Central Part of British North America. 239 
from the attacks of wild beasts, and further to permit the 
acclimatisation of other domestic farmyard animals, such as 
the sheep and pig. The harvest could in general be com- 
menced by the end of August, or the first week in September, 
which is a season when the temperature continues sufficiently 
high and rain is rare. In the gardens of the Hudson’s Bay 
Company’s Posts, and still more in those of the different Mis- 
sions, vegetables of the leguminous family, such as beans, 
peas, and French beans, have been successfully cultivated ; 
also potatoes, cabbages, turnips, carrots, rhubarb, and currants. 
No fruit tree has as yet been introduced; but one might 
perhaps, under favourable circumstances, try nut-trees, also 
apple-trees belonging to varieties that ripen early. Different 
species of gooseberries, with edible fruits, grow wild here ; also 
different kinds of Vacciniacee are equally indigenous, and 
have pleasant fruits that will serve for the preparation of pre- 
serves and confectionary. The Aronia ovalis (Amelanchier 
canadensis must be meant) is very common in this country ; 
and its fruit, commonly known as the Poire, or service-berry, 
is dried and eaten by the Indians, who collect 16 with great 
care ; and it also serves for the purpose of making excellent 
pudding, recalling the taste of dried currants. The only 
difficulty that would oppose agricultural settlements, is the 
immense distance to traverse over countries devoid of roads, 
and almost uninhabited. The assistance of Government or of 
a well-organised company, would be indispensable to the colo- 
nization of this country. It would be important that settle- 
ments should be established in groups of at least fifty house- 
holders, for protection against the incursions of the Indians, 
who are, however, far from being hostile to Europeans. It 
stands to reason, that the colonists ought to be taken from the 
north of Europe or from mountain districts, being those 
accustomed to the climatological conditions and culture of 
the soil most resembling this interesting country, to the 
resources of which I call attention. The produce of agricul- 
tural settlements thus established would yield subsistence 
to the Indians, whose resources for food, supplied only by 
hunting, tend to diminish every day, The presence of Euro- 
pean settlers would form a useful model for this primitive 
