1853.] 



NATIVE INDIAN POPULATION OF BRITISH AMERICA. 



19^ 



It is to be regretted that the Lower Canadian retui-ns do not 

 d'stinguish the Iroquois according to the distinct nations of that 

 once powerful confederacy. It will be observed, however, that 

 the above numbers, combined with those of the Upper Canada 

 return for 1846, make the number of chiefs and warriois still to 

 amount to 1,220, and the total number to 4,301*. That their 

 ancient loyalty to the British Crown is unabated, was shown by 

 many incidents of the Canada rebellion, and by the language of 

 their chiefs on the very interesting occasion of the meeting to 

 restore General Brock's Monument in 1841. There is no native 

 race entitled to claim, on so many grounds, the interest and res- 

 pect of British inhabitants of Canada. 



The following numbers of Indians in the several Counties, 

 taken from the Census Returns of 1852, are added, to bring 

 down the information on that subject to the latest date. It is 

 evident, however, that the enumerators in Upper Canada did not 

 always distinguish them from the rest of the population. There 

 are, for example, none returned for the Counties of Lambton and 

 Essex, on the St. Clair, — thus the total is far below the truth, — 

 but the list appears to be complete for Lower Canada. 



UPPER CANADA. 1 LOWER CANADA. 



1852. I 1852. 



Brant . 1758 Beauharnois 754 



Carleton 20:Bonaventure. 451 



Dundas 64 Charaplain 31 



Grev 374Drummond 27 



The number of Indians on the lower St. Lawrence, frequent- 

 ing the King's posts of the Hudson's Bay Company, is not known, 

 but must be insignificant. I believe this to be also the case of 

 the Indians in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but have no 

 access, at present, to authentic returns. 



We have still to consider the population west of the Rocky 

 Mountains, in New Caledonia, 



In 1820 Harmon, who had lived long among them, stated 

 that the number, of all ages, did not exceed 5,000 ; they have 

 diminished since with fearful rapidity, ]3robably faster in that 

 quarter than in any other. Mr. McGilli\'ray, in Ross Cox!s 

 Ti-avels,- of somewhat earlier date, makes the tiibes inhabiting the 

 country about Frazer's River, the most populous part of the 

 countr}', to number no more than 1,012 souls, including the 

 Chilcotins, Naskotins, Tolkotins, and Atnahs — four tribes. Com- 

 modore Wilkes in 1840, upon a very carefid survey, and doubt- 

 less upon much more complete and authentic data, than either of 

 the others, makes the total population of Oregon and New 



*The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are included, but the Delaware 

 of the Thames are excluded, as never belonging to the Six Xations 

 although at present associated with them in all the returns of the 

 Indian Department. 



Caledonia together, amount to 19,854 souls, about two-thirds of 

 wdiat M. Duflot de Mofras estimates for Oregon alone. So that 

 on the whole, I consider that 2,000 for the interior of New Cale- 

 donia, (Oregon no longer being British territorj',) is an ample 

 allowance. 



We have also to include the large Islands of Quadra or Van- 

 couver's, and Queen Charlotte, together with the seaboard of that 

 region. The population of the former has been estimated at 

 from 10,000 to 20,000, and that of the latter at from 7,000 to 

 10,000. 



By the kindness of Mr. Kane, whose labours as an artist in the 

 least known paits of this continent, have yet to be fully appreci- 

 ated, I am enabled to present an abstract of a very full census of 

 Indian tribes inhabiting tlie north-west coast, which he procured 

 in 1847. If it can claim anything like the general accuracy and 

 fidelity of his pictures of Indian life, we need not hesitate to 

 adopt it. 



TABLE IIL 



* Trade at Fort Simpson, Vancouver's Island, and generally reside in ils 

 vicinity. 



t Trade at Fori McLaughlin. 



t Trade at Silka, Siikene and Tacca. 



§ Trade generally at Sidcene, bul (requenlly visit Fort Simpson. 



* Tracle generally al Fori Simpson. 



II Frequent Fort Simpson, Slikene, Zacca and Silka. 



* Frequent Fort Simpson. 



t Frequent Fort McLaughlin. 



I confess that I was not prepared for the comparative density 

 of population evinced by this table : it makes, in fact, the north- 

 west coast the great centre of the I ml i an race at the present day; 

 and the very detail of the returns from which it has been com- 

 piled, almost provokes a doubt of their accuracy. Mr. Kane had 

 them howe^'er from the highest authorities — and his own obser- 

 vation confirms the general fact. I adopt the result therefore as 

 entitled to coniidence — and it gives for the Indians inhabiting the 

 north-west cost of America, including, however, in part, the Rus- 

 sian Territory, of which the Hudson's Bay Company has at pre- 

 sent the partial occupation, for trading purposes — a total of no 

 less than 63,340. 



We may now proceed to reckon up the result, not forgetting: 

 that the region imder discussion is equal in extent to nearly 

 one-twentieth part of the habitable smface of the globe, and has 

 been generally looked upon as the asylum and stronghold of the 

 race of Noith American Indians. Excluding the Esquimaux, 

 whose numbers, notwithstanding the great extent of sea-line they 

 occupy, cannot be large — probably not more than two or three 

 thousand, we have the following enumeration : — 



Chipewyan tribes — namely, Chipewyans proper. Dog- 

 ribs, Hare or Slave Indians, Yellow Knives, Beaver 



