, 1858-08-20
Letter from Frazer River.
PUGET SOUND BAR. Frazer RIVER,
August 8, 1858.
Editor Of Pioneer and Democrat: :

Editor of Pioneer and Democrat:
After taking general observation Of
"these diggings for about two weeks,
have concluded to again address You and
my friends generally through the medium
Of your journal with short epistle, giving
as near as l can a description Of Frazer
river and the mining region, &c, &c, al
least as far as have seem When last
addressed you, we were about starting
from Point Roberts for the river. II is
somewhat difficult to find the proper en-.
trance into the river, there being no pecu
liar mark to denote the mouth of the
stream. There is large island in the
mouth Of the river, and the slough or left
branch, by which the nearest and easiest
entrance is gained, is quite narrow. There
is, however, a very large sand bar between
this slough and Point Roberts which can
not be passed at low tide. After getting
into the river you meet with but little
trouble iu ascending as far as Fort Lang
ley, distance of 40 miles, the greater part
of which we Travelled in the night, the wind
blowing strong with flood tide. We ar
rived at Fort Hope in fonr and half days
from Point Roberts. We hired an Indian
guide near Fort Langley, who piloted us
to Fort Yale. The distance from Fort
Langley to Fort Hope is near 60 miles
from Fort Hope to Fort Yale Is miles
Fort Yale is at the commencement ol
what is called the canyon" above which
place / have not been.
| E,o.o, 81 ss NOT co hod or Ionoarnue
a stream as expected to ind-in fact we
have come this far without meeting any
trouble of consequence other than hard
pulling, which is to be expected when as
cending any stream, and myriads of mos
quitOes, which seemed determined on eat
ing Us up alive. 1t is true the stream ruui
rapid, aud in many places the fall is consid
erable, but the secret Of successfully as
cending it is in knowing the place to 60
The main cause of SO much complaint
against the river is in not knowing bow tc
escape the rapid places. No one should
undertake to ascend the river farther than
Fort Langley without an Indian pilot, un
less well acquainted with the stream. The
Indian we employed proved to be an excel
lent pilot, and consequently We outstripped
every thing that started with us. In fact
since our arrival here, there has come up
three days later, the same boats that start
ed from Fort Langley with us, and the
men in them worn down with fatigue, ours
ing the river as the worst in the world
when the truth Of the matter was, the lack
of knowledge how to manage, and the be
lief that they knew it all " better thar
any Indian.
The Indians along the river are similar
in size, shape, color, dress and disposition
to the tribes generally Of the savage race
and more particularly those found along
the Sound and the many streams putting
into it, They are great lovers Of whisky
which they obtain in quantities from the
various traders and straglers along the
river. In trading with these Indians they
prefer money to anything else, except
whisky,-though they will trade for tobac-
co and woollen shirts very readily, but they
prefer buying from the Hudson Bay Co.'s
Stores,-6rst, because, it is their usual
place Of trading, and secondly, the articles
they get from these stores are much betteI
in every way for them, and fully cheap OF
cheaper as to their stealing propensity,
! find that they are similar to all other In.
dians-I would say about on par with