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Les diagrammas suivants illustrant la mithoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 V C'-~'> \ ' O ^ J ■'^f3 FORT NELSOiN AND HUDSON'S BAY. BY D. H. HEAD, Q.C. Since Hudson's Bay and the surround- ing territories became geographically and politically a part of the Dominion of Canada, all eyes are turned in that direction. The valuable fisheries that exist there, and the fact that a rail- way or railways are being built from Winnipeg to the coast of the bay are sufficient reasons for endeavoring to make ourselves familiar with that region. We ought to know its early history and the conflicts that have taken place, and especially between the English and the French, resulting in the occupation of the coast country and the far interior of the Hudson's Bay country, and of posts an(.l places, forts and trade houses, by the Biitish and the Dominion. We learn from French soui'ces that in 1545, only eleven yeais after Jacques Cartier's discovery of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and his visit to Mon- treal, one Alphonse, a native of Xaint- onge, in France, fired with ambition and love of discovery, made a voyage to the Morth coast, but that Jean Bourdon penetrated still farther, and that in IGoO, with a vessel of thirty tons burden, he explored the whole coast of Labrador, and then went on his course till he reached the Strait of Hudson's Bay, which he succeeded in getting through, then entered the great bay, and went on till he reached the head of these waters, after having made a circuit of seven to eight hun- dred leagues (French), and that the place he reached was but one hundred and thirty leagues from Quebec by land This voyage of Bourdon was made for the purpose of establishing a ti'ade with the Indians of Hudson's Bay. In 1601, the Indians having become aware that there was a nation of strangers ("not Indians) in their vicin- ity, sent ueputies by land to Quebec, with a view of entering into trade with the French, and at the same time asked that a missionary might be sent to them. Viscount d'Argenson, who was at that time the French Governor at Quebec, received the application of the Indian chiefs with grace, and under- took to send to their country a Jesuit Father named Dablon, together with Mr. de la Valliere, a gentleman of Nor- mandy, accompanied by Dennis Guyon, Deprez (Joutie, and Francois Pelletier. The names of these gentlemen are fa- miliar to the French- Canadians of the present day, both in a civil and politi- cal capacity. These gentlemen thought to make the journey, and for that pur- pose engaged Indians of the Saguenay to pilot them to their destination. This expedition, however, turned out disastrously ; the Indians after making some attempt to conduct them on their journey being obliged to con- fess that they did not know the route, refused to proceed in the enter- prise. In 1G03, the Indians, still anxious to get up a trade with the French, sent to Quebec to request Mr. d'Avagour, the then Governor, to send them some Frenchmen, with whom they could establish trade rela- tions. The Governor this time sent five men, who made their way to the bay by land, and took possession in the name of the King of France. On this occasion they planted a cross on a height of land ; they also placed at the foot of a large tree the King's arma engraven on brass. The English now had their turn. In the year 16j6, two French Cana- dian gentlemen named Des Grozeliers FROVINCIAL AiiCiilViiS 01 B. C 234 THE CANADIAN MAGAZINE. and Do, Riidisson conceived what was then considered a chimerical idea, the establishing of trading posts even at the extreme western or sou tli- western part of the bay coast. With this ob- ject in view tliey detoi'inined to tai<« a difleruiiL course from former expedi- tions. Tiiey adopted the Lake Su- perior route, the Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg and the Nelson river, and in tins way reached the bay at the mouth of the Nelson river. Thus it was demonstrated that the bay could be reached as well by the Superior route as by the Straits. 