nd even three days are at times
required to cross some of them. They abound in a plentiful variety of
fish, such as trout, sucker, etcetera; and the natives assert that white
fish is sometimes taken. These lakes are generally fed by mountain
streams, and many of them spread out, and are lost in the surrounding
marshes. On the banks of the river, and in the interior, the trees
consist of poplar, cypress, alder, cedar, birch, and different species
of fir, spruce, and willow. There is not the same variety of wild fruit
as on the Columbia; and this year (1827) the berries generally failed.
Service berries, choke-cherries, gooseberries, strawberries, and red
whortleberries are gathered; but among the Indians the service-berry is
the great favourite. There are various kinds of roots, which the
natives preserve and dry for periods of scarcity. There is only one
kind which we can eat. It is called _Tza-chin_, has a bitter taste, but
when eaten with salmon imparts an agreeable zest, and effectually
destroys the disagreeable smell of that fish when smoke-dried. Saint
John's wort is very common, and has been successfully applied as a
fomentation in topical inflammations. A kind of weed, which the natives
convert into a species of flax, is in general demand. An evergreen,
similar to that we found at the mouth of the Columbia, with small
berries growing in clusters like grapes, also flourishes in this
district. Sarsaparilla and bear-root are found in abundance. White
earth abounds in the vicinity of the fort; and one description of it,
mixed with oil and lime, might be converted into excellent soap. Coal
in considerable quantities has been discovered; and in many places we
observed a species of red earth, much resembling lava, and which
appeared to be of volcanic origin. We also found in different parts of
New Caledonia quartz, rock crystal, cobalt, talc, iron, marcasites of a
gold colour, granite, fuller's earth, some beautiful specimens of black,
marble, and limestone in small quantities, which appeared to have been
forced down the beds of the rivers from the mountains. The
jumping-deer, or chevreuil, together with the rein and red-deer,
frequent the vicinity of the mountains in considerable numbers, and in
the summer season they oftentimes descend to the banks of the rivers and
the adjacent flat country. The marmot and wood-rat also abound: the
flesh of the former is exquisite, and capital robes are made out of its