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VJI. A Letter from Mr. John Reinhold 

 Forfter, F. R. S. to William Watfon, 

 M. D. giving fome Account of the Roots 

 ufed by the Indians, in the Neighbour- 

 hood of Hudfon's-Bay, to dye Porcupine 



N° 2, Somerfet Stable-) r ard, Strand. 

 Jan. 16, 1772. 



S I R, 



Read Feb. 27, j& MONG the curipiities prefented 

 f~\_ by the Hudfon's Bay Company tq 

 the Royal. Society, is a fmall parcel of porcupine 

 quills, dyed by the wild natives, fome red and fome 

 yellow, together with the roots of fome plants they 

 life for that purpofe, 



I examined them carefully, at your defire, and 

 found that they are probably of the fame kind with 

 thofe mentioned by Prof. Kalm, vol. iii. p. 14. and 

 160 of the Englifli translation. The one root, dying 

 yellow, is called by the French in Canada, Tifavoy- 

 annejaunej the other, dying red, has the name of 

 Tiiavoyanne rouge. Prof. Kalm declares the Jatter 

 to be a new plant, belonging to the genus of Galium, 

 and received by Dr. Linnaeus in his Species Plan-, 

 trum, p. 153. by the fpecific name of Tinctorium, 

 6 - on 



