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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. by errata led to ent Line pelure, Facon d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 CO »— I 00 M at o H (» 7i 00 O H < NAUR ATI VE OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTHWEST COAST OF AMERICA IN THE YEARS 1811, 1812, 1813, AND 1814 OR THE FIRST AMERICAN SETTLEMENT ON THE PACIFIC By GABRIEL FRANCHERE TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY J. V. HUNTINGTON -i J? R E D F I E L D 110 AND 112 NASSAU STREET, NEW VORK 1854. f no Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, Bv J. S, RED FIELD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Southern District of New York. STKHKOTYPEn nV C. C. SAVAGE, 15 Clmmbers Street, N. Y. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. and In 1846, when the boundary question (that of the Oregon Territory in particular) was at its height, the Hon. Thomas II. Benton delivered in the United States Senate a decisive speech, of which the following is an extract : — " Now for the proof of all I have said. I happen to have in my possession the book of all others, which gives the fullest and most authentic , details on all the points I have mentioned — a book written at a time, and under circumstances, when the author (himself a British subject and familiar on the Columbia) had no more idea that the British would lay claim to that river, than PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. I i| Mr. Harmon, the Aincrican writer whom I quoted, ever thouglit of our chiimiiig* New Caledonia. It is tlie work oi' Mr. Fuaxciieue, a gentleman of Montreal, with whom I have tlie pleasure to l)c personally acquainted, and one of those enq)loyed by Mr. Astor in founding his colony. He Avas at the founding of Astoria, at its sale to the Northwest Company, saw the place seized as a British conquest, and continued there after its seizure. lie wrote in French : his work has not been done into English, though it well de- serves it ; and I read from the Frencli text. He gives a brief and true account of the discovery of the Columbia." I felt justly proud of this notice of my unpre- tending w^ork, especially that the latter should have contributed, as it did, to the amicable set- tlement of the then pending difficulties. I have flattered myself ever since, that it belonged to the historical literature of the great country, which by adoption has become mine. The re-perusal of " Astoria" by Washington Irving (1836) ins])irod me with an additional I PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. JTON Glial motive for givinrr my book in an English dross. Without disparagcnient to ^[r. Iuving's literary fame, I may venture to say that 1 found in liis work inaccuraeies, misstatements (unintentional of course), and a want of chronological order, which struck forcibly one so familiar with the events themselves. I thought 1 could show — or rather that my simple narration, of itself, plainly discovered — that some of the young men eml>arked in that expedition (which founded our Pacific empire), did not merit the ridicule and contempt which Captain Tiioiix attempted to throw upon them, and which perhaps, through the genius of Mr. Irving, might otherwise re- main as a lasting stigma on their characters. But the consideration which, before all others, prompts me to offer this narrative to the Amer- ican reading public, is my desire to place before them, therein, a simple and connected account (which at this time ought to be interesting), of the early settlement of the Oregon Territory by one of our adopted citizens, the enterprising merchant John Jacob Astor. The importance 6 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. of a vast territory, which at no distant day may add two more bright stars to our national banner, is a guarantee that my humble effort will be appreciated. t ' Ml NOTE BY THE EDITOR. It has been the editor's wish to let Mr. Fran- chere speak for himself. To preserve in the translation the Defoe-like simplicity of the ori- ginal narrative of the young French Canadian, has been his chief care. Having read many nar- ratives of travel and adventure in our northwest- er xi wilderness, lie may be permitted to say that he has met with none that gives a more vivid and picturesque description of it, or in which the personal adventures of the narrator, and the varying fortunes of a great enterprise, mingle more happily, and one may say, more dramati- cally, with the itinerary. The clerkly minute- TREFACE TO THE SECOND EDfTION. I ncss of the details is not witliout its charm citlic*. and their fidelity speaks for itself. Take it altogether, it mnst be regarded as a fragment of our colonial history saved from oblivion ; it fdls up a vacuity which Mr. Iuvixg's classic work does not quite supply ; it is, in fact, tho only account by an eye-witness and a participa- tor in the enterprise, of the first attempt to form a settlement on the Pacific under the stars and stripes. Tlic editor has thought it would be interesting to add Mr. Franchere's Preface to the original French edition, which will be found on the next page. Baltimore, February 6, 1854. ■I PREFACE TO THE FRENCH EDITION. When I was writing my journal on tlic vessel which carried mc to the northwest coast of North America, or in the wihl regions of this continent, I was far from thinking that it would be placed one day before the public eye. I had no other end in writing, but to procure to my family and my friends a more exact and more connected detail of what I had seen or learned in the course of my travels, than it would liave been possible for me to give them in a viva voce narration. Since my return to my native city, my manuscript has passed into various hands and has been read by different persons : several of my friends immediately advised me to print it ; but it is only quite lately that I have allowed !'ll w 10 PREFACE TO THE FREXCII EDITION. i !' ' I! ii' myself to l)o pcrsiiadod, tluit witliout bein29 ■■^m — Aspect of tlio CiHiiitiy. — Wallawtilla and Slia-nptin Riv- ers. — Ratllcsiiivkes. — Some Details regarding the Naliveg of the Upper Columbia 263 CnAPTER XXII. Meeting with the Widow of a Hunter. — Her Narrative. — Reflections of the Author. — Priest's Rapid. — River Oken- akan. — K(>ttle Falls. — Pine Moss. — Scarcity of Food. — Rivers, Lakes, &c. — Accident. — A Rencontre. — First View of the Rocky Mountains 273 CHAPTER XXIII. Course of the Colunihian River. — Canoe River. — Foot- march toward the Rocky IMountains. — Passage of tlie Mountains 286 CHAPTER XXIV. Arrival at the Fort of the Mountains, — Description of this Post. — Some Details in Regard to the Rocky Mountains. — Mountain Sheep, &c. — Continuation of the Journey. — Unhappy Accident. — Reflections. — News frf)m Canada. — Hunter's Lodge. — Pembina and Red Deer Rivers . . . 297 MO CHAPTER XXV. Red Deer Lake. — Antoine Dejarlais. — Beaver River. — N. Nadeau. — Moose River. — Bridge Lake. — Saskatchawine River. — Fort Vermilion. — Mr. Hi-Jlet. — Trading-Houses. — Beautiful Country. — R( flections 311 !r)0 CHAPTER XXVL Fort Montfie. — Cumberland House. — Lake Bourbon. — Great WinipegRiipids. — Lake Winipeg. — Trading-House. — Lake of the Woods. — Rainy Lake House, &c. . . . 325 16 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVII. Arrival nt Fort William. — Description of that Post.— News from the River Columbia 337 CHAPTER XXVIII. Departure from Fort William. — Navigation on Lake Superior. — Michipicoton Bay. — IMceting a Canoe. — Batcliawainon Bay. — Arrival at Saut Ste. Marie. — Occurrences tliere.— Departure. — Lake Huron. — French River. — Lake Nipia- sing. — Ottawa River, — Kettle Falls. — Rideau Rivei".— Long-Saut. — Arrival in Montreal. — Conclusion .... 347 CHAPTER XXIX. Present State of the Countries visited by the Author. — Cor- rection of Mr. Irving's Statements respecting St. Louis . 359 APPENDIX. Mr. Seton's Adventures. — Survivors of the Expedition in 1854. — Author's Protest against some Expressions in Mr. Irvi.ig's "Astoria." — Editor's Note 367 INTRODUCTION. Since the indepcndenco of the United States of America, the merchants of that industrious and enterprising nation have carried on an ex- tremely advantageous commerce on the north- west coast of this continent. In the course of their voyages they have made a great number of discoveries which they have not thought proper to make public ; no doubt to avoid com- petition in a lucrative business. In 1792, Captain Gray, commanding the ship Columbia of Boston, discovered in latitude 46° 19'' north, the entrance of a great bay on the Pacific coast. He sailed into it, and having per- ceived that it was the outlet or estuary of a large 18 INTRODUCTION. river, by the fresh water wliicli ho found at a little distance from the entrance, he continued his course upward some eighteen miles, and dropped anchor on the left hank, at the opening of a deep bay. There he made a map or rough sketch of what he had seen of this river (accom- panied by a written description of the soundings, bearings, &c.) ; and having finished his traffic with the natives (the object of his voyage to these parts), he put out to sea, and soon after fell in with Captain Vancouver, who was cruis- ing by order of the British government, to seek new discoveries. Mr. Gray acquainted him with the one he had just made, and even gave him a copy of the chart he had drawn up. Yancou- ver, who had just driven off a colony of Span- iards estaljlished on the coast, under the com- mand of Scfior Quadra (England and Spain being then at war), despatched his first-lieuten- ant Broughton, who ascended the river in boats some one hundred and twe.dy or one hundred and fifty miles, took possession of the country in the name of his Britannic majesty, giving the INTRODUCTION. 10 river the name of the Columbia, and to the bay where the American captain stopped, that of Grai/'s bay. Since that period the country had been seldom visited (till 1811), and chiefly by American ships. Sir Alexander M'Kenzie, in his second over- land voyage, tried to reach the western ocean by the Columbia river, and thought he had suc- ceeded when he came out six degrees farther north, at the bottom of Puget's sound, by an- other river.* In 1805, the American government sent Cap- tains Lewis and Clark, with about thirty men, including some Kentucky hunters, on an over- land journey to the mouth of the Columbia. They ascended the Missouri, crossed the moun- tains at the source of tliat river, and following the course of the Columbia, reached the shores of the Pacific, where they were forced to winter. The report which they made of their oxpeaiiioR to the United States government created a lively sensation.! * M'Kenzie's Travels. t Lewis and Clark's Report. -- ject was purely commercial, and that all ho could prouiisc us, was, that in case of a war we should be respected as British subjects and traders." This reply appeared satisfactory, and Mr. M'Kay thought we liad nothing to apprehend on that side. The vessel in which we were to sail was called the Tonquin, of about 300 tons burden, com- manded by Captain Thorn (a first-lieutenant of the American navy, on furlough for this pur- pose), with a crew of twenty-one men. The number of passengers was thirty-three. Here follow the names of both. Passengers. Partners < ' Messrs. Alexander M'Kay «' Duncan M'Dougall, " David Stuart, •' Robert Stuart, all of Canada. ■m 30 FRANCHERE'S VOYAGE. Clekks < James Lnwia of New York. Russel Faniham of MassachiisettB. William W. Matthews of New York Alexander Ross, Donald M'GilHs, Ovidc do Montigiiy, Francis B. Pillot, Donald M'Lennan, William Wallace, Thomas M'Kay, Gabriel Franchere, Oliver Roy Lapensce, Ignaco Lapensee > all fn»m Canachi. Basile Lapensee. w J Jacques Lafantaisie, Benjamin Roussel, Michel Laframboise, Giles Lederc, H ■< O PQ Joseph LapieiTe, Joseph Nadeau, J. B'te. Belleau, Antoine Belleau, Louis Brusl6, P. D. Jeremie, all of Canada. Johann Koaster, ship-carpenter, a Russian, George Bell, cooper, New York, Job Aitken, rigger and calker, from Scotland, Augustus Roiissil, blacksmith, Canada, Guilleaumc Perreaull, a boy. These Inst were all me- chanics, &c., destined for the establishment. Crew. Jonathan Thorn, captain. New York State. Ebenezer D. Fox, 1st mate, of Boston. John M. Mumford, lid mate, of Massachusetts. James Thorn, brother of the captain, New York. John Anderson, boatswain, foreigner. Egbert Vanderhuff, tailor, New York. John Weeks, cai"penter, " 'i CREW. 81 lu. re. ■W,. ■ V.v J sailmakeri. SxiLons. i St»'])h«*n Wt'pks, armorer, Now York. .I(jhn Coles, New York, John Mnrlin, a Frenchman, John White, New York Adam Fislior, Teter Verhel, Edward Aymes, " Robert Hill, Albany, New York. John Adams, " Joseph Johnson, Englishman, w Charles Roberts, New York, A colored man as cook, A mulatto steward. And three or four others whose names I have forgotten lU, *re all me- lt. 'M: .« 32 FFIANCHERE'S VOYAfJE. i! Hi! I CHAPTER II. Dopnrturo from New York. — Rofloctions of the Author. — Naviga- tion, falling in with other Ships, and various Incidents, till the Vessel comes in Sight of the Falkland Isles. All being ready for our departure, we went on board shij3, and weighed anchor on the 6th of September, in the morning. Tlie wind soon fell off, and the first day was spent in drifting down to Staten island, where we came to anchor for the night. The next day we weighed anchor again ; but there came on another dead calm, and we were forced to cast anchor near the light- house at Sandy Hook. On the 8th we weighed anchor for the third time, and by the help of a fresh breeze from the southwest, we succeeded in passing the bar ; the pilot quitted us at about eleven o'clock, and soon after we lost sight of the coast. REFLKCTIONS. 33 •—Navi ga- ts, till the re went the 6tli nd soon drifting > anchor I anchor ,d calm, le light- weighed elp of a icceeded at about sight of One must have experienced it one's self, to bo able to conceive the melancholy which takes pos- session of the soul of a man yf sensibility, at the instant that he leaves his country and the civil- ized world, to go to inhabit with strangers in wild and unknown lands. I should in vain en- deavor to give my readers an idea, even faintly correct, of the painful sinking of lieart that I suddenly felt, and of the sad glance which I involuntarily cast toward a future so much the more frightful to me, as it offered nothing but what was perfectly confused and uncertain. A new scene of life was unfolded before me, but how monotonous, and ill suited to diminish the dejection with which my mind was overwhelmed ! For the first time in my life, I found myself under way upon the main sea, with nothing to fix my regards and arrest my attention but the frail machine which bore me between the abyss of waters and the immensity of the skies. I re- mained for a long time with my eyes fixed in the direction of that land which I no longer saw, and almost despaired of ever seeing again ; I made 9* 84 kranciiere's voyage. serious reflections on the nature and consequences of the enterprise in wliich I had so rasldy em- barked ; and I confess tliat if at that moment the offer had been made to release me from my engagement, I should have accepted the proposal with all my heart. It is true that the hopeless confusion and incumberment of the vessel's deck, the groat number of strangers among whom I found myself, the brutal style which the captain and his subalterns used toward our young Cana- dians ; all, in a word, conspired to make mo augur a vexatious and disagreeable voyage. The sequel will show that I did not deceive my- self in that. ■ We perceived very soon in the S. W., which was our weather side, a vessel that bore directly toward us ; she made a signal that was under- stood by our captain ; we hove to, and stood on her bow. It turned out to be the American frig- ate Constitution. "VVe sent our boat on board of her, and sailed in company till toward five o'clock, when, our papers having been sent back to us, we separated. ^ CAPK-VERD iSLEvS. 85 qucnccs slilv em- moment from my proposal hopeless Vs deck, whom I 3 captain ng Cana- [nake mo voyage, ccive my- V., which 3 directly as under- stood on ican frig- board of rard five sent back 1 The wind having increased, the motion of the vcb'scl made us sea-sick, hose of us, I mean, who were for the first time at sea. The weather was fine, however ; the vessel, which at first sailing was lumbcivl()\v his brains out unless ho hove to and took us on board. We pursued our course, bearin<]^ S. i" "^ , and on the 14th, in latitude 54° 1', lor^ ae 04° 13', we found bottom at sixty-five fathoms, and saw a sail to the south. On the loth, in the morning, we discovered before us the high moun- tains of Terra delfiieg'o, which we continued to see till evening: the weather then thickened, and we lost sight of them. We encountered a furious storm which drove us to the SOth degree and 18' of latitude. On tlie l(Sth, we were only fifteen leagues from Cape Horn. A dead calm followed, but the current carried us within sight of the cape, five or six leagues distant. This cape, which forms the southern extremity of the American continent, has always been an object of terror to the navigators who have to pass from one sea to the other ; several of whom to avoid doubling it, have exposed themselves to the long and dangerous passage of the straits of Magellan, especially when about entering the Pacific ocean. When we saw ourselves under )0 FRAXCHEllE 8 VOYAGE. I -m |i tho stupendous rocks of the capo, wo felt no other desire but to get away from tlicm as soon as possible, so little agreeable were those rocks to the view, cvci in the case of peoi)le who had been some mouths at sea ! And by the lielp of a land breeze we succeeded in gaining an ofiing. While becalmed here, we measured the velocity of the current setting east, which we found to bo about three miles an hour. The wind soon changed again to the S. S. W., and blow a gale. We had to beat. We passed in sight of the islands of Diego Ramirez, and saw a large schooner under their lee. The dis- tance that wo had run from New York, was about 0,165 miles. We had frightful weather till the 24th, when we found ourselves in 68° 16' of south latitude. Although it was tho height of summer in that hemisphere, and tho days as long as they arc at Quebec on the 21st of June (we could read on deck at midnight without artificial light), tho cold was neverthe- less very great and tho air very Immid : the mer- cu ' for several days was but fourteen degrees THE PACIFIC. 51 It no soon rocks .0 had )lp of offing. 3locity I to bo S. W., passed !Z, and 'he dis- k, was weather in 68° as tho ,nd tho 10 21st idnight svcrthe- 10 mer- iegveea above freezing point, by Fahrenheit's thermome- ter. If such is the temperature in these lati- tudes at the end of Deceml)er, corresponding to our June, what must it be in tlie sliortest days of the year, and wh^^rc can tlie Patagonians then talce refuge, and the inliabitants of the ishinds so iin})roperly named the Land of Fire ! Tlie wind, which till the 24th had been con trary, hauled round to the south, and we ran westward. The next day being Christmas, wo had the satisfaction to learn by our noon-day observation that we had weathered the cape, and were, consequently, now in the Pacific ocean. Up to that date wo had but one man attacked with scurvy, a malady to which those who make long voyages are subject, and which is occasioned by the constant use of salt provisions, by tho humidity of the vessel, and the inaction. From the 2oth of December till the 1st of Jan- uary, we were favored with a fair wind and ran eighteen degrees to the north in tliat short space of time. Though cold yet, the weather was nev- ertheless very agreealrle. On the ITtli, in lati- 52 fraxchere's voyage. m tilde 10" S., and longitude 110° 50^ W., we took several bonitas, an excellent fish. We passed the equator on the 23d, in 128" 14' of west longi- tude. A great many porpoises came round the vessel. On the 25th arose a tempest which last- ed till the 28th. The wind then shifted to the E. S. E. and carried us two hundred and twenty- four miles on our course in twenty-four hours. Then we had several days of contrary winds ; on the 8th of February it hauled to the S. E., and on the 11th we saw the peak of a mountain cov- ered with snow, which the first mate, who was familiar with these seas, told me was the summit of MonorRoah, a high mountain on the island of Ohehi/y one of those which the circumnavigu tor Cook named the S^andwich Isles, and where he met his death in 1779. Wo headed to the land all day, and although we made eight or nine knots an hour, it was not till evening that we were near enough to dietinguish the huts of the islanders : which is sufficient to prove tho prodigious elevation of Mona Roah above the levol of the sea. < r ACCIDENT. 58 took d the lOngi- d the I last- to the jTciity- lours. ls; on 1., and n cov- was ummit island lavigu where to the ght or ig that luts of )ve the )ve the ■% % I 'if CHAPTER IV. Acciilont. — View of the Coast. — Attomptod Visit of the Natives. — Their Iiuhistiy. — Bay of Kuraka-kona. — Landing on the Island. — Julin Young, Governor of Owahce, We were ranging along tlie coast with the aid of a fine breeze, when the boy Perrault, who had mounted the fore-rigging to enjoy the scenery, lost his hold, and being to windward where the shrouds were taut, rebounded from them like a ball some twenty feet from the ship's side into the ocean. We perceived his fall and threw over to him chairs, barrels, benches, hen-coops, in a word everything we could lay hands on ; then the captain gave the orders to heave to ; in tlie twinkling of an eye the lasliings of one of the quarter-boats were cut apart, iha boat lowered and manned : by this time the boy was consider- ably a-stern. He would have been lost undoubt- 54 franchebe's voyage. edly but for a wide pair of canvass overalls full of tar and grease, which operated like a life-pre- server. His head, however, was under when ho was picked up, and he was brought on board lifeless, about a quarter of an hour after he fell into the sea. We succecJid, notwithstanding, in a short time, in bringing him to, and in a few hours he was able to run upon the deck. The co"st of the island, viewed from the sea, offers the hxost picturesque conp cVaeil, .xid the loveliest prospect ; from the beach to the moun- tains the land rises amphitheatrically, all along which is a border of lower country covered with cocoa-trees and bananas, through the thick foli- age whereof you perceive the huts of the island- ers ; the valleys which divide the hills that lie beyond appear well cultivated, and the moun- tains themselves, though extremely high, are covered with wood to their summits, except those few peaks which glitter with perpetual snow. As we ran along the coast, some canoes left the beach and came alongside, with vegetables and cocoa-nuts ; but as we wished to profit by NATIVES. 65 s full b-pre- icn he board lie Ml nding, a few 10 sea, xid the moim- along }d with ck foli- islaiid- hat lie moun- l^h, are ->t those ow. 3es left D'etables 'ofit by V>1 the breeze to gain tlie ancliorage, we did not think fit to stop. We coasted along during a part of the night; but a calm came on which lasted till the morrow. As we were opposite the bay of Karaka-koua, the natives came out again, in greater numbers, bringing us cabbages, yams, taro, bananas, bread-fruit, water-melons, poultry, &c., for wliich we traded in the way of exchange. Toward evening, by the aid of a sea breeze that rose as day declined, we got inside the harbor where wo anchored on a coral bottom in fourteen fathoms water. The next dav the islanders visited the vessel in great numbers all day long, bringing, as on the day before, fruits, vegetables, and some pigs, in exchange for which we gave them glass beads, iron rings, needles, cotton cloth, etc. Some of our gentlemen went ashore and were astonished to find a native occupied in buildnig a small sloop of about thirty tons : the tools of which he made use consisted of a half worn-out axe, an adze, about two-inch blade, made out of a paring chisel, a saw, and an iron rod which ho T ■HI <4 »^ 56 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. licatcd red hot and made it serve the purpose of an anger. It required no little patience and dexterity to acliieve anything with such instru- ments : he was apparently not deficient in these qualities, for his work was tolerably well ad- vanced. Our people took liim on board with them, and we supplied him with suitable tools, for which he appeared extremely grateful. On the 14th, in the morning, while the ship's carpenter was engaged in replacing one of the cat-heads, two composition sheaves fell into the sea ; as we had no others on board, the captain proposed to the islanders, who are excellent swimmers, to dive for them, promising a reward ; and immediately two offered themselves. They plunged several times, and each time brought up shells as a proof that they had been to the bot- tom. We had the curiosity to hold our watches while they dove, and were astonished to find that they remained four minutes under the water. That exertion appeared to me, however, to fatigue them a great deal, to such a degree that the blood streamed from their nostrils and ears. 1 CAPTAIN COOK. 57 ISO of J and nstru- tlicse ill ad- l with tools, s ship's of the into the captain collcnt eward ; They ught up the bot- watchcs hid that water. ever, to !:ree that nd ears. -■■:?J At last one of them brouglit up the sheaves and received the promised recompense, which con- sisted of four yards of cotton. Karaka-koua bay where wo lay, may be three quarters of a mile deep, and a mile and a half wide at the entrance : tlie latter is formed by two low points of rock which appear to have run down from the mountains in the form of lava, after a volcanic eruption. On each point is situ- ated a village of moderate size ; that is to say, a small group of the low huts of the islanders. The bottom of the bay terminates in a bold escarpment of rock, some four hundred feet high, on the top of which is seen a solitary cocoa-tree. On the evening of the 14th, I went ashore with some other passengers, and we landed at the group of cabins on the western point, of those which I have described. The inhabitants enter- tained us with a dance executed by nineteen young women and one man, all singing together, and in pretty good time. An old man showed us the spot where Captain Cook was killed, on the 14th of February, 1779, with the cocoa-nut 3* m 58 franchere's voyage. u trees pierced by the balls from the boats Avhich the unfortiiuatc navigator coinniandod. Tiiis old man, whether it were feigned or real sensibility, seemed extremely affected and even shed tears, in showing us these objects. As for me, I could not help finding it a little singular to be thus, by mere chance, upon this spot, on the 14th of Feb- ruary, 1811 ; that is to say, thirty-two years after, on the anniversary of the catastrophe which has rendered it for ever celebrated. I drew no sinister augury from the coincidence, however, and returned to the ship with my com- panions as gay as I left it. When I say with my companions, I ought to except the boatswain, John Anderson, who, having had several alterca- tions with the captain on the passage, now deserted the ship, preferring to live with the natives rather than obey any longer so uncour- teous a superior. A sailor also deserted; but the islanders brought him back, at the request of the captain. They offered to bring back Anderson, but the captain preferred leaving him behind. I iijj GOVKRXOR YOUNG. 69 if vliich • is old )aity, m tears, could us, V»y f Fob- years 5tropbe '"?' ed. I ■'. idencc, ly com- rith my ',; tswain, 1 alterca- 4) e, now ith the 4 uncour- od; but request 1 ig back ■ 1 % ving him 1 We found no good water near Karaka-koua bay : what the natives brought us in gourds was brackish. We were also in great want of fresh meat, but could not obtain it: the king of these islands having expressly forl)idden his subjects to sup})ly any to the vessels wliich touched there. One of the chiefs sent a canoe to Tohehigh bay, to get from the governor of the island, who resided there, permission to sell us some pigs. The messengers returned the next day, and brought us a letter, in which the governor ordered us to proceed without delay to the isle of Wahoo, where the king lives ; assuring us that we should there find good water and everything else we needed. We got under way on the 16th, and with a light wind coasted the island as far as Tohehigh bay. The wind then dropping away entirely, the captain, accompanied by Messrs. M'Kay and M'Dougall, went ashore, to pay a visit to the governor aforesaid. He was not a native, but a Scotchman named John Young, who came hither some years after the death of Captain Cook. mtm 60 franciiere's voyage. Tliis mail hod married a native woman, and had so plained the ■Vicndshij) and confidence of the kiiifj, as to be raised to tlie rank of cliief and after tlie conqncst of Walioo l)y King Tamc- liamcha, was made governor of Owhyhcc (Hawaii) the most considerable of the Sandwich Islands, both l)y its extent and popnlation. His excel- lency explained to our gentlemen tlie reason why the king had interdicted the trade in hogs to the inhabitants of all the islands : this reason being that his majesty wished to reserve to himself the monopoly of that branch of commerce, for the augmentation of liis royal revenue by its exclu- sive profits. The governor also informed them that no rain had fallen on the south part of Ha- waii for three years ; which explained why we found so little fresh water: he added that the north part of the island was more fertile than the south, where we were : but that there was no good anchorage : that part of the coast being de- fended by sunken rocks which form heavy break- ers. In fine, the governor dismissed our gentle- men with a present of four fine fat hogs ; and we, WAIIOO. 61 ill return, sent liim some tea, coffee, and choco- late, and a kejr of ^fadeira wine. The iiiulit was nearly a perfect calm, and on the ITth we found ourselves abreast of Mono- Wororayea a snow-capped mountain, like Mona- Roahj but which appeared to mo less lofty than the latter. A number of islanders came to visit us as before, with some objects of curiosity, and somo small fresh fisli. The wind rising on tho 18th, we soon passed the western extremity of Hawaii, and sailed by Mowheo and Tahooraha, two more islands of tliis group, and said to bo, like the rest, thickly inhabited. The lirst pre- sents a highly picturesque aspect, being com- posed of hills rising in the shape of a sugar loaf and completely covered with cocoa-nut and bread- fruit trees. At last, on the 21st, we approached Wahoo, and came to anchor opposite the l)ay of Ohetity^ outside the bar, at a distance of some two miles from the land. 62 FR A NC here's VO Y A (IE. CHAPTER V. Buy of Olu'tity. — Tamchiim(!hn, King of tli«i Islands. — Ills Vi^it to th« Ship. — His Ciipitul — His Navnl Force. — His Author- ity. — Productions of iho Country.— Manuera and Uustonis. — Uonc('tions. There is no good anchorage in the bay of Olictity, inside the bar or coral reef: the holding- ground is bad : so that, in case of a storm, the safety of the ship would have been endangered. Moreover, with a contrary wind, it would have been difficult to get out of the inner harbor ; for which reasons, our captain preferred to remain in the road. For the rest, the country surround- ing the bay is even more lovely in aspect than that of Karaka-koua; the mountains rise to a loss elevation in the back-ground, and the soil has an appearance of greater fertility. Tamehameha, whom all the Sandwich Isles w till Til TAMniAMEITA. G3 obeyed wluMi we wore tlic3n; in lh, when Cai)tain Cook aiul sonic of liis people were masHacn;(l. He was, at tliat date, hut a chief of moderate power; hut, heini? skilful, inti'iguinjj^, and full of amhition, he sueeeeded in pjaininii; a numerous ]»art}', and hnally possessed himself of the sov- ereii^nty. As soon as he saw himself master of Owhyhee, his native island, lie meditated the conquest of tlie leeward islands, and in a few years he accomplished it. lie even passed into Atouai/, the most remote of all, and vanquished the ruler of it, but contented himself with im- posing on him an annual tribute. lie had fixed liis residence at Wahoo, because of all the Sand- wich Isles it was the most fertile, the most pic- turesque — in a word, the most worthy of the residence of the sovereign. As soon as we arrived, we were visited by a canoe manned by three white men, Davis and Wadsworth, Americans, and Manini, a Spaniard. The last offered to bo our interpreter during w 64 .^'o FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. our stay ; which was agreed to. Tameliameha presently sent to us his prime-minister, Kraimoku, to whom the Americans have given the name of Pitt, on account of his skill in the affairs of gov- ernment. Our captain, accompanied by some of our gentlemen, went ashore immediately, to be presented to Tameliameha. About four o'clock, P. M., wc saw them returning, accompanied by a double pirogue conveying the king and his suite. AVe ran up o'lr colors, and received his majesty with a salute of four guns. Tamehameha was above the middle height, well made, robust and inclined to corpulency, and had a majestic carriage. He appeared to me from fifty to sixty years old. He was clothed in the European style, and wore a sword. Ho walked a long time on the deck, asking explana- tions in regard to those things which he had not seen on other vessels, and which were found on ours. A tiling which appeared to surprise him, was to see that we could render the water of the sea fresii, by means of the still attached to our caboose ; ho could not imagine how that could ?>■ 'a THE KING .S WIVF,^. 65 imeha Imoku, \mc of 3f gov- omc of , to be o'clock, cd by a is suite, majesty 5 heiglit, •pulcncy, (cared to s clotbcd ord. He cxplana- 3 had not found on mao bim, iter of tbc cd to our hat could bo done. We invited liim into the cabin, and, havinj^ n v;ah:'d him witli some glasses of wine, bojriiii to talk of l)usiness matters: we oflbred hi 111 merchandise in exchange for hogs, but were not al)le to conclude the bargain that day. His majesty re-embarked in his double pirogue, at about six o'clock in the evening. It was manned by twenty-four men. A great chest, containing lirearms, was lashod over the centre of the two canoes forming the pirogue ; and it was there tliat Tamehameha sat, with his prime-minister at his side. In the morning, on the 22d, we sent our water- casks ashore and fdled them with excellent water. At about noon his sable nuijesty paid us another visit, accompanied by his three wives and his favorite minister. These females were of an extraordinary corpulence, and of unmeasured size. They were dressed in the fashion of the country, having nothing but a piece of tapa^ or bark-cloth, about two yards long, passed round the hips and falling to the knees. We resumed the negotiations of the day before, and wore Gi] v\i\ xniKRK's V^O YAr.H. more successful. I remarked that when tlic bar- gain was concluded, lie insisted with great per- tinacity that part of the payment should bo in Spanish dollars. We asked the reason, and ho made answer that he wished to buy a frigate of his brother, King George, meaning the king of England. The bargain concluded, we prayed his majesty and his suite to dine v;itli us ; they con- sented, and toward evening retired, apparently well satisfied with their visit and our reception of them. In the meantime, the natives surrounded the ship in great numbers, with hundreds of canoes, oftering us their goods, in the shape of eatables and the rude manufactures of the island, in ex- change for merchandise ; but, as they had also brought intoxicating liquors in gourds, some of the crew got drunk ; the captain was, conse- quently, obliged to suspend the trade, and for- bade any one to traffic with the islanders, except through the first-mate, who was intrusted with that business. I landed on the 22d, with Messrs. Fillet and 3] ih til f i nu COl his a 11 I>ei'I] in t] there nific( s tori J lilttCl whicll excln vessel hesidi had hurthi tributi OH EXIT Y. G7 M'Gillis: wc passed tlic night ashore, spending tliat day and the next morning in rambling over tlic environs of the bay, followed by a crowd of men, women, and children. Ohetity, where Tamehamelia resides, and which, consequently, may be regarded as the capital of his kingdom, is — or at least was at that time — a moderate-sized city, or rather a large village. Besides the private houses, of which there were ])crhaps two liundrcd, constructed of poles planted iu the ground and covered over with matting, tliere were the royal palace, which was not mag- nificent by any means : a public st .'C, of two stories, one of stone and the other of wood ; two morals, or idol temples, and a wharf. At the latter we foimd an old vessel, the Lady Bird, wliich some American navigators had given in exchange for a schooner ; it was the only largo vessel which King Tamehameha possessed ; and, besides, was worth nothing. As for schooners he liad forty of them, of from twenty to thirty tons burthen: these vessels served to transport the tributes in kind paid by his vassals in the other mm G8 fuaxcfikue's voyage. islands. Before the Europeans arrived among these savages, the hxtter had no means of com- munication between one isk^ and another, but their canoes, and as some of the islands are not in sight of each other, these voyages must have been dangerous. Near the palace I found an Indian from Bombay, occupied in making a twelve inch cable, for the use of the ship which I have described. Tamchameha kept constantly round his house a guard of twenty-four men. These soldiers wore, by way of miiform, a long blue coat with yellow ; and each was armed with a musket. In front of the house, on an open square, were placed four- teen four-pounders, mounted on their carriages. The king was absolute, and judged in person the diflferences between his subjects. We had an opportunity of witnessing a proof of it, the day after our landing. A Portuguese having had a quarrel with a native, who was intoxicated, struck him : immediately the friends of the latter, who had been the aggressor after all, gathered iu a crowd to boat down the poor foreigner with •V •■■?. been unde white that trade COURT OF JUSTICE. 