hefs of the ball of the foot, and the comparative fmalinefs of the toes. The print of any of his companions' feet he would fingle out among a thoufand. The peafantry are alfo tolerably expert in tracing game by the marks of their feet; it is, in fact, a part of their education. An African boor gains a fort of reputation by being clever op het spoor. This is the method by which, on moonlight nights, they hunt down the poor Bosjefmans." "The Hartebeeft river, contrary to expectation, being perfectly dry, the experiment of digging was made in the bed of the river, and at five feet under the pebbly and cryftallized fand, the fragments apparently of decompofed granite, was a ftream of clear fresh water; and from various experiments after wards made in the fandy beds of the rivers of the Namaaqua country, I am inclined to think, that fubterranean ftreams of water pafs under moft of them in this part of Africa.” On the fecond of June, after an abfence of nearly eight weeks, Mr. Barrow returned to Cape Town; his journey having been performed in the most unfavourable feafon of of the year, but fortunately without thofe inconveniences which were naturally to be expected and dreaded. That the facts related in the prefent volume are not faithfully ftated, there is very flender reafon for fuppofing: while in favour of the author's good faith and accuracy, many arguments may be urged, drawn from previoufly exifting accounts, from probability and analógy, and from internal evidences. With one or two exceptions, Mr. Barrow manifefts little difpofition to credulity, or to haftiness of judgeVOL. XLIII. ment. His ftyle is, on the whole, perfpicuous and elegant; neither carelefs nor elaborate; and if in parts it may be cenfured, it is only when the author wishes to excite fomething more than fedate and temperate approbation; when he ambitioufly aims at excellencies either beyond his reach, or incom-' patible with the nature of his performance. Amid much luftré, to' be offended with a few fpots would difplay malignity of criticifm; and thofe animadverfions are to be fet afide, that would divert our regards from the general excellencies of a work which, while it entertains its readers, will make them wifer, without caufing them to be more depraved; and which is calculated to increase the knowledge of human nature, to enlighten the views of policy, and to excite intereft for the concerns of fuffering humanity. gions which had been deemed impenetrable to the most ardent efforts of the civilized world. The publication, to which our attention is now called, affords another infiance of this bold and perfevering spirit. Mr. Mackenzie has twice, in different directions, croffed the great continent of North America, from fhore to thore: the first time, in 1789, to the Frozen fea; the fecond, in 1793, to the Western coaft; and these two voyages are related in the olume before us. In his preface, the author thus fpeaks of himself and his work: "I was led, at an early period of life, by commercial views, to the country north-west of Lake Superior, in North America; and being endowed by Nature with an inquifitive mind and enterprising spirit ; poflefling also a conftitution and frane of body equal to the most arduous undertakings; and being familiar with toilfome exertions in the profecution of mercantile parfuits: I not only contemplated the practicability of penetrating across the continent of America, but was confident in the qualifications, as I was animated by the defire, to undertake the perilous enterprife.". "The firit voyage has fettled the dubious point of a practicable northweft pallage; and I truft, that it has fet that long agitated queftion at reft, and extinguifhed the difputes refpecting it for ever An enlarged difcuffion of that fubject will be found to occupy the concluding pages of this volume. "In this voyage, I was not only w thout the neceflary books and in ft uments, but also felt myself deficent in the fciences of aftronomy and navigation: I did not hesitate, therefore, to undertake a winter's voyage to England, in order to procure the one and acquire the other. Thefe objects being accomplished, I returned, to determine the practicability of a commercial commuuication through the continent of North America, between the Atlan tic and Pacific Oceans." These preparatory fieps were favourable indications of a fpirit of perfeverence adequate to fuch an attempt, and the event has been fully answerable to the prognoffics.