Canadian Textile Substances. 311 



but be founded on a knowledge, either of the sufficient or 

 the superior fitness of tlie articles to the end of their appli- 

 cation, or on the facility with which, from their abundance, 

 they may every where be procured, it may be useful to 

 record what are the substances, and what the process by 

 which they are prepared, in the hoj)c of enlarging our own 

 list of materials useful in manufactiu'cs and arts. 



The inner bark of the more slender branches of tlic elm, 

 of hornbeam [rarpiuus], of American walnut [Jiiglains 

 cinerea], of linden [^tilut], of hois de plo))ih [ ? ], being 

 stripped from the wood, and the outer l)ark scraped off, is 

 macerated in ley of wood-ashes, and boiled in it, then 

 rinced in pure water ; and, for many purposes, such as 

 the making of various ligatures, no other preparation than 

 merely twisting it to increase its flexibility, (as is done 

 w ith withs in the same intention,) is used. But for plaiting 

 and weaving, the bark having been treated as above, is 

 beaten wilh a mallet, until its separated fibres become of 

 the required tenuity, ylmong the articles made of these 

 filaments, are the bands which, j)assing round the head 

 and sliouldcrs, sustain the weights llie Indians have to 

 carry in their excursions. The strain these bands bear on 

 such occasions is very great. They are ingeniously j)laited, 

 often highly ornamented with embroidery, are two or three 

 inches in breadth, are divided at the ends into narrow 

 strips, for the more convenient attachment of the suspended 

 baggage, and they are as soft and pliant as any thing made 

 of flax can be. 



Tor coarser purposes the bark of while cedar [t/mi/a 

 occidentfilis], i<^ used. It <locs not undergo the preparation 

 Slated above, but is n>erely supplied by twisting. All the 

 above niateriuls may be procured several feet in length. 



2 H 