69 I among I of coiu- ■hcr, but s are not lUst have found an iiaking a p which I lis house a liers wore, th yellow ; [n front of laced four- jar riages. in person We had of it, the cse having ntoxicated, f the latter, 11, gathered eigne r with stones ; he fled as fast as he could to the house of the khig, followed by a mob of enraged na- tives, who nevertheless stopped at some distance from the guards, while the Portuguese, all breath- less, crouched in a corner. We were on the es- planade in front of the palace royal, and curi- osity to sec the trial led us into the presence of his majesty, who having caused the quarrel to bo explained to him, and heard the witnesses on both sides, condemned the native to work four days in the garden of the Portuguese and to give him a hog. A young Frenchman from Bordeaux, prece^.tor of the king's sons, whom he taught to read, and who understood the language, acted as interpreter to the Portuguese, and explained to us the sentence. I can not say whether our pres- ence influenced the decision, or whether, under other circumstances, the Portuguese would have been less favorably treated. We were given to understand that Tamehameha was pleased to see whites establish themselves in his dominions, but that he esteemed only people with some useful trade, and despised idlers, and especially drunk- MMMI 70 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. ards. Wo saw at Wahoo about thirty of these white inhabitants, for the most part, people of no character, and who had remained on the islands cither from indolence, or from drunken- ness and licentiousness. Some had taken wives in the country, in which case the king gave them a portion of land to cultivate for themselves. But two of the worst sort had found means to procure a small still, wherewith they manufac- tured rum and supplied it to the natives. The first navigators found only four sorts of quadrupeds on the Sandwich islands ; — dogs, swine, lizards, and rats. Since then sheep have been carried there, goats, horned cattle, and even horses, and these animals have multiplied. The chief vegetable productions of these isles are the sugar cane, the bread-fruit tree, the banana, the water-melon, the musk-melon, the taro^ the ava, the pandanus^ the mulberry, n the uukcn- i wives -c them iisclves. tcans to nanufac- sorts of :— dogs, ccp have and even d. ,liese isles tree, the elon, the ^crry, &c. )f a largo Iple and is imference ; Ion: when cut transversely it is found to be full of sacs, like the inside of an orange ; tlie pulp has the consis- tence of water-melon, and is cooked before it is eaten. We saw orchards of bread-fruit trees aud bananas, and fields of sugar-cane, back of Ohctity. The taro grows in low situations, and demands a great deal of care. It is not unlike a white turnip,* and as it constitutes the principal food of the natives, it is not to be wondered at that they bcstovv^ so much attention on its culture. Wherever a spring of pure water is found issu- ing out of the side of a hill, the gardener marks out on the declivity the size of the field he in- tends to plant. The ground is levelled and sur- rounded with a mud or stone wall, not exceed- ing eighteen inches in height, and having a flood gate above and below. Into this enclosure the water of the spring is conducted, or is suffered to escape from it, according to the dryness of the season. When the root has acquired a sufficient size it is pulled up for immediate use. This es- * Bougainville calls it "Calf-foot root." iliii (fpflffl*** 72 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. culcnt is very bad to cat raw, but boiled it is better than the yam. Cut in slices, dried, pounded and reduced to a farina, it forms with bread fruit the principal food of the natives. Sometimes they boil it to the consistence of por- ridge, which they put into gourds and allow to ferment ; it will then keep a long time. They also use to mix with it, fish, which they com- monly eat raw with the addition of a little salt, obtained by evaporation. The aim is a plant more injurious than useful to the inhabitants of these isles ; since they only make use of it to obtain a dangerous and intoxi- cating drink, which they also call aim. The mode of preparing this beverage is as lollows : tliey chew the root, and spit out the result into a basin ; the juice thus expressed is exposed to tlie sun to undergo fermentation ; after which they decant it into a gourd ; it is then fit for use, and they drink it on occasions to intoxication. The too frequent use of this disgusting liquor causes loss of sight, and a sort of leprosy, which can only be cured by abstaining from it, and by ■i^ uti THEIR CLOTHING. 73 it is dried, s with ativcs. of por- llow to They jy corn- tie salt, bathing frequently in the water of the sea. This leprosy turns their skin white : we saw several of the lepers, who were also blind, or nearl}' io. The natives arc also fond of smoking : the tobac- co grows in the islands, but I ])elieve it has been introduced from abroad. The bark of the mul- berry furnishes the cloth worn by both sexes ; of the leaves of the pandanus they make mats. They have also a kind of .va nut, about the size of a dried plum of whici.. they make candles V)y running a stick through several of them. Light- ed at one end, they b' 'n like a wax taper, and are the only light they use in their huts at night. The men are generally well made and tall : they wear for their entire clothing what they call a maw ; it is a piece of figured or white tapa, two yards long and a foot wide, which they pass round the loins and between the legs, tying the ends in a knot over the left hip. At first sight I thought they were painted red, but soon perceived that it was the natural color of tlieir skin. The women wear a petticoat of the same stuff as the maro, but wider and longer, without, «•. 74 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. however, reaching below the knees. They have sufficiently regular features, anil but for the color, may pass, generally speaking, for hand- some women. Some to heighten their charms, dye their black hair (cut short for the purpose) with quick lime, forming round the head a strip of pure white, which disfigures them monstrously. Others among the young wear a more becoming garland of (lowers. For other traits, they are very lascivious, and far from observing a modest reserve, especially toward strangers. In regard to articles of mere ornament, I was told that they were not the same in all the island. I did not see tliem, cither, clothed in their war dresses, or habits of ceremony. But I had an opportunity to see them paint or print their tapa^ or bark cloth, an occupation in which they employ a great deal of care and patience. The pigments they use arc derived from vegetable juices, pre- pared with the oil of the cocoa-nut. Their pen- cils are little reeds or canes of bamboo, at the extremity of which they carve out divers sorts of flowers. First they tinge the cloth they moan r| n ni TAPA-PAINTIXG. 76 to print, yellow, green, or some other color which forms the ground : then they draw upon it perfectly straight lines, without any other guide l)ut the eye ; lastly they dip the ends of the banil)oo sticks in paint of a different tint from the ground, and apply them between the dark or bright bars thus formed. This cloth resembles a good deal our calicoes and printed cottons ; the oils with which it is impregnated renders it impervious to water. It is said that the natives of Atowy excel all the other island- ers in the art of painting the tapa. The Sandwich-islanders live in villages of one or two hundred houses arranged without sym- metry, or rather grouped together in complete defiance of it. These houses are constructed (as I have before said) of posts driven in the ground, covered witji long dry grass, and walled with matting ; the thatched roof gives them a sort of resemblance to our Canadian barns or granges. The length of each house varies according to the number of the family which occupies it : they are not smoky like the wigwams of our Indians, the '! . '■^ ■!■[ 76 FRANCIIERE S VOYAGE. fireplace l)oiii^ always outride in the open air, where all tlie cooking is performed. Ilcnco their dwellings are very clean and neat insude. Their jiirogues or canoes are extremely light and neat : those which are single have an outrig- ger, consisting of two curved pieces of timber lashed across the bows, and touching the water at the distance of five or six feet from the side ; another piece, turned up at each extremity, is tied to the end and drags in the water, on which it acts like a skating iron on the ice, and by its weight keei)s the canoe in equilibrium : without that contrivance they would infalliljly upset. Their paddles are long, with a very broad blade. All these canoes carry a lateen, or sprit-sail, which is made of a mat of grass or leaves, ex- tremely w^ell woven. I did not remain long enough with these peo- ple to acquire very extensive and exact notions of their religion : I know that they recognise a Supreme Being, whom they call Etoioai/, and a number of inferior divinities. Each village has one or more morais. These morais are enclo- TABOO — DRAUr.IITS. 77 purcs which served for cemeteries ; in tlie middlo is a temple, where the priests ahun* Irave a ripjht to cuter: they contain several idols of wood, riidely sculptured. At the feet of these iinaj^es arc deposited, and left to putrify, the olToriugs of the people, consistinji^ of doj^s, j)ij^s, fowls, vegetables, &c. The respect of tlu;sc savages for their j)ri(3sts extends almost to adoration ; they regard their persons as sacred, and feel the greatest scruple in touching the objects, or going near the places, which they have declared taboo or forbidden. The taboo has often been usefid to European navigators, by freeing them from the importunities of the crowd. In our ram])les we met groups playing at dif- ferent games. That of draughts appeared the most common. The checker-board is very sim- ple, the squares being marked on the ground with a sharp stick : the men are merely shells or pebbles. The game was different from that played in civilized countries, so that we could not understand it. Although nature has done almost everything ^■•'■vi ^'-■ l ^ 78 FRANCIIERES VOYAfiE. ' 1 for the inhabitants of the Sandwich islands — though tney enjoy a perpetual spring, a clear sky, a salubrious climate, and scarcely any labor is required to produce the necessaries of life — they can not bo regarded as generally happ}'' : the artisans and producers, whom they call Tootoos, arc nearly in tlie same situation as the Helots among the Lacedemonians, condemned to labor almost incessantly for their lord or Eris, without hope of battering their condition, and even restricted in the choice of their daily food.* How has it hapi)ened that among a people yet bar- barous, where knowledge is nearly equally distrib- uted, the class which is beyond comparison the most numerous has voluntarily submitted to such a humiliating and oppressive yoke ? The Tar- tars, though infmitely less numerous than the Chinese, have subjected them, because the former were warlike and the latter were not. The same thing has happened, no doubt, at remote * Tho Tootoos unci nil thn women, tlio wives of iho V\\\fr and principal chiefs exc'eptetl, arc eternally comlemiu'd to the use of fniitfi Oiiil vegetubles; dogg and piga being excluaively rcsorved for tho tai;le of tho Eris, i 01 Cl SOCIAI, STATE. 79 Hi period.^, in Poluiul, mid other regions of Europe luul Asii'i. If moral causes are joined to physi- cal ones, the superiority of one caste iind the inferiority of the other will be still more marked ; it is known that tlie natives of Ilispaniola, when they saw the Spaniaids arrive ou their coast, in vessels of an astonishing size to their ap})rehen- sions, and heard them imitate the thunder with their cannon, took them for beings of a superior nature to their own. Supposing that this island liad been extremely remote from every other country, and that the Spaniards, after conquer- ing it, had held no further communication with any civilized land, at the end of a century or two the language and the manners would have assimilated, but there would have been two castes, one of lords, enjoying all the advantages, the other of serfs, charged with all the burdens. This theory seems to have been realized anciently in Ilindostan ; but if we must credit the tradi- tion of the Sandwich-islanders, their countrv was originally peopled ))y a man and woman, who caniL to Owyhee in a canoe. Unless, then, they 80 franchere's voyage. mean that tliis man and woman came with their slaves, and that the Eris are descended from the first, and the Tooloos from the hast, they oi^ht to attribute to each other the same origin, and consequently regard each other as equals, and even as brothers, according to the manner of thinking that prevails among savages. The cause of the slavery of women among most bar- barous tribes, is m.orc easily explained : the men have subjected them by the right of the strongest, if ignorance and superstition have not caused them to be previously regarded as beings of an inferior nature, made to be servants and not companions.* * Some Indian tril)P9 think that women liuvo no souls, but die !iltog(^ther like the bnitos ; othors assign tluMn a diffiTont para- di3o from that of men, which iiuleeil they miglit have reason to prefer for theniselvefl, unless their relative condition were to ba amelioratod in the next world. I ■I WEir.II ANCHOR. 81 CHAPTER VI. Doparturf^ from Wuhoo. — Storm. — Arrival at tlio Month of tho Columbia. — RockU'ss OnU-r of tlio Ciiptnin. — Ditriciilfy of vhc Entnmci'. — rt-riloug Situation of tho Ship. — Uuhaj)py Futc of a part of tho Crow and Poople of tho Expedition. Having taken on board a liundrcd head of live hogs, some goats, two sheep, a quantity of poul- try, two boat-loads of sugar-cane, to feed the hogs, as many more of yams, taro, and other vegetables, and all our water-casks being snugly stowed, wc weighed anchor on the 28th of Feb- ruary, sixteen days after our arrival at Karaka- koua. "We left another man (Edward Aymes) at Wahoo. He belonged to a boat's crew which was scut ashovn fop a load cf sugar canes. By the time tho boat was loaded bv tlio natives the ebb of tho tide had left her agroui:d, and Aymes 4* 82 FUANCIIERKS VOY-UIE. k^'W^ 11 asked leave of the coxswain to ^alic a stioll, en- gaging to be back for the iiood. Leave was granted him, but during liis absence, tlic tide having come in suflicienlly to float the boat, James Thorn, the coxswain, did not wait for tlic young sailor, who was thus left Ixjliind. The captain immediately missed the man, and, on being ii\formed that he had strolled away from the boat on leave, flew into a violent passion. Aymes soon made his appearance alongside, having hired some natives to take him on board ; on perceiving him, the captain ordered him to stay in the long-boat, then lashed to the side with its load of sugar-cane. The captain then himself got into the boat, and, takin^it one of the canes, beat the poor follow most unmercifully with it ; after which not satisfied with this act of brutal- ity, he seized his victim and threw him over- board ! Aymes, however, being an excellent swimmer, made for the nearest nati^■e canoe, of which there were, as usual, a great number around the ship. The islanders, more humane than our captain, took in the poor fellow, who, .ifi*s- NATIVE MALICE. 88 in spite of his ontn-atios to bo received on bornl, cuuld only succeed in getting \u^ clothes, which were thrown into the canoe. At parting, he tol ' Captain Thorn that he knew enougli of the laws of his country, to obtain redress, should they ever meet in the territory of the American Union. While we were getting under sail, Mr. M'Kay pointed out to the captain tliat there was one water-cask empty, and proposed sending it ashore to bo filled, as the great number of live animals we had on l)oard retiuired a large quantity of fresh water. The captain, who feared that some of the men would desert if he sent them ashore, made an observation to tliat effect in answer to Mr. M'Kay, who then proposed sending me on a canoe which lay alongside, to fill Vlq cask in question : tliis was agreed to by the captaii , and I took the cask accordingly to tlie nearest spiing, Having filled it, not without some dilficulty, the islanders seeking to detain me, and I perceiving that they had given me some gourds full of salt water, I was forced also to demand a doiiltle pirogue (for the canoe which had brought the i mi: SI I , 84 FIlANrilKIlK S VOYACE. ii empty cask, was foiiiid iiuidoquato to carry a full ono), llie ship hcinji; already niidcn' full sail and gaining: an oflinpr. As the natives would not lend a liand to procure wliat 1 wanted, I thouprht it necessary to liave recourse to the kinji;, and in fact did so. For seeing; the vessel so far at sea, with what I knew of tlic captain's disposition, I began to fear tliat lie had formed the plan of leaving me on the island. My fears, nevertlie- less were ill-founded ; the vessel made a tack toward the sliore, to nu' great joy ; and a doul)lc pirogue was furnished me, through the good offices of our young friend tlu) French scliool- master, to return on board with my cask. Our deck was now as miu'li encumbered as when wo left New York ; for we had boon obliged to place our live animals at the gangways, and to board over their pens, on which it was neces- sary to pass, to work ship. Our own numbei'S \\ ^re also augmented ; for we had taken a dozen islanders for the service of our intended com- mercial establishment. Their term of engage- ment was three years, during which we were to ^v.. ■ A C,\LK. 85 «• food and clothe them, and at its cx[)iration they were to receive a hundred dollars in merchan- dise. The captain had shipped another dozen as hands on the coasting voyage. These people, who make very good sailors, were eager to be talcen into employment, and we might easily have carried off a much greater number. "Wo had contrary winds till the 2d of March, when, having doubled the western extremity of the island, we made northing, and lost sight of these smiling and temperate countries, to enter very soon a colder region and less worthy of being inhabited. The winds were variable, and nothing extraordinary happened to us till the l«)th, when, being arrived at the latitude of 35° 11' north, and in 138^ 16' of west longitude, the wind shifted all of a sudden to the S. S. W., and blew with such violence, that we were forced to strike to]>gallant masts and top-sails, and run before the gale with a double reef in our foresail. The rolling of the vessel was greater than in all the gales we had experienced previously. Nev- ertheless, as we made great headway, and were ^ 80 FKAXCIIKIIES VOVACK. i approaching the coutiiiciit, tlio captain l)y way of precaution, lay to for two nightrf successively. At last, on the 22cl, in the morning, we saw tlie land. Althougli we had not been a])le to take any observations for several days, nevertheless, by the appearance of tlic coast, we perceived that wo were near the mouth of the river Columbia, and were not more than tlirco miles from land. The breakers formed hy the bar at the entrance of that river, and whicli we could distinguish from the sliip, left us no room to doubt tliat wo had arrived at last at the end of our voyage. The wind was blowing in heavy squalls, and the sea ran very higli : in spite of tliat, the cap- tain caused a boat to be lowered, and Mr. Fox (first mate), Basilo Lapensec, Ignace Lapensee, Jos. Nadeau, and John Martin, got into her, taking some provisions and firearms, with orders to sound tlie channel and report themselves on board as soon as possible. The boat was not \\\. or a mast, but supplied good one of the partners gave Mr. Fox a pair of bed sheets to serve for the former. Messrs M'Kay CAPE DlSAri'OlNTMKNT. 87 and M'Duugall could not help rciaonstrating ■\vitli llio captain on the inipnulcnce of seiuliii ^y^^ a5^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) I I 1.0 !f:«a i I.I ^ 2.5 ^ lis lllllio 1.8 !.25 1.4 1 1.6 M 6" ► 7^ <^ /2 7 ^c>

/ c» A o^ '/ M M Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 'W 1' ■-. I 1 we enti] bein add thou. everj CRITICAL SITUATION. 89 sail. Another boat had been Hcnt out before this one, but the captain ju(l<^ing that she bore too far south, made her a signal to return. Mr. Aikin not fniding less tlian four fathoms, we followed him and advanced between the breakers, with a favora- ble wind, so that we passed the boat ou oui' star- board, within pistol-shot. We made signs to her to return on board, but she could not accomplish it ; the ebb tide carried her witli such rapidity that in a few minutes we had lost sight of her amidst the tremendous breakers that surrounded us. It was near nightfall, the wind began to give way, and the water was so low with the ebb, that we struck six or seven times with violence : the breakers brolvc over the ship and threatened to submerge her. At last we passed from two and three quarters fathoms of water to seven, where we were obliged to drop anchor, the wind having entirely failed us. We were far, however, from being out of danger, and the darkness came to add to the horror of our situation : our vessel, though at anchor, threatened to be carried away every moment by the tide ; the best bower was 1)0 KHANCHERK S VOYACK. 1^: let go, and it kept two men at the wheel to hold her head in tlie riii'ht direction. However, Prov- idence came to our succor : the flood succeeded to the cbl), and the wind rising out of tlie oiling, wc weighed both ancliors, in spite of the ol)SCu- rity of the night, and succeeded in gaining a little bay or cove, formed at the entrance of the river by Cape Disappointment, and called Baker'' s Bay^ where we found a good anchorage. It was about midnight, and all retired to take a little rest : the crew, above all, had great need of it. Wo wcie fortunate to be in a place of safety, for the wind rose higher and higher during the rest of the night, and on the morning of the 25th allowed us to see that this ocean is not always pacific. Some natives visited us this day, bringing with them beaver-skins ; but the inquietude caused in our minds by the loss of two boats' crews, for whom w^e washed to make search, did not permit us to think of traffic. We tried to make the savages comprehend, by signs, that we had sent a boat ashore three days previous, and that we liad no news of her; but they seemed not to us. but tb tliem their m STOUY OF WEEK3. 91 understand us. The captain, accompanied by some of our gentlemen, landed, and they set themselves to search for our missint^ people, in tlie woods, and along the shore N. TV. of the (\ape. After a few hours wc saw the captain return with Weeks, one of the crew of the last boat sent out. He was stark naked, and after being clothed, and receiving some nourishment, gave us an account of his almost miraculous escape from the waves on the preceding night, in nearly the following terms : — "After you had passed our boat," said he, " the breakers caused bv the meeting of the wind »/ CD roll and ebb-tide, became a great deal heavier than when wc entered the river with the flood. The boat, for want of a rudder, became very hard to manage, and wc let her drift at the mercy of the tide, till, after having escaped sev- eral surges, one struck us midship and capsized us. I lost sight of Mr. Aiken and John Coles : but tlie two islanders were close by me ; I saw them stripping off their clothes, and I followed their example ; and seeing the pinnace within **•«•■ 92 franctieue's voyage. my reach, kcol upward, I seized it ; the two na- tives caine to my assistance ; we riglited her, and by sudden jerks threw out so mucli of the water that she would hold a man : one of the natives jumped in, and, l>ailing with his two hands, succeeded in a short time in emptying her. The other native found the oars, and about dark we were all three embarked. Tiie tide having now carried us outside the breakers, I endeavored to persuade my companions in mis- fortune to row, but they were so benumbed witli cold that they absolutely refused. I well knew that without clothing, and exposed to the rigor of the air, I must keep in constant exercise. Seeing besides that the night was advancing, and having no resource but the little strength left me, I set to work sculling, and pushed off the bar, but so as not to be carried out too far to sea. About midnight, one of my companions died : the other threw himself upon the body of his comrade, and I could not persuade him to abandon it. Daylight appeared at last; and, being near the shore, I headed in for it, and ■ ? if SEARCH. 98 ) na- her, ,f the f the 3 two about c tide Lcrs, I n mis- id with L knew e rigor :ercise. ng, and ,th left off the ) far to panions )ody of him to t; and, it, and r arrived, thank God, safe and sound, through the breakers, on a sandy beach. I helped the isl- ander, wlio yet gave some signs of life, to get out of the boat, and we both took to the woods ; but, seeing that he was not able to follow me, I left him to his bad fortune, and, pursuing a l)caten path that I perceived, I found myself, to my great astonishment, in the course of a few hours, near the vessel." The gentlemen who went ashore with the cap- tain divided themselves into three parties, to search for the native whom Weeks had left at the entrance of the forest ; l)ut, after scouring the woods and the point of the cape all day, they came on board in the evening without having found him. 94 FKANCIIERE S VOYAGE. CHAPTER YII. Regrets of the Author at the Loss of his Companions. — Obse- quies of a Sandwich Islander. — First stops in the Formation of the intended Establishment. — New Alarm. — Encanip- mcnt. The narrative of Weeks informed us of the d«5ath of three of our companions, and we could cni doubt that the five others had met a similar fate. This loss of eight of our number, in two days, before we had set foot on shore, was a bad augury, and was sensibly felt by all of us. In the course of so long a passage, the habit of see- ing each other every day, the participation of the same cares and dangers, and confineme^^t to the same narrow limits, had formed between all the passengers a connection that could not be broken, above all in a manner so sad and so unlooked for, without making us feel a void like that THE LAPENSIE. -OV)se- nmiion ncamp- )f the could imilar n two a bad 5. In f scc- of the to the Hi the roken, ooked e that which is experienced in a well-regulated and loving family, when it is suddenly deprived by death, of the presence of one of its cherished members. We had left New York, for the most part strangers to one another ; but arrived at the river Columbia we were all friends, and regard- ed each other almost as brothers. We regretted especially the two brothers Lapcr.see and Joseph Nadeau : these young men liad been in an cs- ])ccial manner recommended by their respectable parents in Canada to the care of Mr. M'Kay ; and had acquired l)y their good conduct the esteem of the captain, of the crew, and of all the passengers. Tiie brothers Lapcnsee were cour- ageous and willing, never flinching in the hour of danger, and had become as good seamen as any on board. Messrs Fox and Aikin were both highly regarded by all ; the loss of Mr. Fox, al)ove all, who was endeared to every one by his gentlemanly behavior and affability, would have been severely regretted at any time, but it was doubly so in the present conjuncture : this gentle- man, who had already made a voyage to the 96 franchere's voyaoe. Northwest, could have rendered important ser- vices to the captain and to the company. The preceding days had been days of apprehension and of uneasiness ; this was one of sorrow and mourning. The following day, the same gentlemen who had volunteered their services to seek for the missing islander, resumed their labors, and very feoon after they left us, wo perceived a great fire kindled at the verge of the woods, over against the ship. I was sent in a l)oat and arrived at the fire. It was our gentlemen who had kindled it, to restore animation to the poor islander, whom they had at last found under the rocks, half dead with cold and fatigue, his legs swollen and his feet bleeding. We clothed him, and brought him on board, where, by our care, wo succeeded in restoring him to life. Toward evening, a number of the Sandwich- islanders, provided with the necessary utensils, and offerings consisting of biscuit, lard, and to- bacco, went ashore, to pay the last duties to their compatriot, who died in Mr. Aikin's boat, on the pn selJ lofj FUXERAL CEriKMr,.,Y. 07 niplit of the 24th. Mr. Pillnt auA I went with them, and witncs.sed the obr^oquie.^, which took place ill the manner IbUowlnp;. Arrived at the spot where the body had been hung upon a tree to preserve it from the wolves, the natives dug a grave in the sand ; tlien taking down the body, and stretching it alongside the pit, they placed the biscuit under one of the arms, a piece of pork beneath the other, and the tobacco beneath tlic chin and the genital parts. Thus provided for the journey to the other world, the body was de- posited in the grave and covered with sand and stones. All the countrymen of the dead man then knelt on either side of the grave, in a double row, with tlieir faces to the east, except one of them wdio officiated as priest ; the latter went to tlie margin of the sea, and having filled his hat with water, sprinkled the two rows of islanders, and recited a sort of prayer, to which the others responded, nearly as we do in the litanies. That prayer ended, they rose and returned to tlie ves- sel, looking neither to the right liand iior to tlie left. As eveiy one of them appeared to me fa- 98 FRANCIIERE'a VOYAGE. miliar -with tl;o part he performed, it is more than probable that the/ observed, as far as circum- stances permitted, the ceremonies practised in their country on like occasions. Wo all returned on board about sundown. The next day, the 27th, desirous of clearing the gangways of the live stock, we sent some men on shore to construct a pen, and soon after landed about fifty hogs, committing them to the care of one of the hands. On the 30th, the long boat was manned, armed and provisioned, and the captain, with Messrs. M'Kay and D. Stuart, and some of the clerks, embarked on it, to ascend the river and choose an eligible spot for our tra- ding establishment. Messrs. Ross and Fillet left at the same time, to run down south, and try to obtain intelligence of Mr. Fox and his crew. In the meantime, having reached some of the goods most at hand, we commenced, with the natives who came every day to the vessel, a trade for beaver-skins, and sea-otter stones. Messrs. Ross and Fillet returned on board on the let of April, without having learned anything alarmtntt report. 99 respecting Mr. Fox and his party. They did not even perceive along the beach any vestiges of the l)oat. The natives who occui)y Point Adafns, and who are called Clatsops, received onr young gentlemen very amicably and hospitably. The captain and his companions also returned on tho 4th, without ha\ing decided on a position for the establishment, finding none which appeared to them eligible. It was consequeitly resolved to explore the south ])ank, and Messrs. M'Doucral and D. Stuart departed on that expedition tho next day, promising to return by the 7th. The 7th came, and these gentlemen did not return. It rained almost all day. The day after, some natives came on board, and reported that Messrs. M'Dougal and Stuart had capsized the evening before in crossing the bay. This news at first alarmed us ; and, if it had been verified, would have given the finishing blow to our discouragement. Still, as the weather was excessively bad, and we did not repose entire faith in the story of the natives — whom, more- over, we might not have perfectly understood — 100 franciiere's voyage. we remained in suspense till the lOtli. On the morning of that day, -we were preparing to send some of the people in search of our two gen- tlemen, when we perceived two large canoes, full of Indians, coming toward the vessel : they were of the Chinook village, which was situated at the foot of a bluff on the north side of the river, and were bringing back Messrs. M'Dougal and Stuart. Wo made known to these gentle- men the report wo had heard on the Stli from the natives, and they informed us that it had been in fact well foimded ; that on the 7th, de- sirous of reaching the ship agreeably to their promise;, they had quitted Chinook point, in spite of the remonstrances of the chief, Conicomli/, who sought to detain them by pointing out the danger to which they would expose themselves in crossing the bay in such a heavy sea as it was ; that thev had scarcely made more than a mile and a half before a huge wave broke over their boat and capsized it ; that the Indians, aware of tlie danger to which they were exposed, had followed them, and that, but for their assist- HUMANE NATIVES. 101 ancc, j\[r. M'Dougal, who could not swim, would inevitably have been drowned ; that, afl . the Cliinooks liad kindled a large fire and dried tlieir clothes, they liad been conducted ])y them back to their villag'e, where the principal chief had received them with all imaginable hospital- ity, regaling them with every delicacy his wig- wam alTorded ; that, in fine, if they had got back safe and sound to the vessel, it was to the timely succor and humane cares of the Indians whom wc saw before us that they owed it. We liberally rewarded these generous children of the forest, and they returned home well satisfied. This last survey was also fruitless, as Messrs. M'Dougal and Stuart did not find an advan- tageous site to build upon. But, as the captain wished to take advantage of the fine season to pursue his traffic with the natives along the N. W. coast, it was resolved to establish our- selves on Point Georf^e, situated on the south bank, about fourteen or fifteen miles from our present anchorage. Accordingly, we embarked on the 12th, in the long-boat, to tliq number of i1 102 franchere's voyage. ' I twelve, furnished with tools, and with provisions for a week. We landed at the bottom of a sm xU bay, where we formed a sort of encampment. The sprhig, usually so tardy in this latitude, was already far advanced ; the foliage was budding, and the earth was clothing itself with verdure ; the weather was superb, and all nature smiled. AVe imagined ourselves in the garden of Eden ; the wild forests seemed to us delightful groves, and the leaves transformed to brilliant flowers. No doubt, the pleasure of finding ourselves at the end of our voyage, and liberated from the ship, made things appear to us a great deal more beautiful than they really were. Be that as it may, we set ourselves to work with enthusiasm, and cleared, in a few days, a point of land of its under-brush, and of the huge trunks of pine-trees that covered it, which we rolled, half-burnt, down the bank. The vessel came to moor near our encampment, and the trade went on. The na- tives visited us constantly and in great num 'Ors ; some to trade, others to gratify their curiosity, or to purloin some little articles if they found OTTR SCHOONER. 103 it 5in, its an opportunity. We landed the frame timbers which we had brought, ready cut for the pur- pose, in the vessel ; and by the end of April, with the aid of the ship-carpenters, John Weeks and Johann Koaster, we had laid the keel of a coasting-schooner of about thirty tons. )wn our na- ^rs pty, lund 104 FRANCHERE'S VOYAGE. CHAPTER YIII. Voynfjo up the River. — Doscriinioii of the Counti-y. — Meeting with strange Indians. The Indians having inibrmcd us that above certain rapids, there was an establishment of white men, we doubted not that it was a trading post of the Northwest Company ; and to make sure of it, we procured a large canoe and a guide, and set out, on the 2d of May, Messrs M'Kay, R. Stuart, Montigny, and I, with a sufficient number of hands. We first passed a lofty head- land, that seemed at a distance to be detached from the main, and to which we gave the name of Tongue Point. Here the river gains a width of some nine or ten miles, and keeps it for about twelve miles up. The left bank, which we were coasting, being concealed by little low islands, Pf'KXERY. lor^ hcis, \vc encamped for the night on one of them, at the village of Wahka//kum, to wliich our guide be- longed. "We continued our journey on the 3d : the river narrows considerably, at about thirty miles from its mouth, and is obstructed with islands, which are thickly covered with the willow, poplar, al- der, and ash. These islands are, without excei> tion, uninhabited and uninhabitable, being nothing but swamps, and entirely overflowed in the months of June and July ; as we understood from Coalpo, our guide, who appeared to be an intel- ligent man. In proportion as we advanced, we saw the high mountains capped with snow, which form the chief and majestic feature, though a stern one, of the banks of the Columbia for some distance from its mouth, recede, and give place to a country of moderate elevation, and rising am- phitheatrically from the margin of the stream. The river narrows to a mile or thereabouts ; the forest is less dense, and patches of green prairie are seen. We passed a large village on the south bank, called Kreluit, above which is a fine forest 5* «IV 106 FIIANCIIERES VOYAGE. 01 oaks ; and encamped for tlic night, on a low point, at the foot of an isolated rock, about ono hundred and fifty feet liigh. This rock appeared to me remarkable on account of its situation, re- posing in the midst of a low and swampy ground, as if it had been dropped from the clouds, and seeming to have no connection with the neigh- boring mountains.. On a cornice or shelving pro- jection about thirty feet from its base, the na- tives of the adjacent villages deposite their dead, in canoes ; and it is the same rock to which, for this reason, Lieutenant Broughton gave the name of Mount Coffin. On the 4th, in the morning, we arrived at a large village of the same name as that which we had passed the evening before, Kreluit, and we landed to obtain information respecting a con- siderable stream, which here discharges into the Columbia, and respecting its resources for the hunter and trader in furs. It comes from the north, and is called Coivlitzk ^^y the natives. Mr. M'Kay embarked with Mr. de Montigny and two Indians, in a small canoe, to examine the WAR-CANOES. 107 course of this river, a certain distance up. On entering the stream, they saw a great number of birds, which they took at first for turkeys, so much they resembled them, but which were only a kind of carrion eagles, vulgarly called turkey- buzzards. We were not a little astonished to see Mr. de Montigny return on foot and alone ; he soon informed us of the reason : having as- cended the Kowlitzk about a mile and a half, on rounding a bend of the stream, they suddenly came in view of about twe:ity canoes, full of In- dians, who had made a rush upon them with the most frightful yells ; the two natives and the guide who conducted their little canoe, retreated with the utmost precipitancy, but seeing that they would be overtaken, they stopped short, and beg- ged Mr. M'Kay to fire upon the approaching savages, which he, being well acquainted with the Indian character from the time he accompa- nied Sir Alexander M'Kenzie, and having met with similar occurrences before, would by no means do ; but displayed a friendly sign to the astonished natives, and invited them to land for 108 franciiere's voyage. an amical)lo talk ; to which tlicy immediately as- sented. ;Mr. M'Kay had sent Mr. do Montigny to procure some tobacco and a pipe, in order to strike a peace with these barbarians. The latter then returned to Mr. M'Kay, with the necessary articles, and in tlie evening tlie party came back to our camp, which we had fixed between the villages. We were then informed that the In- dians whom Mr. M'Kay had met, were at war with the Krelaits. It was impossible, conse- quently, to close our eyes all night ; the natives passing and repassing continually from one vil- lage to the other, making fearful cries, and coming every minute to solicit us to discharge our firearms ; all to frighten their enemies, and let them see that they were on their guard. On the 5th, in the morning, we paid a visit to the hostile camp ; and those savages, who had never seen white men, regarded us with curiosity and astonishment, lifting the legs of our trowsers and opening our shirts, to see if the skin of our bodies resembled that of our faces and hands. We remained some time with them, to make pro- MOUNT ST. HKLKN S. 109 to lad |ity )ur Ids. Iro- posals of peace ; and having ascertained that this warlike demonstration originated in a trifling oftencc on the part of the Krcluils, we found thorn well disposed to arrange matters in an amica- ble fasliion. After having given them, therefore, some looking-glasses, beads, knive^, tobacco, and other trifles, we quitted them and i)ursued our way. Having passed a deserted village, and then several islands, we came in sight of a noblo mountain on the north, about twenty miles dis- tant, all covered with snow, contrasting remark- ably with the dark foliage of the forests at its base, and probably the same which was seen })y Broughton, and named by him Mount St. He/en's, We pulled against a strong current all this day, and at evening our guide made us enter a little river, on the bank of which we found a good camping place, under a grove of oaks, and in the midst of odoriferous wild flowers, where we passed a night more tranquil than that which had preceded it. On the morning of the 6th we ascended this small m u \ no FUAXCIIEIIKS VOYACK. I! ;;if stream, and soon arrived at a large v?"' 