'J'hese French-Canadians afterwards applied to tlie French Government at Quebec, and to the home goverrnnent in France, to allow them to conduct ships to the heart of the fur countries by way of Hudson's Straits. Both (governments r ''u.sed their application. They then proceeded to Boston in the British colony of .Massachusetts, thence to London, where they were received by Biitisli merchants, who were but too jxl.id to enfjaife them in the cause of establishing a trade with the Indians in the re"ion of Hudson's Bav. Mr. Gil lam, connected with the New- foundland trade, was entrusted with the duly of prosecuting the discovery, and to interest iiimself on the side of the English traders. He sailed in the " Nonsuch " ketch into Baffin's Bay in l()()7 to the height ot 7o degrees north, and from thence .southward to .51 de- grees, whence he entered a river, to which he gave the name of Prince Rupert, and tinding the Indians favor- able he erected a small fort there. This success induced the English Company shortly afterwards to establish forts or trading posts at Monsipi and at Kichichouanne. As I gather from French accounts, the two French-Canadians, Des Groze- liers and De Radissoii, accompanied Gillam on his expeilition. The planting of Fort Rupert on the coast of the bay was the first attempt the English made in establishing trade with the Hudson's Bay ; and was really the foundation of the Hudson's Bay Company, that great trading company which .so long governed the North- west and monopolized the trade in that country. The persons interested in the vessel whieh took Gillam and his associates to the coast, upon tli'^ return of Gillam applied for a patent to Charles the Second, who granted them th(^ Hudson's Ba^' charter, dated the 2nd May, 1070. Thus we have presented the singu- lar fact that two French -Canadians, by their enterprise in visiting the coast by way of Lake Supeiior, baffled by the French and French Colonial Gov- ernments, threw themselves into the hands of London merchants, who be- came the founders and proprietors of the Hudson's Bay Company. The London company, having got their grant, were not slow in availing themselves of their privileges, and soon erected a fort or trading post at the mouth of the Nelson river, which was interchangeably, as between the French and English, called Fort Bour- bon or Fort Nelson. The (juestion as to who was to secure the ti'ade with the Indians of Hudson'.s Bay was daily growing in importance. Des Grozi'liers and De Radisson.who had succeeded in giving a foothold to the English on the coast, were adven- turers, as rejidy to serve the English as the French, or the French as the English, as best suited their interest. Leaving the service of the English they went to France, and, as the French historians say, repented of the mistake they had made in discovering to the Eufflish the advantaiTjes of Hud- son's Bay, obtained pardon from the Frencii king, promised to do better for the future, and returned to Canada. The patronage of the King of France having been obtained, a French, or French-Canadian Company was foi in- ed for the purpose of contesting the claims of the English in Hudson's Ba}', and to turn the trade in the direction of Quebec and France to the exclusion of tfie English, - FORT NELSON AND HUDSON'S JLl V. !35 Des Grozeliers and })e Radisson were given the couunand of two ves- sels to trade with the natives of the Hudson's Bay region. These two vess-^ls succeeded in reaching the Saint Tlidrose river, now called the Hayes river, which the map will show Hows into Hudson's Bay at or near the debouchure of the Nelson river. Here they built a fort after the fashion of forts of that day, about seven leagues from Fort Nelson. Three days after the arrival of the two vessels which Des Grozeliers and De Radisson commanded, thero arrived from Boston another colonipl ban[ue, but this time it was from the British colony of Massachusetts. Still four days afterwards, anothei- English ves- sel arrived from London, and anchor- ed in the Nelson river near the Boston vessel. The French and English col- onists frateriiizefi. The colonists were jealous of the English, and the French historian alleges that becoming appre- hensive that they would be seized by the English and made prizes of, they ])Ut themselves under their ])i'otection. The English on the Lon Ion vessel endeavored to make a landing near Fort Nelson, but were opposed by the hoMers of the fort. The ice beat so furiously against their vessels that they were compelled to cut their cables and sail out into the V)ay, where they were shipwrecked with the loss of forty men. Des Grozeliers and De Radisson of the French vessels entered into a treaty with the Indians, left eight men to guard the fort and departed for Quebec A misunderstanding soon sprang up between Des Grozeliers and De Radis- son and the French or French-Cana- dian Company, and the adventurers threw up all connection with the com- pany, set out for Paris, and put them- selves in the hands of Lord Preston, the British Ambassador at Paris. The French story is that Lord Pres- ton employed all the means at his dis- posal to induce the adventurers to go to London to unfold their designs, and succeeded. Des Grozeliers and De Radis.son o**''red the English traders in London to ie.