1823.

PECULIAR CHARACTER OF TIIE INHABITANTS.

947

wear a shirt of calico or painted muslin, moccasins, and leather leggings fastened round the legs by garters, ornamented with beads, &c. The Bois brules often dispense with a hat; when they have one, it is generally variegated in the Indian manner, with feathers, gilt lace, and other tawdry ornaments.

"The character of the Bois brule countenance is peculiar. Their eyes are small, black, and piercing; their hair generally long, not uufrequently curled, and of the deepest black; their nose is short and turned up; their mouth wide; their teeth good; their complexion of a deep olive, which varies according to the quantity of Indian blood which they have in them. They are smart, active, excellent runners. One of them, we were told, often chased the buffalo on foot; we did not, however, see him doit. This man had a handsome, well-proportioned figure, of which Mr. Seymour took a sketch. He was very strong, and was known to have three times discharged, from his bow, an arrow which, after perforating one buffalo, had killed a second ; an achievement which is sometimes performed by Indians, though it is rare, as it requires great muscular strength. Their countenance is full of expression, which partakes of cunning and malice. When angry, it assumes all the force of the Indian features, and denotes perhaps more of the demoniac spirit than is generally met with, even iu the countenance of the aborigines.

"The great mixture of nations, which consist of English, Scotch, French, Italians, Germans, Swiss, united with Indians of different tribes, viz: Chippewas, Crees, Dacotahs, &c, has been unfavorable to the state of their morals; for, as is generally the case, they have been more prone to imitate the vices than the virtues of each stock; we can therefore ascribe to this combination of heterogeneous ingredients, but a very low rank in the scale of civilization. They are but little superior to the Iudians themselves. Their cabins are built, however, with a little more art; they cultivate small fields of wheat, maize, barley, potatoes, turnips, tobacco, &c. A few of the more respectable inhabitants keep cows, and attend to agriculture, but we saw neither a plough nor a yoke of oxen in use, in the whole of the upper settlement. Considering the high latitude of Pembina, the above-mentioned plants thrive well. Maize yields tolerable crops; so does tobacco, which even yields seed. The wheat, which is in the greatest repute here, is the bearded wheat. The price of agricultural produce is apparently very high."

The same writer gives a spirited account of the manner of determining the forty-ninth degree of latitude, which had been the main object of the party iu visiting the place.   It was at once found that