're called Thlakalamah^ the chief whereof, who wu. i young and handsome man, was called Kcasscno, and was a relative of our guide. Tlie situation of tliis vil- lage is the most charming that can be, being built on the little river that wo had ascended, and indeed at its navigable head, being here but a torrent with numerous cascades leaping from rock to rock in their descent to the deep, limpid water, which then flows through a beautiful prairie, en- amelled with odorous flowers of all colors, and studded with superb groves of oak. The fresh- ness and beauty of this spot, which JNature seemed to have taken pleasure in adorning and enriching with her most precious gifts, contrasted, in a striking manner, with the indigence and unclean- liness of its inhabitants ; and I regretted that it had not fallen to the lot of civilized men. I was wrong no doubt : it is just that those should be most favored by their common mother, who are least disposed to pervert her gifts, or to give the preference to advantages which are factitious, and often very frivolous. We quitted wito re- THK WILI.AMKT. Ill grot tills cliarniing S[)ot, and soon came to another lar^o village, -which our guide informed us was called Kathlapnolhi^ and was situated at the con- fluence of a small stream, that seemed to How down from the mountain covered with snow, which we had seen the day before : this river is called Cowilkt. We coasted a pretty island, well timbered, and high enough above the level of the Columbia to escape inundation in the freshets, and arrived at two villages called Malt- nabah. We then passed the confluence of the river Wallamat, or Willamet, above which the tide ceases to be felt in the Columbia. Our guide informed us that ascending this river about a day's journey, there was a considerable fall, beyond which the country abounded in deer, elk, bear, beaver, and otter. But here, at the spot where we were, the oaks and poplar which line both banks of the river, the green and flowery prairies discerned through the trees, and the mountains discovered in the distance, offer to the eye of the observer who loves the beauties of simple nature, a prospect the most lovely and 112 FRAXniFRK R VOYAC.K. ii cnchnntinpj. Wc cncamjiod for the nic^lit on tho cd^o of one of thoHO iiuc prairies. Oil the 7th we passed several low islands, and soon discovered Mount Ilood^ a hi^h mountain, capped with snow, so named l)y Lieutenant Brougliton ; and Mount Wnshinp^lon, anoth(;r snowy summit, so called by Lewis and Clarke. The prospect which the former had before his eyes at this place, aj)peared to him so charming, that landing upon a point, to take possession of the country in the name of King George, he named it Poinle Belle Viw. At two o'clock we passed Point Vancouver, the highest reached by Broughton. The width of the river diminishes considerably above this point, and we began very soon to encounter shoals of sand and gravel ; a sure indication that we were nearing the rapids. We encamped that evening under a ledge of rocks, descending almost to tho water's edge. The next day, the 8th, we did not proceed far before we encountered a very rapid current. Soon after, we saw a hut of Indians engaged in fishing, where we stopped to breakfast. We ACCOUNT OF SPANMAIIIH. 113 d far •rent, jd in We found here an old )>lind man, who u,"avo us a cor- dial reception. Our guide said that he was a white man, aud that liis name was N;A>. We l(iarued IVoui the mouth of the ohl man iiimsolf, that lie was the son of a Spaniard who had been wrecked at the mouth of the river ; that a part of the crew on this occasion i^ot safe ashore, but were all massacred hy the (Jlatsops, with the ex- ception of four, who were spared and who mar- ried native women ; that these four Spaniards, of whom his father was one, disgusted with tho savage life, attempted to reach a settlement of their own nation toward the south, but had never been heard of since ; and that when his father, with his companions, left the country, he himself was yet quite young.* These good people having regaled us with fresh salmon, we left them, and arrived very soon at a rapid, opposite an island, named Straioberrij Island by Captains Lewis and * Tlu'se facts, if they were luitheiiticnted, would prove ihut tho Spaniards were tho first who discovered the mouth of tho Coluni- l)i!i. It is certain that long before the voyages of Captaiiis Gray and Vancouver, they knew at least a part of the course of that river, which was designated in their maps under tho name of Oregon. 114 FIlANCFirRK S VOYAOE. ii m ill:' Clarke, in 180G. Wo left our men at a large village, to take care of the canoe tind baggage ; and following our guide, after walking about two hours, in a beaten path, we came to the foot of the fall, where we amused ourselves for some time with shooting the seals, which were here in abundance, and in watching the Indians taking- salmon below the cataract, ij^ their scoop-nets, from stages erected for that purpose over the ed- dies. A chief, a young man of fine person and a good mien, came to us, followed by some twenty others, and invited us to his wigwam : we accom- panied him, had roasted salmon for supper, and some mats were spread for our night's repose. The next morning, having ascertained that there was no trading post near the Falls, and Coalpo absolutely refusing to proceed further, alleging that the natives of the villages beyond were his enemies, and would not fail to kill him if they had him in their power, wo decided to return to the encampment. Having, therefore, distributed some presents to our host (I mean the young chief with whom we had supped and lodged) RETURN. 11 t) i: t and to some of his followers, and procured a su|> ply of fresh salmon for the return voyage, we re- onibarked and reached the camp on the 14th, without accidents or incidents worth relating. f ' ■ -I no franchere's voyage. f i 1 : i - i > ; piness to the incompatibility of his disposition with that of the captain ; he had permission to remain, and engaged with the company in place of Mr. Aikin as coaster, and in command of the schooner.* * This srlioonor was foiinrl too smnll for tho purposo. Mr. Astor lm4. 187 so the 5 re* rr WO rtcrs )f it. •e we than , We itliout laving nd ca- c was proud hilling ed us. nately, leither thump- tnen all oppor- ast will and testament : having caused to be brought to him whatever he had that was most precious, hiS bracelets of cop})er, his bead necklace, his bow and arrows and quiver, hi? nets, his lines, his spear, his pipe, etc., he distributed tlie whole to his most intimate friends, with a promise on tu^.r part, to restore them, if he recovered. On the 22d, after a great deal of talk, and in- finite quibbling on the part of the chief, we agreed with him for the ransom of our men. I had visited every lodge in the village and found but few of the young men, the greater part having gone on a fishing excursion ; knowing, therefore, that the chief could not be supported by his war- riors, I was resolved not be imposed upon, and as I knew where the firearms of the fugitives had been deposited, I would have them at all hazards ; but we were obliged to give him all our blankets, amounting to eight, a brass kettle, a hatchet, a small pistol, much out of order, a powder-horn, and some rounds of ammunition : with these articles placed in a pile before him, we demanded the men's clothing, the three fowling-pieces, and nn KHANCIIKUK S VOYAflK. M their canoe, whicli lie had caused to be liiddcii in the woods. Nothing but our iirnmcss compelled him to accept the articles offered in exchange; but at last, with great reluctance, he closed the bargain, and suffered us to depart in the evening with the prisoners Und the property. We all five (including the three deserters) embarked in the large canoe, leaving ourKreluit and his wife to follow in the other, and proceeded as far as the Cowlitzk, where we camped. The next day, we pursued our journey homeward, only stopping at the Kreluit \illage to get some provisions, and soon entered the group of islands which crowd the river above Gray's bay. On one of these we stopped to amuse ourselves with shooting some ducks, and meanwhile a smart breeze springing up, we split open a double-rush mat (which had served as a bag), to make a sail, and having cut a forked sapling for a mast, shipped a few boulders to stay the foot of it, and spread our canvass to the wind. We soon ar- rived in sight of Gray's bay, at a distance of fourteen or fifteen miles from our establishment. OUR TRMKUITY. V,V.) ^Xc liad, notwithstanding, a lonp: passage across, tlie river forming in this place, as 1 have before observed, a sort of lake, by the recession of its shores on eitlier hand : but the wind was fair. We * undertook, then, to cross, and quitted the island, to enter the broad, lake-like expanse, just as the sun was going down, hoping to reach As- toria in a couple of hours. We were not long before we repented of our temerity: for in a short time the sky became overcast, the wind increased till it blew with violence, and meeting with the tide, caused the waves to rise prodigiously, which broke over our wretched canoe, and filled it with water. W^e lightened it as much as we could, by throwing overboard the little baggage wc had left, and I set the men to baling with our remaining brass kettle. At last, after having been, for three hours, tlie sport of the raging billows, and threatened every instant with being swallowed iip, we had the unexpected happiness of landing in a cove on the north shore of the river. Our first care was to thank the Almighty for having delivered us 140 FRANTIIKUKS VOYA(!E. / • from so itniiiinoiit a diuigor. Then, when wc liad secured the canoe, and groi)ed our way to the forest, where we made, with ijranclu's of trees, a shelter against the wind — still continuing to Mow with violence, and kindled a great fire to warm us and dry our clothes. That did not prevent us from shivering the rest of the night, even in congratulating ourselves on the happi- ness of setting our foot on shore at the moment when we began quite to despair of saving our- selves at all. The morning of the 24 th brought with it a clear sky, but no abatement in the violence of the wind, till toward evening, when we again em- barked, and arrived with our deserters at the establishment, where they never expected to see us again. Some Indians w^ho had followed us in a canoe, up to the moment when we undertook the passage across the evening before, had fol- lowed the southern shore, and making the port- age of the isthmus of Tongue Point, had happily arrived at Astoria. These natives, not doubting that we were lost, so reported us to Mr. M'Dou- ARRIVE SAFELY. 141 had the js, a r to liio 1 not li^ht, lappi- r our- 3 gal ; accordingly that gentleman was equally overjoyed and astonished at beholding us safely landed, which procured, not only for us, but for the culprits, our companions, a cordial and hearty • reception. h it a of the in em- at the to see ,d lis in iertook lad fol- ic port- happily .oubting I-W 142 franchere's voyage. CHAPTER XL Departure of Mr. R. Stuart for tho Interior.— Occupations at Astoria. — Arrival of Messrs. Donald M'Kenzie and Robert M'Lellan. — Account of their Journey. — Arrival of Mr. Wilson P. Hunt. The natives having given us to understand that beaver was *7ery abundant in the country wa- tered by the Wiiiamet, Mr. R. Stuart procured a euide, and set out, on the 5th of December, ac- companied by Messrs. Fillet and M'Gillis and a few of the men, to ascend that river and ascertain whether or no ic would be advisr.ble to establish a trading-post on its banks. Mr. R, Bruguier accom- panied them to follow his pursuits as a trapper. The season at which we expected the return of the Tonquin was now past, and we began to regard as too probable the report of the Indians of Cray's Harbor. We still flattered ourselves, with( her, the ^erenl a dis« spirit] passet well f«li'l! THE NEW YEAR. 143 tions at Robert . Wilson ad that ry wa- cured a ber, ac- and a certain Hisli a accom- appcr. return egan to Indians irselveB, notwithstanding, with the hope that perhaps that vessel had sailed for the feast Indies, without touching at Astoria ; but this was at most a con- jecture. The 25th, Christmas-day, passed very agree- ably : we treated the men, on that day, with the best the establishment afforded. Although that was no great aifair, they seemed well satisfied ; for they had been restricted, during the last few months, to a very meagre diet, living, as one may say, on sun-dried fish. On the 27th, the schooner having returned from her second voyage up the river, we dismantled her, and laid her up for the winter at the entrance of a small creek. The weather, which had been raining, almost without interruption, from the beginning of Octo- ber, cleared up on the evening of the 31st ; and the 1st January, 1812, brought us a clear and serene sky. We proclaimed the new year with a discharge of artillery. A small allowance of spirits was served to the men, and the day passed in gaycty, every one amusing himself as well as he could. 144 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. km The festival over, our people resumed their ordinary occupations : while some cut timber for building, and others made charcoal for the black- smith, the carpenter constructed a barge, and the cooper made barrels for the use of the posts wo proposed to establish in the interior. On the 18th, in the evening, two canoes full of white men arrived at the establishment. Mr. M'Dou- gal, the resident agent, being confined to his room by sickness, the duty of receiving the strangers devolved on me. My astonishment was not sliglit, when one of the party called mo by name, as he extended hi? hand, and I recog- nised Mr. Donald M'Kenzie, the same who had quitted Montreal, with Mr. W. P. Hunt, in the month of July, 1810. He was accompanied by a Mr. Robert M'Lellan, a partner, Mr. John Reed, a clerk, and eight vo7/agenrs, or boatmen. After having reposed themselves a little from their fa- tigues, these gentlemen recounted to us the his- tory of their journey, of which the following is the substance. Messrs. Hunt and M'Kenzie, quitting Canada, THE OVERLAND PARTY. 145 Loir for ack- Lthe ;9 wo L the white L'Dou- to his ig the shment lied me I recog- rho had ;, m the lied by a Eocd,a After their fa- the his- [lowing is Canada, proceeded by way of Mackinac and St. Louis, and ascended the Missouri, in the autumn of 1810, to a place on that river called Nadoicat/, ■where they wintered. Here they were joined by Mr. R. M'Lellan, by a Mr. Crooks, and a Mr. Miiller, traders with the Indians of the South, and all having business relations with Mr. Astor. In the spring of 1811, having procured two large keel-boats, they ascended the Missouri to the country of the Arikaras, or Rice Indians, where they disposed of their boats and a great part of their luggage, to a Spanish trader, by name Manuel Lisa. Having purchased of him, and among the Indians, 130 horses, they resumed their route, in the beginning of August, to the number of some sixty-five persons, to pro- ceed across tlie mountains to the river Columbia. Wishing to avoid the Blackfeet Indians, a war- like and ferocious tribe, who put to death all the strangers that fall into their hands, they directed their course southwardly, until they arrived at the 40th degree of latitude. Thonce they turned i 14G FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. !!!!}! to the northwest, and arrived, by-and-by, at an old fort, or trading post, on the banks ot a little river flowing west. This post, which was then deserted, had been established, as they afterward learned, by a trader named Henry. Our people, not doubting that this stream would conduct them to the Columbia, and finding it navigable, constructed some canoes to descend it. Having left some hunters (or trappers) near the old fort, with Mr. Miller, who, dissatisfied with the expe- dition, was resolved to return 'o the United States, the i)arty cml)arked ; but very soon find- ing the river obstructed with rapids and water- falls, after having upset some of the canoes, lost one man by drowning, and also a part of their baggage, perceiving that the stream was imprac- ticable, they resolved to abandon their canoes and proceed on foot. The enterprise was one of great difficulty, considering the small stock of provisions they had left. Nevertheless, as there was no tim^ to lose in deliberation, after deposit- ing in a cache the superfious part of their bag- jingo, they divided themselves into four corn- left. THEIR SUFFERINGS. 147 panics, under the command of Messrs. M'Kcnzic, Hunt, M'Lcllan and Crooks, and proceeded to follow the course of the stream, which they named Mad river, on account of the insurmount- able difficulties ^t presented. Messrs. M'Kcnzie and M'Lcllan took the right bank, and Messrs. Hunt and Crook the left. They counted on ar- riving very quickly at the ColumV)ia ; but tlicy followed this ]\rad river for twenty days, finding nothing at all to eat, and suffering horribly from thirst. The rocks between which the river flows being so -teep and abrupt as to prevent their descending to quench their thirst (so that even their dogs died of it), they suffered the torments of Tantalus, with this difference, that ho had the water which he could . 3t reach above his head, while our travellers had it beneath their feet. Several, not to die of this raging tliirst, drank their own urine : all, to appease tlic cravings of hunger, ate beaver skins roasted in the evening at the camp-fire. They even were at last con- strained to eat their moccasins. Those on the left, or southeast bank, suffered, however, less 148 pranchere's voyage. J ■ : .' than the others, because they occasionally fell in with Indians, utterly wild indeed, and who fled at their approach, carrying off their horses. Ac- cording to all appearances these savages had never seen white men. Our travellers, when they arrived in sight of the camp of one of these wandering hordes, approached it with as much precaution, and with the same stratagem that they would have used with a troop of wild beasts. Having thus surprised them, they would fire upon the horses, some of which would fall ; but they took care to leave some trinkets on the spot, to indemnify the owners for what they had taken from them by violence. This resource prevented the party from perishing of hunger. Mr. M'Kenzie having overtaken Mr, M'Lellan, their two companies pursued the journey to- gether. Very soon after this junction, they had an opportunity of approaching sufficiently near to Mr. Hunt, who, as I have remarked, was on the other bank, to speak to him, and inform him of their distressed state. Mr. Hunt caused THEIR MISFORTUNES. 149 a canoe to be made of a horse-hide ; it was not, as one may suppose, very large ; but they suc- ceeded, nevertheless, by that means, in convey- ing a little horse-flesh to the people on the north bank. It was attempted, even, to pass them across, one by one (for the skiff would not hold any more) ; several had actually crossed to the south side, when, unhappily, owing to the impet- uosity of the current, the canoe capsized, a man was drowned, and the two parties lost all hope of being able to unite. They continued their route, therefore, each on their own side of tlie river. In a short time those upon the north bank came to a more considerable stream, which they followed down. They also met, very op- portunely, some Indians, who sold them a num- ber of horses. They also encountered, in these parts, a young American, who way deranged, but who sometimes recovered his reason. This young man told them, in one of his lucid intervals, that he was from Connecticut, and was named Archi- bald Pelton ; that he had come up the Missouri with Mr. Henry ; that all the people at the post 150 FUANCIIERE S YOYAGF:. (-.f established by tliat trader were massacred by the Blackf'eet ; that he alone had escaped, and had been wandering, for three years since, with the Snake Indians.* Our people took this young man wi^h them. Arriving at the confluence with the Co- lumbia, of the river wliose banks tlicy were fol- lowing, they perceived that it was the same which had been called Lewis river, by the American captain of that name, in 1805. Here, 'then, they exchanged their remaining horses for canoes, and so arrived at the establislnnent, safe and sound, it is true, but in a pitiable condition to see ; their clothes being nothing but fluttering rags. The narrative of these gentlemen interested us very much. They added, that since their separ- ation from Messrs. Hunt and Crooks, they had neither seen nor heard aught of them, and be- lieved it impossible that they should arrive at the establishment before spring. They were mistaken, however, for Mr. Hunt arrived on the * A tliorouglily savage and lazy tribe, inliabiting the plains of the Columbia, between the 43d and 44th degrees of latitude. 01 P DKSPATCUES HOME. lol :1 Ill9 of loth Februai'v, "witii thirty iikmi, one woman, aiul two children, liiiviug k'ft Mr. Crooks, with five men, among the Snakes. They miglit have reached Astoria almost as soon as I^Ir. M'Kenzie, but they had passed from eight to ten days in the midst of a plain, among some friendly In- dians, as well to recruit their strength, as to make search for two of the party, who had been lost in the woods. Not finding them, they had resumed their journey, and struck the banks of the Columbia a little lower down than the mouth of Lewis river, where Mr. ^I'Kenzie had come out. The arrival of so great a number of persons would have embarrassed us, had it taken })lace a month sooner. Happily, at this time, the natives were bringing in fresh fish in abundance. Until the 30th of March, we were occupied in prepar- ing triplicates of letters and other necessary papers, in order to send ^[r. Astor the news of our arrival, and of the reunion- of the two ex- peditions. The letters were intrusted to Mr. John Reed, who quitted Astoria for St. Louis, in m Mn 152 franchere's voyage. company with Mr. M'Lcllan — anuiMr discon- tented partner, who wished to discc^ect him- self with the association, — and Mr. R. Stuart, who was conveying two canoc-loads of goods for his uncle's post on the Okenakan. Messrs. Farnham and M'Gillis set out at the same time, with a guide, and were instructed to proceed to the cache* where the overland travellers had * These caches are famous in all tlio narratives of overland travel, whether for trade or discovery. The manner of making them is described by Captains Lewis ai^d Clarke, as follows : they choose a dry situation, then describing a circle of some twenty inches diameter, remove the sod as gently and carefully as pos- sible. The hole is then sunk a foot deep or more, pei-pendicu- larly ; it is then worked gradually wider as it descends, till it be- comes six or seven feet deep, and shaped like a kettle, or the lower part of a largo still. As the earth is dug out, it is handed up in a vessel, and carefully laid upon a skin or cloth, in which it is carried away, and usually thrown into the river, if there be one, or concealed so as to leave no trace of it. A floor of three or four inches thick is then made of dry sticks, on which is thrown hay or a hide perfectly dry. The goods, after being well aired and dried, are laid down, and preserved from contact with the wall by a layer of other dried sticks, till all is stowed away. Vv'hen the hole is nearly full, a hide is laid on top, and the earth is thrown upon this, and beaten down, until, with the addition of the sod first removed, the whole is on a level with the gixmnd, and there « remains not the slightest appearance of an excavation. The first shower ctTiicos evoi-y siffn of what has been done, and such a cache is safe for vears. — En. I WRITE HOME. 153 t be- m r the F nded ich it ! one, ee or irown ^K '.^' aired M h tho When K.' _f hrown le 8od 11 there K.;J le first md\ a hidden their goods, near old Fort Henry, on the Mad river. I profited by this opportunity to write to my family in Canada. Two days after, Messrs. M'Kenzic and Matthews set out, with five or six men, as hunters, to make an excur- sion up the Willamet river. 7* >i 154 FRANCHERES VOYAGE. CnAPTER XII. Anival of llio Ship Bi-nvcr. — Uiii'xpi'Cti'd Rcfuin of Mrssrn, D. Stuart, R. Stuart, M'Lt'lland, &r. — Cause of that Rintun.^ Ship dischargint,'. — Ntnv Expodilious. — Hostik' Atliluch' of tho Nafivos. — Drj)artur(' of the Bcavor, — Journeys of the Author. — His Occupations ttt the Estahlishment. From the departure of the last outfit under Mr. M'Kenzic, nothhig remarkable took place at Astoria, till the 9tli of May. On that day we descried, to our great surprise and great joy, a sail in the offing, opposite the mouth of the river. Forthwith Mr. M'Dougal was despatched in a boat to the cape, to make the signals. On tho morning of the 10th, the weather being fine and the sea smooth, the boat pushed out and arrived safely alongside. Soon after, the wind springing up, the vessel made sail and entered the river, where she dropped anchor, in Baker's Bay, at about 2 P. M. Toward evening the boat return- 1( oi m hUPDEN KKTUKN. 106 we ver. in a the and L'ivcd -ivcr, ly, at jturn- ed to the Fort, with the following passengers : Messrs. John Clarke of Canada (a wintering partner), Alfred ^Seton, (Jeorge J'^hnaingcr, a nephew of Mr. Astor (clerks), and two men. We learned from the.sc gentlemen that the vessel was the Bcaucr, Cai)tain CorncHus Soic/cs, and was consigned to us ; that she left New York on the 10th of October, and had toiiclied, in the pas- sage, at Massa Fuero ond tlio Sandwich Isles. Mr. Clarke handed mc letters from my father and from several of my friends : I thus learned thai death had deprived me of a beloved sister. On the morning of the Itth, we were strangely surprised by the return of Mes'^^rs. D. Stuart, R. Stuarc, R. M'Lelland, Crooks, Reed, and Farn- ham. This return, as sudden as unlookcd for, was owing to an unfortunate adventure which befell the party, in ascending' the river. When they reached the Falls, where the portage is very long, some natives came with their horses, to offer their aid in transporting- the goods. Mr. R. Stuart, not distrusting them, confided to their care some bales of merchandise, which they 166 FRAXCHERE S VOYAGE. \'. ' I mm packed on tlicir liorscb : but, in making the tran- sit, they darted up a narrow path among the rocks, and fled at full gallop toward the prairie, without its l)cing possible to overtake them. Mr. Stuart had several shots fired over their heads, to frighten them, ])ut it had no other effect than to increase their speed. Meanwhile our own peo- ple continued the transportation of the rest of the goods, and of the canoes; but as there was a great number of natives about, whom the success and impunity of those thieves had emboldened, Mr. Stuart thought it prudent to keep watch over the goods at the upper end of the portage, while Messrs. M'Lellan and Reed made the rear- guard. The last named gentleman, who carried, strapped to his 'iihoulders, a tin box containing the letters and despatches for New York with which he was charged, happened to be at some dis- tance from the former, and the Indians thought it a favorable opportunity to attack hin^ and carry off his box, the brightness of which no doubt had tempted their cupidity. They threw themselves upon him so suddenly that he had no time to INDIAN RENCONTRE. 157 place himself on the defcii.dvc. After a short resistance, he received a How on the head from a war club, which felled him to the ground, and the Indians seized upon their booty. Mr. ^I'Lel- lan perceiving what was done, fired his carabine at one of the robbers and made him bite the dust ; llie rest took to flight, but carried off the box notwithstanding, lur. M'Lellan immediately ran up to Mr. Reed ; but finding the latter mo- tionless and bathed in blood, he hastened to re- join Mr. Stuart, urging him to get away from these robbers and murderers. But Mr. Stuart, being a self-possessed and fearless man, would not proceed without ascertaining if Mr. Reed were really dead, or if he v:ere, without carrying off his body ; and notwithstanding the remonstrances of Mr. M'Lellan, taking his way back to the spot where the latter had left his companion, had not gone two hundred paces, when he met him coming toward them, holding his bleeding head with both hands.* ^,i i-i * Wo vvnro apprized of this mifurtiinatp rencontre by natives from lip the river, on the 15th of April, but disbeliovcd it. [It is r 158 FriAXCHERE S VOYA(;E. The object of Mr. Reed's journey being de- feated by tlie loss of his papers, he repaired, with the other gentlemen, to ^Ir. David Stuart's trading post, at Okenakan, whence thay iiad all set out, in the beginning of May, to return to As- toria. Coming down the river, they fell in with Mr. R. Crooks, and a man named John Day. It was observed in the preceding chapter that Mr. Crooks i'cmained with five men among some In- dians who were there termed friendly : but this gentleman and his companion were the only members of that party who ever reached the es- tablishment: and they too arrived in a most pitiable condition, the savages having stripped curious to observe the want of military sngacity aiul precaution wliich characterized the operations of those traders, compared with the exact calculations of danger and the unfailing measures of defence, employed from the vei-y outset by Captains Lewis and Clarke in tho same country. There was one very audacious at- tempt at plunder made upon tho latter ; but besides that it cost the Indians a life or two, tho latter lost property of their own far exceeding their booty. It ia tnie that tho American oflicers had a strong'cr force at their disposal than our merchants had, and that, too, consisting of experienced western hunters and veteran soldiers of the frontier; but it is not less interesting to noto tlia difference, because it ia easy to account for it. — J. V. M.] iuuj ^vliil TIIK TOXQUIX. 150 lution iparod lasiiros [is and )us nt- |it cost kwn far [m-3 had id, and •etoran loto the them of evcrytliing, leaving them but some bits of deerskin to cover their nakedness. On the 12th, the schooner, /which had been sent down the river to the Beaver's anchorage, returned witli a cargo (being the stores intended for Astoria), and the IbUowing passengers: to wit, Messrs. B. CLapp, J. C. Ilalsoy, C. A. Nichols, and R. Cox, clerks ; five Canadians, seven Americans (all mechanics), and a dozen Sandwich-islanders for the service of the estab- lishment. The captain of the Beaver sounded the channel diligently for several days ; but find- ing it scared}^ deep enough for so large a vessel, he was unwilling to l)ring her up to Astoria. It was necessary, in consequence, to. use the schoon- er as a lighter in discharging the sliip, and this tedious operation occupied us during the balance of tliis month and a part of June. Captain Sowles and Mr. Clarke confirmed the report of the destruction of the Tonquin ; they had learned it at Owhyhee, by means of a letter which a certain Captain El)betts, in the employ of ^[r. Astor, had left there. It wa8 nevertheless 160 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. resolved that Air. Iliint should embark upon the " Beaver," to carry out the plan of an exact com- mercial survey of the coast, which Mr. M'Kay had been sent to accomplish, and in particular to visit for that purpose the Russian establishments at Chitka sound. The necessary papers having been prepared anew, and being now ready to expedite, were confided to Mr. R. Stuart, who was to cross the continent in company with Messrs. Crooks and R. M'Lellan, partners dissatisfied with the en- terprise, and who had made up their minds to return to the United States. Mr. Clark, accom- panied by Messrs. Fillet, Donald, M'Lellan, Farnham and Cox, was fitted out at the same time, with a considerable assortment of merchan- dise, to form a new establishment on the Spokan or Clarke's river. Mr. M'Kenzie, with Mr. Se- ton, was destined for the borders of Lewis river : while Mr. David Stuart, reinforced by Messrs. Matthews and M'Giilis, was to explore the region lying north of his post at Okenakan. All these outfits being ready, with the canoes, boatmen. OUR ALARM. 161 and hunters, the flotilla quitted Astoria on the 30th of June, in the afternoon, having on board sixty-two persons. The sequel will show the result of the several expeditions. During the whole month of July^ the natives (seeing us weakened no doubt by these outfits), manifested their hostile intentions so openly that we were obliged to be constantly on our guard. We constructed covered ways inside our palisades, and raised our bastions or towers another story. The alarm became so serious toward the latter end of the month that we doubled our sentries day and night, and never allowed more than two or three Indians at a time within our gates. The Beaver was ready to depart on her coast- ing voyage at the end of Juno, and on the 1st of July Mr. Hunt went on board: but westerly winds prevailing all that month, it was not till the 4th of August that she was able to get out of the river ; being due again by the end of Oc- tober to leave her surplus goods and take in our furs for market. The months of August and September were 1 m ' 1(32 -' . FHA NCll KIIK S VOYAGE. i 1! employed in fiuisliiiiti; ii house forty-five feet by thirty, shintjrled and perfectly tight, as a hospital for the sick, and lodging house for the mechanics. Experience having taught us that from the be- ginning of October to the end of January, pro- visions were brought in by the natives in very small quantity, it was thought expedient that I should proceed in the schooner, accompanied by Mr. Clapp, on a trading voyage up the river to secure a cargo of dried lish. We left Astoria on the 1st of October, with a small assortment of merchandise. The trip was highly successful : we found the game very abundant, killed a great quantity of swans, ducks, foxes, &c., and re- turned to Astoria on the 20th, with a part of our venison, wild fowl, and bear meat, besides seven hundred and fifty smoked salmon, a quantity of the Wapto root (so called by the natives), which is found a good substitute for potatoes, and four hundred and fifty skins of beaver and other ani- mals of the furry tribe. The encouragement derived from this excursion induced us to try a second, and I set off this time THE RATNY SEASON. 103 alone, that is, with a crew of five men only, and an Indian boy, son of the eld chief Comconily. This second voyage jjroved anything but agree- able. We experienced continual rains, and the game was much less abundant, while the natives had mostly left the river for their wintering grounds. I succeeded, nevertheless, in excliang- ing my goods for furs and dried fish, and a small supply of dried venison : and retui-ned, on the loth of November, to Astoria, where the want of fresh provisions began to be severely felt, so that sevoi-al of the men were attacked with scurvy. Messrs. Halsey and Wallace having been sent on the 23d, with fourteen men, to establish a trading post on the Willamet, and Mr. [M'Dougal being confined to his room by sickness, Mr. Clapp and I were left with the entire charge of the post 'at Astoria, and were each other's only resource for society. Happily Mr. Clapp was a man of amiable character, of a gay, lively humor, and agreea])le conversation. In tlie intervals of our daily duties, we amused ourselves with music and reading ; having some instruments and a 164 FRANCHKUKS VOYAGE. / . ■ ■ choice 1 library. Otlierwiso wc should have passed our time in a state of insufferable ennui, at this rainy season, in the midst of the deep mud which surrounded us, and which interdicted the pleasure of a promenade outside the buildings. MR. M KENZIE RETURNS. 165 CHAPTER XIII. Uneasiness respecting the "Beaver." — News of the Declaration of War between Great Britain and the United State*. — C > sequences of that Intelligence. — Different Occurrences. — Ani- val of two Canoes of the Northwest Company. — Prcparai.ons ibr abandoning the Country.— Postponement of Departure. — Arrangement with Mr. J. G. M'Tavish. The months of October, November, ana De- cember passed away without any news of the " Beaver," and we began to fear that there had happened to her, as to the Tonquin, some disas trous accident. It will be seen, in the following chapter, why this vessel did not return to Astoria in the autumn of 1812. On the 15th of January, Mr. M'Kcnzie arrived from the interior, having abandoned his trading establishment, after securing his stock of goods in a cache. Before his departure he had paid a visit to Mr. Clark on the Spokan, and while there m) FRANTIIERKS VOVAGE. . « 'V' 4 • .V .1- hadloarnoil the news, wliich ho came to aiinoimco to us, that hostilities had actually commenced between Great Britain and the United States. The news had l)een brought by some gentlemen of the Nri'thwest Company, who handed to them a copy of the Proclamation of the President to that effect. When we learned this news, all of us at Asto- ria who were British subjects and Canadians, wished ourselves in Canada; but we could not entertain even the thouulit of transporting our- selves thither, at least immediately : we were separated from our country l)y an immense space, and the difficulties of the journey at this season were insuperable : l)esides, Mr. Astor's interests had to be consulted first. We held, therefore, a sort of council of war, to wliich the clerks of tho factory were invited pro form''/, as they had no voice in the deliberations. Having maturely weighed our situation ; after having seriously con- sidered that being almost to a man British sub- jects, we were trading, notwithstanding, under tho American flag : and foreseeing the improbalulity, 0V( IMrORTANT RFPOLrTrON*. 1(»7 or rather, to cut tlio niattor sliort, tlio impopsihility that ^h\ Astor couM send us furl her supplies or reinlorcemcuts Avliile the war lasted, as most of the ports of tlie United States wouhl inevital>ly bo blockaded bv tlie British ; we concluded to aban- don tlieestaldishniont in the ensuinii: sprinu^, or at latest, in the beirinning of tlie summer. AVe did not communicate these resolutions to the men, lest they should in consequence abandon their labor : but we discontinued, from that moment, our trade with the natives, except for provisions ; as well because we had no longer a largo stock of goods on hand, as for the reason that we had already more furs than wo coukl carry away overland. So long as we expected the return of the ves- sel, we had served out to the peo})le a regular supply of bread : we found ourselves in conse- quence, very short of provisions, on the arrival of Mr. M'Kenzie and his men. This augmenta- tion in the number of mouths to be fed compelled us to reduce the ration of each man to four ounces of flour and half a pound of dried fish pf^r diem: 168 FRANCHERE .S VOYAGE. and even to send a portion of the liands to pass the rest of the winter with Messrs. Wallace and Halsey on the Willamct, whore ^ame was ])lenty. Meanwhile, the sturgeon liaving begun to enter the river, I left, on the l-3th of February, to fish for them ; and on the 15th sent the first boat-load to the establishment ; which proved a very timely succor to the men, who for several days had broken off work from want of sufficient food. I formed a camp near Oak Point, whence I con- tinued to despatch (;anoc after canoe of fine fresh fish to Astoria, and Mr. ISDDougal sent to me thither all the men who wore sick of scurvy, for the re-establishment of their health. On the 2Cth of March, Messrs. Reed and Seton, who had led a part of our men to the post on the Willamet, to subsist them, returned to Astoria, with a supply of dried venison. These gentlemen spoke to us in glowing terms of the country of the Willamet as charming, and abounding in bea- ver, elk, and deer ; and informed us that Messrs. Wallace and Halsey had constructed a dwelling and trading house, on a great prairie, about one a I ofl •■ ■ » ^ TWO f'AXOnS ARRIVE. ir,o SB ad ty. iter iisU load very days food. I con- 3 frcs^i to me vy, for huiulrod and fifiy mllos fi'oin tho confluonce of that riv(M" witli the Cnlimibiii. yiv. ^IKciizlc imd his party quitted us a^raiu ou tlu,' ol.>t, to uialvo knowu tho resolutions recently adopted at A.