>tore to them Fort Nelson, which the}' would have no difficulty in doing, inasmuch as they had left one Chouard, nephew of De Radisson and son cvf Des Grozeliers, ii. charge of the fort. What is called the treachery of Des Grozeliers and De Radisson obliged the French company to take other measures, if they wished to build up a trade with the Indians of Hudson's Bay : accordingly, in the following year, the company sent two small ves- sels into the bay. These vessels were under the command of M. de la Mar- tin'ere, who on reaching Fort Nelson, was surprised to find it in possession of the English. Martiniere wintered six months in the river Matcispi, op- |)osite Fort Nelson, made a treaty with the Indians and on the lOtli July set sail for Quel)ec : he would ha"e remained longer in the Hudson's Bay country to await assistance from France, but his people apprehended danger from want of pio visions, and being in danger of being blocked in by ice for the winter, set fire to the fort and left. In the course of his return voyage to Quebec, he fell in on the coast of Labrador with an English ketch, which was making its way to bay, but was obliged to succumb to the Martiniere and his companions. The English ketch became the prize of the French voyager. In the year 1G8.5, the French com- pany having laid before the King of France a statement of the action, or, as termed by them, the usurpation of the English, in having rendered them- selves possessors of Fort Nelson, obtained from His Majesty and hia council a concession of the full and exclusive enjoyment of the river Saint Th^r^se (Hayes river). In 168G, the Chevalier-de-Troyes captain of infantry at Quebec, accom- panied by three Canadian brothers 165527 ' 236 THE CANADIAN MAGAZINE. and many others, set out from Quebec on foot, with the design of making conquest of the three English forts iit Rupert, Monsipi and Kiehichouanne. They started on their journey in the month of March, carrying on their backs their canoes and provisions, and, aft jr many trials, arrived before Mon- sipi on the 20th Jujie. The French relater of the incidents of this perilous and fatiguing march says, " II fallait etre Canadien pour supporter les in- commoditez (I'une si longue tj-averse." It would be too lonj; for a inairazine article to enter into all the details of this undertaking : it is sutticient to say that the English fort fell under the blows administered by the French Canadians, and that Troyes and IJ'Iberville, the commanders of the expedition, and indeed, all their com- patriots, gained much eclat for the parts they played in the enterprise. To judge of the magnitude of the undertaking, one has to take into account the rough and wooded country the French Canadians had to travei'se, with but themselves to do the carrying of the boats, and provide coramisariat for the successful accomplishment of their mission. Having succeeded in takintj the thiee forts to which I have referred, the French could well afford co lie on their oars for awhile, even though the Hudson Bay Company by the occupa- tion of Fort Nelson should be enabled to aiminish their catch of fish or de- prive them of a goodly number of beaver skins, martin, loup marins or sea wolf, caribou and deer, and the skins of the many other wild animals which in- fested the woods and forests surround- ing Hudson's Bay. Here I may make a diversion, to make special allusion to the beaver or " castor," the national emblem of Can- ada. Of all the animals in the North- west, the beaver was held in the great- est reverence — that was because of its capacity for hard work, perseverance and skill in building houses for them- selves, and for the wonderful intelli- gence they displayed in all their oper- ations. Monsieur de Bacnueville de la Potherie, cousin of the Duke of Or- leans, llegont of France in 1722, who accompanied the expedition to which I have referred, in one of his letters giving a detailed account of the voy- age, also gives a detiiilud account of this animal, of its haunts, how it worked, fellini' trees for its winter hut, how it provided means of escape in case of flood or the burglaiious action of other animals, and imleed, of all its qualities