The Indians, who inhabit the settled parts of Canada, are greatly degenerated in many of the noble charac teristics of the more savage tribes ; and they are repre sented as dirty, diminutive, half-naked, excessively stupid in their appearance, and altogether most miserable-look ing creatures. The progress of the missionaries among them, once extended as far as the excursions of the fur traders ; but there is, at the present day, scarcely a vestige of their pious labours to be found, beyond the cultivated parts ; and even such of the natives as have been converted to Christianity by the Canadian Catholics, though in many instances wonderfully reformed in their external conduct, are, in general, very little civilized ; and still continue powerfully attached to it wandering state of life. One of the gentlest of all the tribes, known by the name of Mountaineers, dwells around lake Sague nay : they are the most decent and industrious in their manners, they make no use of offensive weapons, and even spiritous liquors do not excite them to violence; vet they cannot be persuaded regularly to cultivate the lands, or to continue in any laborious occupation. In another village, at the rapids of St Ann, about two miles above Montreal, arc two Indian tribes, one of the Iroquois and another of the Algonquin nation, who have both been christianized, since the first occupation of the country by the French, who regularly attend divine service in a chapel of their own, who have been instruct ed by their pastors in reading and writing, and who pos sess more religious information than many among the lower Canadians; but who are still said to have made. no farther advances to a state of civilization, and still to retain their old habits, customs, and languages. The women sow a few patches of ground with maize and vegetables during summer ; but, in the winter season, they leave their habitations and instructors to follow the chase, after the manner of their forefathers ; and the same is affirmed to be the condition of most of the Indian settlements within the more cultivated districts of Canada.
The 11101e and stationary population of Canada, when it came into the possession of the British in 1760, amounted, by Gent rag Murray's report, to 75,6o0 souls ; hut, at that period, the extensive «mntrv, now dezioniiniated Upper Canada, was not inhabited by any Europeans. At preseht, the lower province con tains about 290,000 ihliabit•uits ; of whom the descen dants of the old Canadians, who profess the Homan Catholic religion, and are allowed the use of the old French laws, constitute at least nine tenths. In Upper Canada the population amouhts to nearly 1 00,000, who chiefly British or A lel i cans, speak the English language, and are governed entirely by the laws of England, both in civil and criminal eases. Thus the inhabitants of Lower Canada have nearly triple d within the last 50 years ; while in the province, the increase has been still more rapid. Several years elapsed, after the conquest, before the latter was settled and cultivated ; and so late as the year 1780, it was almost one continu ed forest. Much of its immerse population, within 30 years, has been ffirmed by emigrants from Great Britain and the United States, who generally preferred a settle ment in the upper province, because the soil and climate arc superior, the lands cheaper and easier pro cured, while the laws, languages, and habits, arc all purely British.
Any peculiarities in the modes of life among the inhabitants of Canada arc most observable during the season of winter, which in that country presents a view of nature perfectly new to the natives of Great Britain. In this season the appearance and dress of the Canadians are completely changed ; and instead of the hat and red bonnet, nothing is to be seen but fur caps, fur cloaks, fur gloves, and worsted stockings, both over and under the boots. Unless protected in this manner, they could not venture, with impunity, into the severity of the frosty atmosphere ; but even under such a load of clothing, they arc able to walk with the greatest agility, and to take abundant exercise, without being fatigued. NN'hen travelling in the cold of Minter, they are still more com pletely covered with a double cloak, muff, and tippet, all of fur; and when they intend to de\ fate from the ordinary track, and go into the woods, they make use of snow shoes, which are made of a kind of net-work, fixed upon a frame, above 2 feet in length, 18 inches broad, and shaped like a paper kite. This simple instrument of
walking takes in so much surface of snow, that the feet sink but a few inches, and the progress is rendered in conceivably easy. On account of the depth of the snow, it would be impossible to travel with wheel carriages ; and a kind of sledge, which passes ot er the surface without sinking deep, and which is called a cariole, is substituted in their place. The body of this conveyance is shaped like a phaeton, a vis-a-vis, a family coach, or a market cart, according to the fancy of the owner, and the par ticular use to which it is applied. It is fixed upon mil ners as they arc called, which resemble in form the irons of skaits, rising up in front after a similar manner ; and it is generally 9 or 12, though sometimes 18 inches above the snow. These vehicles arc, for the most part, light open carriages, drawn by one horse ; but, though the snow under their tracks soon becomes firm and smooth, yet, from the improper construction of the carioles in common use, it is so full of inequalities, called cahots, that their motion is described by travellers as greatly resembling the rowing of a boat against a head sea, and as requiring long custom to reconcile a stranger to bear it easily. The small rivers, ditches, and fences, are so filled with snow, as to be upon a level with the fields on every side ; and the country people, when they first form their tracks, direct their carioles by the nearest course, or where the snow is most level, without regard ing the summer roads. These winter tracks they mark out by fixing in the snow small fir trees at short and regular distances, which retaining their verdure till the spring', appear like walks crossing the country in various directions, and have a very curious and striking effect. They generally prefer the bed of a river for this pur pose, as there is commonly less snow, and less inequality of surface in that direction ; and the principal road be tween Quebec and Montreal is the frozen channel of the St Lawrence. The river is seldom frozen opposite to Quebec, where the curl ent, being greatly increased by the narrowing of the channel, keeps the masses of float ing ice in constant motion ; but sometimes, perhaps once in the space of every ten years, when there happens to be a concurrence of favourable circumstances, such as a collection of floating ice, calm weather, neap tides, and severe frost, the St Lawrence is completely frozen at the place above mentioned ; and, as the ice then serves the purpose of a bridge to the inhabitants, it is called by them a Pont. Such a circumstance is viewed as a kind of jubilee, and is celebrated with every token of rejoicing. The solid surface of the river is then cover ed with booths for the entertainment and amusement of the vast multitudes, who crowd upon the ice, on their straits and carioles. But the inhabitants of the Canadian metropolis have much more solid grounds, than merely a love cf amusement, for the joyful welcome, which they give to the formation of a pont ; as it greatly facilitates the conveyance of firewood, provisions, Scc. to the town ; and as these necessary articles never fail, upon the oc currence of such an event, to be brought in great abun dance, and to be very much reduced in price. When the river is not frozen, these and other necessaries are chiefly conveyed in canoes, which are formed of one solid piece of wood, generally the trunk of a large tree, hollowed properly in the inside, and formed outwardly into the shape of a boat. The navigation of these ves sels, however, at that season of the year, is exceedingly hazardous, and requires a dexterity of management and coolness of mind, which are very remarkably displayed by the Canadians. For the time of their excursion, they choose the period of high water, when the masses of ice are nearly stationary ; provide themselves with ropes, boat hooks, and paddles ; and launch the canoe into the water, when they perceive an opening amidst the mov ing sheets. When they encounter one of these in their progress, they instantly jump out upon it, pull the canoe after them, push it across the ice, launch it on the other side, and paddle along till they meet with a similar obstruction, which they surmount in the same manner, and so on till they cross the river.