-^to- ria, to the j:^entlemen who were wintering in tlie interior. On the 11th of April two bireli-hark eanocs, bearing the Britisli flag, arrived at the faetory. Thej' were commanded by Messr.s. J. 0. M-Tav- ish ani Joseph Larofjue,and manned by nineteen Canadian coijag-curs. They laud.^d on a j)oint of land under the guns of the fort, and formed their camp. Wo invited tliese gentlemen to our quarters and learned from them tli(^ object of their visit. Thevhad come to await the arrival of the ship Isaac 7bf/^/, despatched from (.'anada by the Northwest Com])any, in Octo)»er, ISll, witli fui's, and from England in ^larch, iSlii, with a cargo of suitable merchandise for th(; Indian trade. They had orders to wait at the mouth of the Co- lumbia liU the month of July, and then to return, if the vessel did not make her a})pearance by that time. They also informed us that the natives 8 170 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. i ilNi; near Lewis river had shown them fowling-pieces, gun-flints, lead, and powder ; and that they had communicated this news to Mr. ^I'Kenzie, pre- suming that the Indians had discovered and plun- dered his cache; which turned out afterward to he the case. The month of May was occupied in prepara- tions for our departure from the Columbia. On the 25th, Messrs. Wallace and Ilalsey returned from their winter quarters v/ith seventeen packs of furs, and thirtv-two bales of dried venison. The last article was received with a great deal of pleasure, as it would infallibly be needed for the journey we were about to undertake. Messrs. Clarke, D. Stuart and M'Kenzie also arrived, in the beginning of June, with one hundred and forty packs of furs, the fruit of two years' trade at the post on the 0/cenakan, and one year on the Spokan.* The wintering partners (that is to say, Messrs. Clarke and David Stuart) dissenting from the * Tlio profits of the la.ot rstablislimont wrro slender; because fho people ciiguged nt it were obliged to subsist on horse-flesh, and they ate ninety horses diiring the winter. VG Mi tll( fro j'ni PLANS DEFERRED. 171 id re- la- te [ira- On ruiid. ►acks lison. jal of bribe essra. ed, iu forty at the Dn tlio Sklcssrs. )m the because proposal to abandon the country as soon as wc intended, the thing being (as they observed) im- practicable, from the want of provisions for the journey and horses to transport the goods, the project was deferred, as to its execution, till the following April. So these gentlemen, having taken a new lot of mercliandise, set out again for their trading posts on tlie Tth of July. J5ut Mr. M'Kenzie, whose goods had been ])illaged by the natives (it will be remembered), remained at Astoria, and was occupied with the care of col- lecting as great a quantity as possible of dried salmon from the Indians, He made seven or eight voyages up the river for that purpose, while we at the Fort were busy in baling the bea- ver-skins and other furs, in suitable packs for horses to carr). Mr. Reed, in the meantime, was sent on to the mountain-passes where ISlv. Miller had been left with the trappers, to winter there, and to procure as many horses as he could from the natives for our use in the contemplated journey. lie was furnished for this expedition with three Canadians, and a half-breed hunter 'J- I 1- • 172 FRANTIIERi: S VOYAGE. / ' named Daion, the latter accompanied by his wife and two children. This man came from the lower Missouri with Mr. Hunt in 1811-12. Our object being to provide ourselves, before quitting the country, with the food and horses necessary for the journey ; in order to avoid all opposition on the part of tlio Northwest Company, we entered into an arrangement with Mr. M'Tav- ish. This gentleman having represented to us that he was destitute of the necessary goods to procure wherewith to sulisist his party on tlieir way homeward, we supplied him from our ware- house, payment to be made us in the ensuing spring, either in furs or in bills of exchange on their house in Canada. hi ill it, A STRAXOE SHIP. 173 CHAPTER XIV. » Amval of tViP Ship " AIl)ntn)ss." — Reasons for the Non-Appoar- ancf of tho Bi-nvor at Astoria. — Fruitless Attempt of Captain Smith on a Former Occnsion. — Astonishmrnt and Rofrret of Mr. Hunt at the Resohilion of tlie Partners. — His Departure. — Nar- rative of the Destrurtion of the Tonquin. — Causes of that Dis- nbter.— Refleelions. ■\ Ox tlie 4th of Auj^ust, contrary to all expecta- tion, we saw a sail at the nioiith of the river. One of our gentlemen immediately got into the barge, to ascertain her nationality and object : but before ho had fairly crossed the river, we srtw her pass the bcu' and direct her course toward Astoria, as if she were conunanded by a captain to whom the intricacies of the channel were fa- miliar. I had stayed at the Fort with Mr. Clapp and four men. As soon as v»'e Juui recognised the American flag, not doubting any longer that it was a ship destined for the factory, we saluted 174 FRANC HERE S VOYAGE. her with three guns. She came to anchor over against tlie fort, but on the opposite side of the river, and returned our salute. In a sh.ort time a%r, we saw, or rather we heard, the oars of a boat (for it was already niglit) tliat came toward us. We expected her a])proach with impatience, to know who tlie stranger was, and what news she brought us. Soon we were relieved from our uncertainty l)y the appearance of Mr. Hunt, who informed us that the sliip was called tlie Albatross and was commanded by Captain Smith. It will be remembered that Mr. Hunt had sailed from Astoria on board tlie "'• Beaver," on the 4th of August of the |u*oceding year, and should have returned wl*i !':at vessel, in the month of Octol)er of the same vear. AVe testified to him our surprise that he had not returned at the time appointed, and expressed the fears which we had entertained in regard to his fate, as well as that of the Beaver itself: and in reply he ex- plained to us the reasons why neither he nor Captain Sowlcs had been able to fulfil the prom- ise which they had made us. Mil. \tVST S STORY. 17;] ^.-•m ho me X a ard ncc, icws from luut, d the it had i^ ori. ,r, and 111 the .cstificd iruod at s which as weU |y he cx- hc nor [lie pvom- After having got clear of the river Columbia, they had sciidia. Tiiat gentleman had not been idle during tlie time tlmt he sojourned at Wahoo : lie brouglit us 85 bar- rels of salt pork or beef, nine tierees of rice, a great quantity of dried Taro, and a good supply of salt. As I knew the channel of the river, I went on board the Albatross, and piloted her to the old anchorage of the Tonquin, under the guns of the Fortj in order to facilitate the landing of the goods. Captain Smith informed us that in I.SIO, a year before the founding of our establishment, ho had entered the river iii tlie same vessel, and ascended it in boats as far as Oak Point ; and that he had attempted to form an estaldisliment 8* 178 francherp: s voyage. there ; ])ut the spot which he chose for buildinpr, and on which he liad even commenced fencing for a garden, \)q\\\^ overflowed in the snmmer freshet, he had been forced to abandon his jreat, we sent for this native. At first ho inale, but was finally per- suaded. He arrived at Astoria, and related to us the eireunistances of tliat sad catastroi>he, nearly as follows :* "After I had embarked on the Tonqnin," said he, ''that vessel sailed for Nootlc(i.\ Having arrived opposite a largo village called NeirUi/, we dropped anchor. Tiie natives having invited Mr. M'Kay to land, he did so, and was received in the most cordial manner: they even kept him several days at their village, and made him lie, * It bring undrrstooil, (if course, that I i«Mi(l(>r iiitu rivilizcd cxpros-iioiis tlif lanpiinpc nf this haihiiriiin, luid jcpri'scnt l>y words nnd phraaos wliat ho coidd otdy nmvry by . j t A great villagt' or rncmnpniont of Inch'nns, iinnng wliotn tho Spaniards had sent iiiir sioiiarirs under the condiiet of Signor Quadra ; but wlience tho latter were cliased by Captain Vancouver, in 1792, as mentioned in tho Introduction. r.vTK OF Tirr: roxgrix. 181 lit I'V or I'V thesP bin tho louver, every iii«iiit, (ui a cuiich of.-ea-otler sUiii.s. Mean- while tlie eaj)tiiiii was eiiiraucd in tradinjj;- willi such ul' Uu) natives as resorted to his shij): hut liaving had a diftieulty witli one of the i)rin('ipal chiefs in regard t<> the price of certain goods, lie ended by putting the latter out of the shij), and in the act of so re})ening him, strucic him on tlio face with the roll of furs which lie had i)ronght to trade. This act was regarded hy that chief and his followers as the most grievous insult, and they resolved to take vengeance for it. To arrive more surely at their purpose, tlioy disi-\jmltled tlu'ir resentment, and came, as usual, on hoard the ship. One day, very early in the morning, a large pirogue, containing ahout a score of na- tives, came alongside : eveiy man had in his hand a packet of furs, and held it over his head as a sign that thoy came to trade. The watch let them come on deck. A little after, arrived a second pirogue, carrying about as many men as the other. The sailoi - l)elieved that these also came to exchange their furs, and allowed them to mount the ship's side like the first. Very IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 !pa 111^ •^ iU III 2.2 I.I 1.25 - iiS IIIIIM IM.4 1.6 V <^ /i >> o c*l c? / % Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (71A) 877-4503 i\ 'S^ € -^ \\ ^^1 6^ 182 r II A NC H EIIE S VO Y A G E . soon, the pirogues tliu- siieccccliiig one another, the crew saw themselves Hurrounded by a multi- tude of savages, who eaine upon the deek from all sides. Becoming alarmed at the appearance of things, they went to ap])rize the captain and Mr, M'Kay, wlio hastened to the ])oop. I was with them," said the narrator, " and fearing, from the great multitude of In vn\ xcM kre's voyage. years. It is but now that I have been ransomed by ray friends. I have told you the truth, and hope you will acquit me of having in any way participated in that l)loody affair." Our Indian having finished his discourse, we made him presents proportioned to the melan- choly satisfaction he had given us in communica- ting the true history of the sad fate of our former companions, and to the trouble he had taken in coming to us ; so that he returned apparently well satisfied with our liberality. According to the narrative of this Indian, Cap- tain Thorn, by his abrupt manner and passionate temper, was the primary cause of his own death and that of all on board his vessel. What ap- pears certain at least, is, that he was guilty of unpardonable negligence and imprudence, in not causing the boarding netting to be rigged, as is the custom of all the navigators who frequent this coast, and in suffering (contrary to his in- structions) too great a number of Indians to come on board at once.* * It is rqually evident that even at the time when Captain Thorn was first notified of the dangerons crowd and threatening of \\i wi ANOTIIEU SUGGESTION. 187 and ^ay , we clan- nica- )rmei* en in rently I, Cap- lonate death lat ap- Ity of in not , as is equent liis in- ians to n Captain threatening Captain Smith, of the Albatross, who had seen the wreck of the Tonquin, in mentioning to us its sad fate, attributed the cause of the disas- ter to tlie rash conduct of a Captain Ayres, of Boston. That navigator had taken off, as I have mentioned already, ten or a dozen natives of New-itty, as hunters, with a promise of bringing them back to their country, which promise he inhumanly broke by leaving them on some desert islands in Sir Francis Drake's Bay. The coun- trymen of these unfortunates, indignant at the conduct of the American captain, iiad sworn to avenge themselves on the first white men who appeared among them. Chance willed it that our vessel was the first to enter that bay, and the natives but too well executed on our people tlieir project of vengeance. Whatever may have been the first and princi- pal cause of this misfortune (for doubtless it is appearance of the natives, a display of firearms would havo suf- ficed to prevent an outbreak. Had ho come on deck witii Mr. M'Kay and Mr. Lewis, eucli armed with a musket, and a couple of pigtolg at the belt, it is plain from the timidity the savaf^jes after- ward displayed, that he might have cleared the ship, probably without shedding a drop of blood. — Ed. 'I m Ui^.3 '??^ 188 Vn\ XCH KIJE'S VOYAGK. " l! necessary to suppose more than one), seventeen white men and twelve Sandwicli-Islandcrs, were massacred : not one escaped from the butchery, to bring ns the news of it, but the Indian of Grai/s Harbor. Tlie massacre of our people was avenged, it is true, by tlie destruction of ten times the number of tlieir murderers ; but tliis circumstance, which could perhaps gladden the heart of a savage, was a feeble consolation (if it w^as any) for civilized men. The death of Mr. Alexander M'Kay was an irreparable loss to the Company, which would probably have been dis- solved by the remaining partners, but for the arrival of the energetic Mr. Hunt. Interesting as was the recital of the Indian of Gray's Har- bor throughout, when he came to the unhappy end of that estimable man, marks of regret were visibly painted on the countenances of all who listened. At the bcgiiming of September, Mr. M'Kenzie set off, with Messrs. Wallace and Seton, to carry a supply of goods to the gentlemen wintering in the interior, as well as to inform them of the ar- pt* ■' NOTE. 180 teen w'ere icry, m of eoplo )f ten t this m the L (if it of Mr. ! to the en dis- for the jresting 's Har- mhappy ■ct were all who ranfrcmcnts conchulod with Mr. Ilimt, and to enjoin them to send down all their furs, and all tlie Sandwich-Islanders, that the former miglit be shipped for America, and the latter sent back to their conntrj. Note. It will novo; bo known liow or by whom tho Tnnqnhi was blown up. iSonio pn'toiid to sny llnit it was tlie work of •Tames Lewis, but tliiit is impossildc, for it tippcars from tbo narrative of tlie Indian that be was one of tli(> iiist peisons n)ur- ilered. It will be recollrrled tbat five m(Mi got between decks from aloft, d nn'ng the affray, and four only wen; seen to quit tho ship afterward in the boat. The presumption was that the mis sintj ninn must have done it, and in further ronversation with the Gray's Harbor Indian, ho inclined to that opinion, and even affirmed that the individual was the ship's armorer, Wccka. It mipht also have been accidental. There was u large quantity of powder in the run immediately under tho cabin, and it is not im- possible that while the Indians were intent on plunder, in opening some of the kegs they may have set fire to the contents. Or again, the men, before quitting the ship, may have lighted a slow train, which is tho most likely supposition of all. ['Kenzie to carry ;ering in f the ar- 100 FRANCIIERE S VOYAGE. CHAPTER XV. Arrival of a Niimbor of Canoes of the Northwest Company.— Sale of the Estahlit*hmcnt at Astoria to that Company.— Cana- dian News. — An-ival of the British Sloop-of-War '* Raccoon." — Acciflent on Board that Vessel. — The Captain takes Formal Possession of Astoria. — Surprise and Discontent of the Officers and Crew. — Departure of the " Raccoon." A FEW days after Mr. M'Kcnzic left us, we were greatly surprised by the appearance of two canoes bearing the British flag, witli a third be- tween them, carrying the flag of the United States, all rounding Tongue Point. It was no other than Mr. ]\I'Kenzie himself, returning with Messrs. J. G. M'Tavish and Angus Bethune, of the Northwest Company. He had met these gentlemen near the first rapids, and had deter- mined to return with them to the establishment, in consequence of information which they gave him. Those gentlemen w^ere in light canoes cai a bui drJ HOSTILE A KM A ME XT. 101 ipany.— — C ana- It iccoon. J Fornml ! Officcid US, WO of two lird bc- Uuited was no ing with hune, of et these xd deter- Lislmieut, Ley gave t canoes (i. c, wiiiiout any ladinp:), and formed tlic van- guard to a flotiUa of eight, h)adcd with furs, un- der the conduct of Messrs. John Stuart and M'Milhm. Mr. ^I'Tavish came to our quarters at tlie fac- tory, and showed Mr. M'Dougal a letter which liad been addressed to the latter l)y Mr. iVngus Shaw, his uncle, and one of tlic partners of the Northwest Com})any. Mr. Sliaw informed liis nephew tliai tlic ship Isaac Todd had sailed from Loudon, with letters of marque^ in the montli of March, in company witli the frigate Ph(Fbe, hav- ing orders from the government to seize our establishment, which had been represented to the lords of the admiralty as an important col- ony founded by the American government. The eight canoes left behind, came up meanwhile, and uniting themselves to the others, they formed a camp of about seventy-five men, at tlie bottom of a little bay or cove, near our factory. As they were destitute of provisions, we supplied them ; but Messrs. M'Dougal and M'Kenzie affecting to dread a surprise from this British force under 192 FRANniFRKS VOYAOR. our puns, wo kopt sti'iclly on om* puard; for we were infoi-ior in point of numboi's, although our position was cxcoo(linL!;ly advantairoous. Ah the season advanccMl, and tlioir sliip did not arrive, our now noiii'hl)ors foinid tliomscdvrs in a very disagrcoaldo situation, without food, or mcr- chundisewlierewith to pro(Mire it from the natives; viewed by tlio hitter with a distrustful and hostile eye, as being our enemies and therefore exposed to attack and plunder on their part with impu- nity ; supplied wi.tli good hunters, indeed, but wanting ammunition to render their skill availa- ble. AVcary, at length, of applying to us inces- santly for food (which we furnished them with a sparing hand), unalde either to retrace their steps through the wilderness or to remain in their present position, they came to the conclu- sion of proposing to buy of us the whofte estab- lishment. Placed, as wc were, in the situation of expect- ing, day by day, the arrival of an English ship- of-war to seize upon all wc possessed, we listened to their propositions. Several meetings and dis- SALK TO TIIK DUITISH. 11)3 [• we our d uot 3 iu a •: mcr- itlvca ; liosUlo xposcd L impu- cd, but avalla- is inccs- ,cm with ,CG their imain v^ conclu- de cstab- ,: expect- tlish ship- re listened [s and dis- cussions took placo ; tlio ncji-otiat ions wore pm- tractod \)y lln- liDpc nl' on<; jKirty that the l()no ino: but the vnaii> time expedition to destroy u. U.e ««q V that 1 >vaB not mistaken in this opuuon. show tiiai A »^ Pacific 4- r.c il^o «5crvo ^ts ot tlic 1 ii^i"^ ^'''«S'"^*"-^t: lice of the company ^-«-^^"f''"tt :\,.fe.edto..etnvn of *°^''*-^"^'- til of the number oi to their country, and 1 ^Nas oi L last. Nevertheless, Mr. M^Tav.h, ^ Lv i-ffectual attempts to persuade mo t r„....h thorn, havin. intimated that the estah NKW KNGACKMEXT. 195 ight Rritr 1 vc- irtri,'"'' . tKcw ,c r>vit- Avhat it at noUi- of tlio L Us do- a inari- iqiicl wiU )mion. ho Pacific Company to return num^^or ot ixvisU, after mo to rc- a, the esta.i>- lisliment could not disponso with my services, as I was the only person wlio could assist ♦lieni in their trade, cspt^cial' for provisions, of which they would soon be in tlie j^reatest need, 1 a<^reed witli them (^without howt;vi;r relincjuishing my previous en<^agement with Mr. Astor's agents) for live months, that is to 5iiy, till the departnrc of the expedition which w;is to ascend the Colum- bia in the Sj)ring, and reach Canada by way of the Rocky i\[ounlains and tlu^ rivei-s of tlie inte- rior. Messrs. John Stuart and ^Mvenzi(^ set olV about the end of this month, for the interior, in order that the latter might nnike over to the former the posts established on *he Spokan and Okcnakan. Oil the loth of November, Messrs. Alexander Stuart and Alexander rieniy, botli partniM-s of the N. "VV. Com])any, ai-rived at tin; factory, in a cou})le of bark canoes manned by sixteiMi voi/a- f^eurs. They had set out from Fort Willium^ on Lak(», Superior, in the montli of .July. Tliey brought us Canadian papers, by which we learned that the British arms S(> far liad hem in tiu^ as- t^',* . " - vwmm&' ^1 196 rHANClIERK's VOYAGE. ceudant. They co.Uu..ed also the ne.s that an J,uonda.c.ahV«t;thenvcreev.s- " Ou the morning of the 30th, we saw a large ,^ proved in this instance to desen . Lev, and soon after that vessel ca.^^ a chor in Bakc/s bay- ^ot kno^^ u,, 1 .cio snil wo thought it was a friendly or a hostile sail, ^ / t to send on Wd Mr. M'Dongalm a prudent to senu ui canoe, manned by such of the men as had heen liusly in the service of the Pacific Fnr Com- preMou.i^ .IpoKre themselves T^aiiV with iniimctions to dcclaic ^ if the vessel ^vas Ameriean, and Americans, if the ^e. • +i,n pnntrarv case, wniio in^^ Eno-lishmen m the contiaiy Us way Mr. H'Tavish caused all r^nrtv was on its way, i>Ai. P ^ 1 ^ ^vUn the initials of the furs which were marked witii the . !.<. -..liced on board the the N W. Company to be placea o 1 . .t the Fort, and sent them up the two barges at tlie roit, Hver above Tongue Toint, where they we- to wait for a coneertec^al, that was to m- THE RACCOON. 197 , an sur- L the large itment ■ve its to an- other it lUght it ral in a. ad ^)cen \iv Com- Icinselves ;an, and liilo this [auscd all .nitials of Iboard the ■ixi np the they were kvas to in- form them whether the new-comers were friends or foes. Towainl midnight, Mr. Ilalscy, who had accompanied Mr. M'Dougal to the vessel, returned to the Fort, and announced to us that she was tlie British skjo})-of-war Raccoon, of 26 guns, commanded by Captain Black, witli a com- plement of 120 men, fore and aft. ^Ir. John M'Donald, a partner of the N. W. Company, was a passenger on the Raccoon, with five voyag^cnrs, destined for the Company's service. He had left England in the frigate Phccbe, which had sailed in company with the Isaac Todd as flir as Rio Janeiro; but there falling in with the British squadron, the admiral changed the destination of the frigate, despatching the sloops -of- war Raccoon and Cherub to convoy the Isaac Todd, and sent the Phoibe to search for the American commodore Porter, who was then on the Pacific, capturing all the British whalers and other tra- ding vessels he met with. These four vessels then sailed in company as far as Cnpe Horn, where they parted, after agreeing on the island of Juan Fernandez as a rendezvous. The three f'""^ ■"i ,-1 ;.. ,i'''' 198 franchere's voyage. eon.—dtV« little ..uadron,heana.^*e ,,„,M.tea..Co— .ePoHe.0^^^^^^ British commerce, and especially on the !Lft.o™ent these sea., vesolved to go .n quest :"::oMerto,ve.mcomhat;and.^^^^ i„, the C/..n.& to assist lum,dctaded the Eac eoo to - aud destroy the American estah,sh. Tt 1 the Kiver Colnmhia. hein, assured hy r M'DonaW that a single sloop-of.var would be sufficient for that service. ' Mr. M-Bonald had consequently emhar.e , i.nnra the Raccoon, itiis with his people, on board tne LaemJin^ormedusthattheyha^^^^^^^^^ fri,.vhtful weather in douWmg the C pe, a ; entertained serious apprehensions for the Jy of the Isaac Todd, but that if ..e .as ^ . 1 „v to arrive in the river ,afo, wo might expect her to an ive ' , Thp si-rnal gun agreed iu two or three weeks. The si^na ^ „„ havinc^ been fired, for the return of th upon, na\uin , -p^^^ barges, Mr. M'Tavish camo hack to the FATAL ACCIDENT. 109 but tlie wlio ' the the lalers quest •etain- c Kac- /ablish- Tcd by would Lbarl?^cd, a. This crienced and that for the she was the river luu agreed rn of the the Tort with the furs, and was overjoyed to leani the arrival of Mr. M'Donahl. On the 1st of December the Raccoon's gig came up to the fort, bringing Mr. M'Donald (surnamed Bras Croche, or crooked arm), and the first lieutenant, Mr. Sheriff. Both these gentlemen were convalescent from the ciTects of an accident wiiich had happened to them in the passage between Juan Fernandez and tlie mouth of the Columbia. The captain wishing to clean the guns, ordered them to be sealed, that is, fired off: during this exercise one of the guns hung fire ; the sparks fell into a cartridge tub, and setting fire to the combustibles, communi- cated also to^ some priming horns suspended above ; an explosion followed, which reached some twenty persons ; eight were killed on the spot, the rest Avere severely burnt ; Messrs. M'Donald and Sheriff had suffered a great deal ; it was with difficulty that their clotlies had been removed ; and wlien the lieutenant came ashore, he had not recovered the use of liis hands. Among the killed was an American named FkUt^ ,1- ' 200 FRAXCHERE S VOYAGE. who was in the service of the Northwest Company and whose loss these gentlemen appeared ex- ceedingly to regret. As there were goods destined for the Company on board the Raccoon, the schooner Dolly was sent to Baker's bay to bring them up : but the weather was so bad, and the wind so violent, that she did not return till the 12th, bringing up, together with the goods, Captain Black, a lieu- tenant of marines, four soldiers and as many sailors. We entertained our guests as splendidly as it lay in our power to do. After dinner, the captain caused firearms to be given to the ser- vants of the Company, and we all marched under arms to the square or platform, where a flag-staff had been erected. There the captain took a British Union Jack, which he had brought "on shore for the occasion, and caused it to bo run up to the top of the staff'; then, taking a bottle of Madeira wine, he broke it on the flag-staff*, dc- clarir-r in a loud voice, that he took possession of the establishment and of the countiy in the name of His Britai\nic Majesty ; and changed the name ci OFFICERS DISAPPOINTMENT. •JOl my cx- )any was L the olcnt, I lieu- many iiididly ler, the '» of Astoria to Fort Gcori^e. Some few Indian chiefs had been got top;cthcr to "witness this ceremony, and I explained to them in their own language wluit it signified. Three rounds of artillery and musketry were fired, and the health of the king w'^.s drunk by the parties interested, according to the usage on like occasions. The sloop being detained by contrary winds, the captain caused an exact survey to be made of the entrance of the river, as well as of the navigable channel between Baker's bay and Fort George. The officers visited the fort, turn about, and seemed to me in general very much dissatisfied with their fool's errand, as they called it : they had expected to find a number of Amer- ican vessels loaded with rich furs, and had cal- culated in advance their share in the booty of Astoria. They had not met a vessel, and their astonishment was at its height when tliey saw that our establishment had been transferred to the Northwest Company, and was under the British flag. It will sufiice to quote a single ex- pression of Captain Black's, in order to show 9* it* (I 'ill! iSii i ;] Jill:; J'lll m il i ' 202 FRAX"'WV.'s ^•"^•■^"^• ,ol ««<'H t>.oy .V..VC aocoh-od in t.oiv cxpccta- tl The Captain, Tea aru. .^U ; . e„ .e showed him ti.c next movn>ng ti. 1 alua ,0. h..tion. of ti>c factory, l>c nv,uu-ed >f t hc.c ^ ,,. on bein" assured tluvttl>cre ^,.s not another iovt, on iKin. nhcsrreat- ,.a,„oothor,,>oeriedont,.ithanau-ofthcg.ea ! .-.W„,._"M-hat:i.thisthcfortwh.eh estaston.Ament. ,„„.„,„,,ict Good .vas represented to me as so toimidable . ;r: 1 conUi i>atter it down in two hours .rth a ^°"^-''""*' •",,,„,,., the Kaceoon two youn, Tlicrc were on Doaui mv. ,en from Canada, who had boon impressed at , ihat ve^sel was tlrere some years Quebec, when tliat \e...ei LrehervoyagetotheCoU.mb.a:onof. em Is named P«««^, a biaehsmith, and was of Qnebec. the other was from Upper Canada, and Tnamed McDonald. These young persons r;aedtonstirattheywonldbe,adtoremam Jrort George: and as there was amon^c. 1 ,>-nnld oladlv have shipped, ^^o men some wlw wonld e,t^«y proposed to the ca,tain an exchange, bn h ^ i t it John Little, a boat- ^onld not consent to it. Jolm ' ,„Uder from Kew York, who had been on the REFLKCTIONS. 203 reta- il ^vc }, and there , there gvcat- : wh^eh Good i ^v'itli a yoini?? ■cpscd at no years of. them 1 was of nada, and persons to remain imong 0^^^' hipped, ^vc .c, but he Lie, a hoat- ,een on the cr sick list a long time, was sent on board and placed under the care of the sloop's surgeon, Mr. O'Brien ; the cai)tuin engaging to land him at the Sandwich Islands. P. D. Jeremie also ship- ped himself as under clerk. The vessel hoisted sail, and got out of the river, on the 31st of De- cember. From the account given in this chapter the reader will sec with what facility the estaldish- ment of the Pacific Fur Com])any could have es- caped capture by the British force. It was only necessary to get rid of the land i)arty of the Northwest Company — who were completely in our power — then remove our effects up the river upon some small stream, and await the result. The sloop-of-war arrived, it is true ; but as, in the case I suppose, she would have found nothing, she would have left, after setting fire to our de- serted houses. None of their boats would have dared follow us, even if the Indians had betraye 1 to them our lurking-place. Those at the head of affairs had their own fortunes to ticek, and thought it more for their interest, doubtless, to I'# < -3 j^Rft?^ > '* \' \ 204 FRANCIIEUE'S VOYACJK. act aBt.oyalO^«ttUatwm not clear the,. >n t,.e eyes of tU. . A, and the cl>a,-,o of t.ca ou . /,ii nUvivsbo attached to Mr. ABtor's interests will ahvajs to their characters. ■ \ SI'- :|1 NEW EXPKDITIOX. 205 CHAPTER XVI. Expoflitioiis to thp Interior. — Rituni of Messrs. Joliii Stimrt iiiul D. M'Konzie. — Tlioft coinmitttnl by tho Ntilivfs. — Wur i'urty iigiiiiist ilu! Tliiiivt'fl. On the 3(1 of January, 1814, two canoes laden with merchandise for the interior, were de- spatched under the command of Mr. Alexander Stuart and Mr. James Keith, with fifteen men under them. Two of the latter were charged with letters for tho posts (of the Northwest Company) cast of the mountains, containing in- structions to the persons in superintendence there, to have in readiness canoes and the requi- site provisions for a largo party intending to go east the ensuing spring. I took this opportunity of advising my friends in Canada of my intention to return home that season. It was the third attempt I had made to send news of my exist- 206 FRANTTIEnF: S VOYAGE. cnco to my rt'lnl Ives and IVIoiuIh : tho first two had iniscaiTicd and tlii.s was doomed to meet tho same fate. Messrs. J. Stuart and M'Konzie, who (as was seen in a previous chapter") had l>oon sent to notify tlio gentlemen in thi; interior of wliat liad taken j)hiec at Astoria, and to transfer the win- terinp: posts to the Northwest Company, returned to Fort George on the morning of the Oth. They stated tliat they had left Messrs. Clarke and I). Stuart behind, with the loaded canoes, and also that the party had lieen attacked l»y the natives above the falls. As they were descending the river toward evening, between the first and second portages, they had espied a large number of Indians con- gregated at no great distance in the prairie ; which gave them some uneasiness. In fact, some time after they had encamped, and when all the people (tout 1e monde') were asleep, except Mr. Stuart, who was on guard, these savages had stealthily approached the camp, and discharged some arrows, one of which had penetrated the XATIVK ATTAf K. 207 two the vras it to 5 wiu- urned Tlioy ind I). td also natives toward ortagcs, ins con- prairie ; Lct, some I all the opt Mr. lo-cs had iscliarged rated the coverlet of one of the iiieii, who was lying near the l)n,iri;a|;e, and liad pierced the cartihi (th(^ portage; beiiiu: about six hunth'ed yards iu leniitlO, and Mr. Keith accompanied tlu) loaded men. An indian seized a baix 0( m- taining* artich's of little vabi(% and lied: Mr. Stuart, wlio saw ihe act, pursueil the thief, and after 8(nnc resistance on tlu* latter's ])art, suc- eeinhnl in making liini rcdiiupiish Ids booty. Im- mediately he saw a number iS Indians armed with bows and aiTows, ap])roaching him: one of them bent his l)ow and took aim ; Mr. Sluai't, o n liis j)art, leveUed iiis gun at the Indian, warning tlie latter not to siioot, and at the same instant received an arrow, wliich pierced his h'ft slioul- 210 fuanciiere's voyage. (ler. lie then drew the trigger ; but as it had rained all day, the gun missed lire, and before he could re-prime, another arrow, better aimed than the first, struck him in the left side and penetrated between two of his ribs, in the region of the heart, and would have proved fatal, no doubt, but for a stone-pipe he had fortunately iu his side-pocket, and which was broken by the arrow; at the same moment his gun was dis- charged, and the Indian fell dead. Several others then rushed forward to avenge the death of their compatriot ; but two of the men came up with their loads and their gun (for these port- ages were made arms in hand), and seeing what was going forward, one of them threw his pack on the ground, fired on one of the Indians and brought him down. He got up again, however, and picked up his weapons, but the other mai ran upon him, wrested from him his war-club, and despatched him by repeated blow^s on the head with it. The other savages, seeing the bulk of our people approaching the scene of com- bat, retired and crossed the river. In the mean- OUR PEOPLE RETREAT. 211 thad )cfore aimed e and region ;al, no itely in by the as dis- Sevcral le death came up 3se port- ing what tiis pack ians and however, ihor ma^. war-cluh, ^-s on the eciug the lie of com- the mean- time, Mr. Stuart extracted the arrows from liis body, by the aid of one of the men : the blood llowod in abundance from the wounds, and he saw tliat it would be impossible for him to pur- sue his journey ; he therefore gave orders for the canoes and goods to be carried back to the lower end of the portage. Presently they saw a great number of pirogues full of warriors coming from the opposite side of the river. Our people then considered that they could do nothing better than to get away as fast as possible ; they contrived to transport over one canoe, on which they all embarked, abandoning the other and the goods, to the natives. While the barbarians were plun- dering these effects, more precious in their esti- mation than the apples of gold in the garden of the Ilesperides, our party retired and got out of Bight. The retreat was, notwithstanding, so precipitate, that they left behind an Indian from the Lake of the Two Mountains, who was in the service of the Company as a hunter. This In- dian had persisted in concealing himself behind the rocks, meaning, he said, to kill some of those 212 FRANCIIKKE S VOYAGE. ■ <-l I » *•' / . • •' Si 1: I W il thievos, and did not return in time for the em- barkation. Mr. Keith regretted this brave man's obstinacy, fearing, with good reason, that he would be discovered and murdered by the natives. We rowed all that day and night, and reached the factory on the 0th, at sunrise. Our first care, after having announced the misfortune of our people, was to dress the wounds of Mr. Stuart, which had been merely bound with a wretched piece of cotton cloth. The goods which had been abandoned, were of consequence to the Company, inasmuch as they could not be replaced. It was dangerous, be- sides, to leave the natives in possession of some fifty guns and a considerable quantity of ammu- nition, which they might use against us.* The partners, therefore, decided to fit out an expedi- tion immediatelv to chastise the robbers, or at least to endeavor to recover the goods. I went, by their order, to find the principal chiefs of the neighboring tribes, to explain to them what had * However, some ciises of guns and kegs of powder were thrown into the falls, before the piirty retreated. 'i *••.■ &■ WARLIKE EXPEDITION. 213 3 cm- nan's it he itivcs. jaclicd r first Line of of ISIr. with a d, were L as they oiis, he- of some f ammu- s. * The expedi- ^rs, or at I went, }fs of the Kvhat had lowder were taken place, and invite them to join us, to which they willingly consented. Then, having got ready six canoes, we re-embarked on the 10th, to the number of sixty-two men, all armed from head to foot, and provided with a small brass lield-pieco. "VYc soon reached the lower end of tlie first rapid : but the essential thing was wanting to our little force ; it was without i)rovisions ; our first care then was to try to procure these. Having arrived opposite a village, we perceived on the bank about thirty armed savages, who seemed to await us firmly. As it was not our policy to seem bent on hostilities, we landed on the opposite bank, and I crossed the river with five or six men, to enter into parley with them, and try to obtain provisions. I immediately be- came aware that the village was abandoned, the women and children having fled to the woods, taking with them all the articles of food. The young men, however, oiTered us dogs, of which we purchased a score. Then we passed to a second village, where they were already informed 214 fuanchere's voyage. of our coming. Here we bought forty-five dogs and a horse. With this stock we formed an encampment on an island called Strawberry island. Seeing ourselves now provided with food for several days, we informed the natives touching the motives which had brought us, and announced to them that we were determined to put them all to death and burn their villages, if they did not bring back in two days the eifects stolen on the 7th. A party was detached to the rapids, where the attack on Mr. Stuart had taken place. Wo found the villages all deserted. Crossing to tho north bank, we found a few natives, of whom we made inquiries respecting the Nipissingue Indian, who had been left behind, but they assured us that they had seen nothing of him.* * This Indian returned some time after to the factory, but in a pitiable condition. After the departure of the canoe, he had con- cealed himself behind a rock, and so passed the night. At day- break, fearing to be discovered, he gained the woods and directed his steps toward the fort, across a mountainous region. He ar- rived at length at the bank of a little stream, which he was at first unable to cross. Hunger, in the meantim", began to urge him ; he might have appeased it with game, of which he saw plenty, but unfortunately he had lost the flint of his gun. At last, with a COALPO S ADVICE. 215 dogs d an berry )d for acliing ounccd lem all did not 1 on tho 3, where cc. Wo ig to tlio ;v^liom we e Indian, sured us lory, ^)ut w a , he had con- ht. At day- and directed ion. He ar- hc was at fust to urge him; le saw pleiity> r last, with a Not having succeeded in recovering, above the rapids, any part of the lost goods, the inhabitants all protesting that it was not they, but the vil- lages below, which had perpetrated the rol)bery, we descended the river again, and re-encamped on Strawberry island. As the intention of the partners was to intimidate the natives, ^vithout (if possible) shedding blood, we made a display of our numbers, and from time to time fired off our little field-piece, to let them sec that we could reach them from one side of the river to the other. The Indian CoaJpo and his wife, who had accompanied us, advised us to make prisoner one of the chiefs. We succeeded in this design, without incurring any danger. Hav- ing invited one of the natives to come and smoke with us, he came accordingly: a little after, came another ; at last, one of the chiefs, and he one of the most considered among them, also came. Being notified secretly of his character mft of sticks, he crossnd the river, and arrived at a village, the inhabitants of whirh disarmed him, and made him prisoner. Our people hearing where he was, sent to seek him, and gave some hiankers for his ransom. ■\ fv?^ ,^;. I . 4 n II {H 1 ™|i :i i , ;,.■' r ! " , ■! 216 FBANCIIEUB'S VOYAGE. ., Coa,,o, .Uo .a. concealed i. tUe teut we .L,ed Wm fovtWiA, tied bin. to a stake and ecda.na.dovevVnn.UUanakod.^^ . I •. ^ hold off ou the least attempt if ready to cut his htaa ou UngnadcbyMsiWofo.hUlU,e«U.on 10 J Indians .e.t.onea.o..cd to de^HtK t,e ncs for his tribe, that unles. tK go U bron.Ut to us in t.enty-fou. l-ou.