26 
Bulletin of the Natural History Society. 
found in his neighborhood. The nearest doctor is forty miles from 
his habitation, and yet he boasted that he had a healthy family, 
although his medicine chest contained only herbs. If the theory 
that every region produces the remedies best adapted for the diseases 
that prevail in it be correct, Antoine has good grounds for the faith 
that is in him. A party from the United States, so he informed me, 
visits the St. Francis every season to dig the Snake Root and other 
medicinal herbs. A few years ago Prof. Fowler drew attention to 
the fact that of the 360 plants employed in medicinal practice in the 
North-eastern States, more than 230 or 65 per cent, of the total 
number can be collected in New Brunswick. Here, then, is a phil- 
anthropic and profitable occupation awaiting some individual who 
has only to make himself acquainted with the plants, and become 
skilful in preserving them properly, to realize a competence there- 
from. 
Our French guide was a keen and intelligent observer of Nature 
and astonished me by the accuracy of his knowledge in regard to 
plants. He was utterly ignorant of any of the questions that disturb 
nations and individuals, yet he was learned in woodcraft and modest 
withal. Though these Acadian French are not the kind of people 
that advance the material prosperity of a country, they are a happy 
and kind-hearted race. They were always civil and courteous and 
ready to assist us as far as lay in their power. Their indifference 
and want of energy is nowhere more apparent than in their manage- 
ment of the soil; buckwheat everywhere is the crop year after year on 
land that would produce good wheat. This “ Sarrazin,” as they call it, 
is the staple article of diet when made into bread ; when you see this 
bread and taste it, you cease to wonder at the want of energy of the 
habitans. With the materials in the soil to yield food products with 
more nourishing properties, it is to be hoped that those rich intervals 
of Madawaska may in the future yield wheat in abundance. 
Our camping ground was at the foot of Glazier’s Lake, four miles 
from the mouth of the St. Francis. On the third day after our 
arrival here we broke up camp, and a speedy run through the rapid 
river brought us again to the St. J ohn. 
We find the flora more varied on the Main River. One of the 
most abundant plants on the upper waters of the St. J ohn is Tanace- 
ftmi Hnronense which has more finely dissected leaves and is not so 