-Ta account for the fapfe of time between the execution of his defign and the appearance of his narrative, the author ftates that this circun!fiance is owing to the active and bufy mode of life in which he has been engaged fince the completion of the voyages. In order to enable the reader to comprehend the object and nature of thefe undertakings, the author has prefixed a general Hiftory of the Fur-Trade, from Canada to the north-weft; of which we thall give a fhort sketch. When European fettlements were firft formed in Canada, the country was to populous, that, in the vicinity of the eftablishments, the animals whofe fkin was most valued foon became fearce. To procure a fapply, the Indians were encouraged to penetrate into other parts of the country, and were generally accompanied by fome of the European fettlers, who found means to in duce the remote tribes to bring skins to their fettlements. It is not neceffary for me, (fays Mr. M.) to examine the caufe, but experience proves that it requires much lefs time for a civilized people to deviate into the manners and cuftoms of favage life, than for favages to rife into a state of civiliza ton. tion. Such was the event with thofe who thus accompanied the natives on their hunting and trading excurfions; for they became fo at-, tached to the Indian mode of life, that they loft all relish for their for mer habits and native homes. Hence they derived the title of couriers des bois, became a kind of pediars, and, were extremely ufeful to the merchants engaged in the fur-trade; who gave them the neceffary credit to proceed on their commercial un dertakings. Three or four of thefe people would join their flock, put their property into a birch bark canoe, which they worked themfelves, and either accompanied the natives in their excurfions, or went at once to the country where they knew they were to hunt. At length, thefe voyages extended to twelve or fif teen months, when they returned with rich cargoes of furs, and followed by great numbers of the natives. During the fhort time requifite to fettle their accounts with the merchants, and procure fresh credit, they generally contrived to fquander away all their gains, when they returned to renew their favourite mode of life; their views being anfwered, and their labour fufficiently rewarded, by indulging them felves in extravagance and difiipation during the fhort fpace of one month in twelve or fifteen. "This indifference about amaffing property, and the pleasure of living free from all reftraint, foon brought on a licentioufness of manners which could not long elcape the vigilant obfervation of the mif fionaries, who had much reafon to complain of their being a difgrace to the Chriftian religion; by not only (werving from its duties themfelves, but by thus bringing it into difrepute with thofe of the natives who had become converts to it; and, confequently, obftructing the great ob ect to which thofe pious men had devo.ed their ives. They, therefore, exerted their influence to procure the fuppreffion of thefe people, and accordingly, no one was allow ed to go up the country to traffic with the ndians, without a licence from the government." The grant of thefe licences was foon confidered as a favour, and they were made transferable, and of courfe faleable. Thofe who bought were allowed to appoint their own agents, and the agents thus employed were generally the couriers de bois, whofe conduct had given fuch cause of complaint; fo that the remedy proved in fact worse than the difeafe. At length, military pofts were eftablished at convenient places, and feveral respectable men profecuted the trade on their own accounts in perfon; which mode was attended with the twofold benefit of fecuring the refpect of the natives, and the obedience of the people employed in the laborious parts of the bufinefs. Under the French government, the fur-trade from Canada was extended as far weft as the Saskatchiwine-river, in 53° N. latitude, and 102° weft longitude from Greenwich. Mr. Mackenzie mentions that two of the traders at that time attempted to penetrate to the Pa cific Ocean, but he could never learn the extent of their journey.After the conqueft of Canada by the English, the trade for furs in that country was for fome time fuf pended; the new poffeffors having neither knowledge of the Indian language, nor confidence in the natives, who had been accustomed to Nn 2 enter entertain hoftile difpofitions towards the Englith. By degrees, however, the trade revived, and, being encouraged by a few fuccefsful adventures, was purfued with fuch avidity and irregularity, that in a few years it became the reverse of what It ought to have been. An animated competition prevailed, and the contending parties carried the trade beyond the French limits, though with no benefit to themselves or neighbours, the Hudson's Bay company; who in the year 1774, and not till then, thought proper to move from home to the east-bank of Sturgeon-lake, in latitude 53° 56′ north, and the longitude 102 15 weft; and became more jealous of their fellow fubjects, and, perhaps, with more caule, than they had been of those of France, From this riod to the prefent time, they have been following the Canadians to their different establishments; while on the contrary, there is not a folitary inftance that the Canadians have followed them. pe This competition gave a fatal blow to the trade from Canada; but, in 