-s, ti.e. or .onld be put to deatU. Onr s«en tlcded: soon after .e beavd .ad.ng . d . • ,Uo viUao-e, and tUey presently lamentation n. tlic mIW„ , , „f „,„ „uns, some brass kettles, ln-ou"-lit us part ot tlic ^a"' , uiuuj," i ,. , , v.iwitostin"' that ■ I e ciiviUor articles, pioitsuno ,1 n T-nrH»tV OI sniail^i til and a \aiit.iv "' TfppiVm" ,,,.asalUbeirs,iareoft,iepUuie. Ke^- ...eliief as a liostage, repassed to t.ec^^> .UU.e, and suceeeded in recovering the lest o ;:.,andaboatatliirdortlieotliergo... \lliougk tliey bad been tlieaggressovset. tUey bad Uad two men killed ail. e- lost any on our side, we tbou lit it ou y ,0 conform to tbe usage of the count yj^ abandon to them the remainder of the st len abanaou expression, effects, to cover, according to tUcu P IIKTUIIN. 217 at, we LC, and ovd, as attempt art ^vith le goods iirs, tbcir stratagem iling i^^^<-^ presently .S3 kettles, isting that Keeping ^ tlie otlver tlic rest of icr goods. ssors, yet as wc Ivad not it our duty country, and ,f the stolen lv expression, the bodies of their two ^hiin compatriots. Be- sides, wc began lo hud uurselvcs short of provis- ions, and it would not have ))een easy to got at our euemiea to punisli them, if tliey had taken refuge in the woods, according to their custom when they feel themselves the weaker party. So wc released our prisoner, and gave him a flag, telling him that when he presented it nnfurled, we should regard it as a sign of peace and friendsliip : but if, wlicn avo were passing tho portage, any one of the natives should have the misfortune to come near the baggage, we would kill him on the spot. We re-embarked on tho 19th, and on the 22d reached the fort, where we made a report of our martial expedition. "We found Mr. Stuart very ill of his wounds, espe- cially of the one in the side, which was so much swelled that we had every reason to think the arrow had been poisoned. If we did not do the savages as much harm as wc might have done, it was not from timidity but from humanity, and in order not to shed human blood uselessly. For after all, what good would 10 1 'ittiH^ : ||^Hh||c' i^^Bi i il^^^^^n' iHPp 1 ;: ^ ik ^ "W^'h '■'■[ i .,„ „UICllOlll'« VOViOB. . . A nf the partners of the iNoiui woll -understood, ol xnc i^^i "°"'' '^"^ ";,„,iw or too rigorously pun- countrymeu too s.gually ^^^^^ i^^ed^y«--'-;^;^trLr to resist ^ade conunou cause .nth tU^fo^^^^ the latter, and perhaps even to dnvo the country ^^^^, .^.t all the firearms T must not omit to staxc tu 7 T iw the Indians on this occasion, Burrendered by tne ww lere found loaded with ball, and primed, ..th REMARK. 219 mo of i effect ardcut I- contli- intcvcst, J Korth- strongly behooved onciliablc i(f on tlic would so future. It ^-es on tlie )f tlie sea, cncc, tlieir )rously pun- would have cr to resist 3 tliemfrom a little piece of cotton laid over the priming to keep the i)owder dry. This s\\uk\ ^ how soon they would acquire the use of guns, und how careful traders should V)e in intercourse with strange Indians, not to teach them llieir use. the firearms ais occasion, primed, ^ith (*1 220 liKMARKS. 1^ < CHAPTER XVII. Dpsrrlptlon of Tnii;:iic I'uiiit. — A Tii[i to the Willnmet, — Ar- riviil tif W. Hunt in tlm Brij; i'tMllar. — iNiirriitivo of tlio Loss of llio Sliij) Laik. — l'r('ii!iiiitii»ii9 for rrossiiig the Coiitiiu'iit. The new proprietors of our establishment, being' dissatisfied witli the site we had cliosen, came to tlie determination to cliai r,-o it ; after surveying- botli sides of the river, they found no better place than tlie head-land \:hicli we had named Tongue point. Tliis point, or to speak more accurat'^ly, perliaps, this cape, extends about a quarter of a mile into the river, being connected with the main-land by a low, narrow neck, over wliich the Indians, in stormy weather, haul their canoes in passing up and down the river ; and terminating in an almost perpendicu' lar rock, of about 250 or 300 feet elevation. This bold summit was covered with a dense TOXr.UE POINT. 221 of tl>e l'""' ontiiiont. d cliosen, it; after fouuil no ii we \\^^ to spc'cilv extenils 'iver, being ow, narrow Yiy wcatlier, d down the pcrpcndicu' it elevation, itli a tleusc forest of pine trees ; the ascent from tlie l()\v(;r neck was frrjuhial and easy; it al)oiin(l(.Ml in S[)riiigs of the fiiiust water; on (uthcr side it iiad a cove to shelter tlie boats necessary for a trading; establishment. Tliis ])oninsuhi had truly the a])j)earance of a liuf^e tongne. Astoria bad l)ecn built nearer the ocean, I)ut tlio advantages olVered by Tonj^uo point more than compensated for its greater distance. Its soil, in the rainy season, could be drained with little or no trouble ; it was a better position to guard against attacks on the part of the natives, and less exposed to that of civilized enemies by sea or land in time of war. All the hands who had returned from the interior, added to those who were already at the Fort, consumed, in an incrcdil)ly short space of time the small stock of provisions winch had been conveyed by the Pacific Fur Com})any to the Company of the Northwest. It became a matter of necessity, therefore, to seek some spot where a part, at least, could bo sent to subsist. With these ^dews I left the fort on the 7th Feb- 222 niANCHERE'S VOYAGE.. iry Wit. a number Of .nc«, ^>cWnS to the ,1 «l,o had vetoed to enter the ad couceru, and .ho ha ^^^^ ^^^^^ ,e,rviec of the new one, to procee . il,e vriWawct river, under the charf, Ushmont on the m« .^^^ ^ .^^ ,^ ,f Mr. Alexander 11 my w ^^. c fiv^t-ratc hunters. LiCcWuio ^-^''^""^T'tr.—iweii wooded, hut ''"^"'^" :,lreaei.edther.rst..-.; low and swami-y, "nt'l j V • „ mssed whieh, hy makmg a portag , having passed „.oderately commenced ascondmg a de ^^^^^^^^^^ deep channel, against a sw.ft cunent H, ov side wer6 bordered with foresUroes on either .ide ^^e ^^i,„,,,ificd with .^.heiiindthatnarrw t, ^^^^^^._^^^ T^rairie, the landscape Avas ma^ r ^.^apvite elevation, and ufei"n ,ero of moderat ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ .„ amphiti-eatre. ^^^ ^^^ ;„ ehavgo of Mr. great abundance ; and the po Henry had been established with a view of W , o r^nmbcr of hunters to pre- i„g constantly there nunbei^^^^^^^^^^_ pave dried venison for the u.e On ouv arrival at the Columbia, consideri g ?::de, we had expected sev.e winter weather, OAK POINT. 228 the • the ;staVj- Imvge [lim a 10 Co- hanks ,3a,hut :tagc, 1 dcratcly l^c\)ank3 jstrtrccs, icd with the hills 11 g in an d hero ii^ :go of Mr. w of keep- ers to pre- le factory, idcring the ^er weather, Fuch as is cxpcricMicod in llio san\o latitudes cast; but v.o Avcrc soon uudcccivod ; llic mild- ness of the climate never permitted us to trans- port iVesli provisions from the Willamet to Astoria. We had not a particle of salt; and the attempts we made to smoke or dry tho venison })roved abortive. Having left the men under my cliarge with Mr. Henry, I took leave of tliat genlhMiian, and returned. At Oak point I found Messrs. Kcjith and Fillet encamped, to pass tiiere the^ season of sturgeon-fisliing. Tlu^y informed me that I was to stay with tliem. Accordingly I remained at Oak point the i-cst of tlie winter, occupied in trading with iho In- dians spread all along the river for some 80 or 40 miles above, in order to supply the factory Avith provisions. I used to take a boat with four or five men, visit every fishing station, trade for as nnich iisli as would load the boat, and send her down to the fort. Tiu; surplus fish traded in the interval l)etwcen the dej)artui"(^ and return of the boat, was cut up, salted and barrelled for } M"- ■ ..■; .'» * k.t. j-:^H 224 FRANCIIERE S VOYAGE. future use. The salt had been recently obtained from a quarter to be presently mentioned. About the middle of March Messrs. Keith and Pillet ])oth left me and returned to the fort. Being now alone, I began seriously to reflect on my position, and it was in this interval that I positively decided to return to Canada. I made inquiries of tlie men sent up witli the boats for fish, concerning tlie preparations for departure, but whether they had been enjoined secrecy, or were unwilling to communicate, I could learn nothing of what was doing below. At last I heard that on the 28th Fel)ruary a sail had appeared at the mouth of the river. The gentlemen of the N. W. Company at first flattered tliemsclves that it was the vessel they had so long expected. They were soon unde- ceived by a letter from Mr. Hunt, which was brought to the fort by the Indians of Baker^s bay. That gentleman had purchased at the Marquesas islands a brig called The Pedlar: it was on that vessel that he arrived, having for pilot Captain Northrop, formerly commander of WRECK OF THE LARK. 225 ained }\ and ; fort. Lcct on that I 1 made oats for iparturc, irccy, or lid learn bruary a tlic river. y at first cssel tlicy 5oon nnde- wliicli was of Baker's ed at tlie Pedlar: it having for iimander of the ship Lark. The latter vessel had been out- fitted by Mr. Astor, and despatched from New York, in spite of tlie Wockadiug squadron, with supplies for the ci-devant Pacific Fur Company ; but unhappily she had been assailed by a furious tempest and capsized in lat. 10^ N., and three or four hundred miles fro'ii the Sandwich Islands. The mate, who was sick, was drowned in the cabin, and four of the crevr perished at the same time. The captain had the masts and rigging cut away, which caused the vessel to right again, though full of water. One of the hands dived down to the sail-maker's locker, and got out a small sail, which they attached to the bowsprit. He dived a second time, and brought up a box containing a dozen bottles of wine. For thirteen days they had no other sustenance but the flesii of a small shark, which they had the good for- tune to take, and which they ate raw, and for drink, a gill of the wine each man per diem. At last the trade winds carried them upon the island of Tahoiiraka, where the vessel went to pieces on the reef. The islanders saved the crew, and 10 ^ i;; % 326 mi«CHEBT='S VOYAGE. x.'^\. floated on tlie water, seized all *e goods which floated tt,pn at TTa/ioo, and learnea *^°"^' ^Tat It led on the isle of T. Americans had been wi ^^^ tTa went immediately to wki- fto«rate. He went ^^^^.^ to Cap- and gave the pilotage of his ^""''"TLa.inedwhatwasthesui-pviseof It may he imagined ^^^^ ^^^^^^ Mr. Hunt when he saw Astou ^^^ ft.,, .nd passed into sti-aiig^—; ^^. — tnnewash.01.-^^ ^,^^„^,, liged to content lumselt t, and t,eAnieHcanswliowe.a^-- --^-^-^-7':::Isey,Seton,and °^^^°^*^^\t^.ocmharlced.Ishall ^^^•""'^^C::::^^t::eaderofthepaHeach '"^"aa^howtheyreachedtheirhomes. of them played, ana now j When I heard that Mr. Hunt was m the rive . tliat the overland expedition was to and knowing that tno u 1 ^. /inril I raised camp at OaK set out early m AprU, :r « r :rx - - -, « ^',' • I QUIT ASTORIA. 227 water, earned it some oiTor hem off, to Cap- •prisc of J Britisli But the J was on- board all iment, and > Company 3cton, and ^ed. I shall ic part each heir homes. Lii the river, Lition was to amp at Oak , 2d of that hat very day got outside the river, after several fruitless at- tempts, in one of which she narrowly missed be- ing lost on the bar. I would gladly have gone in her, had I but arrived a day sooner. I found, however, all things prepared for the departure of tlic canoes, which was to take place on the 4th. I got ready the few articles I possessed, and in spite of the very advantar^cous offers of the gentlemen of the N. W. Company, and their reiterated persuasions, aided by the crafty M'Dougal, to induce me to remain, at len^t one year more, I persisted in my resolution to leave the country. The journey I was about to undertake was a long one : it would bo accompanied with great fatigues and many privations, and even by some dangers ; but I was used to privations and fatigues ; I had braved dangers of more than one sort ; and even had it been otherwise, the ardent desire of revisiting my country, my relatives, and my friends, the hope of finding myself, in a few months, in their midst, would have made me overlook every other consideration. .ir. J. ' ■ ' ' •i'S ■^' 228 FU^SCHEfili'S VOYAOB. I am about, the, to ,uit the banl^s of tho ^ 1 + +l,P reader tlirougli ,,,e. Coluu*ia, and — ^ t^- ,,, .ouutaia passes, over tUopla,t 1 tl,n Kkos of our contment : but 1 ougi and the lakes ,^ ^^^ togiveWmatloastan.deaofth t ™, of the mhabltants, as ^voU as customs ot ^^^ J „Q^ prineipal produet.ous of the eount ^ ,„;t, after a sojoun. of three yeavslns- : .;U try to do i. the fonoV., chapter. ae.„U. o„ 0.C W.„.„ """;»;::;:„ „ „,„„ ..,., .,.. .™vel. U, i„ foc, wta,, .lu-y ...,ht - » -: .^, ^ ,„. „,„ „„iect of r.y .„.cU«a, not of*,, ^^^^^J,^ „, preface, I «« "■»• GEOGRAPHY. 229 f tlio DVCStS, it iirst rs and of the 1 1 now is what s. e scientific 11 try. Tlmt , had travel- object of ni> had no vela- j, I was not, CHAPTER XVIII. Siuiation of the Columbia River. — Qualities of its Soil. — Climate, &.C. — Vegetable and Animal I'roductions of the Country. The moutli of the Columbia river is situated in 46° 19' north latitude, and 125° or 12Go of longitude west of the meridian of Greenwich. The highest tides are very little over nine or ten feet, at its entrance, and are felt up stream for a distance of twenty-five or thirty leagues. During the three years I spent there, the cold never was much below the freezing point ; and I do not think the heat ever exceeded 76°. West- erly winds prevail from the early part of spring, and during a part of the summer ; that wind gen- erally springs up with iho flood tide, and tempers the heat of the day. The northwest wind pre- vails during the latter part of summer and com- 2B0 franchere's voyage. fi' mcncemcnt of autumn. This last is succe^'^.ed by a southeast wind, which blows almost without intermission from the beginning of October to the end of December, or commencement of January. This interval is the rainy season, the most disa- greeable of the year. Fogs (so thick that some- times for days no object is discernible for five or six hundred yards from the beach), arc also very prevalent. The surface of the soil consists (in the valleys) of a layer of black vegetable mould, about five or six inches thick at most; under this layer is found another of gray and loose, but extremely cold earth ; below which is a bed of coarse sand and gravel, and next to that pebble or hard rock. On the more elevated parts, the same black ve- getable mould is found, but much thinner, and under it is the trap rock. We found along the seashore, south of Point Adams, a bank of earth white as chalk, which we used for white-washing our walls. The natives also brought us several specimens of blue, red and yellow earth or clay, which they said was to be found at a great dis- VEGETATION. 231 Lliout ,0 the luary. , disa- some- iive or 50 very valleys) .t five or layer is xtremely Lrsc sand ird rock, black ve- Liicr, and ilong tke of earth L-wasliing Ls several l\i or clay, great dis- tance south ; and also a sort of shining earth, resembling lead ore.* Wc found no limestone, although wc burnt several kilns, but never could get one ounce of lime. Wc had brought with us from New York a variety of garden seeas, which were put in the ground in the montli of May, 1811, on a ri^^h piece of land laid out for the purpose on a slo- ping ground in front of our establishment. The garden had a fine appearance in the month of August ; but although the plants were left in the gromid until December, not one of them came to maturity, with tlie exception of the radishes, the turnips, and the potatoes. The turnips grew to a prodigious size ; one of the largest we had the curiosity to weigh and measure ; its circumfer- ence was thirty-three inches, its weight fifteen and a half pounds. The radishes were in full blossom in the month of December, and were left in the ground to perfect the seeds for the ensuing season, but they were all destroyed by the ground mice, who hid themselves under the stumps which * Plumbago. 232 FIlANCHKRKa VOVAOK. •*••.' WO had not rooted out, juid iiiHiHtod our p:ardon. With uU tlio care wc coukl bestow ou them during the passage from Xew York, only twelve potatoes were saved, and even these so shrivelled up, tliat we despaired of raising any from the I'gw sprouts that still gave signs of life. Never- theless wc raised one hundred and ninety pota- toes the first season, and after sparing a few plants for our inland traders, we planted about fifty or sixty hills, which produced five bushels the second year ; about two of these were planted, and gave us a welcome crop of fifty bushels in the year 1813. It would result from these facts, that the soil on the banks of the river, as far as tide water, or for a distance of fifty or sixty miles, is very little adapted for agriculture ; at all events, vegetation is very slow. It may bo that the soil is not ev- erywhere so cold as the spot we selected for our garden, and some other positions might have given a better reward for our labor.: this suppo- sition is rendered more than probable when we take into consideration the great difference in TREKS. 283 i-ilon. t\icm vvclvo veiled ,m the Kcver- y pota- • a few d about busliels planted, Lisbcls in tlic iiidijronoiis vopjctal)lcs of the country in diflor- ent lucalilioH. The Ibrcrit ti'eos most coniinon jit the nioutli of the river and near our establislunent, were cechir, hcndock, wliite and reel spruce, and ahler. There were a few dwnrf wliite and ^ray asiics ; and here and there a soft maide. The ahh)r grows also to a very larti'e size ; T measured some of twelve to iifteen inches diameter ; the wood was used by ns in preference, to uiake charcoal for the blacksmitli's foro-e. Ilut tlu* larirest of all the trees that 1 saw in llie country, was a wluto spruce : this tree, which liad lost its to[) l)ranches, and l)ore evident marks of having been struck ))y lightning, was a mere, straight trunk of about eighty to one liundred feet in height; its l>ark whitened by age, made it very cons})icuous amon^ ihc other trees with tlieir l)rown bark and dark foliage, like a huge column of white marble. It stood on the slo})e of a hill innnediately in the roar of our pidisades. Seven of us placed our- selves round its trunk, and we could not embrace it by extending our arms and touching merely the 234 FRANCIIEEE3 VOYAOB. tips of our fingci'9 ; wo measured it afu rward in a more regular manner, and found it forty-two feet in circumference. It kept the same size, or nearly the same, to the very top. We had it in contemi)lation at one time to con- struct a circular staircase to its summit, and erect a platform thereon for an observatory, but more necessary and pressing demands on our time made us abandon the project. A short distance above Astoria, the oak and ash are plentiful, but neither of these is of much value or beauty. From the middle of June to the middle of October, we had abundance of wild fruit ; first, strawberries, almost white, small but very sweet ; then raspberries, both red and orange color. Tkesc grow on a bush sometimes twelve feet in height : they are not sweet, but of a large size. The months of July and August furnish a small berry of an agreeable, slightly acid flavor ; this berry grows on a slender bush of some eight to nme feet high, with small round leaves ; they are in size like a wild cherry : some are blue, while FRUITS 285 ard two J, or I con- ,, and y, but )i\ our ak and ^f much others are of a cherry red : the la5yage up tho river tho natives gave us S{piaro biscuits, \K^vs well worked, and ])rint(Ml with dif- fiM'ont ligures. Tlnv^i^ are made of a, white root, l)ounded, I'oducod to i»asto, and di'iod in tln^ sun. Tiioy eall it ('iHipitlci'l : it is not very palatable, nor very iuitrilivo. Hut the p:-inei|)al food of the natives of tho Co- FISH. 2a: nnit ^ or l\\om 3 puc (, uniU 1' p:n\sa \ ; i\\cu lot of so )iir iu'^t u\lU ail- hit 0, root, |)a\j\t!V^\o, Lr Uu> ^^'^' Imiibia is fisli. The sjilmon-fisliorv bouins \\\ ,Fuly: lluit fish is lioro of an ox(]uisi(o llavor, but it is oxtreinoly iht Qi^ul oily ; >v]iich ronibM's it un- wliolosonic Tor those \vho arc not acciistonuMl to it, and avIio oat too i^roat a (i|unntily : thus S(n'tM*a! of our peoph* W(U*o attni'kod with diarrlura in a low (liiys aflor wo lio^aii lo niakt* Ihis fish our orcliuary sus(ouano(» ; l)ut th(\v fouiul a, riMuoiiy in tho raspberries oi' tlu^ country whicii have an astrin,t>ent propoi'ly. The months of Aui>'ust and S(»j)tonil)or furnish oxcellent sturoeon. Tins fish vari(\s ex<*oo»iin_uiy in size ; J have seen souu» eh'von l\?ol h>u^- ; and we took one that weiuhed, alhM* tlie rtMuoval of tlie egi^'s and intestines, tlin»e lunuh'ed uiid iiiuoty pounds. Wc toolv out nin(; pdhuis of roc. The sturgeon does not tMiter tlu' liver in so groat (plant it ios as the salmon. In October and N'oviMubiM- wi» had sabnon too, but of a (piito (UlhM'ont spoci(»s — hian, (h-y jiiul insipid. It difVers from t!ie otlun* sort in i'ov also: havinir verv Ioiili: teeth, and a hooked lU) m like tho boak of a parrot. C)ur men termed it in ::v '"'■yi./ ; ■X■^ • ».■ 238 FRANCHERE's VOYiGE. ■■■'•f.-' Si. < '!: 1 derision " seven bark salmon," ))ecause it had almost no nutritive substance. February brings a small fish about the size of a sardine. It has an exquisite flavor, and is taken in immense quantities, by means of a scoop net, which the Indians, seated in canoes, plunge into the schools : but the season is short, not even lasting two weeks. The principal quadrupeds of the country are the elk, the black and white tailed deer ; four species of bear, distinguished chiefly by the color af the fur or poil, to wit, the black, brown, white and grisly bear ; the grisly bear is extremely fe- rocious ; the white is found on the seashore toward the north ; the wolf, the panther, the catamount, the lynx, the raccoon, the ground hog, opossum, mink, fisher, beaver, and the land and sea otter.* The sea otter has the handsom- est fur that is known ; the skin surpasses that of the land variety in size and in the beauty of the poll; the most esteemed color is the silver gray, * Horsos arc abundant up tliR rivor; but they are not indige- noui to the country. They will be spoken of iu a future chapter. BIRDS. 239 t had size of and is a scoop plunge which is highly prized in the Indies, and com- mands a great price. The most remarkable birds are tlie eagle, the turkey-bnzzard, the hawk, pelican, heron, gull, cormorant, crane, swan, and a great variety of wild ducks and geese. The pigeon, woodcock, and pheasant, are found in the forests as with us. ■\ mtry are er; four the color ^vTi, white remely fe- seashore Lther, the ^Q ground the land handsom- ^ses that of ,uty of the silver gray, iro not indige- I future chapter. in 'A! ' 3^ ■■.■5! ^*'.. A: 240 FBAr-IIER^'S VOYAGE. '-Tv^^ * '•*>:■' ^ -I ■I . ''i^:-*--' .; ■''H-"^ , *" ,-..t^v. . "i W , ■ - ■ y ■ ,|^gi .•■;t CHAPTER XIX. <(.r of the Natives on the RWcr THB natives inhabiting on *eCoU-mbia, from TofthatrivertotUefalls,thatistosay, ^'7C 0— .abont.50.i.s.o.^ to west, are, „ ^^^^ few of tlicm passmg five toet s t .vcn five feet. Tfiey pluck ont the ""vtr— onheotherlndiansofNoHh '"':;ri-^ the old men only suffer a Amenca ; but fe ^^^^,, tuft to grow upon tbeu ohms. tl,om wc were exceedingly surprised to see Clldal^ost all fiattened heads. TMsc.- :;.ationi.notanaturald.ornnty« „f aH caused by compression of the ;;:y.Itshoclcsstrangcrse.tremely,especiallyat (r II •" "^fc^^^lw^ *t) Ijjjit' -^1^ n 1 SLAVES. 241 )n tVic B^^cr abia, from bis to say, 3 from east )^ stature, Indies, an^ first sight; nevertheless, among these harlmrians it is an. indispensal)le oriianiont: and wlieii we signified to them liow much this mode of flattening the fi>rehead appeared to us to viohitc nature and good taste, they answered that it was only slaves who had not their heads flattened. The slaves, in fact, have the usual rounded head, and tliey are not permitted to flatten the foreheads of their children, destined to bear the chains of their sires. The natives of the Columbia procure these slaves from the neidiborini'- tril)es, and from the interior, in exchange f(jr beads and furs. They treat them with humanity while theii* ser- vices arc useful, but as soon as they become in- capable of labor, neglect them and suffer them to perish of want. Wlien dead, they throw their l)odies, without ceremony, under the stump of an old decayed tree, or drag them to the woods to be devoured by the wolves and vultures. The Indians of the Colnniliia are of a light copper color, active in l»o(ly, and, above all, ex- coUout swinmiers. Tliey are addicted to theft, or rather, they make no scruple of laying hands on n tp.y ' ^ • U^' >* J It. '1 .' > •' w H j'S ^■Si^' I m 242 FllANCHKUK'S VOYAGE. .«o.«uUstUc. in tUo property of Bt^n,. .,„r tW can fuu. au opportu^- J goods audcffccts otEavopcanman«fact«.e a. . • Ao eves of these barbarians, that precious in the eyc» o „toaling Ly rarely resist the^ temptation ot stealing '' « sava.es are not addicted to intempo- .+ +1,0 otlicr American ranee, nnlilcc, in that respect tl>e othe + ..nf al^o except the i aia^o ludians, if Ave must not also .^^^^ 1 m-o the Flathcads, regard intoxicating nians, wlw, like the r lai ,vm Xnentoneday,soincoftheg— n— d themselves .ithmaiang hi. dnnlcw., and ^ .r, rlvunk He was sick m const WIS very soon aiunK. ^ :ice,:ndre.ainedinastateofstuporf.^^^ days. The old chief came to reproach us say ng t^we had degraded his son by exposing lu^ :i ridicule of tiie Slaves, and besought ^ - to induce him total, strong liquors in l^ur^. The men go entirely naked, not coneealm J. part of their bodies. Only in winter they throw fi^ DRESS OF THE WOMEN. 24B gci'S, ire so tealitig utcinpo- iTicrlcati , I'atago- oxicatmg disgracc- uc of the tlie cstab- en amused Liic, and lie iti conse- ipor for tNVO ti us, saying Lposing lii«^ )uglit us not ia future, [uccaling any .r they throw over tlio .shoulders a panther's skin, or else a sort of mantle made of the skuis of wood-rats sewed together. In rainy weather I liave seen them wear a mantle of rush mats, like a Roman toga, or the vestment which a priest wears in celebrating mass ; thus equipped, and furnished with a conical hat made from iib.vous roots and impermeable, they may call themselves rain-proof. The w^omen, in addition to the n.antle of skins, wear a petticoat made of the cedar bark, which they attach round the girdle, and wliich reaches to the middle of the thigh. It is a little longer behind than before, and is fabricated in the fol- lowing manner : They strip off the fine bark of the cedar, soak it as one soaks hemp, and when it is drawn out into fibres, work it into a fringe ; then with a strong cord they bind the fringes together. "With so poor a vestment tliey contrive to satisfy the requirements of modesty ; when they stand it drapes them fairly enough ; and when they squat down in their manner, it falls between their legs, leaving nothing exposed ]jut the bare knees and thighs. Some of the younger f'l^H^ ,— ^^^mJ^^^^MHIH^H 1 !i^S'!| #' ■iV&^ '' •^ "''m. , ,"» ■••• ■ ,i '■• : ** \ ''»ii.: ■ •-■v'.-^^ ^vl:v, ' s .^^:^.' » t . >" 1,, , 1 I ''. "•,■,; } ■*-■.:• ^i:' ■: •'^^■■-,^ I ' 4 ' m franciiehe's voyage. 244 - twist Ae fibres of baric into smaU cords ^'"Ti: : ^t:^-- -^'' ^™* ^"°^^ 'I'^PO^'^'^ "^ ' Vof bettor appearance, easily icept clean and of bettc IP ^^^^^^^ •^ VI nf n Virtue st f trin..s of beads of different colors "''"^ tironcetotbeblne),anddis. (tbey g-o a piofei 1 ^^^^^^ ^^,, ,,,ed in groat pro— ^^^^^ -^"^'^"'Vt'toir ordinary circnlatin, Ilaiqm, .luob aie medium. Those shells are found b.yon FEMALE OCCUPATIONS. 245 cords? iticoat, t more c. hcsc fe- \xQ other jy . anoint .0. Their jet Hack; tniddlc, as p, and Ivcpt cd. Sonie- y paint the with fish-oil. ,^g of l)rass? ^0 v.rrists and , Lrcnt colors no), aird dis- Itho neck, and b shells, callod ^^.y circnlatiu? ,a beyond the straits of Juan de Fuca^ and are from one to four inches long, and about luxlf au inch in diam- eter: they are a little curved and naturally perforated : the longest are most valued. The price of all commodities is reckoned in tliesc shells ; a fatliom string of the largest of them is worth about ten beaver-skins. Although a little less slaves than the greater part of the Indian women elsewhere, the women on the Columbia are, nevertheless, charged with the most painful labors ; they fetch water and wood, and carry the goods in their frequent changes of residence ; they clean the fish and cut it up for drying ; they prepare the food and cook the fruits in their season. Among their principal occupations is that of making rush mats, baskets for gathering roots, and hats very ingeniously wrought. As they want little clothing, they do not sew much, and the men have the needle in hand oftener than they. The men are not lazy, especially during the fishing season. Not l)eing hunters, and eating, consequently, little flesh-meat (although they arc til, ; ' 1, ' • , ft!j-;i. 3 246 FBANcnr-nF/s voyaoe. Priucipal diet. They l-rofit, tUcrcfovc, by .hen it is to bo had, by taldng as much season when ii i» i-^ , • *i.af +l\o intervals wui uu as they can ; knowm- that tlio init Their canoes arc all maac o ,i„„lo trunk :.e saw some .hich .ore hvcf^e : L at midships, and thirty foot iulou,th; to lo the largest, and .iU carry from 25 „ f ™-,ll rarrv but two or throe, men ; tlio smallest wiU carry • t„ in 1 very elongated pomt, The bows termmatc in a vay = Inning out four or five feet from the water im. eonstitutes a separate piece, very ing— ly Ud.and serves to-the-..^^^ or the wave on a rough sea. In land "g put the canoe round, so as to strike the beae Lrn on. Their oars or paddles are made of r: and are about five feet long with a road Uade, in the shape of an inverted crescent, n .eroL at the top, like the handle of a cru.. The object of the crescent shape of the blade to be able to draw it, edge-wise, through the THMTR IIOUSKS. 217 , tliclv )y tllC i iniicli will 1)0 ss tlicy xnd of a iivc feet ^ th ; tliese 25 to 30 or tlircc. ted point, vater lino, ngeiiiously m landing, iiding they tlio bcacli made of ith a broad rescent, and f a crutcli. the blade is tbrougli tbe re 3 water without making any «oise, when tliey hunt the soa-ottor, an animal which can only l>o cauuht when it is lyiiii;' asleep on the I'ocks, and whieh lias the sense of h(>aring very acjute. All their canoes are painted red, and riuicifnily deco- rated. Their houses, constructed of cedar, arc re- markable for their form and size : some of them arc one hundred feet in length by thirty or forty feet in width. They arc constructed as follows: An oblong square of tlie intiuided size of the building is dug out to the de[»th of two or three feet ; a double row of cedar posts is driven into the earth about ten feet apart; be- tween these the planks are laid, overlapping each other to the requisite height. The roof is formed by a ridge-pole laid on taller posts, notched to receive it, and is constructed with rafters and planks laid clapboarJ-wisc, and secured by cords for want of nails. AVhen tlic house is desiirned for several families, there is a door for each, and a separate firejdace ; the smoke escapes through an aperture formed l>y removing one of tbo 248 r[lANt'Ili:UK S V()VA(iK. Pi r-^ ". » boards ol' the roof. Tli(3 door is low, of an oval Rliape, and is ]irovided willi a ladder, cut out of a lo^^ (o descend Inlo (lie lodi;"e. The entrance is ft'eneridly efleeleetween the first two, and of course observes an exact muitralitv. If those who seek justice do not obtain it to their .u*. ■i : i 252 FIIAXCIIEIIL S VOYAGE. Rati.sfjiction, ilicy n^lirc to some distance, and the combat begins, and is continned for some time with fury on both sides ; but as soon as one or two men are killed, the party which has lost these, owns itself ])eaten and the battle ceases. If it is the i)eo})le of the village attacked who arc worsted, the others do not retire without re- ceiving presents. AVlien the conflict is post- poned till tiie next day (for they never light but in open dayliglit, as if to render nature witness of their exploits), they keep uj) frightful cries all night long, and, when tliey are suIUciently near to understand each other, defy one another l)y menaces, railleries, and sarcasms, like the heroes of Homer and Yii-gil. The women and children are always removed from the village before the action. Their combats are almost all maritime : for they fight ordinarily in their [urogues, which they take care to careen, so as to present the broad- side to \]u) enemv, and half Ivino* down, avoid the greater part of the arrows let (ly at them. But the chief reason of the bloodlessness of TFIFJR WEAPONS. 253 the ime 2 or lost ascs. L wlio Lit rc- post- Ut but v'itncss vies all ly near \\iiv by heroes khildvcn ore tliG liie: for lick tlicy [^ hroad- III, avoid them. Isucss of their combats is the iiicfiicieiicy of tlicir offensive weapons, and the excellence of tlieir defensive armor. Tlicir offensive arms are merely a bow and arrow, and a kind of doulde-edgcd sabre, about two and a lialf feet long, and six inches wide in the blade : they rarely come to sufficiently close quarters to make use of the last. For de- fensive armor they wear a cassock or tunic of elk- skin double, descending to iha ankles, with lioles for the arms. It is impenetrable l>y their arrows, which can not pierce two tliicknesscs of leather ; and as their heads are also covered witli a sort of lielmet, the neck is almost the only part iii which they can be wounded. They have another kind of corslet, made like the corsets of our la- dies, of splinters of hard wood interlaced with nettle twine. The warrior who wears this cuirass does not use tlie tunic of elk-skin ; he is conse- quently less protected, but a great deal more free ; the said tunic being very heavy and very stiff It is almost useless to observe tliat, in tlieir military expeditions, they have their bodies and « r < 254 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE, 't-' < I • 1 faces daubed witli different paints, often of the most extravagant designs. I remember to have seen a war-chief, with one exact half of his face painted white and the other lialf black. Their marriages are conducted with a good deal of ceremony. When a young man seeks p, girl in marriage, his parents make the proposals to those of the intended bride, and when it has been agreed upon what presents the future bride- groom is to offer to the parents of the bride, all parties assemble at the house of the latter, whither the neighbors are invited to witness the contract. The presents, which consist of slaves, vStrings of l)eads, copper bracelets, haiqiia sh'^ls, &G. , are distributed by the young man, who, on his part receives as manj^, and sometimes more, according to the means or the murdficencc of the parents of his betrothed. The latter is then led forward by the old matrons and presented to the young man, who takes her as his wife, and all re- tire to their quarters. The men are not very scrupulous in their choice, and take small pains to inform themselves what MARRIAGES. 255 the lave facG o;00d )Osals it lias bridc- de, all latter, ess the slaves, shells, who, on s more, 3 of the hen led d to the id all re- ir choice, Ives what conduct a young girl has observed licforc her nuptials ; and it must be owned tliat few mar- riages would take place, if the youth would only espouse maidens without reproach on the scoro of chastity ; for the unmarried girls arc l)y no means scrupulous in that particular, and their parents give tlieni, on that head, full liberty. But once the marriage is contracted, the spouses observe toward each other an inviolable fidelity; adultery is almost unknoAvn among them, and the woman who should be guilty of it would bo punished with death. At the same time, the husband may repudiate his wife, and the latter may then unite herself in marriage to another man. Polygamy is permitted, indeed is cus- tomary; there are some who have as many as four or five wives ; and although it often happens that the hus1)and loves one better than the rest, they never show any iealousy, but live together in the most perfect concord.* * Tliis appears improbablp, iincl is, no doul)t, ovprstiitntl ; but so far as it is true, only shows tlie (legruclation of these women, and the absence of moral love on both sides. Tlie indifference to virgin chastity described by Mr. F., ig a characteristic of barbur- i \m *M 1: .■ .1 ■'>■■">. : I; ■•*:■ tf/'i/.. •♦■■ ■' ■4:: ^ .1' '^1' 2e56 FR ANCII i:U,K S Vp Y AC; E . There are cliaiiataiis cvoiywlierc, but they aro more numerous among savages than anywhere else, ])eeauso among these ignorant and supersti- tious people the trade is at once more profitable and less dangerous. As soon as a native of the Columbia is indisposed, no matter wliat the malady, they send for the medicine man, who treats the patient in the absurd manner usually adopted by these impostors, and with such vio- lence of manipulation, that often a sick man, whom a timely bleeding or purgative would have saved, is carried off by a sudden death. They deposite their dead in canoes, on rocks sufficiently elevated not to be overflowed by the spring freshets. By the side of the dead are laid his bow, his arrows, and some of his fishing ous nations in goneral, and is explained by the pniuMi)Io stated in the next note below ; the savage state being essentially one in which the supernatural bond of human fellowship is snapped : it is (as it has been called) the state of nalurc, in which continence is practically impossible ; and what niim can not have, that they soon cease to prize. Tlio same utter indifilrence to the past con- duct of the girls they marry is mentioned by Mayhkw as existing among the costernioiigers and street pojiulation of London, wliom he well likens to the barbarous tribes lying on the outskirts of more Qncient nations.— Ed. WORSHIP. 257 y avo pcrsti- fitablc of the at the 11, who usually ucli vio- clc man, uld liavc on rocks d by the d arc laid \s fishing •'I ,lo stated in one in which pod : it is (fis \i continence •ivi., iViat they , tlio pa^t con- •AV as existing ),ulon, whom Ltskii-tsofmoro implements ; if it is a woman, her beads and bracelets : the wives, the relatives and the slaves of the defunct cut their luiir in sign of grief, and for several days, at tlie rising and setting of the sun, go to some distance from tlie village to chant a funeral song. These people have not, properly speaking, a public worship.* I could never perceive, during my residence among them, that they worshipped any idol. Tliey had, nevertheless, some small sculptured figures ; but they appeared to hold them in light esteem, offering to barter them for trifles. Having travelled with one of the sons of the chief of the Cliinooks (Comcomly), an intelligent and communicative young man, I put to him seve- ral questions touching their religious belief, and * It is Coloriilgo who ohscrvcs ihnt every tribe is larbarous which has no recoj^nisod jnihlic worsliij) or cult, and no regular priestliood as opposed to sclf-conslitutcd coniun)r.-<. It is, in fact, hy puhHc worship ahme that liuman society is orphan i zed and vivitlod ; and it is inipossible to maintain such worsliip wilhoiit a sacerdotal order, however it be constituted. No culture vifhout a cult, is the result of the study of the races of mankind. Ilenco tliose who would destroy religion arc the cnemiea of civiliza- tion. — Ed. 0:; ij -f:'/ ■i»i;V'" ir . ^ ^ 11 2r,8 PR A XCn ERE^J^ VO YA TJ R. tlio following is, in substance, whai. he told mo respecting it : Men, according to their ideas, were created l»y a divinity whom they name E/alapass; but th(;y were imi)erfect, having a mouth tliat was not opened, eyes that were fast closed, liands i.'id feet that were not moveable; in a word, they wcii "ather statues of flesh, than living men. A second divinity, whom they call Ecanmim, less powerful, but more benign than the former, hav- ing seen men in their state of imperfection, took a sharp stone and laid open their mouths and eyes ; he gave agility, also, to their feet, and motion to their hands. This compassionate di- vinity was not content with conferring these fi/st benefits ; he taught men to make canoes, paddles, nets, and, in a word, all the tools and instru- ments they use. He did still more : he threw great rocks into the river, to obstruct the ascent of the salmon, in order that they might take as many as they wanted. The natives of the Columbia further believe, that the men who have been good citizens, good Mhers, good husbands, and good fishermen, who RELIGIOUS NOTIONS. 