of architect, carpenter, joiner, mason and all other mechanical arts required in the ccmstruction of houses. Writingof the castor (beaver), he says : " EUe est si admirable que Ton reconnoit en lui I'autorite d'un raaitre absolu, et veritable caractere d'un Pere de famille, et le genie d'un habile Arc'.iitecte ; aussi les sauvages diseut ([uo c'est un esprit et non pas un animal." We will now return to Fort Nelson. This fort, the importance of which was recognized both by the French and English, ,ve have seen fell into the hands ri the English of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1G87, and had since bee'i under their control. In 16i)4, the French and French (■anadians having posses.sed them- selves of the Forts Kiehichouanne, Rupert and Monsipi, now turned their attention to the capturing of Fort Nelson. The King of France supplied the Quebec company with two vessels, the Poll and the Salamander, to lead an expedition for the recoveiy of this fort. D'Iberville was given the command, and proceeded to Quebec where he engaged on^ hundred and twenty French Canadians to go with him to Fort Nelson. He and his com- patriots set out from Quebec on the eighth of August, and arrived before the fort on the twenty-fourth of Sep- tember. D'Iberville besieged the fort for eight days, and then bombarded the fortifications for eight days. The garrison was not a very large one, only fifty -six men. On the 12th of October, FORT NELSON AND //[/D SON'S HA Y. n? the fire of the besiejcerb becorniiifj too hot for the besieged, the fort with tlie garrison of fifty -six men and fifty pieces of cannon was surrendered, and the Quubec company became master of tlie field. At the end of fifteen months, D'Iberville returned to France, leaving one La Foret governor of tlie place. In KiOG, the Fnglish appeared be- fore the fort with four vessels of war and one gun boat. La Foret disputed their landing as well as he was able ; all, however, of no avail, as the garri- son was soon compelled to surrender the fort, making it a stipulation that they should retain the beaver skins in the fort ; a stipulation which, the French say, the English failed to keep, and took the beaver skins and an Iroquois Indian Chief with them to England. The French government, incensed at the conduct of the English, now detei- mined to make vigorous efforts to re- establish their authority at Fort Nol- son. For this purpose, the King seat out a squadron of four prime vessels, the Pelican, the Palmier, the Weesph and Le Profond, with instructions to capture Fort Nelson at all hazards. These vessels, after a voyage of nearly six months, arrived in view of Fort Nelson on the 3rd September, 16!)7. Two days afterwards, they were surprised to find three ships, under full sail, coming up the Hudson's Bay. These ships were the English ships, the Hampshire, fifty-six cannons and 2.50 men ; the Derirui, of thirty-five guns, and the Hudson Bay, of thirty- two gun.s. Mr. de Bacqueville, one of the of- ficers of the expedition, gives a full and particular account of all the man- ceuvres of the French squadron till it reached Fort Nelson, and made war upon the English and their vessels, amidst the ice of Hud.son'sBay and on land up to that time more frequented by the Esquimaux, bears, wolves and other wild animals than by civilized people. His account of this outward- bound voyage, and all its incidents, from its f)eSepteml)er. As soon as the ilnglish came within fight- ing distance of the French they formed themselves into line of battle. The combat soon commenced in earnest. The French had determined to hava Fort Nelson or die in the attempt. Tiiey first attacked the Havijyffhire, then the Bering, and soon the Jlud- soii'i^ Bay. Tiie sea figlit between the opposing ships was well sustained by both sides for several hours. The result, however, was against the English. The Ilavijwhire was sunk, the Hudson's Bay struck her flag, and the Deriny put to sea, no longer able to withstainl the prowess of the Frencii ?rnis. The ti'eaty of liigswick was signed that year, and left the French in possession of all the forts on Hudson's Bay. During the next fifteen years, the English trade was restricted, but by the treaty of Utrecht, A.D. 1713, all the territories of the bay were ceded to the English. The Hudson's Bay Company were at once restored to the rigits and privileges which they had enjoyed under the patent of Charles H., A.D. 1070; these rights and privileges they enjoyed uiunterruptedly, in the exer- cise of wliicii they amasse