1775, Mr. Jofeph Frobisher, one of the gentlemen engaged in this commerce, being more enterprifing than his picdeceffors, went as far as to 55° 25 N. and to 103° weft longitude, where he met the Indians from that quarter on their way to Fort Churchill, and with fome difficulty prevailed on them to trade with him. He went again in the following year, and was equally fuccefsful; and his brother afterward penetrated nearly five degrees more to the west. In the winter of 1783-4, the merchants of Canada, who were engaged in this trade, formed a junction of interefts under the name of the North-Weft company: bat fome who were diffatisfied with the fhares allotted to them, and others who confidered themselves as neglected, entered into a co-partnerthip fepa rate from that company; and in this affociation Mr. M. engaged as i partner, and as one of the active managers. After a fevere ftruggle with their competitors, however, they adopted the wife refolution of agreeing to an union of interefts: which new engagement was con cluded in July, 1787.-The author has entered into a detail of the management of the North-Weft company; and our readers may form fome judgement of the extent of the trade, from the following account of the furs and peltries which were the produce of the year 1798: "106,000 Beaver skins, で 2100 - Bear skins, 1650 Fisher fkins, 100 Racoon skins, 3800 Wolf fkins, 700 Elk-kins, 750 Deer skins, 1200. Deer tkins, dressed, 500 Buffalo robes, and a quantity of caftor." "The number of men employed in the concern is 50 clerks; 71 interpreters and clerks; 1120 canoe men; and 35 guides." Mr. M. has given, in this part of his work, an itinerary, or defcription of the route from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan on the fouth fide of the Lake of the Hills; an establishment which was formed in 1788, in hatitude 58° 38′ N. and in longitude 110° 26' West. The labour performed by fome of the carriers ap pears extraordinary: "When they arrive at the Grande Portage, which is near nine miles over, each of them has to carry eight packages of fuch goods and provifions as are neceffary for the interior country. This is a labour which cattle cannot conveniently perform in fummer, as both horfes and oxen were tried by the company without fuccefs. They are only ufeful for light bulky articles; or for tranfporting upon fledges, during the winter, whatever goods may remain there, efpecially provifion, of which it is ufual to have a year's flock on hand. "Having finished this toilfome part of their duty, if more goods are neceffary to be tranfported, they are allowed a Spanish dollar for each package; and fo inured are they to this kind of labour, that I have known fome of them fet off with two packages of ninety pounds each, and return with two other of the fame weight, in the courfe of fix hours, being a difiance of eighteen miles over hills and mountains." Some of the Indian tribes are defcribed in this introductory hiftory of the fur-trade. The Kniftereaux Indians are spread o ver a great portion of the continent of North America; and Mr. M. remarks that their women are the most comely of any that he has feen among the native Amerieans. Their figure is generally well proportioned, and the reguJarity of their features would be acknowledged by the more civilized people of Europe."" Thefe people are naturally mild and affa ble as well as jull in their deal ings, not only among themselves but with ftrangers. They are alfo generous and hofpitable.-To their children they are indulgent to a fault."-After a portrait with fo many excellent features, it is with pain that we contemplate others which are very bad, and that we alfo learn the miferable ftate of the females of this nation. "They are fubject to every kind of domeftic drudgery; they drefs the leather, make the clothes and shoes, weave the nets, collect wood, erect the tents, fetch water, and perform every culinary fervice; fo that when the duties of maternal care are added, it will appear that the life of thefe women is an uninterrupted fucceflion of toil and pain. This, indeed, is the fenfe they entertain of their own fituation; and, under the influence of that fentiment, they are fometimes known to deftroy their female children, to fave them from the miferies which they themfelves have fuffered. They alfo have a ready way, by the ule of certain fimples, of procuring abortions, which they fometimes practice, from their hatred of the father, or to fave themselves the trouble which children occafion." After this introduction, which is replete with entertainment and information, Mr. M. enters on the relation of his voyage to the north. On Wednesday, June 3, 1789, at nine in the morning, he departed from Chepewan, on the fouth fide of the Lake of the Hills, in a canoe made of birch bark. The route purfued was, firft, to the western part of the Lake of the Hills; and thence to the north, by a river whicir discharges itfelf into Nn 3 |