259 (\ mo , wcro ipass ; 1 thai d, tlicy i3n. A m, loss cr, liav- )n, took tlis and oct, and )aatc dl- lese ftst padcilcs, d instru- 10 threw ]\Q ascent t take as ,r believe, zcns, good Irmcn, who have not committed murder, ttc, will be perfect- ly happy after their death, and will go to a coun- try where they will find fish, fruit, &c., in almn- dance ; and that, on tiie contrary, those wlio have lived wickedly, will inhabit a country of fiisting and want, where they will cat nothing but bitter roots, and have nothing to drink but salt water. If these notions in regara t the origin and future destiny of man arc not exactly conformed to sound reason or to divine revelation, it will be allowed that they do ii^u offer the absurdities with which the mythologies of many ancient na- tions abound.* The article which makes skill in fishing a virtue worthy of being compensated in the other world, does not disfigure the salutary and consoling dogma of the immortality of the * It seems clear that this Iiulian mytlirdogy is a form of the primitive tradition obscured hy aymhol. The creation of man by the Supreme Divinity, but in an imperfect state ("his eyes not yet opened"), his deliverance from that condition by an inferior but more beneficent deity (the Satan of the Bible), and the prog- ress of the emancipated and enlightened being, in the arts of industry, arc clearly set forth. Thus the devil has his cosmogony R8 well as the Almighty, and his tradition in opposition to tho divine. — Ed. ■ ''*'■. ' 200 FIIANCIIKUH 8 VOYA(JK. soul, and that oi' future rewards and punish- ments, so much as one is at first tempted to think ; for if we reflect a little, we sliall discover that the skilful fisherman, in laboring for himself, laliors also for society ; he is a useful citizen, who contributes, as much as lies in his })ower, to avert from his fellow-men the scourge of famine ; he is a religious man, wlio honors the divinity by making use of his benefits. Surely a great deal of the theology of a future life prevalent among civilized men, does not excel this in profundity. It is not to be expected that men perfectly ig- norant, like these Indians, should be free from superstitions : one of the most ridiculous they have, regards the method of preparing and eating fish. In the month of July, 1811, the natives brought us at first a very scanty supply of the fresh salmon, from the fear tliat we would cut the fish crosswise instead of lengthwise ; being persuaded that if we did so, tlie river would be obstructed, and the fishing ruined. Having re- proached the chief on that account, they brouglit us a greater quantity, but all cooked, and wliich, INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY. 201 miisli- :cd to scovor hnrfclf, [iiti/iCU, wcr, to Camine ; inity by cat deal t amonp; ^ Aindity. fcctly i<^- frcc from lous they md eating ic natives ply of tiie would cut isc; being r would V^e Having rc- ley brougiit and wlucli, not to displease tliem, it was nccessuiy to eat licfore sunset. Rc-assiircd at last by our solemn promises not to cut the fish crosswise, they sup- plied us uluindantly durin«i; the remainder of tiic season. In spite of the vices that niny be hi id to the charge of the natives of the Columbia, I regard them as nearer to a state of civilization than any of the tribes who dwell east of the Rocky moun- tains. They did not ap})ear to me so attached to their customs that they could lujt easily adopt tliose of civilized nations: they would dress themselves willingly in the European mode, if they had the means. To encourage this taste, we lent pantaloons to the chiefs who visited ns, when they wished to enter our houses, never allowing them to do it in a state of nudity. They possess, in an eminent degree, the qualities opposed to indolence, improvidence, and stupidity: the chiefs, above all, are distinii-uished for their o-ood sense and intelligence. Generally speaking, tliey have a ready intellect and a tcnacicnis memory. Thus old Comcondy recognised the mate of the Al- f . I if'' 262 FRANCIIEriE's VOYAGE. ..^: ^B 'H^^^^k' ^K/ tl^^^^Blir • ^n i^^^^Hfr K • 1 1 n ■■f . batross as having visited the country rfixtccn years before, and recalled to tlie latter the name of the captain under whom ho had sailed at that period. Tho Chinook language is spoken by all tho nations from tlic mouth of the Columbia to the falls. It is hard and diflieult to pronounce, for strangers ; being full of gutturals, like the Gaelic. The combinations thl, or //, and //, are as frequent in the Chinook as in the Mexican.* * Tlirro can not bo n doubt tbat tbo existing- tribps on tho N. W. const, havo roachod that country from tbo South, and not from tbo North. Tboy nro tbo dchrix of tlio civiliziifion of Central America, cxpellofl by a dofocatiiif^ process that is poinj'' on in ull human societies, and so have sunk into barbarism. — Ed !'«:■ OUR RKTTIXG OUT. 263 tccn lamo that il tho ,0 tho 3C, for iacllc. cqucut on tho N. I not frc»m )f Contnil on in uU CHAPTER XXI. Dppnrture from Astoria or Fort Goorgo. — Acridont. — Passage of thn Dnllos or Narrows. — Grout Columbian Dosi'rt. — Aspoct of the Countiy. — Walltiwalla mid Shaptin Ilivors. — Ralllo- »nakc».— Sumo Details rogunling tho Natives of tho Upper Columbia. AVe quitted Fort George (or Astoria, if you please) on Monday morning, the 4th of April, 1814, in ten canoes, five of which were of bark and five of cedar wood, carrying each seven men as crew, and two passengers, in all ninety persons, and all well armed. Messrs. J. G. M'Tavish, D. Stuart, J. Clarke, B. Fillet, W. Wallace, D. M'Gillis, D. M'Kenzic, &c., were of the party. Nothing remarkable occurred to us as far as tho first falls, which wo reached on the 10th. The portage was eflected immediately, and we en- camped on an island for the night. Our num- MiM . V /■■'■'. 204 FIlAXCIliniES VOYAGE. bci'S had caused tlic g:rcatcr part of tlic natives to take to fli.irlit, and those who remained in tlic viUages showed the most pacillc dispositions. They soM us four liorses and tliirty dogs, which were immediately shiuglitered for food. We resumed our route on the 11th, at an early hour. The wind was favorable, l)ut blew with violence. Toward evening, tlie canoe in which Mr. X'Tavish was, in doubling a point of rock, was run under by us press of sail, and sunk. IFappily the river was not deep at this j lace; no one was drowned ; and we succeeded in saving all tlie goods. Tliis accident compelled u^ to camp at an early hour. On the 12th, we arrived at a ra})id called the Dalles: this is a channel cut ])v nature throuii;h the rocks, which arc here almof^t perpendicular: the channel is from loO to 800 feet wide, and about two miles long. The wliole body of the river ruslies tlirougli it, with great violence, and riMiders navigation impracticable. The portage occii[)iL'd us till dusk. All hough \\(\ liad iu)t seen a single Indian in the course of the day, we kept it its PLAINS OF TlIK COLUMUIA. 21).) Ivcs the rlllch early AvltU ^vhicl^ rock, suulc. ,cc; no saving us to cd tl\o hrough licular : do, and of the uco, and ])orta;j-e not scon wc kept sentinels on duly all night: for it was lierc lliat ^lessrs. l^tuart and Heed were attacked I)y the * natives. On tlie 10th, wc made two more porta^^es, and met Indians, of wliom we pnreliased horses and wood. Wc camped early on a sandy ])lain, where wc passed a bad night; (he wind, whieh l)lew violently, raised clouds of sand, whieh ineoni- modcd us greatly, and spoiled every nioutafnl of food we took. On the 14tli and ir)th, wo passed wliat are called the Great Plains of the Colnmhia. From the top of the first rai)id to tiiis ])oint, llie aspect of the country l)ecomcs more and more triste and disagreeable ; one meets at first nothing but bare liills, which scarcely otTer a few isolated j)ines, at a great distance from each otiier ; after that, the earth, stripped of verdure, does not aftbrd you the sight of a single shrul); the little grass wiiieh ^rrowb in that arid soil, a))pears l)iirnl by tlu? rigor of the climate. The natives wlio frecpient the hunks of tlie river, for tlic salmon lish-M-y, have uo other wood but tliat which tliev take lh)ating 12 I - '*•¥''•;» . , I- '■*■■'.♦ |; •.■*■?-'':'' ■ «"■ *;■ ■-■' '■• -.1 ■ J, '• " ■■♦. ;- '%■ V i :'•! «i t ■ t 266 FUAXCllKllES VOYAGE. clown. "\Vc passed .several rapids, and a small .stream called Utalali, Avliicli Hows from tlic south- east. On the IGtli, Ave fi)up.d the river narrowed ; tiio hanks rose on either side in elevations, without, however, offering- a single tree. We reached the river Wallairalla^ wliich empties into tlie Colum- Lia on tlie soutiieast. It is narrow at its conllu- encc, and is not navigable for any great distance. A range of mountains was visible to the S. E... about lifty or sixty miles off. Behind these moun- tains the country becomes again flat and sandy, and is inhaluted by a tribe called the Snakes. Wc found on the left bank of tlie WaUaivalh^ an cncamjmient of Indian:', consisting of about twen- ty lodges. They sold us six dogs and eight horses, the greater ])art cxtreniely lean. "\Vc killed two of the horses innnediately : I mounted one of the six that remained ; ^\\\ Ross took another ; anO we drove the other four before us. Toward the decline of day wc passed the river Lewis, called, in the language of the country, the Sha-np-dn. It como> from the S. E., and is tln^ TRAIRIE DOGS. 267 nnall vjuili- 1 ; tno itliout, cd t^^c Colum- contlu- istance. c S. E.. ;c moun- d sandy, Snakes. calh, an ut tr-^rt- ud ciglit 111. ^Vc mounted k)ss took |)ctovc us. ^ the river lud is th<^ same that Lewis and Clarke descended in 1805. The Sha-ap-tui appeared to me to have little deptli, and to Ijc about 300 yards wide, at its confluence. The country through which we were now pas- sing, was a mingling of* hills, steep rocks, and valleys covered with wormwood ; the stems of wliicli slirul) arc nearly six inches thick, and might serve for fuel. "We killed six rattlesnakes on the lotli, and on the 10th saw a great many more among the rocks. Tiiese dangerous rej)- tiles appeared to l>e very numerous in lliis part of the country. The plains are also inhabited by a little quadruped, only about eight or nine inch- es in length, and approaching the dog in A)rm. These animals have the hair, or /w«7, of a reddish brown, and strong fore-paws, armed witli long claws which serve them to dig out tiieir holes imder the earth. Tiiey have a great deal of curiosity : as soon as they hear a noise they come out of their liole; d bark. They arc not vicious, but, thougli 'jasily tamed, can not 'oc domesti- cated. ( 1 a Vi "^•' • jwygs I 268 FRA xcii i:iu-: s vo ya» ; k. The natives of the upper Coluiiihia, b<^o-iiniing at the lulls, diller essentially in lanu'uage, num- ncrs, and habits, IVoni those of whom I have 8])oken in the preceding chapters. They do not dwell in villages, like the latter, but arc nomads, like the Tartars and tlic Ara])s of the desert: their women are more industrious, and the young girls more reserved and chaste than those of the populations lower down. They do not go naked, but both sexes wear ha))its made of dressed deer- skin, which tliey take care to rub with chalk, to keep them clean and white. They arc almost always seen on horsel)ack, and are in general good riders ; they pursue the deer and i)enetrato even to MissouJ'i, to kill buffalo, tlie flesh of which they dry, a:.«i ^»ring it back on their liorscs, to nuikc their |)rincii)al food during the winter. These exi)editious arc not free from danger ; for they have a great deal to apprehend from the Black-feet, who are tlieir enemies. As this last tribe is powerful and ferocious, the Snakes, the Pierced-norcs or Sha-ajh/.ins, the F/atheacls, etc., make connnon cause against them, when the for- 1-: ' km THE rprKR roixMiiiA. mg lau- lavc I not rads, rtcrt : roung )f the lakcd, I dccr- allc, to uliuost geucval uctvatc f >YliicU rsos, to Avintcr. rcr; for roui tlio thiri last ,/A'es, tUc a(/s, ^^"> u tlic for- mer go to hunt cast of tlic mountains. They set out with their families, and tlie cavalcade often numbers two tliousand horses. When tliey Inive the good fortune not to encounter the enemy, they return with the s})oils of an abundant clnise ; tliey load a part of their liorses witii the hides and buef, and return home to pass tlie winter in pence. Sometimes, on the contrary, tliev are so liarassed by tlie Blackfeet, wlio sur}.i'ise them in the night and carry oil' their horses, that they are forced to return liiiht-handed, and then thev have noth- ing to eat but roots, all the winter. These Indians are passionately fond of horse- races : by the bets they make on these occasions they sometimes lose all that they possess. The women ride, as well as the men. Fc r a - ridle they use a cord (jf horse-hair, which they ntiich round the animal's mouth ; with that he is easily checked, and by laying tlie hand on his neck, is made to wheel to this side or that. The saddle is a cushion of stuffed deer-skin, verv suitalde for tlic i)urpose to which it is destined, rarely hurting the horse, and not fatiguing tin rider so mucU 1^ ;■.*;>■ 270 fiianchere's voyage. V^j'^i • 1 '^ 1 as our European saddles. The stirrups are pieces of liard "wood, ingeniously wrought, and of the same shape as those which are used in civili- zed countries. They are covered with a piece of deer-skin, which is sewed on wet, and in dry- ing stiffens and becomes hard and lirni. The saddles for women differ in form, being furnished with the antlers of a deer, so as to rcsemljle the high pommelled saddle of the Mexican ladies. Tliey procure their horses from tlie herds of these animals which are found in a wild state in the country extending between the northern lat- itudes and tiic gulf of Mexico, and which some- times count a thousand or fifteen hundred in a troop. These hoi*ses come from New Mexico, and arc of Spanish race. We even saw some which had l)cen marked with a hot iron by S])an- iards. Some of our men, who had been at tlic soiUh, told me that they had seen among the In- dians, bridles, tlio bits of which were of silver. The form of the saddles used by the females, proves that they have taken tlieir pattern from the Spanish ones destined for the same use. One TAK1N'(^ WllJt HOUSES. liTl are id of •ivili- plcco 1 dvy- Tlie uislicd Acs. ivds of state ill cm lat- jU some- cd iu a Mcx-ico, aw some y i^pan- n at the the Tn- of silver, females, torn fi'oui use. Olio of the partners of llu^ X. W. Company (Mr. M'Tuvisb) assured ui tliut lie had seen among the Spokans^^au ohl woman who told liim that she had seen men ploughing the earth ; she told him that she had also seen churches, which she made him understand by imitating the sound of a bell and the action of pulling a bell-rope ; and further to confirm Ium- account, nmde the sign of the cross. Tiiat gentleman concludetl tliat she had l)een made j)risoner and sold to the Sj»aniards on the Del Norte ; l)ut 1 think it more probable it was nearer, in North Calilni-nia, at the mission of San Carlos or Sm- Franciseo. As the manner of taking wild horses should not be generally known to my readers, I will re- late it here in few words. The Indian who wish- es to capture some horses, mounts one of his fleetest coursers, being armed with a long cord of horsehair, one end of which is attached to his saddle, and the other is a ru* ning noose. Ar- rived at the herd, he dashes into the midst of it, and dinging his cord, or fasso, passes it dexter- ously over the head of the animal he selects ; 272 FIlANCnKIlE S VOYAGi:. then wlict'liu<^ his courser, draws the cord after hiin ; the wikl horse, i'niding itself stran«>liug, makes litth; resistance ; tlie Indian ttlien ai)i)roaeli- cs, ties his fore and hind legs together, and leaves him till he has taken in this manner as many as he can. lie then drives them home before him, and breaks them in at leisure. REXCON'TRK. 273 CHAPTER XXII. Mt'ctinp with tlic Widdw (if u lIimtiT. — llcr Narrative. — Rcflco tioiis ot'tlio AutliDr. — i'rii'st's KMpiil. — Hivcr OUoiuikaii, — Krttio Full!*. — Piiic' M(i89. — Sciurity of Fnod.— Rivers, L;iki>s, &c.^ Accitlont. — A Roncoiitro. — First View of the Rueky Mottn- taiiis. On tlio ITtli, the fatigue I liad ex[)crieiice(l tlie day l)cfore, on horseback, obliged me to re-em- bark in my canoe. About eiglit o'clock, we passed a little river flowing from the X. W. Wo perceived, soon after, three canoes, the persons in which were struggling with their paddles to overtake us. As we were still pursuing our way, we heard a child's voice cry out in French — " arretez done, arrctez dotic^' — (stop ! stop !). We put ashore, and the canoes having joined us, we perceived in one of llieni tlie wife and children of a man named Pierre Dorian., a liunter, who had been sent on with a party of eight, under 12* I I Wi i ,'TS'ji' f '% i*^ ■ -..f^--; ',.,.-;• ■ • ) 'i'-'r ' ^Un, ^^•:>u ''■"■if ■(;,..■»;•>. r^-r ■ -f. ■\E - ■W' :. \ 274 rilANCIIKUKS VOYAr.K. tlio coiuinaiul of Mr. J. R(.»o<1, iinioii«:: llic Sna/rr.s'^ to join thoro tlio liuntcrs left l)y >f('>srs. Jlmit and Crooks, near Fort IIcMiiy, and to secure horses and ])rovisious I'or our journey. Tliis woninn informed us, to our no small di^Uiry, of the tragical fate of all tliose who comjjoscd that party. Slic told us that in the month of January, the hunters being dispersed here and there, setting tlieir traps for the heaver, Jacob Heguer, Cilles Leclerc, and Pierre Doi'ion, her husl)and, had Iteeu attacked by the natives. Leclerc, hav- ing been mortally wounded, reached her tent or hut, where he expired in a few minutes, after having announced to her that her husl>and had been killed. Slic iinmediatelv took two horses that were near the lodge, mounted her two boys upon them, and fled in all haste to the wintering house of Mr. Reed, which was about live days' march from the spot where her husband fell. Her horror and disappointment were extreme, when phe found the house — a log cabin — deserted, and on drawing nearer, was soon convinced, by the traces of blood, that Mr. Reed also had been WOMAN S STOKY. 276 hint cure This jr, of that imry, Lb ere, iguer, 3, liav- mt or after d had horses boys iitcring days' 1. Her c, when cserted, ccd, by ad been c 1 murdered. No time was to be lost in laiiuMita- tions, and ,otli \\w horso.s to sub- sist liersclf and lier ohil(h'on. Ibit at bist, rind- ing herself out of provisions, and tlie snow l)c- g'innint"; to melt, slie had crossed the niounta iis with her boys, hojiinu' to lind some more liuuianc Indians, who would let her live amonii' them till the boats from the Ibrt below should be ascend- ing the river in the Sj)rin!r, and so reached the banks of tlie Cobnnhia, bv the AValhiwalla. Here, indeed, tlie natives had received her with much hospitality, anrl it was tlie Indians of Wal- lawalla who brought her to us. We made them some presents to repay their care and jiains, and they returned well satisfied. The ])orsons who lost their lives in this unfor- tunate win-ering party, were Mr. .F(jhn Reed, (clerk), Jacob Regner, John iriibbough, Piei-ro Dorion (hunters), Cilles Leclerc, Francois Landry, J. B. Turcottc, iVjidrc la (Jhapelh? and Pierre 1 I mi IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m III25 •MUu 11= U IIIIII.6 V2 ^ /a ^c^ 'W ^^/ M^'^i v>' >/ y &>. /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 \ '^§^ ^\^ m ^ o o^ ri' 276 FRANCIIERE S YOYACE. ■!t'^' Dc Lauuay, (vojjagjeiirs^.* Wo had no doubt that this massacre was an act of vengeance, on the part of the natives, in retaliation for tlie death of one of tlieir people, whom Mr. John Clark had hanged for theft the spring before. This fact, the massacre on tlie Tonquin, the nnhajipy end of Captain Cook, and many other similar examples, prove how carefully the Europeans, who have relations with a barbarons people, should abstain from acting in regard to them on the footing of too marked an ineqnality, and especially from punishing their oiTences according to usages and codes, in which there is too often an enormous disproportion l)etween the crime and the punishment. If these pretended exem- plary punishments seem to have a good eftect at first sight, they almost always produce terrible consequences in the sequel. On the 18th, we passed Priest's Rapid, so named by Mr. Stuart and his people, who saw at * TmrottR (liod of King's Evil. Do Lauiiay was a hiilf-l)ifrd, of violent tomppr, who had taken an Indian woman to live witli him ; he left Mr. Reed in the autumn, and was never heard of again. SXOWY SL'MMIT.S. 277 douVit ucc, on vc death a Clark 3. This unhappy • siuiihir iropeans, ^ people, , them on xllty, and according too often Ithe crime Ided cxem- \ effect at -,e terrible \Rapid, so rho saw at L a hiilf-livord, liui to live witli iicver heard of this Spot, in 1811, as they were ascending the river, a number of savages, one of whom was performing on the rest certain aspersions and other ceremonies, which had tlie air of being coarse imitations of the Catholic worship. For our part, we met hero some Indians of wJiom wc bouglit two liorses. The banks of tlie river at this place are tolerably high, ])ut tlie country back of tliem is flat and uninteresting. On the 20th, we arrived at a jdace wliere the bed of the river is extremely contracted, and where wc were ol)liged to make a portage. Messrs. J. Stuart and Clarke left us here, to proceed on horseback to the Spokan trading house, to procure there the provisions which would be necessary for us, in order to push on to the mountains. On the 21st, we lightened of their cargoes, three canoes, in which those who were to cross the continent embarked, to get on with greater speed. We passed several rapids, and began to see mountains covered with snow. On the 22d, we began to see some pines on 278 FllAXCIIEnK's VOYAGE. the ridn-o of tlic nciu]il)oi'inn: hills ; and at cvenin2: \vc eiicami)e(l inidor //vr.s-, a thing which had not hapi)Ciicd to us suicc the 12tli. On the 23d, toward 0, A. ]\[., we reached the trading post cstal)lished by D. Stuart, at the mouth of the river Okrnakan. The sjjot ap- peared to us charming', in comparison with the country tlirouirh which we had iournevcd for twelve days past : the two rivers here meeting, ana the immense prairies covered with a hue verdure, strike agreeal)ly the eye of the observer; but there is not a tree or a shrub to diversify tho scene, and render it a little less naked and less monotonous. We found here Messrs. J. M'Gilli- vray and Ross, and Mr. 0. de Montigny, who had taken service with the X. W. Company, and who charged me with a letter for his brother. Toward midday we re-embarked, to continue our journey. After having passed several dan- gerous rapids without accident, always through a country broken by shelving rocks, diversified with hills and verdant prairies, wc arrived, on the 29th, at the portage of the Chandler cs or KETTLE FALLS. 270 renin g ad not cd tho at the pot n])- ,'itli the ycd for meeting, [i a iino >])scrvcr ; irsify tlio and less ;M'Gilli- who had and who • continue :cral dan- Is through lliversified Irrivcd, on udieres or Ketile falls. This is a fall where the water preeipitaterf ilsolf over an iniineuse roek of white marble, veiued with red and green, that traverses the bed of the river from X. W. to 8. E. We effected the portage immediately, and encamped on the edge of a charming jirairie. We found at this })lace some Indians who had been fasting, they assured us, for several days. They ai)peared, in fact, reduced to the most })iti- able state, having nothing left but skin and bones, and scarcely able to drag themselves along, so that not without difficidty could they even reach the margin of the river, to get a little water to wet their parched lips. It is a thing that often ha[)pens to these poor })eople, when their cliaso has not been productive ; their principal nourish- ment consisthig, in that case, of the i»ine moss, which they boil till it is reduced to a sort of glue or black paste, of a sufQeient consistence to take the form of biscuit. I had tlie curiosity to taste this l)read, and I thought I had got in my mouth a l)it of soap. Yet some of our ])eople, who had been reduced to cat this glue, assured me that 280 frantiiere's voyage. /jsjuj wliGii frcsli iiiatlc it liad a very good taste, sea- soned witli meat.* We partly relieved these wretclied natives from our scanty store. On the 30th, while we were yet encamped at Kettle falls, Messrs. J. Stuart and Clarke arrived from the post at Spokan. The last was mounted on the fmest-proportioned gray charger, full seven- teen hands high, that I had seen in these parts : Mr. Stuart had got a fall from his, in trying to urge him, and had hurt himself severely. These gen- tlemen not having brought us the provisions we expected, because the hunters who had been sent for that purpose among the Flatheads, had not been able to procure any, it was resolved to di- vide our party, and that Messrs. M'^ Donald, J. Stuart, and M'Kenzie should go forward to the post situated east of the mountains, in order to send us thence horses and supplies. These gen- tlemen quitted us on the 1st of May. After their * The process of boiling employed by the Indians in this case, extracts from tho moss its golatinc, which serves to supply tlio waste of those tissues into which that principle enters; but as tlio moss contains little or none of the proximates which constitute the bulk of the living solids and fluicis, it will not, of course, by itself, support life or strength. — En. FORESTS APPKAn. 281 iste, sca- cd these ;ampcd at kc arrived s mounted fidl neveu- parts: Mr. Lug to urge These gen- ovisions we ,d been sent ds, had not dved to di- 3onald, J. ward to the in order to These gen- After their iaiis in lt»s ciise, .>s to surpiy t^"^ nlers ; but as the which constitute ot, of course, by departure we killod two horses and dried the meat ; whieli oeeu}»ied us tlie rest of tluit day and all the next. In tlic evening of the 2d, ^Ir. A. Stuart arrived at our eamp. He had recovered from his wounds (received in the conflict with the natives, before related), and was on his way to his old wintering place on Slai'c lake, to fetch his family to the Columbia. We resumed our route on the morning of tlie 3d of May, and went to encamp that evening at the upper-end of a rapid, where we began to descry mountains covered with forests, and where the banks of the river themselves were low and thinly timbered. On the 4th, after having passed several consid- erable rapids, we reached the confluence of Flal- head river. This stream comes from the S. E., and falls into the Columbia in the form of a cas- cade: it may be one hundred and fifty yards wide at its junction. On the morning of the 5th, we arrived at the confluence of the Coutonais river. This stream also flows from the south, and has nearly the same 282 FKAXrHKRH ^^ VOYACIO. 1)' ! m widtli as tlio Flathc(((l. Sliortly after passing it, wc cnt(3ro(l a lake or cnlargciucut of tlie river, wiiicli we crof^scd to eiicani]) at its ii])])er extrem- ity. This lake may Ite thirty or forty miles, and about four wide at its Ijroadest i)art : it is sur- rounded by lofty hills, which fo]' the most part have their base at the water's edge, and rise by gradual and hnely-wooded terraces, offering a suOiciently ])retty view. On tlie Gtli, after we had run through a nar- row strait or channel some fifteen miles long, wo entered another lake, of less extent than the for- mer but equally picturesque. When we were ncarlv in the middle of it, an accident occurred which, if not very disastrous, was sufficiently singular. One of the men, wlio had been on the sick-list for several days, requested to l)e landed for an instant. Xot being more than a mile from the shore, we acceded to his request, and made accordingly for a projecting head-land ; but when we w^ere about three linndrcd or four hundred yards from the point, the canoe struck with force against the trunk of a tree which was AN ACCIDENT. 3 river, extrem- es, and is sur- )st part rise by ering a 1 a nar- long, wo 1 tlic for- wc were occurred ifiiciently en on tlie 10 landed n a milo uest, and ead-land ; d or four 00 struck liicli was planted in tlic hottoin oi' the lake, and the ex- tremity of wliicli l)arely reached the surface of the Avater/ It needed no more to break a hole in so frail a A'cssel ; the canoo was pilierc grew presented impenetra- working up ills with Mr. jr tlie course The snow 28G FUANCUKUE S VOYAGE. Hi: *'Jhfn. 't ■] CHAPTER XXIII. Course nf ilio Columbia River. — Cuiioo Ilivor. — Foot-mfirch to- ward the llocky MouiUuiiis. — rassago of the Mouiituiiis. On tliG lltli, that is to say, one inoiitli, day for day, after our departure from the falls, -wo quitted the Columbia, to enter a little stream to wliicli Mr. Thompson had given, in 1811, the name of Canoe river, from the lixct that it was on this fork that lie constructed the canoes which carried liini to i\\Q Pacific. The Colunil)ia, whicli in the portion above the falls (not taking into consideration some local sinuosities) comes from the N. N. E., takes a bend here so that \\\q stream appears to flow from the S. E.* Some boatmen, and particularly Mr. * Mr. Franchcre uniformly mentions the direction from which a stream appears to flow, not that toward wliich it runs; a natur- al method on the part of one who was ascending the current. COUUSE OF TIIK COLUMUrA. 287 ot,-mnrc^i to- lonth, day ; falls, wo stream to 1811, tlio tliat it was uocs wliicli above the some local , takes a to flow from Lcularly ^Ii'- lion from wl>ich It inns ; a nuUu- Tlogis Bnip;nicr, wlio had ascended that river to its source, inCornied me that it came out of two ^^iiiiill hikes, not far from tiio chain of the Koci^y [Mountains, wliicii, at tliat place, divorpres consid- erahly to the cast. According to Arrowsmith's mai», tlie course of tli(3 Tdcoulrhe Tcss<\ from its moutli in tlic Pacilic Ocean, to its source in the Rocky mountains, is ahout twelve hundred Kn- glisli miles, or four hundred Freneli leagues of twc'ity-fivc to a degree ; tlnit is to say, Ironi two hundred and forty to two hundred and eighty miles from Avcst to east, from its mouth to the first falls : seven hundred and fifty miles nearly from S. 8. AV. to N. X. E., from the first ra])ids to the bend at the confluence of Canoe river ; and one hundred and flfty or one hundred and eighty miles from that confluence to its source. Wo were not provided with the necessary instruments to determine the latitude, and still less the lon- gitude, of our different stations ; ])ut it took us four or five days to go np from the factory at As- toria to the falls, and we conld not have mado less than sixty miles a day : and, as 1 have just ; 'i.r 288 FRAXCHERE S YOYAfiE. - ', - /-, -;■ ■ %. rcmarlvGcl, wc occupied an entire month in getting froni the fails to Canoe river : deducting four or five days, on wliicli avc did not travel, there remain twenty-iive days march ; and it is not possible that we made less tlian thirty miles a day, one day with another. Vio ascended Canoe river to the point where it ceases to be navigable, and encamped in the same place where Mr. Thompson wintered in 1810-'ll. We proceeded immediately to secure our canoes, and to divide the baggage among the men, giving each fifty pounds to carry, including his provisions. A sack of pcmican, or pounded meat, which we fotmd in a cache, where it had been left for us, was a great acquisition, as our supplies were nearly exhausted. On the 12th we begai. our foot march to the mountains, being twenty-four in number, rank and file. Mr. A. Stuart remained at the portage to bestow in a place of safety the effects Avhich we could not carry, such as boxes, kegs, camp- kettles, out ten or twelve miles, on the slope of a mountain denuded of trees, I perceived some smoke issuing from a tuft of trees in the bottom of a valley, and near the river. I descended innnediutelv, and reached a small camp, where I found two nn^n wlio were coming to meet us with four horses. I made them fire off two guns as a signal to tlie rest of our people who were coming up in the rear, and presently Ave heard it repeated on the river, from "which we were not far distant. We repaired thither, and found two of the men, who had been left at the last ford, and who, having constructed a bark canoe, were descending the river. I made one of tlicm disembark, and took his place, my knee being so painful that I could walk no fur- ther. Meanwhile the whole party came up; they loaded the horses, and })ursued their route. In the course of the day my companion (an Iro- quois) and I, shot seven ducks. Coming, at last, «' f i. h . t '* 296 franciiere's voyage. /!.'■• ' to a hig'li promontory called Millet's rock, wo found some of our foot-travellers with ^Messrs. Stewart aud Clarke, who were on liorseI)ack, all at a stand, doubting whether it would answer to wade round the base of tlie rock, which dipped in the water. We sounded the stream for them, and found it fordable. So they all passed round, thereby avoiding the inland path, which is ex- cessively miguing by reason of the hills, which it is necessary perpetually to mount and descend. We encamped, to the number of seven, at the entrance of what at hiu'li water mia-ht be a lake, but was then but a flat of Idackish sand, with a narrow channel in the centre. Here we made an excellent supper on the wild ducks, while those who were behind had nothino- to eat. ROCKY MOUNT AT Nf=^ ITOUSK. 297 CHAPTER XXIV. Arrival rvt tlio Fort of the Mouiitriiris. — Doscn'pti(»n of this Post. — Some Detiiilsin Regiinl to the Rocky Mountain:?. — Mountain Shof'p, &c. — Coiitiiiuatioii of tho Journey. — Unhappy Aeeident. — Reflections. — News from Cunachi. — Hunter'.s Lodge. — Pim- bina and Red Deer Rivers. On the lOtli wc raised our camp and followed the shore of the little dry lake, along a smooth sandy beach, having abandoned our little bark canoe, both because it had become nearly unser- viceable, and because we knew ourselves to be very near the Rocky Mountains House. In fact, we had not gone above five or six miles when we discerned a column of smoke on the opposite side of the stream. We immediate]}' 1 )"ded across, and arrived at tho post, where . c lound Messrs. McDonald, Stuart, and M'Kenzie, who had preceded us only two days. 13* 298 FIlANniEIlES VOVACE. '^^1 The pOJ >r llio I^U'lvy ^loimtains, in En'/i(i/i^ 01' AT'Koizir's rivcr/u] the Ardie ocean, in hititude ()'>■-' or (jip X. This distance of thirty degrees of latitude, or S('vcn hundred and fifty leagues, equivalent to two tliousand two hundred and iiftv Knu-lisii miles or thcrca- bouts, is, however, only tlie mean side of a right- angled triangle, the l)asc of which occuj)ies twen- ty-six degrees of longitude, in latitude 80^ or 3G°, that is to say, is aljout sixteen hundred miles long, while tlie chain of mountains forms tlic hypoLoiuse ; so that the real, and as it were diagonal, length of the chain, across the conti- nent, must be very near tlirce thousand miles from S. E. to N. W. In such a vast extent of mountains, the i:)erpcndicular height and width of base must necessarily be very unequal. We were about eight days in crossing them ; whence I conclude, from our dally rate of travel, that they may have, at tins point, i. c., about latitude 04°, a base of two hundred miles. The geographer Pinkerton is assuredly mis- I'' . •; •* =1 1 4 « i ■ ( :' * '; • 1 * ) 1 t '^'i-'V'' -■•'■' '.■'■'■ i ■ .■■■ ( 800 FRAXniKRK's VOYAGE. taken, \vlii3ii ho <:,'ivos thi\so inDimtaiiis an eleva- tion of but three tli(jiisanl^t whit est. LS. make ;hcy cx- for fish, nountaln and tho ;lic sheep rht horns cd ones. 'cs soften and make y artistic ►d for us, arrive at Ion Smoke ho saw in belching therefore tood. We mocs, and set .the men to work in constructinir some of wood. For want ol' belter niateriul.'^, we were obliged to use po})hir. On tlie 22d, tlie three men whom wo had k^ft at the okl-hou.se, arrived in a little canoe made of two elk-skins sewed to- gether, and stretched like a drum, on a frame of poles. On the 24th, four canoes being ready, wc fas- tened them together two and two, and eml)arked, to descend the river to an old post called Ilini- ter^s Lodg-c, where Mr. Decoigiie, who was to return with us to Canada, informed us that we should find some bark canoes oi pachc, placed there for tlie use of the persons who descend the river. The water was not deep, and the stream was rapid ; we glided along, so to speak, for ten or a dozen leagues, and encamped, having lost sight of the mountains. In proportion as we advanced, the banks of the river grew less steep, and the country became more agreeable. On the 25th, having only a little pemican left, which we wished to keep, wc sent forward a Imnter in the little elk-skin canoe, to kill some •i''"' ,.* I. ( i ,- >" 1 '*''■■■ /I. •■■■. • ■^r 304 FRAXCIIEIIE S VOYAGE. game. About ten o'clock, wo found liini waiting for us with two moose tliat lie liad killed. IIo had suspended tlic liearts from tlic brancli of a tree as a signal. "We landed some men to help him in cutting up and sliipi)ing the game. Wc continued to glide safely down. But toward two o'clock, P. ^r., after doubling a point, we got into a considerable rapid, where, by the mala- droitness of those who manaQ:ed the double pirogue in which I was, we met with a melan- choly accident. I had proposed to g'o ashore, in order to lighten the canoes, which were loaded to the water's edge ; but the steersman insisted that we could go down safe, Avhile the bow-man was turning the head of the pirogue toward the beach ; by tliis manoeuvre we were brought athwart the stream, Avhich was carrying us fast toward the falls ; just then our frail bark sinirk upon a sunken rock ; the lower canoe broke amid-ships and filled instantly, and the u])per one being lighted, rolled over, prccijutating us all into the water. Two of our men, Olivier Roy Lapensee and Andre Bclangev, were drowned ; li I SAD ACCIDKXT. 805 and it Avas not without oxtrenio difficulty that we succeeded in fsavini!; Messrs. Fillet and Wal- lace, as well as a man named /. Ilnrtean. The latter was so far gone that we were obliticd to have recourse to the usual means for the resusci- tation of drowned persons. The men lost all their eflects ; the others recovered but a part of theirs ; and all our provisions went. Toward evening', in ascending the river (for I had gone about two miles below, to recover the eflects floating down), we found the body of Lapensee. We interred it as decently as we could, and planted at his grave a cross, on which I inscribed ■with the point of my knife, his name and the manner and date of his death. BL'langcr's l)ody was not found. If anything could console the shades of the departed for a premature and un- fortunate end, it would be, no doubt, that tlie funeral rites have been paid to tlieir remains, and that they themselves have given their names to the places where they perished : it is thus that the shade of Palinurus re^joiced in the regions below, at learning from the mouth of the >Sibyl, 306 FIIA XrH ERH S VO YA (J E. /!:•■: tliat the promoiitoiy near which ho was drowned would liuDcot'urth ])o called ])y his name : ^andet co^nomine Icrra. The rapid and the point of land whore tlio accident I have described took place, will bear, and bears already, probably, tho name of Lapensle* On the 20 Ih, a part of our people embarked in tho three canoes which remained, and the others followed the banks of tho river on foot. Wo saw in several places some veins of bituminous coal, on tho Ijanks between the surface of the water and that of the plain, say thirty feet below the latter; tho veins had a dip of about 25°. We tried some and found it to burn well. "\Yo halted in the evening near a small stream, where wo constructed some rafts, to carry all our peo- ple. On the 2Ttli, I went forward in the little canoe * Mr. Franchcre, not having the fear of tho Abb'? Gaume be- fore; his eyes, so wroto in hi.s Journal of 1814; fintliiig consola- tion in a thouirhf savorins:, we confess, nioro of Virijil than of the catechism. It is a classic term that colls to onr miini rough Cap- tain TJiorn\i sailor-like contempt for his liierar}' passengeis so comically closcril)ecl hy Mr. Irv hi sf. Half of the humor as well as of the real interest of Mr. Franchcre's charming narrative, is lost by one who has never road " Astoria." V s ■ I iif J ' ■i A RRNCONTRK. 