IS TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
Indians of tliis part of the country always carry 
large rolls of it in their canoes when they go 
on a hunting party, for the purpose of making 
temporary huts. The bark is spread on small 
poles over their heads, and fastened with 
strips of elm bark, which is remarkably tough, 
to stakes, so as to form walls on the sides. 
The canoes are made with birch bark, as 
follows: The ribs, consisting of thick tough 
rods, are first bound together ; then the birch 
bark is sewed on in as large pieces as possible, 
and a thick coat of pitch is laid over the seams 
between the different pieces. To prevent the 
bark being injured by the cargo, and to make 
the canoe stronger, its inside is lined with two 
layers of thin pieces of pine, laid in a contrary 
direction to each other. A canoe made in this 
manner is so light, that two men could easily 
carry one on their shoulders capable of con¬ 
taining six people. 
The birch canoes made at Three Rivers 
are put together with the utmost neatness, 
and on the water they appear very beautiful. 
They are made from a size sufficient to hold 
one man only, to a size large enough for up¬ 
wards of twenty. It is wonderful to see with 
what velocity a few skilful men with paddles, 
can take on one of these canoes of a size suit¬ 
able to their number. In a few minutes they 
would leave the best moulded keel boat, con- 
