found traces made by the Red Indians, evidently in the spring or summer of
the preceding year. Their party had had two canoes; and here was a
_canoe-rest_, on which the daubs of red ochre, and the roots of trees used
to fasten or tie it together appeared fresh. A canoe-rest, is simply a few
beams supported horizontally about five feet from the ground, by
perpendicular posts. A party with two canoes, when descending from the
interior to the sea-coast, through such a part of the country as this,
where there are troublesome portages, leave one canoe resting, bottom up,
on this kind of frame, to protect it from injury by the weather, until
their return. Among other things which lay strewed about here, were a
spearshaft, eight feet in length, recently made and ochred; parts of old
canoes, fragments of their skin-dresses, &c. For some distance around, the
trunks of many of the birch, and of that species of spruce pine called
here the Var (_Pinus balsamifera_) had been rinded; these people using the
inner part of the bark of that kind of tree for food. Some of the cuts in
the trees with the axe, were evidently made the preceding year. Besides
these, we were elated by other encouraging signs. The traces left by the
Red Indians are so peculiar, that we were confident those we saw here were
made by them.

"This spot has been a favourite place of settlement with these people. It
is situated at the commencement of a _portage_, which forms a
communication by a path between the sea-coast at Badger Bay, about eight
miles to the north-east, and a chain of lakes extending westerly and
southerly from hence, and discharging themselves by a rivulet into the
River Exploits, about thirty miles from its mouth. A path also leads from
this place to the lakes, near New Bay, to the eastward. Here are the
remains of one of their villages, where the vestiges of eight or ten
winter _mamatecks_, or wigwams, each intended to contain from six to
eighteen or twenty people, are distinctly seen close together. Besides