shirt of dressed skins, long painted leggings and mocassins, and a plait of twisted grass round the neck.

The dress of the women is more simple, consisting of a long shirt of argalia or ibex-skin, reaching down to the ankles, without a girdle.

The Chopunnish have very few amusements, for their life is painful and laborious; and all their exertions are necessary, to earn even their precarious subsistence. During the summer and autumn, they are busily occupied in fishing for salmon, and collecting their winter store of roots. In the winter they hunt the deer on snow-shoes, over the plains; and towards spring cross the mountains of the Missouri, for the purpose of trafficking for buffalo robes. The inconveniences of that comfortless life are increased by frequent encounters with their enemies from the west, who drive them over the mountains with the loss of their horses, and sometimes the lives of many of the nation. They are generally healthy; the only disorders which were remarked being of a scrofulous kind, and for these, as well as for the amusement of those who are in good health, hot and cold bathing is very commonly used.

The Sokulks, with whom are united a few of another nation, who reside on a western branch, emptying itself into the Columbia. The language of these nations, of each of which a vocabulary was obtained, differ but little from each other, or from that of the Chopunnish, who inhabit the Kooskooskee and Lewis's rivers. In their dress and general appearance also they resemble much those nations; the men wearing a robe of deer or antelope skin, under which a few of them have a short leathern shirt. (See Plate.) The most striking difference between them is amongst the females, the Sokulk women being more inclined to corpulency than any till that time seen by the travellers; their stature is low, their faces broad, and

their heads flattened in such a manner that the fore head is in a straight line from the nose to the crown of the head; their eyes are of a dirty sable, their hair too is coarse and black, and braided as above, without ornament of any kind: instead of wearing, as do the Chopunnish, long leathern shirts, highly decorated with beads and shells, the Sokulk females have no other covering but a truss or piece of leather tied round the hips, and then drawn tight between the legs. The ornaments usually worn by both sexes are large blue or white beads, either pendent from their ears, or round their necks, wrists, and arms; they have likewise bracelets of brass, copper, and horn, and some trinkets of shells, fish-bones, and curious feathers. (See Plate.)

The Sokulks seem to be of a mild and peaceable disposition, and live in a state of comparative happiness. The men, like those on the Kimooenim, are said to content themselves with a single wife, with whom, it was observed, the husband shares the labours of procuring subsistence much more than is usual among savages. What may be considered as an unequivocal proof of their good disposition, is the great respect which was shewn to old age. Among other marks of it, was observed in one of the houses, an old woman, perfectly blind, and who had lived more than a hundred winters. In this state of decrepitude she occupied the best position in the house, seemed to be treated with great kindness, and whatever she said was listened to with great attention. They are by no means intrusive, and as their fisheries supply them with a competent, if not an abundant, subsistence, although they receive thankfully whatever is given to them, they do not beg. The fish is indeed their chief food, except the roots, and the casual supplies of the antelope, which, to those who have only bows and arrows, must be very scanty. This diet may be the direct or the remote

cause of the chief disorder which prevails among them, as well as among the flatheads, on the Kooskooskee and Lewis's rivers. With all these Indians, a bad soreness of the eyes is a very common disorder, which is suffered to be ripened by neglect, till many are deprived of one of their eyes, and some have totally lost the use of both. This dreadful calamity may reasonably be imputed to the constant reflection of the sun on the waters, where they are continually fishing in the spring, summer, and fall, and during the rest of the year on the snows of a country which affords no object to relieve the sight.

Among the Sokulks too, and indeed among all the tribes whose chief subsistence is fish, bad teeth are very general; some have the teeth, particularly those of the upper jaw, worn' down to the gums, and many of both sexes, and even of middle age, have lost them almost entirely.

This decay of the teeth is a circumstance very unusual among the Indians either of the mountains or the plains; and seems peculiar to the inhabitants of the Columbia. A principal cause of it is the manner in which they eat their food. The roots are swallowed as they are dug from the ground, frequently nearly covered with gritty sand; so little idea have they that this is offensive, that all the roots they offer for sale are in the same condition. A second and principal cause may be their great use of the dried salmon, the bad effects of which are, most probably, increased by their mode of cooking it, which is simply to warm, and then swallow the rind, scales, and flesh, without any preparation. The Sokulks possess but few horses, the greater part of their labours being performed in canoes. Their amusements are similar to those of the Missouri Indians.

Seven Clatsops came over in a canoe, with two skins of the sea-otter. To this article they attached such an extravagant value, and their demands for it

b were so high, that the travellers, were fearful of reducing their small stock of merchandise, on which they depended for subsistence on their return, by venturing to purchase. To ascertain, however, their ideas as to the value of different objects, they were offered for one of the skins, a watch, a handkerchief, an American dollar, and a bunch of red beads; but neither the various mechanism of the watch, nor even the red beads, could tempt them; they refused the offer, but asked for ticconoshack, or chief beads, the most common sort of coarse blue-coloured beads, the article, in their estimation, beyond all price.

The male Chinnooks of the Pacific are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill made; their legs being small and crooked, their feet large, and their heads, like those of the women, flattened in a most disgusting manner. These deformities are in part concealed by robes made of sea-otter, deer, elk, beaver, or fox skins. They also employ in their dress robes of the skin of a cat peculiar to this country, and of another animal of the same size, which is light and durable, and sold at a high price by the Indians, who bring it from above. In addition to these are worn blankets, wrappers of red, blue, or spotted cloth, and some sailors' old clothes, which were very highly prized. The greater part of the old men have guns, powder, and ball.

The women, among these Indians, have in general handsome faces, but are low and disproportioned, with small feet, and large legs and thighs, occasioned probably by strands of beads, or various strings. Their dress, like that of the Wakhiccums, consists of a short robe, and a tissue of cedar bark. Their hair hangs loosely down the shoulders and back; and their ears, neck, and wrists, are ornamented with blue beads. Another decoration, which is very highly prized, consists of figures, made by puncturing the arms or legs; and on the arms of one of the