ought to be Ihortened or exchanged for names that are
proper and expreflive, while the new appellations are often mean or ridiculous, and fuch as never
occur in Africa or Spanilh America. Such are thofe of the Indian tribes Fall, Blaclfoot, Blood*
Inland, Beaver, Copper, Strong- bow, Mountain, Hare, Dog-rilled, &c; See. : other unmeaning denominations
are Rocky or Stoney Mountains, as if there were any mountains, without rocks or ftones ;
SZawlake, Lake of the Hills, &c: ‘ Thefe beautiful termS-'pafs from the French furriers oft Canada
iatb the page of geography ! yVhat would Milton fay, who has often- melodized his poetry with
fonoroiis geographical' appellations ? ’1 Can any poet, or clafflcal author,, ufe the poor apd dillorteA'
nomenclature of the Pacific, or of North America ?
** p. 216.387. i l l
and!,
C entrai.
Parts.
Remarks,.
/River Ubu
j ;ga