THE INTERIOR OF OREGON. 451 



At Fort Alexandria, in latitude 52° 30' N., the point where the 

 navigation of Fraser's river is begun by the northern brigade, on their 

 way north, a chief trader resides. Twenty or thirty packs are made 

 here, seven of which are beaver. A few cattle are kept at Alexandria, 

 about which is the only small open space in the northern country that 

 is cleared, the rest being covered with a dense forest, consisting prin- 

 cipally of different species of firs, with some birch, willow, alder, 

 poplar, and maple trees. The Niscotins are a small tribe, and number 

 but twenty families. 



Fort George is another station, at the junction of Stuart's and Fra- 

 ser's rivers. It has a few cattle, and provides during the year a few 

 packs. A clerk of the Company is stationed there. 



Fort Thompson, on the Kamloops river, lies in 50° 38' N., longitude 

 120° 7' 10" W. Fraser's, Babine, and M'Leod's, on the lakes of the 

 same names, together with that of Fort St. James, on Stuart's Lake, 

 the residence of Mr. Ogden, are all places of trade, and yield a pro- 

 fitable return for the expenditure and labour employed in maintaining 

 them. All these, as I have before stated, are under the direction of 

 Mr. Ogden, who is a chief factor, and has charge of the department of 

 New Caledonia. The Company are now extending their posts to the 

 northward, behind the Russian settlements, where an officer of the 

 Company (Mr. Campbell) has been exploring. During the summer, 

 the travelling in this country is performed on horseback or in canoes ; 

 but in winter, when the ground is covered to a great depth with snow, 

 and the rivers frozen, the only mode of journeying is on snow-shoes, 

 or in sledges drawn by dogs. These animals draw a weight of two 

 hundred pounds. The snow-shoes require to be six feet long and 

 eighteen inches broad ; and notwithstanding the encumbrance they 

 might be supposed to cause, it is not uncommon for individuals in the 

 Company's service to travel for days together a distance of thirty-five 

 miles a day. 



This part of the country is inhabited by the two great nations of the 

 north, the Takali, and Atnahs or Shouswaps : the former are also 

 known by the name of the Carriers. The limits occupied by these 

 tw r o nations are shown on the map. The language of the Takali is a 

 dialect of the great Chippewayan family, which, Mr. Ogden informs 

 me, is spoken over the whole continent, as far as Hudson's Bay. They 

 do not extend to the coast, but have frequent contests with the coast 

 tribes about Fort Simpson, although they never have actual war. On 

 the east are the Siconi, who are a nation of hunters, living beyond the 

 Rocky Mountains. They speak a dialect of the same language, but 

 are totally different in their customs and character from the Carriers. 



