160 



Harmon's journal. 



Monday, 24. Portage du Fort, or Sturgeon 

 Lake. Here, we arrived, yesterday ; and this 

 morning, Mr. Holdane and his company left us, to 

 continue their route to Red Lake. The Doctor 

 and I, with our company, shall leave this tomor- 

 row, to go and build at the other end of this lake, 

 which may be about forty miles long, and from 

 one to five broad. — The country through which 

 we have passed, since we left Fort Duncan, is low 

 and level ; no mountains, or even hills, are to be 

 seen ; in many places it is swampy, and small lakes 

 and ponds and rivers and brooks are numerous. 

 Where the land is dry, the soil appears to be prin- 

 cipally a black loam. — This tract of country was 

 formerly well stocked with beavers and otters ; 

 but they have now become scarce, as they have 

 been hunted by the Natives, during more than the 

 last hundred years. Moose and carriboo are still 

 considerably numerous, in this region. 



Tuesday, September, 1. Our people are erect- 

 ing houses for our winter habitations. We now 

 take white fish in considerable numbers. — The In- 

 dians, who frequent this post, are Sauteux and 

 Muscagoes. , 



Saturday, October 3. We sent people to the 

 other end of this lake, to make a fall fishery. 

 They will take white fish, trout, pike, carp, &c, 

 which constitutes the principal food for those 



