150 



ASSINNLBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



following enumeration at certain Posts chiefly visited by 

 the Plain Crees is given : — 



Post. No. of Indians frequenting it. 



Fort Ellice 500 



Qu'appelle Lakes 250 



Touch wood Hills 300 



Fort a la Corne 300 



1,350 Indians. 



Upon perusal of the foregoing table the reader would 

 infer that 1,350 Indians visited the Posts named. It 

 happens, however, that many Indians trade with two or 

 more Posts, although every effort is made to limit them 

 to one particular station. Their names appear on the 

 books at different establishments, and in the enume- 

 ration of the Indians inhabiting certain districts, some 

 of them are counted twice and even three times. I 

 ascertained beyond doubt, that this practice existed to an 

 extent which would affect the census in a marked degree. 

 The custom of giving credit to Indians encourages this 

 system, while a natural desire to attach additional hunters 

 to a Post on the part of the traders, induces less caution 

 than would otherwise be exercised. As the result of very 

 careful inquiries wherever opportunities offered, of ob- 

 taining exact information, I am inclined to think that the 

 estimate of 42,870 is about one-fourth too high. 



The estimated number of Indians frequenting parti- 

 cular establishments of the Hudson's Bay Company re- 

 ferred to in these volumes, during 1856, is given in 

 the following table : — 



Locality. Number. 



Fort William . . . . . . . 350 



Pigeon River . . . . . .50 



Fort Frances 1,500 



Rat Portage 500 



Lac de Bois Blanc 200 