807 of skins, with tlio two liunt(3i's. Wc soon killed an elk, which wc skinned and suspended the hide, besmeared with lAood, from the branch of a tree at the extremity of a point, in order that the peoi)lc behind, as tliey camo up, niiglit per- ceive and take in the fruit of our chase. After fortifying ourselves with a little food, we contin- ued to glide down, and encamped for the night near a thick wood where our hunters, from the tracks they oljserved, had hopes of encountering and capturing some ])ears. This hope was not realized. On the 28th, a little after quitting camp, we killed a swan. While I was busy cooking it, the hunters having plunged into the wood, I heard a rifle-shot, which seemed to me to proceed from a direction opposite to that which they had taken. They returned very soon running, and were ex- tremely surprised to learn that it was not I who had fired it. Nevertheless, the canoes and rafts having overtaken us, wc continued to descend the river. Very soon wo met a l)ark canoe, con- taining two men and a woman, who were ascend- » ! ' ' J < 1 ' : ■ ■ ;(:•• 308 FRAXniERES VOYAGE. ing the river and bringing- letters and some goods for tlio Rocky Mimalains House. We learned from tlicse letters addressed to ]\[r. Decoignc, several eircunistances of tlic war, and among others tlie defeat of Captain Barclay on Lake Erie. We arrived that evening at Ilnntcr's Loclg-c, where we found four new birch-bark canoes. We got ready two of them, and resumed our journey down, on the 31st. Mr. Fillet set out before us with the hunters, at a very early hour. They killed an elk, which they left on a point, and wiiich we took in. The country through which we passed that day is the most charming ])ossible ;.the river is wide, handsome, and bordered with low outjutting points, covered with birch and poplar. On the 1st of June, in the evening, we en- camped at the confluence of the river Pembina. This stream comes from the south, and takes its rise in one of the spurs of the great chain of the Rocky mountains ; ascending it for two days, and crossing a neck of land about seventy-five miles, one reaches Fort Augustus, a trading post LITTLE RED ELK RIVER. 309 mc goods 3 learned Decoignc, d among on Lake Ilinitcr's jircli-bark lI resumed rillet set ^'cry early r left on a country the most landsomc, s, covered g, we en- Pemhina. takes its ain of the two days, venty-five iding post on tho Saskatcli curiae river. IMessrs. M'Donald and M'Kenzie had taken tliis route, and liad left for us half a sack of pcmican in a cache^ at the mouth of tho river Pembina. After landini;- that cvcninir, Mr. Stuart and I amused ourselves with angling, but took only five or six small fish. On the 2d, we passed tlie confluence of Little Slave Lake river. At », and to lash poles across them, as we luid done bd'ore, that the men might carry them on their shoulders over the places where they could not he fli)ated. Ilavinji; distrilnited the ba;>-ii-a''-e tu the remainder of the hands, we ])ursued our way through the woods, under the guidance of Mr. r)ec()igne. Tliis gentlenum, who had not passed here for nineteen years, soon lost his way, and we got separated into small parties, hi the course of the afternoon, some going one way, and some another, in search of Moose lake. But as we had out- stripped the men who carried the baggage and the small stock of i)rovision that old Nadeau had given us, Mr. AVallace and I. thought it prudent to retrace our steps and keep with the rear-guard. "VVe soon met Mr. Fillet and one of the hunters. The latter, ferreting the woods on both sides cf a trail that he had discovered, soon gave a whoop, to signify that we should stop. Presently emer- ging from the underwood, he showed us a horse- whip which he had found, and from which and from other uinnistakeablc sirnis, he was confident BIG FRAXCIIERE S VOYAGE. •i^^ i& . tlic trail would lead cither to the lake or a navi- gable part ol" Liie river. The men with the bag- gage then coining \\\), we entered the tliicket single lile, and were conducted by tliis path, in a very short time, to the river, on the banks of wliicli were visilde the traces of an old camping ground. The niglit was coming on ; and soon after, the canoes arrived, to our great satisfaction ; for we had begun to fear that they had already passed. The splashing of their paddles was a welcome sound, and we who had been wise enough to keep ])ehind, all encamped togetlier. Very early on the Stli, 1 set out accompanied by one of the hnnters, in quest of Messrs. D. Stuart, Clarke and Decoigne, who had gone on ahead, the niglit previous. I soon fonnd MM. Clarke and j\I'Gillis encamped on the shore of the lake. The canoes presently arrived and we embarked ; MM. Stuart and Decoigne rejoined ns shortly after, and informed ns that tlicy had bivouacked on the shore of Lac Piinnt, or Stink- ing lake, a pond situated about twelve miles E. N. E. from the lake we were now entering. LONG LAKE. 317 Finding ourselves thus reunited, we traversed the latter, which is about eighteen miles in cir- cuit, and has very pretty sliores. Wo encamped, very early, on an island, in order to use old Nadeau's fisliing net. I visited it that evening and brought Ijack three carp and two water-hens. We left it set all niglit, and the next morning found in it twentv white-fi^^li. Leavini>: camp at an earlv liour, we Ci'ained tlie entrance of a small stream that descends between some liills of mod- erate elevation, and there stopped to breakfast. I found the white-lish more delicious in flavor, even than the salmon. AVe had again to foot it, foUowino; the bank of this little stream. It was a painful task, as wc were obliged to oi)en a path through thick underbrush, in the midst of a rain that lasted all day and kept us drenched. Two mf^n behig left in each canoe, conveyed them up the river about thirty miles, as far as Long lake — a narrow pond, on the margin of which we spent the night. On the 10th, we got through this lakelet, and entered another small stream, which it was ne- it- f i- ■ ■ . . ('■ *M '■■■■■ m 1 'sl^ . '•k t ■ j^|: ^■felk ^ ' \ 318 PRANCIIERE S VOYAGE. ccssaiy to navigate in tlio same manner as the preceding, and wliich conducted us to Bridge lake. The latter received its name from a sort of bridge or causeway, formed at its southern extremity, and which is nothing more than a Iiuge beaver dam. We found here a lodge, wliere were a young man and two women, who had charge of some horses appertaining to one of the Hudson's Bay trading houses. We bor- rowed of them half a dozen pack horses, and crossed the bridge with them. After surmount- ing a considerable hill, we reached an open, level, and dry prairie, which conducted us in about two hours to an ancient trading-post on the banks of the Saskatchaiuine. Knowing that wo were near a factory, we made our toilets as well as we could, before arriving. Toward sundown, we reached Fort Vermilion, which is situated on the bank of a river, at the foot of a superb hill. We found at this post some ninety persons, men, women, and children ; these people depend for subsistence on the chase, and fishin"- with ODD MISCALCULATION. 819 hooks and lines, wliicli is very precarious. Mr. Hallet, the clerk in cliargc was absent, and wo were dismayed to hear that there were no pro- visions on the place : a very disagreeable piece of news for people famished as we were. We had been led to suppose that if we could only reach the plains of the Saskatchawine, we should be in the land of plenty. 'Mv. Ilallet, however, was not long in arriving: ho had two quarters of buffalo meat brought out, wliich liad been laid in ice, and prepared us supper. Mr. Plallet was a polite sociable man, loving his ease passably well, and desirous of living in these wild coun- tries, as people do in civilized lands. Having testified to him our surprise at seeing in one of the buildings a large cariole, like those of Cana- da, he informed us that having horses, lie had had this carriage made in order to enjoy n sloigh- ridc; ])ut that the workmen having forgo l ^ take the measure of the doors of the building be- fore constructing it, it was found when finished, much too large for tlioin, and could never be got m out of the room where it was : and it was like to ■Wt..'. t t • ^M 320 'c FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. remain tlicre a long time, as he was not disposed to demolish the house for the pleasure of usinj^ the cariolc. ^ By the side of the factory of the Northwest Company, is another belonging to the Company of Hudson's Bay. In general tliese trading- houses are constructed thus, one close to the other, and surrounded with a common palisade, with a door of communication in tlie interior for mutual succor, in case of attack on the part of the Indians. Tlie latter, in this region, particu- larly the Black-feet, Gros-vcntres, and those of the Yellow river, are very ferocious : they live by the chase, but bring few furs to the traders ; and tlie latter maintain these posts principally to procure themselves provisions. On the 11th, after breakfasting it Fort Ver- milion, we resumed our journey, with six or seven pounds of tallow for our whole stock of food. This slender supply bronglit ns through to the evening of tlie third day, when we had for supper two ounces of tallow each. On the lltli, in the morning, we killed a wild BUFFALO. 821 goose, and toward midday, collected some Hag- root and choux-^^ras, a wild lierb, which wc boiled with the small game : we did not ibi"get to thiow into the i)ot the little tallow we had left, and made a delicious repast. Toward the decline of day, we had the good luck to kill a buffalo. On the 15th, M^I. Clarke and Decoigne hav- ing landed during our course, to hunt, returned presently with tlie agreeable intelligence that they had killed three buftaloes. We immediate- ly encamped, and sent the greater part of tlie men to cut up the meat and jerk it. Tliis opera- tion lasted till the next evening, and wc set for- ward again in tlic canoes on the ITtli, with about six hundred pounds of meat half cured. The same evening we perceived from our camp sev- eral herds of buffaloes, but did not give chase, thinking we had enoufrh meat to take us to the next post. The river SaskrUchawlne flows over a bed composed of sand and marl, which contributes not a little to diminish the purity and transpa- 14* i •). • I ■» 822 franchere's voyage. 4t .' /■• , 4 i:-^.^T ; I 1- 1 ■Mi . ■ ! "A rcncy of its waters, which, like those of the Mis- souri, are turl)id and whitisli. Except for tliat it is one of tlie prettiest rivers in the world. Tlie banks are perfectly chai'niing, and offer in many places a scene the fairest, the most smiling, and the best diversified that can be seen or imagined: hills in varied forms, crowned with superb groves ; valleys agreeably embrowned, at even- ing and morning, by the prolonged sliadow of the hills, and of the Avoods which adorn them ; herds of light-limbed antelopes, and heavy colos- sal buffalo — the former bounding along the slopes of the hills, the latter trampling under their heavy feet the verdure of the plains ; all these champaign beauties reflected and doubled as it were, by the waters of the river ; the melodi- ous and varied song of a thousand birds, perched on the tree-tops ; the refreshing breath of the zephyrs ; the serenity of the sky ; the purity and salubrity of the air ; all, in a word, pours con- tentment and joy into the soul of the enchanted spectator. It is above all in the morning, when the sun is rising, and in the evening when he is S y author's reflection?. S23 setting, that the spectacle is really ravishing. I could not detach my regards from that supcrl) picture, till the nascent ol)scurity liad obliterated its perfection. Then, to the sweet pleasure that I had tasted, succeeded a lristi\ not to say, a sombre, melancholy. How comes it to pass, I said to myself, that so beautifid a country is not inhabited by human creatures ? The songs, the hymns, the prayers, of the laborer and the arti- san, shall they never be heard in tliese fmo plains ? Wherefore, wliile in Europe, and above all in England, so many thousands of men do not possess as their own an inch of ground, and cul- tivate the soil of their country for proprietors who scarcely leave them wliereon to support ex- istence : — wherefore — do so manv millions of acres of apparently fat and fertile land, remain uncultivated and absolutely useless ? Or, at least, why do they support only herds of wild animals ? Will men always love better to vege- tate all their lives on an ungrateful soil, than to seek afar fertile regions, in order to pass in peace and plenty, at least the last portion of V, 32-4 f:?..\xciiere s voyage. u. I -v. ' .'f > '.{ their clavs ? But I deceive invself; it in not so easy as one thinks, for tlio ])oor man to better liis condition : he has not tlie means of transporting liiniself to distant countries, or he lias not tliose of acqulriuu" a proi)erty there; for these nntilled hinds, deserted, abandoned, do not appertain to wlioever wishes to establish himself upon them and reduce them to culture ; they have owners, and from these must be purchased the right of rendering th }m })r()ductive I Besides one ought not to give way to illusions : these countries, at times so delightful, do not enjoy a perpetual spring ; they have their winter, and a rigorous one ; a piercing cold is then spread through the atmosphere ; deep snows cover the surface ; the frozen rivers flow only for the fish ; the trees are stripped of their leaves and hung with icicles ; the verdure of tlie plains has disappeared ; the hills and vall:!vs offer but a uniform whiteness : Nature has lost all her beauty ; and man has enough to do, to shelter himself from the injuries of the inclement season. Ir FORT MONTKE. 325 CHAPTER XXYI. Fort Mont6o. — Cuml)eiliUi(I Ildiiso. — L!il\(> Bourhori. — Grout Wiiiiprg Riipids. — Lakn V-'nipcg. — Trading-House. — Lake of the Woods. — Rainy Laku ina.so, &;c. On the 18tli of June (a day wlilcli its next an- niversary was to render for ever cclcl)ratcd in the annals of the world), we re-embarked at an early hour : and the wind rising, spread sail, a thing we had not done l)eforc, since wo quitted the river Columbia. In the afternoon the clouds gathered thick and black, and we had a gust, accompanied with hail, but of short duration ; the weather cleared up again, and about sundown we arrived at Le Fort de la 3Ioritee, so called, on account of its being a depot, where the traders going south, leave their canoes and take pack- horses to reach their several posts. We found here, as at Fort Vermilion, two trading-houses f'^.^A* • 32G FRANTHERES VOYACE. if ■> joined together, to make common cause against the Indians ; one belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, tlie other to the company of tlie North- west : the Hudson's Bay house being then nnder the cliarge of a Mr. Prudent, and tlie N. W. Company's under a Mr. John M'Lean. Mr. do Roche Blavc, one of the partners of the last com- pany having the sui)erintendence of this district, wliere he had wintered, had gone to Lake Supe- rior to attend the annual meeting of the partners. There were cultivated fields around the house ; the barley and peas appeared to promise an abundant harvest. Mr. M'Lean received us as well as circumstances permitted ; but that gen- tleman having no food to give us, and our buffalo meat beginning to spoil, we set off the next morning, to reach Cumberland house as quick as possible. In the course of the day, we passed two old forts, one of which had been built by the French before the conquest of Canada. Accord- ing to our guide, it was the most distant western post that the French traders ever liad in tho northwestern wilderness. Toward evening we 'M 'V FORT CUMniniLAND. 827 shot a moose. Tlic a3j)cct of tlic country changes considerably since leaving* MorUcc ; the l)anks ut* the river rise more l)ol(lly, and the country is covered with forests. On the 20th, we saw some elms — a tree tliat I had not seen liitherto, since my departure from Canada. We reached Fort Cuml)erland a little before the setting of the sun. This post, called in English Cumber/and House, is situated at the outlet of the Sa.skatchawine, where it empties into English lake, l)etween the 5od and r)4th degrees of north latitude. It is a depot for those traders avIio are o'oino- to Slave lake or the Atha- basca, or arc returning tlicnce, as well as for those destined for the llocky mountains. It was under the orders of Mr. J. D. Campbell, who having gone down to Fort William, however, had left it in charge of a Mr. Harrison. There aro two factories, as at Vermilion and la Montce. At this place the traders who resort every year to Fort William, leave their half-l)rccd or Indian wives and families, as they can live here at little expense, the lake abounding in fish. Messrs. Wl«<«~ .. . W^; t ti !i ■• 328 FR A xc II r:Pv f: s vo vao e . Clarke and Sliiart, wIjo were behind, arrived oa the 22(1, and in the evening* we had a danec. They j^ave us four r^aes of peniiean, and wo set od* aiiuin, on Ihe 2:*)d, at eiji'ht A. ^I. We cros- sed tlie hike, and entered a ^^lnall river, and luiv- ing inad(! some ei.uhty or ninety miles nnder sail, eneami)ed on a hjw shore, where the mosiputoes tormented us iiorrihlv all ni«iht. On the 24th, we })assed Miiddi/ lake, and en- tered Lake Jioin-bon, where we fell in with a canoe from Yor/c factory, under the command of a ^Ir. Kennedy, clerk of the Hudson's r)iiy Com- pany. We collected some dozens of gulls' eggs, on the rocky islands of the lake : and stopi)ing on one of tlic last at iiiglit, having a little Hour left, Mr. Dccoigne and I amused ourselves in making fritters for the next day's breakfast : an occupation, which despite the small amount of materials, employed us till we were surprised by the daybreak ; the night l)eing but brief at this season in that high latitude. At sunrise on the 2oth, we were again afloat, passed Lake Travers, or Cross lake, which Tin: kim; ui' rm; lakk. i\'2{) ived on , (lance. I wo HCt iVc cros- aiul luiv- idcr sail, i)S(iuitoes ;, and cn- n with a nninnd of r>nv Com- \\W eggs, stopping ttlc Hour selves ill vfast: ail nount of prised by f at this lin afloat, which cni})ti(\s into I.ake Wlnipog l»y a succession of rai)ids ; sliot down tlioso cascades without acci- dent, and an-ived, towanl noon, at the great rapid Oui nijnc or Winipt^g, whicli is al)ont four ni ih.'s hjiiL!'. We diseinltai'kcil Ikmv, and > worked down tlic canoes. At the fooi ..on this rajtid, wliicli is tlio inlet of Winipcg, we i'ound an old Canadian fish(.'i'nuin, who called jiiinself A'///i,'* of the Idli'r. 11(3 niidit fairlv stvle hiuiself kinu; of the lish, which are al)undant and which ho alone cujowmI. Ilavini'' made a boil, and in.'ualcd ourselves with excellent sturu'con, we left this old man, and entered the great lake Winipc "which appeared to me like a sea of fresh water. This lake is now too well known to need a par- ticular description: I will content myself with saying that it visil)ly yields in extent only to Lake Superior and Great Slave lake : it has for tributaries several large rivers, and amonu- others the Saskatchawine, the Winipeg, in the cast ; and Red river in tlie south ; and empties into Hud- son's bay by the Nelson, N. X. E., and the Scu- ern, E. N. E. The shores which it bathes are sikf- 330 FliANCIlEllE S VOYAOE. 5 ;>... ■;.• generally very low ; it appears to have little depth, and is dotted with avast niiml)er of islands, lying pre'ty close to land. We reached one called Egg' island, wlience it was necessary to cross to the south to reach the main ; but the wind A. as so violent that it was only at decline of day that we could perform the passage. We profited by the calm, to coast along all day and a part of the niglii of the 2Gth ; but to pay for it, rem'^ined in camp on the 2Tth, till evening: the ■^^ind not suffering us to proceed. The wind having appeared to abate somewhat after sunset, we embarked, but were soon forced to land again. On the 28th, we passed the openings of several deep bays, and the isles of St. Martin, and camped at the bottom of a little bay, where the mosquitoes did not suffer us to close our eyes all night. We were rejoiced when dawn appeared, and were eager to embark, to free ourselves from these inconvenient guests. A calm permitted us tiiat day to make good progress witli our oars, and we camped at Buffalo Strait. Wo saw that day two Indian wigwams. ■_jm>tmuigimuisKgi- BAS DR LA RIVIERE. 331 5 littlo slands, ed one sary to but the decline c. We day and ly for it, ng: the [le wind • sunset, id again. ' several lUi^ and here the eyes all ppcared, ves from uitted us 3ur oars, saw that Tlic 30th brought us to "Winipcg river, whicli we ])cgan to ascend, and about noon reached Fort Bas de la Riviere. This trading post had more the air of a large and well-cultivated farm, than of a fur traders' factory : a neat and ele- gant mansion, built on a slight eminence, and surrounded with barns, stables, storehouses, etc., and by fields of barley, peas, oats, and potatoes, reminded us of the civilized countries which wo had left so long ago. Messrs. Crcbassa and Kennedy, who had this post in charge, received us with all possible hospitality, and supplied us with all the political news whicli had been learned through the arrival of canoes from Canada. They also informed us that Messrs M'Donald and de Rocheblave had passed, a few days be- fore our arrival, having been obliged to go up Red river to stop the effusion of blood, which would probably have tal^en place but for their intervention, in the colony founded on that river by the earl of Selkirk. Mr. Miles M'Donnell, the governor of that colony, or rather of the Assiniboyne district, had issued a proclamation ■'■ ■ ! ■ f'V. "f' '■> . 332 •RAXCIIERK S VOYAGE. ■ 1. '! '• ll foi'l)iddiiig- all persons whomsoever, to send pro- visions of anv kind out ot" the district. The Hudson's Bay traders had conformed to this proclamation, but those of tlic Northwest Com- pany paid no attention to it, thinking it illegal, and had sent their servants, as usual to get pro- visions u}) the river. ]\Ir. McDonnell having heard that several hundred sacks of pemican* were laid up in a storehouse under the care of a Mr. Pritchard, sent to require their surrender : Pritchard refused to deliver them, whereupon Mr. McDonnell had them carried off by force. The traders who winter on Little Slave lake, English river, the Athabasca country, &c., learn- ing this, and being aware that they would not t < .1 * Pemican, of wliioli I luive already spoken sovoral times, is the Iiiilian name for the dried and pounded meat whieh the na- tives sell to the traders. About fifty pounds of this meat is placed in a trough {nn prand vaisscau fnit d^ioi trojic d^arbre), and ahout an "^ jUal quantity of tallow is melted and jioured over it; it is thoroughly mixed into one miiss, and when cold, is put up in hass made of undresricd hutValo hide, with the hair outside, and sewed up as tiii^htly as ])ossiI)Ie. The meat thus impregnated with tallow, hardens, and will keep for years. It is eaten with- out any dlher preparation ; but sometimes wild pejus or dried berries are added, which render the flavor more agreeable. „ 4 ■V THRExiTEXED CONFLICT. 333 nd pro- . The to this it Com- lllcgal, get pro- having icmican* ;arc of a iTcnder : liercupon jy force. ivG lake, c., Icarn- ould not xl times, 18 licli tlio na- is meat is inc cVarhre), nyiired over colli, is put liiir outside, ni])n',cnatecl eutiMi with- u's or dried able. find their usual supply at Bns ch 'a Rivil^e^ re- solved to go and recover the seized i)rovisions by force, if they were not peacea1)ly given up. Things were in this position when Messrs. de Rocheblave and ^M-Donald arrived. Thev found the Canadian vojjaii^cnra in arms, and ready to give battle to the colonists, who persisted in their refusal to surrender tlie bags of pemican. The two peacemakers visited the governor, and hav- ing explained to him the situation in which the traders of the Nortliwest Com})any would fnid tliemselves, ]>v tiie want of necessarv provisions to enable them to transport their peltries to Fort William, and tlie exasperation of tlieir men, who saw no other alternative for them, but to get pos- session of those provisions or to perish of hunger, requested him to surrender the same without delay. Mr. McDonnell, on his part, pointed out the misery to wliich the colonists would bo re- duced bj a failure in the supply of food. In consequence of tliese mutual representations, it was agreed that one half of the pemican should be restored, and the other half remain for the "• mSi ■ ■ ^r ' '^ ' -~ u «r ■ 1^ ■ ^■'■' ''■ ^ r^>. i ' > ■. ,■.•- *■ 1'^ ■ '., I > '- I ! 334 franchere's voyage. use of the colonists. Thus was arranged, with- out bloodshed, the first difficulty which occurred between the rival coi. panics of the Northwest, and of Hudson's Bay. Having spent the 1st of July in repairing our canoes, we re-embarked on the 2d, and continued to ascend Winipeg river, called also White rivery on account of the great number of its cascades, which being very near each other, offer to the sight an almost continuous foam. We made that day twenty-seven portages, all very short. On the 3d, and 4t ., we made nine more, and arrived on the 5th, at the Lake of the Woods. This lake takes its name from the great number of woody islands with which it is dotted. Our guide pointed out to me one of these isles, telling me that a Jesuit father had said mass there, and that it was the most remote spot to which those missionaries had ever penetrated. We encamped on one of the islands. The next day the wind did not allow us to make much progress. On the 7th, we gained the entrance of Rainy Lake river, I do not remember ever to have seen : -r MOSQUITOES. 33 60 with- ! urrcd iWGSt, ig our 1 tinucd • river^ scadcs, to the m dc that I't. On ^^' arrived ^Bcj . This v^ aiber of . Our F , telliug 3re, and ;h thoso icamped le wind iss. On yiU Lake ,vo seen elsewhere so luciuy mosquitoes as on the banks of this river. Having landed near a little rapid to lighten the canoes, we had the misfortune, in getting through the brush, to dislodge these in- sects from under the leaves where they had taken refuge from the rain of the night before ; they attached themselves to us, followed us into the canoes, and .tormented us all the remainder of the day. On the 8th, at sunset, we reached Rainy Lake House. This fort is situated about a mile from a considerable rapid. "Wo saw here cultivated fields and domestic animals, such as horses, oxen, cows, &c. The port is a depot for the wintering parties of the Athabasca, and others still more remote, who bring to it their peltries and return from it with their outfits of merchandise. Mr. John Dease, to whoso charge the place had been confided, received us in the most friendly manner possible ; and after having made an excellent supper, we danced a part of the evening. We took leave of Mr. Dease on the lOth, well provided for tlie journey, and paf??ing round nf .Ki • !' ,- U i%- I;?:; I-^- 336 FRANCHERE S VOYAGE. Rainy Lake falls, and then traversing the lake itself, whicli I estimated to be forty miles long, we encamped at the entrance of a small river. On the next day we pursued our way, now thrid- ding streams impeded with wild rice, which ren- dered our progress difficult, now traversing little lakes, now passing straits where wo scarcely found water to float our canoes. On the 13tli, we encamped near Dog' Portage (^Portage des chiens)^ where, from not having followed the ad- vice of Mr. Dease, wlio liad counselled us to take along a bag of pcmican, we found ourselves ab- solutely without food. KAMINISTIQUIA FALLS. 037 CHAPTER XXXU. Arrival at Fort William. — Di'scriptii)ii of ilic Fort. — News from tliP Rivor Coliiinliiii. Starvixg men are early-risers. AVe set out on the 14th before day, and effected the |)ortage, which is long and diHicult. At tlie foot of the rapid we found a soi't of restaurant or cabaret^ kept by a man named Boudier. We treated the men to a little can de vie, and breakfasted on some detestable sausages, }iois(.ned witli salt. After this wretched repast, we set out again, and passed toward noon, the Movntain Portag-e. Here the river Kaminhtiqiiia flings itself over a rock of immense height, an:! forms a fall scarcely less curious to se(^ tluiii tluit of Niagara, liclfiw, the succession of falls and rnpids i< constant, so that we made no fewer than thirty-six portages 15 ;f ^^>' •I,-' 338 franchere's voyagf. v';. f" in >' 11.' :i^, in the course of the day. Nevertheless wo pur- sued our laborious way with good clieer, and without a murmur from our Canadian boatmen, who kept their spirits up by singing their voi/a- geur songs. At last, at about nine o'clock in the evening, wo arrived at Fort William. Fort William is situated on Lake Superior, at the mouth of the Kaministiquia river, about forty-five miles nortli of old Grand Portage. It was built in 1805, when the two rival Cana- dian companies were united, and was named in honor of Mr. (now the Honorable) William M'Gillivray, principal agent of the Northwest Company. The proprietors, perceiving that the old fort of Grand Portage was on the territory claimed by the American government, resolved to demolish it and build another on the British territory. No site appeared more advantageous than the present for the purposes intended ; the river is deep, of easy access, and offers a safe harbor for shipping. It is true they had to con- tend with all the difficulties consequent on a low and swampy soil ; but by incredible labor and t^f^^^^ FORT WILLIAM. 330 perseverance tlicy succeeded in drainino- the marshes and reducing the loose and yielding soil to solidity. Fort William lias really the appearance of a fort, with its palisade fifteen feet high, and that of a pretty village, from the number of edilices it encloses. In the middle of a spacious sipiaro rises a large building elegantly constructed, though of wood, with a long piazza or portico, raised about live feet from the ground, and sur- mounted by a balcony, extending along tlie whole front. In tlic centre is a saloon or hall, sixty feet in length by thirty in width, decorated with several pieces of painting, and some portraits of the leading partners. It is in this hall that the agents, partners, clerks, interpreters, and guides, take their meals together, at different tables. At each extremity of the apartment arc two rooms ; two of these are destined for tlie two principal agents ; the otlier two to the steward and his department. The kitclien and servants' rooms are in the basement. On cither side of this edifice, is another of the same extent, but of 340 FRANnnaiK's. VOYAGE. J. \ !■. /!■■■■ ■ I) I* * ■: ' * { • :■ I \ 1 ':' Si - - t ■ '•■■. ^ less elevation ; tlicy are ea(fli divided Ity a corri- dor riiniiinu' tiiruiiuli its leit'iili, and contain each, a dozen pretty bed-rooms. One is destined for tlie wintering- partners, the other ibr tlic clerks. On tlio east of the sipiare is anotlier bnilding similar to tlie last two, and intended ibr the same use, and a wareliousc wliere the furs are inspected and rej)acked Tor sliipment. In the rear of tliese, are the lodu-in:uidcs, another fur-Ava rehouse, and Hnally, a powder magazine. The last is of stone, and has a roof covered with tin. At the anji'le is a sort of has- tion, or look-out place, commanding a view of the lake. On the west side is seen a range of buildings, some of which serve for stores, and others for workshoj)s ; there is one for tlic equip- ment of tlic men, another for the litting out of the canoes, one for the retail of goods, another where they sell liquors, bread, pork, butter, earance. At ^m ■:.i * .' if- 342 FRANniEUF's VOYACE. lyvi, u i I r^) i 1 . ^ ■ '• . } 7H '■\ I '.^^ ''. ■;' i'*^ ■■ /T^^flSD c V- ^.-V ! • ■ ■■ : ;-.«' ti ,.'!/■> ■■.«■, 5 • C. . thn nnd of the cloarincr is tlio l)urvinGr-c:round. There are also, on llio opposite l)aiik of tlie river, a certain luiinher of lon^-houscs, all inhabited by old Canadian voyaij^eHra, worn out in the service of the company, without having- enriched tlieni- sclvcs. Married to women of the countrv, and incumbered with large families of half-l>rccd cliildren, these men prefer to cultivate a littlo Indian corn and potatoes, and to fish, for a sub- sistence, ratlier than return to tlieir native dis- tricts, to give their relatives and former acquain- tance certain i)roofs of their misconduct or their imprudence. Fort William is tlie grand dei)6t of the Xorth- west Company for their interior posts, and the general rendezvous of the partners. The agents from Montreal and the wintering partners assem- ble here every summer, to receive the returns of the respective outfits, prepare for the o})erations of tlie ensuing season, and discuss the general interests of their association. The greater part of them were assembled at the time of our arri- val. The wintcrin«: hands who are to return ^.^J*.. -.rf '»!#»■? ^t/ k! MAN\;i:UR3 DE LAItD. 848 rrouiid. river, itcd by .service (1 tlieni- trv, and ilt-brcod a littlo 11* a svili- tive dis- acquain- or their .0 Xorth- aiid the le agents I's asscni- 3turns of pcrations ! general ater part our arri- ;o return with their cuiployern, pass also a great part of the summer iu;re ; they furm a great encampment on tlie west side of the fort, outside tlie ])alisade9. Those wlio engage at ^lontrcal to go no further than Fort William or Rdin// lake, and who do not winter, occu[)y yet another s})ace, on the east Bide. Tiie winterers, or hircrnaiifs, give to these last the name of ninn (vein's de lard., or pork-caters. They are also cuIKmI rotncrs-and' g'oers. One perceives an astonishing diHerenco between these two camps, whicli are composed sometimes of tliree or (bur hundred men each ; that of the pork-eaters is always dirty and dis- orderly, while that of the winterers is clean and neat. To clear its land and improve its property, the company inserts a clause in the engagement of all who enter its service as canoe-men, that they shall work for a certain number of days during their stav at Fort William. It is thus that it has cleared and drained the environs of the fort, and has erected so nianv fine buildinirs. But when a hand has once worked the stipulated !|i: , .».. •;.;•) Jv.-;,, ■ : i H, ,1 ■ '. ' ! i* V j? ■» 344 FEANCIIERE S VOYAGK. number of clays, he is for ever after exempt, even if ho remain in the service twenty or tliirty years, and should come down to the fort every summer. They received us very courteously at Fort William, and I perceived by the reception given to myself in particular, that thanks to the Chinook dialect of which I was sufficiently mas- ter, they would not have asked better than to give me employment, on advantageous terms. But I felt a great deal more eagerness to arrive in Montreal, than desire to return to the River Columbia. A few days after we reached Fort William, Mr. Keith made his appearance there from Fort George, or Astoria, with the news of the arrival of clie " Isaac Todd" in the Columbia river. This vessLd, which was a dull sailor, had been kept back a long time l»y contrary winds in doubling Capo Horn, and had never been able to rejoin the vessels-of-war, hor consorts, from which she was then separate(l. When she reached the rendezvoHS at the island of Juan Fernandez, finding that the three ' liips-of-war had sailed. .3 .'' 1 ^4( ' ., ISAAC TODD. Uo t, even years, imincr. t Fort I given to the iy nias- han to terms, arrive J River i^illiam, )m Fort arrival river. (1 been inds in able to n which icd the uaiidez, sailed, the captain and passengers, as they wci-.' sliort of provisions, determined to range the coast. Entering the hi.rl)or o^ Jlonfcrc//,* on the coast of California, i'>. order to obtain provisions, they learned that tlicre was an English vcssel-of-war in distress, in the l)ay of San Frdnrisco.f Tney repaired tliithcr accordingly, and fonnd, to tlieir great surprise, that it was the sloop Rdcrooti. This vessel, in getting out of the River Columbia, had touelied on tlie bar, with sucli violence, that a part of her false keel was carried away ; and slie liad witli difhcully made ►'i^an Francisco, with seven feet of water in the hold, althougli her crew had been constantly at the })umps. Cap- tain Black, finding it impossible to repair his ship, had decided to abandon her, and to cross the continent to the Gulf of Mexico, tlicnce to reach some of the Brit'sh West India islands. However, on the arrival of the Isaac Todd, * A Spanish mission or presidency, in !tbuul tlic l}()th dogreo of latitude. t AnotliiT Spanisli jnrsidency, in aljout (lie 38lii degree of lat- itude, and the fust Ruropejui ostahlisliini-nt to he met witli south of the Columbia. [These now obsolete noteg are interesting na indicative of iho period wlien tliey were written. — Eu.] 1;V 346 fraxchere's voyage. h>^ if means were found to careen the vessel and repair the damage. The Isaac Todd tlien pursued her voyage and entered the Columbia on the 17th of April, thirteen months after her departui«i from England. 11 I it ■ -' ■ /v* HOME-BOUND. 847 CHAPTER XXYIII. Departure from Fort William. — Navigation on Lake Superior.— Michipicoton Bay. — Moetiug a Ciiuoo. — Batchawainon Bay.— An-ival at Saut Ste Marif. — Oocurreucrs there. — Doparture. — Lake Huron. — French River. — Lake Nipissinp. — Ottawa Riv- er. — Kettle Fulls. — Ridcau River. — liOitg-S^iut. — Arrival in Montreal — Conclusion. On the 20th of July, in tlic evening, Mr. D. Stuart notified mo tliat lie should start the next morning for Montreal, in a light canoe. I imme- diately wrote to my relatives : bu^ .he next morning Mr. Stuart told me that I was to be my- self the bearer of my letters, by embarking with him. I got ready my cfTects, and toward evening we quitted Fort William, willi fourteen stout voyageurs to ma i our large canoe, and were soon floating on the bosom of the largest body of fresh water on the surface of the globe. We counted six passengcr.-j, namely, Messrs. D. 'iff-, •• •i^^v .... ,t.4 f .;*i fe ■fcs- I*. . h J 348 FRAXCIIERE S VOYACE. Stuart, D. ]\[-Kenzie, J. ^f Donald, J. Clarke, myself, and a littlo (I'irl of clg'lit or nine years, who came from IvUdonan, on Rod r'n'or. AVe passed the fii-st niji'ht on one of the islands in Thunder hr/t/, so named on account of the fre- quent storms, accompanied witli li-■■ •i?- .1-../ Ji f 350 FRANCIIKRE S VOYAGE. situated at tlio bottom of a sandy cove, which offers nothing agreeable to the eye. ^^Fr. Fred- eric Goedike, who resided here, was gone to see what liad taken phice at Saut Ste. Marie. Ho returned tlie next day, and told us tliat tho Americans had come, with a force of ono hundred and fifty men, under the command of Major Holmes; and that after having pillaged that they all considered worth taking, of tho property of the N W. Company and that of a Mr. JohnHton, they had set lire to the houses, warehouses, &c., belonging to the company and to that gentleman, and retired, without molesting any other person.* Our canoe arrived from Fort William in the cvenincr, with that of Mr. M'Gil* livray ; and on the morrow we all repaired to Saut Ste. Marie, where we saw the ruins which the enemy had left. The houses, stores, and saw-mills of the company were still smoking. * The N. W. Comjiaiiy having niisod a regiment composed of their own servants, and known as the vo!/ap;cur corps, and having also instigated to war, and armed, tlie Indian tribes, over which they had influence, had brought on themselves this act of retaliap tion. Mr. Johnston alao had engaged actively in the war against the United Stato«. If. J ^-?S-; SAUT STE. MARTE. The schooner was at the foot of the rapids ; tlio Americans had run licr down, but she grounded on a ledge of rocks, whence they coukl not dis- lodge her, and so they had burnt her to tlie water's edge. Lc Siiut de Sic. Marie ^ or as it is shortly called, Saiit Stc. Marie, is a rapid at tlie outlet of Lake Sui)crior, and may be five hundred or six hundred yards wide ; its length may be estimated at three quarters of a mile, and the descent of the water at about twenty feet. At the lower extremity the river widens to aljout a mile, and here there are a certain number of houses. The north bank belongs to Great Britain ; the south- ern to the United States. It was on the Ameri- can side that Mr. Johnston lived. Before the war he was collector of the port for the American government. On the same side resided a Mr. Nolin, with his family, consisting of three half- breed boys and as many girls, one of whom was passably pretty. lie Avas an old Indian trader, and his house and furniture showed signs of his former prosperity. On the British side we found «*♦ 1- •«-<•• ■'"'•■v:' ■':'^i-.*i^j ; , (■ i^-: i'i ■r' H-.:r':^ 352 FU A N< i f CRE's VO YAGK. Mr. Charles "Ri-inatinucr, wlio liad a ])rctty estab- lisluncnt: lie dwelt temporarily in a liousc that belonged to Noliii, but ho was building another of stone, very elegant, and had just hnislied a grist mill. lie thouglit that the last would lead the inliabitants to sow more u-rain tlian thev did. Tlicso inlial)itants are prineipally old Canadian boatmen, married to hali-breed or Indian women. The fi'.ii ailbrd them subsisteneo during the grcai 1)0 r. oC the year, and ])rovided tlicy secure potatoes enough to carry them tlirough llic re- mainder, tliey arc content. It is to be regretted that these people are not more industrious, for the land is very fertile. On the 1st of August, an express was sent to Michiliniackinac (Mackinaw) to inform the com- mandant thereof what had happened at Saut Ste^ Marie. While expecting the return of the mes- senger, we put ourselves in a state of defence, in case that by chance the Americans should make another irruption. Tlie thing was not improba- ble, for according to some expressions wliich fell from one of their number who spoke French, 1 v^v"'? i' '%•■ t " W- THE EXEMY IX FOIIf'E. B53 their objects was to capture the furs of the Nortliwcst C()iii])any, wliich were expected to ar- rive shortlv from the interior. We invited some Indians, wlio were camped on Pine Pointy at Some distance from the *SVu//, to lielp us in case of need ; wliich they promised to do. ^[ean- while we liad no provisions, as evcrytliing had been carried off l>v the American forces, and Avere ol)lig"ed to sul)sist on sucli brook trout as we couh.l take with liook and line, and on wild raspberries. On the 4th, the express returns, d, A/iihout hav- ing been able to accomi)lish liis mission : he had found the island of Mackinrw so completely blockaded l)y the enemy, tlmt it was impossible to reach it, witliout running the greatest risk of being made prisoner. On the 12th, we lieard distinctly the dis- charges of artillery which our people were firing oflf at Michilimackinac, althougli the distance was nearly sixty miles. We thouglit it was an at- tempt of the enemy to retake that post, but wo afterward learned that it was only a royal salute I ' i^ •» .•>'■• ■■■, »■ •■ ;■* ■■ .1 ■■ ,1 •,. l>' V .(■ 'i t ' I - I- > y.' m !l .s^i;. 354 FUANCIIKaK.S VOYAGE. in honor of the Itirthduy of tlie prhice regent. Wo learned, however, durhig our stay at Saut Ste. Marie, tliat the Americans had really mado a descent upon the island, but were compelled to retire with a considerable loss. On tlio 19th, some of the partners arrived from Fort William, preceding- the flotilla which was coming down richly laden with furs. Tliey sent on Mr. Decoisxne in a litilit canoe, with letters to Montreal, to order provisions to meet this brigade. On the 21st, the canoe on which I was a pas- senger, was sent to the mouth of French river, to observe the motions of the enemy. The route lay between a range of low islands, and a shelvy beach, very monotonous and dreary. "Wo re- mained at the entrance of the aforesaid river till the 25th, when the fleet of loaded canoes, forty- seven in number, arrived there. Tlie value of the furs which they carried could not be esti- mated at less than a million of dollars : an im- portant prize f(n' tlie Americans, if they could have laid their hands upon it. We wore threo I THE DAXGER PAST. 355 hundred and tliirty-fivc Aon, all well armed; a large camp was Ibrmed, with a l)rea.st-work of fur-packs, and we kept watch all night. The next morning we began to ascend French river, and were soon out of I'cach of the dreaded foe. Frencli river flows from the N. E. and empties into Lake Huron, about one liundred and twenty miles from Saut Ste. Marie. We reached Lake Nipissing, of wliich it is the outlet, the same evening, and encam})ed. We crossed that lake on the 2Tth, made a number of portages, and en- camped again, not far from Mallaioan. On the 28th we entered, at an early hour, the river Ottawa, and encamped, in the evening, at the Portag'e dcs deux Joachims. This is a grand river, 1)ut obstructed by many falls and rapids on its way to join the St. Lawrence ; wliich caused us to make many portages, and so we arrived on the 31st at Kettle falls. The rock which here arrests the course of the Ottawa, extends from shore to shore, and so completely cuts olY tlie waters, that at the time we passed none was seen falling over, but sinking by »* •V? f '-••hi. }ir •r.f," ■ I * ', Vi ■*.'■.' K t-/ ■ H''^' •M if > ■'-? 856 rUANCUKIiK S V()YA(Ji:. sul)tui'rimoaii cliiiniicls, or lissures in tlio rock, it boil(3(l up l>elow, from seven or oii^hL (lillerent 0])cnui'is, not unlike water in a Init'e caldron, wlience the lir.-osite iSuut St. Louis and the village of C(ui'^'kna\nfiyif, pass(;d that last rapid of so many, aud landc'J at Montreal, a little be- fore sunset. 1 hastened to the paternal roof, where the family were not less surprised than oveijoyed at beholdinj^ me. Xot having heard of me, since I had sailed from New York, tlicy had believed, in * *' Ftir-fameil ami 90 well di'scnln-'d," ndds Mr. Fiaiichcro, in hia own translalion, but I prefer to leave the expression in its orijjiiial striking,' simplicity, as lie wrote it l)efi)rc he had heard of Moore. Eveiy reader remembers: — "Soon as the woods on shore grow dim, We'll sing at St. Ann's our parting- hynui." Cmiadiau Boatman's Song. '■ •■ .i •• , it ■■•••' . - t. •- r s. 368 FRANCHERE.S VOYAGE. accordance with the common report, that 1 had been murdered hy the savages, with Mr. M'Kay and the crew of the Tonquin : and certainly, it was by the goodness of Providence tliat I found myself thus safe and sound, in tlic midst of my relations and friends, at the end of a V(n'age ac- companied ])y so many perils, and in which so many of my companions had met witli an untime- ly death. i • M U I: CONCLUSION. 350 CHAPTER XXIX. Present State of tho Countries visited by the Author. — CoiTection of Mr. Irviug's StalcuiLuUs respecting St. Louis. The last chapter closes the original French narrative of my travels around and across the continent, as published thirty-three years ago. The translation follows that narrative as exactly as possible, varying from it only in the correc- tion of a few not very important errors of fact. It speaks of places and persons as I spoke of them then. I would not willingly lose tl\e veri- similitude of this natural and unadorned descrip- tion, in order to indulge in any new turns of stylo 'or more philosophical reflections. But since that period many changes have oc- curred in the scenes which I so long ago visited and desci'ibed. Though they are well known, I may be pardoned for alluding to them. '( 360 FRA NCIIERK S VO YA(1 K. r •?./ -v. The natives of the Sandwich ishiiuLs, who were in a state of })a!2;anisni at tliat time, liavc since adopted a form of Christianity, have made con- sideral>le ])roL!:ress in iniitatinu- the civilization of Europe, and even, at tliis moment, beg-in to en- tertain the idea of annexation to the United States. It appears, however, that the real na- tives arc rapidly dwindling- away by the cflects of their vices, wliich an exotic and ill-nssimilated civilization lias rather increased than diminished, and to wliicli religion has not succeeded in ap- plying- a remedy. At the mouth of the Columbia, wliole tribes, and among them, tlie Chilsops, have been swept away by disease. ITero again, licentious hal)- its universally dillused, spread a fatal disorder through the whole nation, and nndermining the constitutions of all, left them an easy prey to the first contagion or opidotnic sickness. l>ut mis- sionaries of various Cliristian sects have labored among the Indians of tlie Columbia also; not io speak of the missions of the Catholic Clnirch, so well known by the narrative of Father De Smet '^i*m CHANCES. OfU and otiior.s ; and niinihcrs liavo boon tauo'lit to ciilLivate tliu soil, and thus li> provide aii'Miiist tin; famines to wliich tlirv were fornii>rlv oxi»m>:m1 IVoiu tluMi* dei)Gndonce on the ])recai'ious ro sonrecs' of tlic cliase ; while others have reeeivcMl, in the I'aitli of Christ, thi; true ])rine!j»h^ of na- tional permanence, and a living" li'erm of civiliza- tion, which may afterward be developed. Kmin'ration lia.s als») cari'iiMl to th(3 OrcLi'on tlio axe of t])e settler, as \v(dl as the canoe and pack of the fur-trad(n-. The fertile vallevs and prairies of the Willamet — once tli^' r(>sort of tlie deer, the elk. and tlit.> anteloite. are now tilli,Ml Ity ths? industrious husUandman. OrtMi'on City, so near old " A^^toria," whos > first \)'j: fort: 1 .-iw and di'scri'oed, is now an Archii'pisfupal se>', and the capital of a t(Ma'il(U-y, which must so()n l»e a state of th.,' Union. Of the reu'ions east ol' the mountains di'scrlhed in liiv itinerarv. little can he said in resixyjt to improvenvMit : they remain in tlie saiu' wih! -fate. The interest of t!i<' Hudson's Day ( 'oiapany. as an a-^sociati(jn of !'iir-ti-ap]H)sed to au'ri- r ,..-■1 I ! *'■■ .•i 362 FRANCIIEIIE S VOYaCJE. cultural improvements, whose operation would be to drive ofl' and ext'.iguish the v.-ild 'ui^'aols thai furnish tlieir commerce with its object. Bur on Lake J^uperior steamboats liave sni)plant'xi tiie bircli-bark canoe of the Indian and the fur-trader, and at Saut Ste. Marie, especially on the Ameri- can side, there is now every sign of prosperity. How remote and wild was the regi(ni beyond, througli which I passed, may ]>e estimated by the fact that in thirtv-eiu'ht years the onward-rollinlisli a conipari.son at this day. At that tunc, it will 1*0 oh.-L'rv(;d, tlio moi'o breaking' out of wui* octw'c-.Mi Ain'*iica and EiiLdaiid was thoim-iit to involve the sacrifice of an American commercial cstaldisliment on tlie Pacilic, on the i)lies l)ciiiu' ne- cessarily cut oiV (it was supjxjsed), and of tlie United States irovernment bcinu* unahle to ])ro- tcct it irom hostile attack. At present it sutlices to remark tliat while New York, then so incon- siderahlo a })ort, is now perhaps the third city in tlic world, tlic United States aUo, arc, undoul)t- edly, a first-rate power, unassailahle at home, and formidable al»road, to the greatest nations. As ill my preface I alluded to ^Ir. lrvin,i»"'s '* Astoria," as reflecting, in my opinion, unjuslly, upon tlie young men engaged in the first expedi- tion to tlic mouth of tlie Columbia, it may sufllco here to observe, witliout entering into ])ar{icalar-) that my narrative, vv'liich I think answer>^ for its own iidt'lity, clearly shows thai some of them, at least did not want courag(^ activity, z(?al for the interests of tlic coiupaiiy, while il cxisliMl, mid pa- ..rivv*-,:- ■.T'l). " M '*■ *¥( ' m : ■(,■' 864 FIIANTHKIIES VOYAGE. tleiit cuduiiViKJc of lianlsliip. And altliougli it lorius no \)\\v toftl 10 ii;iri':itiv(3 or luy voyage, y(3t us siibse(i[ucnt visits to the West ami an intimate knowledge of St. Loui?;, enaljle me to correct Mr. Irving's poetical ratlier than accnratc description of that place, 1 may well do it here. St. Louis now l)ids fair to rival ere long the ''' Queen of the West ;" Mr. Irving describes lier as a small tra- ding jdace, where trappers, ]uilf-l>reeds, gay, frivolous Canadian boatmen, A'c, ttc, congrega- ted and reveUed, with that lightness and ]>uoy- ancy of sj)irit inherited from their French f'*S H' m ,L<,: I' f:^i It ii '\:; A P r E N D I X.* In Chapter XVU. I promised the reader xo give him an aeeoimt of the iate of some of tliG persons wlio left "Astoria before, and after its sale or transfer to tlie Britisli. I will now redeem that pledge. Messrs. Ramsay Crooks, R. :M'Lelland, and Robert Stuart, after endiirinn- all sorts of fatigue, dan<'-ers and hair-ljreadth eseapes with their lives ail whieh have been so graphieally deseribed by Washington Irving in his " Astoria," finally reached St. Louis and Xew York. Mr. Clapp went to the ^laniuesas Islands, where he entered into tiie serviec of his country * We hiivc tliou-lit It best K. give this Apin-inlix, ex.Tpting somo al)l>reviiitions rendered neee.^i.ry to itv.iid repetili..ii (.fwl'at has Leeii stiite.l before, in Mr. Fr;in. -here's own words, p;irticul;irly U3 aspociinen uf his own Euglisli style may be justly interesting to tho readur. H'>.' t '".,*' ,«<•, [■/. •,.rc ,*> i4 8G8 F-"iiAN'cm:iM; s novack in the cai):i('il\- ol" Miilslii|)iu:iii uihIit Commodoro INu'tor — miulii iii.-! csf-iipM IVom llu'i'e in coinpuny with LiiMiiiMKUit (jiiiiiil)L' of tlio Murine corps, liy directions of tlie (Jijniinodoru, was caplnrcd Ity tliij JJrilisli, landed at Uiieno.s Ayro;;, and finally roaehcd Xow Yorlc. 0. M-Douu'ill, as a reward for betraying tlic trnst iv'posi'd in liini by Mv. Astor, was made a Partner of llie Xorthwest Company, crossed the moui itains, and died a miseiMble ilealli at Jjas dt la Rii'i rr, Winipeg. Doindd M'Keiizie, his co- adjutor, went back to the (Columbia River, where he anmssed a eonsitlM'aMe Ibrtime, with which lie retired, and li\«'d in Chanlan([Ui' (>onnty in this state, wliere he died a I \'\v years since unknown and neglected: — lie was a very scliish inan, who care. 1 for no one but ! iimsc ■If. It remains ouly to speak of Messrs. J. C. Ilal- scy, llnssell, Farnliam, and Alfred Setou, who, it will be remembered, '^ml)arked with ^fr. Hunt on the ''Pedlar," in Peb. ISJd. LoJiviuu' the River nb;);it the 1st of April, tlicy proceeded to the Russian establishment at .^itka, rM..^ Mil. SKTON S AUVK.\TCUi:S. r>oo Norl'ollc Somid, wIh.m'i' llu-y (Ml in wiili two or tlii'co more Auicriciui vcssl-Is, which had coiiio to trade with (ho natives or to avoid the Di'ili.^ii cruinoi'.-f. While tlierc, a sail under Hi-ilish C(jlors tippoart'd, ami Mr. l[imt sent Mr. Scton to ascer- tain who slie was. Mie turned out to he the "Forester," Captain Pii^'ott, a re|)eatimi' siu'nal snip and letter-ol'-manpa), st^nt IVom Mnudand in coni[)any of a Meet intended for tiie South Seas. Oil I'lirther acquaintance with the captain, .Mr. Scton (from whom I derive these particulars) learned a I'act which has never before been pul'- lished, and which will show the solicitude and perseverance of Mr. AsTOii. After desj>atchin;j; the '• Lark" from New York, fearin ^,> y f Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ # ^ ^ V <^ k s^ :\ \ iS^ 6^ -<»:i* 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USUO (716) 872-4503 ■t 370 franciiere's voyac. r. i' " despatches for ]Mr. Astor. ^Tr. Farnliam accom- plished the journey, readied nain1)urg, whence he sailed for tlic AVcst Indies, and finally arrived at Xew York, liaving made the entire circuit of the glol)c. The " Pedlar" then sailed to the soiitlieast, and soon reached the coast of California, which she api)roaclied to get a sup})ly of provisions. Nearing one of the harljors, they descried a vessel at anchor inside, showing American colors. Hauling tlieir wind, they soon came close to the stranger, which, to their surprise, turned out to bo the Spanish corvette '' Santa Barbara," which sent boats alongside the " Pedlar," and captured her, and kept possession of the prize for some two months, during whicli they dropped down to San Bins. Here Mr. Hunt proposed to Mr. Se- ton to cross the continent and reach the United States the best way he could. Mr. Seton, accor- dingly, went to the Isthmus of Daricn, where he was detained several months by sickness, but finally reached Carthagena, where a British fleet was lying in the roads, to take off the English 11 P' 8URVIV0RS. 371 mcrcliants, wlio in consequence of tlic revolution- ary movements going on, songiit i^lieltcr under their own flag. Here ^\v. Seton, reduced to the last stage of destitution and s(iualor, l)oldly a}> plied to Captain Bentham, tlic commander of the squadron, -wlio, finding him to 1)C a gentleman, ofTered him every needfid assistance, gave him a bertli in his own cai)in, and finallv landed him safely on the Island of Jamaica, wlience he, too, found his way to New York. Of all those engaged in tlic expedition there are now but four survivors — Ramsay Crooks, Esq. the late President of the American Fur Company ; Alfred Scton, Es(p, Vice-president of the ?un Mutual Insurance Company ; ])oth of Xew York city ; Benjamin Fillet of Canada ; and the author, living also in New Y(n'k. All tlie rest luave paid llie debt of nature, but their names are recorded in the foregoing pages. Notwithstanding the illil)eral remarks made ])V Captain Thorn on the persons who were on board the ill-fated Touquin, and reproduced l)y Mr. Irving in his "Astoria" — these young men who 372 FRAXCllERE S VOYA(iE. * V were roprosentod ns " Dnr koopci'S or Billiard markei'.-^, iiiosl of wliom liiid (l(;d IVoiii Jusliety, "e, lil)cral ed- ucation and every way were qualilied to diseliar^'o the duties oi' tlieir respective stations. The re- marks on the g'eneral cliaraeter of the voyageurs em})loyed as boat-men and .Mechanics, and tlie atteni])t to cast ridicule on their "Braggart and swacra'ering manners" come with a bad grace from the author of " Astoria," when we consider that in that very work Mr. Irving is compelled to admit tlicir indomitaldc energy, their fidelity to their employers, and their cheerfulness under the most trying circumstances in which men can be placed. AYith respect to Captain Thorn, I must confess that though a stern commander and an irritable man, he paid the strictest attention to the health of his crew. ITis com})laints of the squalid ap- pearance of the Canadians and mechanics who were on board, can l)e al)atcd of their force by giving a description of tlie acconnnodation of JIU. r R A N'( ' 1 1 Kll K S I'ROT n^^T. tlicsc people. The Tonquin was a Finall ship ; its forecastle was destined for tlic ci'cw perform- ing; duty liefore the mast. The room allotted for the acconnuodation of tlic twcntv men destined for the establislnnent, was aljaft the forecastle; a bulk-head had been let across, and a door led from the forecastle into a dark, unvenlilated, un- wholesome place, where they were all hea])ed together, without means of locomotion, and con- sequently deprived of that exercise of the ])ody so necessary to health. Add to that, we had no physician on board. In view of these facts, can the com})laints of the gallant Captain be sustained ? Of course Mr. Irving was ignorant of these cir- cumstances, as well as of manv others which ho might have known, had some one suggested to him to ask a few questions of persons who were within 1 is reach at the time of his publication. I have (1 need scarcely say) no personal animos- ity against the unfortunate Captain; he always treated me, individually, as Avell as I could ex- pect ; and if, in the course of my narrative, I have been severe on his actions, I was inqoclled 374 rRAN('H[:uF:s voyagh. by a sense of justice to my iVioncls on l)oard, as well as by the circumstance tlmt such explana- tions of his general deportment were re(j[uisite to convey the historical truth to my readers. The idea of a conspiracy against him on board is so alisurd that it really does not deserve notice.- The threat, or rather the proj)Osal made to him by ^Iv. M'lvay, in the following words — " if you say fight, fight it is" — originated in a case where one of the sailors had maltreated a Canadian lad, who came to complain to ^Ir. ^PKay. Tlio captain would not interpose his authority, and said in my presence, " Let them fight out their own battles :" — it was upon that answer that Mr. M'Kay gave vent to the expression quoted above. I might go on with a long list of inaccuracies, more or less grave or trivial, in the beautifully written work of Mr. Irving, but it would be tedious to go through the whole of them. The few remarks to which I have given place above, will suffice to prove that the assertion made in the i^refacc was not unwarranted. It is far from my intention to enter the lists with a man of the *,' ' kditor's xoti:. ') Vii> litorarv merit and i-ojinlation of ^Fr. li-^^ip-, l)ut as a iiai'i'ator of events ol' wliicli 1 was an i:ve- WJTXKSS, 1 Iblt lioimd to tell the trutli, altliougli tliat truth niiiilit iiu{)Ugn tlio historieal accuracy of a work which ranks as a chissic in the hui- o'uau'G. At the same time I entirely exonerate IMr. L'ving from any intention of })rejudicing the minds ofliis readers, as he doul)tless had onlv in view to support the character of his friend: that sentiment is wortliv of a Q'enerous heart, hut it sliould not 1)0 gratified, nor Avould he wish to gratify it, I am sure, at the expense of the char- acter of others. Note nr thk Editor. Perliaps own coiitniry to tlio wish of Mr. Franclirro, I have left; tli(^ mIiovc jiliiiost, word for word ms lio wrote it. It is a part of the lii-^tory of llic iiffiir.s related as well in Mr. Irvill^^^ Astoria as in tlie pres(Mit vohune, tliat tlio reclanialioiis of orio of tho clerks ou that famous and iinfortunate voyaso of the Tonrpiiii, against ihe tlisparauin;^ di'scriplion of himself and his colleagues given in tlie former work, should Ite fairly recoided. At the same time, I ran not help statin" my own impression that a natural sua- cc])tihiHty, roused liy those slighting remarks from Captain Thorn's corrospondenoe, to which Mi'. Irving as an historian gives cur- rency, has somewhat: hh'nded my excellent friend to the tone of banter, so characteristic of the chronicler of the Knicki'rhockers, in which all these particulars are given, nloro as traits of the char- 376 FRAXnilJRE's VOYAf;E. actcf of the stern old Imi(l-liili!.crs and lite raiv cli ik< i-i-apfain, wlili Ids lirarty ('(Uitfmpt for than a>^ a ( tlif pi'fsciHs (HI Imard liis s(d]i, sii mid a-< \vr sec hy the iinsciil Wdi 1 Dii.t (dianictiTs, Inr w in "'I'l'ndaidc ncroiiii t (if nir (if wluiin ini''lit have I HM'Il, wiTc, in fact, v I'lT nifntdii- ii' liliTan- turn, and faiild'ul jdiirnali ' • '■" "■'■ui_\ iiiLM,, 1,111 lainiiui jdurnaiizin"' (uliirli S(MMn8 to have ..si„>,-iaily provoked tli.> captain's wmtli), now at lli(i end of more ti laii (ortv vcai.-;, we liav to lie tliankfni. (. (' so inucli reason 'erlainjy Mr. Irvin,-' himself, who has d ra \vn fn-qn(>nliy on Mr. Fraud well-known last sitn lere s narrative, conld not, from Ids (^ ill such matters, he insensihle to tlie Defoc-like plicity thorcof, nor lo the pictiirrscpie descriptions, worthv of a professional pen, with whicli it is sprinkli-d. THE END. '^V. J. S. REDFIELD, IJO AND 112 NASSAU STUKKT, NEW YOUR. HAS JTJST PUBLISHED: By EPISODES OF INSECT LIFE. AcHF.TA DoMF.STicA. In Three Series: I. Insects of Spring!;. - II. Insects of Summer. — ITT. Insects of AiUumn. Bt'nutifiiliy illustrated. Cro vn 8vo., cloth, ^ilt, price S'2.00 each. The same be'iutifuUy colored alter nature, extra ^ilt, $4.00 each. "A hook flcLMiit i'n(ni>.' .1 for the centre tnlilf, ^vitty onou^h for (iftcr ditiripr. iinii wi^e pnoiiu'li tor tlie study fithi tlif jJcluHilrooin. Oni" ot'tlu' liciititilul li'snons oCthis work '8 thi' kindly view it tfikcs ol' luiturp. Notln'Dtr is miidc in vjiin not only, liut notliini,' ia made ugly or rcpulsivo. A cliiirm i^ thrown around ovi'ry (>!ij(M't, iind life .'utl'uscd Ihriniul) nil. siiL'L'i'stivt! of tlif! CrmtorV i: Iniv-a nnd wisdom." — ,V. V. Evn'igrlist. '• Motli!>, iilow-worm-i, liidy-liirds, Miiv-tii'-i, lico.-', nnd a variety of otlicr inluiliitante of ''he insect world, are dcpcanted npon in a |ileii-inu '^tyle, coinbininc scientitic inforniatioa witii romance, in a manner peculiarly attriictiv(\" — Conimi'rriat Advrrrisf.r. "The liook iriclude.-f solid instruction ar* well as i,'eni;il and captivating mirth. Tho scientific kuuwledgo of the writer is thoroughly rt'liablo." — Examiner MEN AND WOMEN OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. By Ansr.NK IIoussayk, with beautifully l^^n^raved I*ortraits of Louis XV., and Madame de Pom|)adour. Two volume 12mo. 450 pa^es each, extra superfine paper, price $'2.50. CoNTKNTS.— Dufro?ny, Fontenrllo, Marivaux, Piron, The Alihe Provost, npntil-Romard, Floriaii. P)oulllors, DiJorot, Ciretry, Riverol, Louis XV., f/reuze, IJoucher, Tiie VHn- loo.^, Latitara, W'attcau, La Motte, Dehle, A!)be Trublet, ButTon, Dorat, Cardinal de Berni:?, Crt'billon tho (lay, Marie Antoin"ttn, Made, do Pompadour, Vade. Mlln. ("u- niaruo, MWo.. Clairon, Mad. de la Popelinir'r(\ Sophie Arnould, ("?rc"billon tlin 'I'ruL'io, MIL?, fiuirnurd, Three I'aijcs in tin: Life of Dancourt, A Promenade iu the Palais-It )yu!, the Chevalier do la Clos. •'Amoro fa>^einatin!! book thrm tiii-! rarely i^'=ne.'» from the teeniinijf preos. Fa-rinn- lili'j in its -uliject ; I'a.siiiiatin:.' in it-; ityli' : la,<(iiiaiiiiLr in it;; power to liad the re;ider ir't<.' ca^tle-buildiiii.' of the triost irorLieon^ and bewitching' de-Jcn|ition " — Cnnrur .v /•."(.■'/i/iiff. "This is a most Ui-lcome hook, fuli id information and amupenii'iit. in the t(,rin of memoirs, cotTunents, and anecdoti'.s. It lias the ^tyle ot liu'li! literature, with the ukH' fulnesij if the trravo'^t. It t-lumld la- iii (.-very liiirary, and tlie hands of < very reader" Boston. Commiinwcalth. "A Book of llooKs. — Two deliciously ppicy volumee, that are a pcrtecl bonne bituoAi kit K) epicure ui n'udingJ' — Home JouniaL RFDIirLDH NTW AVP POPULAR PITPM'' \T'MS* vnir.osoriiiins asd actiuis.sks (titriiils iniii, — gunner lii.fuir, " It is a nidsf (i(liiiir!tt)lf> book, full of oriL'iiiality, \\ir, inroiniiilioii niu' j)liil()BO|il:_> iidccd, ilic vivi; tho.-ie who read lor amu-iement. For it.^ originality and tnitiM'taining character, vre comnieiid it to our ri-adfr?!." — Alhanij Kxpnss. " It is overllowing with wit, humor, and oiigmality, ami jjrofusely illustrated. The whole work is distingui^heil by vast research and knov.-ledire." — Kviclcerboclccr. " The plan is a novel one ; the proofs atriking, and must challenge tho attention of the euricus." — Daily Adrerttser nrDrii'i.iis \nw .wn roiM'T.'u rrriK'A'riovs. mrkling uinnucr " [ly tlio ecienco.''— Norns A.\n {':Mi:M)Ari()\s or sa i\'i:s/'i-: Aur:. Notf'H iiiid KiiK'iiiliitiniis fc tlic Trxt nl' Sli iI\(s|Miiii '^ I'biV"*. fVi>rn tlv Ivirlv .Miiiiuvcripf, ('urr'-diDii-i in u copy nf thi- tollo of )'V.Vi. in llic iii»sscs- Im doiilifed, W(» tliink, tliat in tliis vnluino n rcintrilnitli'r t*s lirrii 111 iilc to till' clciifnc-irt Mini iicciiriii'y ol Hliiikf»--t iiii portdtit of liny otri'i-r,! or iitti-injiti'il Hiiifi' Sliulci'H|)i'iiri' livi'il iinil wroti-." — I.inhl. Efum " Till' corrci'tioiH which Mr, (;()UiiT \\w h'Tc l:ivi n to thi" worM uri', wc vrni\irf to think, i>f inori' viilin' tiiiin the lnliors dI nearly all tlio critica on riliuktwjiourt^'H ti'Xt jmv to^'i'llirr." — /.(indoii f. ill ran/ Cnullr. " it in a ran' :;riii in tin- hi-tory ol liti'mturo, and ran not fail to (•oinniand thr atten- tlon ot all lilt! Miiuiti'uirt 1)1 the uriliii_'-i ol thr iiiiinortal dianiatiir poet." — (Jh'staii (Jour " It irt a honk alisoliiti'ly iinli •pcn-ali!" to cvrry adinirt-r ot ."^huki-Hpenrt! who wibhrs lo Tc-ad him undi'i^tiiiidinu'ly."— A""*'-'''//'' Coiiriir. " It i-t clear Ironi intirnal cvidincc, tliiit lor the rnoHt part they are cnniiine rnatiiia- tioim ot'tlif ()i'ii:inal jilay^. Tlicy carry conviction with thein," — Hume Jnuriinl. "Thii^ voliinie i.-t an almost indi-pcn-ahle conijianion to any ot tin; cvlitioiiH ul Pluike-jpear", so nuiiieruu;) and ottiin important are iniiny ot tho curroctiouy."— UegiaiT l'/tiia(hlphui. ff^. ^vL THE HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES. By .TosKiMi Fk.w^ois ■\1iciiaud. Tiuii-hitcd by \V. Robson, 3 vols. 12rno., maps, "Sj 7o. " It is comprehenoivo and nrcurate hi the detail of ract->, mothodicril nnd lucid in ar- ranirenient, w tli a lively and tlowinir narrative." — Joi/nial of Cummrrrc. " We ii'ed not Fay that l\w work of Midland has snperMeded all other hi.>itorie8 oCthe (Jru^'adi'S. Tiiis history lia^ loiiuf Iweii the etandard work with ail wiio could read it in its ((riirinal lanirnairo. Another work on th" same snhject is a;' improlialdo 89 a new history of the 'Decline and Fa! of tiie lloiiiaii Empire,'" — SnUrm Fnir/ian. " 'riie most iaithtiil and masterly history fver written of the wild wars for the Holy Land," — Philadelphia Amrrl-aik Conrirr. "The ahility, diligence, and faithfulne.^s, with which Michaud lins oxecuted his preat task, fire undisputed ; and it is to his weli-filhMJ volumes that the hiutoricai stu- dent must now re.-'ort for coiiions and authentic facta, and lumiruais viewn respeciing this most romantic and wonderful period in tho annalij of tlio Old World." — Boston Daily Courier. xS^ MARMADUKE WYVIL. An Historical Romance of 1051, by Hk:<(ry W. Hkrbkrt, aut])(*r of the " Cavaliers of I^^uglatid,'' cVc, &c. Fourteenth Edition. Revised and Corrected. " This H one of tin? he.-st works of tlie kind we have ever read — full of tliriliin|T inci- dents and adventures in the stirrina: time.s of ('roniwel], and in tliat style which has nind'' the works of .Mr. iierl)ert go popular," — fftri>tinn Friemnn, Ilo^inn. "The W(jrk io disiiniiuishei! liy the same liistorical knowledge, thrilhnir incif'ent, and pictorial he.nily of style, wliieli liavi jharacferized >ill Mr. Herhert's fictions and imijartfld to them su.'h fthewitchinj- interest." — Yankee lilndr. "The author out of asiuipli- plot and very few characters, lia.9 constructed a novo! of deep interest and nf considerahle liiBtoricul value. It will be found well worth reading"— iVa/iy««/ /L^in, Worcester. n KDi ii;i,i) s xr.w and ri)iMi,\K iMiu.ifA'rioNs, 11.? ^!J| f- sKir/wuKs or Tin: inisii hau. By llic Riiilit Hon. Riciiaiu) rjAi-oii Siikil, M. I*. Ilditcd \\l!]i n .M(iii(»ir ami Notes, l)y l^r. Suklton Mackk.nzii:. Fourth ^Milioll. In -J vols. Price $2 OU. "'I'lK-y iittiiictr'iJ niiivcisiil uttciitidii liy flirir lirilliiiiif ninl pniiifi'il slyl", ninl tli<'ii- lit) tT'iliiy 'iiiiiii-'('cn('>'H, uml, in tiicf, omit iiotliiiiu' Hint JH c-.i'iitiiil to till' |ii'i('fct f'hiciiiiitiDii (pf ilu- ti'Xt."— yew York Trihiinr. "'I'lif-y ;iri' till' i)i'--t cditt'd litiiik^ u'f liiivi- met liir mmiy ii yi'ur. 'I'iuy loiin, with Miicki'n/.it'rt iiiiti'H, a (•(iriiplt'tc liintfriiphical ilii'liniiiiry, cnnfiilriiiii; siirTiiict miil cli'Vcr hkitclic- (if all till tiiliioUH |)( oplt" ot' K!ii,'liiii(l. Mini jiiiit riiliiily "I Iff liiiid, to wlioiii tli(> 8lii.'liti'ht allti^ioiH ail' iiiiiili' in tlir li'xt." — T/ic Cilizrn (.hi/ni Mitrlid). "Dr. Mucki'iizii' (Irni'i'vi'M tin- ilimik-i (il iin'ii (il littiii-, piiriiciilai ly nC Ii i-Iiiitcii, for hin icHi'iiicii Mill CHIP. Altii::rtli('r, tin; woik U ow \vi' can n'commnul in tlir lli^lll•^t tcnii-i." — I'hiliiililpliia C'iti/ Hem. " Sucli a n-pi'itiiy III wit, liiiinor, luiiH-ilnfp, niid wit, ilii- fully, flu' fNtrnvii','!tni'i', ami tin; liri> air all aliki' I'liniHCtiTiHilc ol wi iti'r aiiil siiliji'rt'j." — .\(m York ErnnsfrHst. " 'J'liei-e viilunii'a atlord a ricli tit^ai lu tlit' luvi'is ul lituralun'." — llartfurd Christian Sec By CLA SS IC A ND HIS TO lilC P OR TRA ITS. Jamk.s Bkuck. rJmo, cloth, $1 00. " A sriii'.s of pcr.soiiiil skifclies of distinmiisliod individiuils fif nil alios, oinhfnoinc Jinn nnd ink |iorlriiitH of iniir si.xty iicisons (loiu ^'!lpplll) down to iMiidaiiic do Starl. 'I'lii-y ehow niiii'li rtvirarcli, and po-.si'.-i.s tlnit iiitcri'fJt which att.iclii's to tin' private lifo of thoso wlioso naiiiJ's arc known to fanii'." — ytw Hdrin Joiininl and Courier. "They arc C(iinpit'licnsiv<>, wcll-wiitri'ii, and jiidicioiiH, huili in the Selection of sub- ject^i and the niHiiiier of treating,' them." — ll()stoii Athis. " 'i'he anilior liaH painted in niiimtc toiu-licH the clinracteristic.f of oacli with vnrioua pcr.'ional detaili*, all inlerestinLS (itid all calculated to fiiiiii-li to the mind's eyi" a coinpleta poitriiitiire of the individual descrihed." — Albany Knickerbocker. " 'J'he .•^ketche,'? are full and (rnipliic, many aiithoritiea having evidently been consulted by the author in their preparation." — Boston Journal. THE WORKINGMAXS WAY IN THE WORLD. Beiti'j; the Autobiography of a .Tourneyman Printer. By Charles Manuy Smith, author of " Curio.sities of London Life." I'^rno, ch)th, Si 00. "Written by n man of genius nnd of niost extraordinary powers of description." — Jhmon Trnrcllcr. " [: will lie read willi no gmall decree of interest by the professional bretbren of the (uitlior. af< well as liy all wlu» find altiactiona in a Well-told tale of a woi kinginan." — Bo.-^ton .lllax. '•All aiiinsincr .1? well as ir.Htnu'tive book. t"lliii:x how humble ob-curity cuts it.i wiiy tliroii^li till' woilii wilh ciier^ry, p^rsevi'iance, and integrity.'' — Albauij Knickrrhnckrr. ''The book ir the must entertaining we luive met with for months." — Fhiladdphia Evcuinsf Bulletin. •' He lias evidently moved through the world with his eyes open, nnd having n vein of humor in his nature, lius written ona of the most reudable books of the teuaon." — Zion's Herald. UHDFIKLD S NKW AND rOlTI.AR IT nr.K'ATIONS. MACAULA Y\S SPEncilKS. SprrrliPf* Iiv tlio Riu'lit lion. 'I\ 15. MA»Ari,\Y, INT. P., Author of " Tlif nisiory of Knclninl." " Lay>» of Aiicicul Jlomc," A:c., dec. Twii vols., I -Jinn, |)rict! S'J.dO. " If JH linni to pay wdrtluT liin pnf-try, Hi"* ^ppfchcd in jinrliiirin'rit. or liis tirillinitt ^^sny, Hi'i' ihi' iniiot cliiirmiiiL' ; ciu'li liiu< riiiH''il liitn tn very i^nat iniiniricc, hikI woulii bf siitlicii lit to I'oMHtituti' till- rciMitiitinri ut'ittiy ii>- liniiry ihhh."— .s/r Arrhihnld Ali'ini '• It uiiiy In- fuiii tliiit (iii'iit I'.nliiiii liHs prodiiri'il no fiirifrfinitn Kiiirc Itiii ki-. w ho hitt UTiilfd ill no (•iniii''iit a dfLrrfc hm Miicniilny tli"' Intty iiiiil ciillivatcil ijciiiuM, liic ('i(i(|iH'iit oriiti r, niiii tlif hH/ncioiiH luid turn acliiin' politician." — Alluiinj Ar^nn, " \Vt' do not know ol any livint; i;ii;^li-ii orntor, wlio)*!' cioriui'iicf coiikh so near tliP Biicicnt idral — cloM', rii|pid. powcrtiil, jirm til-Ill rriihonin:;, tuiiuialfd liy an inti iihi* coin CUtlM'bs ol li'i'lin.:.''— C"'r/(>- \ Kni/nirir. " Mr. MacMulay lias lutciy u(c|iiircil a-i L-rcnt n r(']>utnti'in m^ an orator, ns lio lind for- merly won as an ivsayi-t and iiihtorian. lIi- taktH in hirt fpicciic.M tiic hhiiic wiilc and c•olnp^cllcn^^ivl' :;ra-p ol liis .-nlijcct tliat iic liocs in hid cHiuys, and treats it in tlic saiiio fU'tritnt ( haiiii' clalidi iti' )iiiii-h, i-parklin^' aiitiMicpJs, lull pwi'c]) nnd copiouH flow ol tlioii'jlit, and traiippan iicy of .-tylc. wliicli iniulc liin c--avf< Ho attractive, arc loiind in his Hpccchi's. 'i'licy aic so pcrs[iii-nou-', so lirilliaiitly ttnddcd with orTiiimcnt ainl illus- tration. Hiid flo itsiHlliss In their (\irrciit. that they appi ar at iLu time to Lu tlie wiat'Bt Bud gruutc'iit vi hiiiiian coinpohition.-." — .XiwYork EvangilLit, TRENCH ON PROVERBS. On thn LossotT? iti T^rnvrrh-;, Iiy Rkjiivrd Ciikm.vix Trench, R. D., Pnifcssor of Divinify in Kmo;'s Ci)ll('o;e, London, Author of the " Study of Words."' lv>mo, cloth, 50 cents. "Another clmniiiiiij hook by the antlior of the " Study of Wonl.^." on n Piiliiecf which Is po iniieiiiou-ly treated, that we wonder no oik; lia.s treiited it helure." — Yniikre ^ilnilf. " It if< a hook at once profouniily ini^tiuctive, and at the Ffttne time deprived ol al! fippi'ouch to dryness, liy the cliarniing manner in which tlie hul.ject in trealt.ul"— /Jr thiir'a Ifinne flnzifte. " It is a wide fi.-ld, and one which the n\ithor Iimb well cultivated, addin;r not only to his own reputntioii. hut a valuaMe work to our lirerature."— ^l//>a"y F.vinhii( 'IW )isirii)t, " 'Ilii' work fihows an acute peiception. a ireniiil ajii>recii,rion ol wit. ;ind eiiat re- Fcarcl). It is a very inre niid atireealde production, wliicli may he read with p otit and .•ielichl."— A'lcbrntr>(I wit of tho times, nd on»^()f tho most riit'Ttninii,!: woiks ol it? f-'ilti'd author." — Spr'nigfii'd Republican. " Tiio l,ift> of Hli<'ri Eiiqnirvr. '•'Pile work is instructivn and full of interest." — Christinv Intelligevri'r. " it is a uem of bioarajihy ; full of incident. elrj:nntly writti^n, v\arm]y apprrciative, jnd on the whole candid and just. .Slieridan was a rare and woiid(Thil genius, and has In tiiis work justice done to his surpassing merits."— iV. 1'. Evaiigdist, BARRINGTON'S SKETCHES. Per.sonal Skctchos of his own Time, by Sir Jonah BARRirfCTOpr, Judi^c ( f tho rii<;h Court of Admiralty in Ireland, with Illustra- tions by .Parley. Third Edition, 12mo, cloth, $1 25. " A moro cntcrtninini: hook than this ^- not often thrown in our way. His skotchos of character are inimitable ; and many of the jjromintnt men of his tune are hit otl'ia tiie mf)8t striking and graceful outline." — Alliniy Ar^Ds. " llo was a very ^!lr"wd ol)8erver and ecceiitiie. writer, and liis narrative of his own life, and sketches of society in Ireland during his times, arc exceedingly humorous and intiresting." — A^. Y. Comincrrial Advirtitfcr. " It is one of those works whicli are conceived and written in so hearty a view, and brings l)efore the reader bo many palpable and amusinii ciiaracters, that "the entertain nieiit and inlormation are c-qually b.-ihinced."— U(t.ly written und ekilfully translated."- l.i/i/.ir hli\a:. inSmitntim^m THE LATEST AND BEST WORK ON RUSSIA. THE RUSSIAN SHORES -^^F THE BLACK SEA, AVitll a VuYAGE DOWX THE YoLGA, AND A JoUKNEY TimOUGir THE COUNTKY OF THE DoX CoSSACKS, l^y LAURENCE OLH^HANT, author of "A Journey to Xepaul," with two maps and eighteen ilhistrations. 12 mo, cloth, 75 cts. NOTICES OF THE TIIESS. " The hitcrit and best account of the actual state of Russia." — London Standard. '' The book of a quick and honest observer. Full of delightful entertainment." — Loudon Kcaniine'r. " A witness worth listening to on matters whereon good evidence is particularly difficult to obtain." — Lon- don Guardian. "No work of similar character with the same lio-ht- ness of execution has conveyed an equally clear idea of the vast enipire composed of so many disproportion- ate parts." — London Critic. " Mr. Oliphant has not only travelled whei'e few European travellers have been belV>re him, but he hfis wandered amid scenes of which everybody is anxious to hear. His clear and ra})id descriptions set objects before our eves with inii)retendini>- vividness ; and the notes he jots down are always worth attending to." — London Leader. IX T'RESS. EH^^TY YEARS IN 1K)TH HEMISPlM'llKS, hy VrNOKNT N(»i.Ti:. I vol. i'l mo, cluth. .'■^» ' f-''^ ■ ■,'■ !!- ' - !«,/■■'■ '■■ .y THE LATEST APsD BEST WORK ON TURKEY. im^**»* A YEAR WITH THE TURKS OR. Sketches of Travel i ; 1 IN THE EUROPEAX AXD ASIATIC DOMIiMOXS OF THE SULTAN. BY WARINGTON W. SMYTH, M. A. With a Colored EUinological Map of the Turkish Empire. One Vol. 12mo. Cloth, 75 cents. " Mb. Smyth basbail rare opportunities. Few men hare crossed and recrospod the empire in so many directions ; and many are the errors, the false reports, the misconceptions as to fact or motive which are here corrected by an able and impartial witness." — London Athenccutn, February 25th, 1854. ** Mr. Smytu's mode of travelling was well adapted to observe the character and condition of the people, as well as to form a judgment upon the mode of government, and its cflects. Indeed, his object in publishing this volume was less to give an account of his journeyings, than to throw what light he could upon the Turkish empire and people. lie has a pleasant, picturesque and direct style, and also, that knowledge of the past which is necessary to make travel profitable ; but he does not overlay his subjects with history." — London Sjuc- taior, February 25lh, 1854. In Frosa, FIFTY YEARS IN BOTH IIEMISPIIERES. BY VINCENT NOLTE r " ^' • " 'ft [URKEY. [URKS THE SULTAN. LA. lisli Empire. )!?sc(l and recrospod , the false reports, ;ted by an able and 4. serve tlie character ; upon the mode of [ig this volume wan rhat light he could mresque and direct ary to make travel p-." — London Spec- / HERES.