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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Select Committee on the Hudson's Day Compami. 18 5 7. PAPERS. EXTRACT from the Repokt from the Committee ai)- pointed to Inquu-e into the State and Condition of the Countries adjoining to Hudion^s Bay, and of the Trade carried on there. 1749. 23 February 1857. [Great inconvenience having arisen front the Publication of Minutes of Evidence taken before Cummiltees, and »f Papers, ifC. laid before them, it is particularly rei/uestcd that Members receiving; such Minutes and Papers uiil be careful thai they are confined to the object for viliiih they are printed, the special use of the Members of iuch Committees.'] %■ 0.25— (l). Mr^. mpami. ttee a\)- i of the e Trade :atton of and of etjuestcd uiil be uh they of iticb f I 1. Select Committee on the Hudson s Bay Company, 18 5 7. P A P E R S. EXTRACT fi»>tn the Report' from the Gommitice appointed to Inquire into the State and Condition of the Countrica adjoining to Hudson's Bay, and of the Trade carried on there. 1749. To the Bight Honourable the Lords of a Committee of H'" Majesty's most Honourable Appendix, No. Privy Council. May it please Your 'Lordships, In humble obedience to your Lordships' Order in' Council of thu 4th of February last, representing that, by an Order in Council, bearing dote tiie 2Gth day of January last, there was referred to your Lordships the humble petition of Arthur Dobba, esq., and the rest of the Commi 'ee appointed by the subscribers for finding out a passage to the Western and Southern Ocean of America, for themsc'vcs and the other adyentiufrs ; and thnt your Lordsliips, having taken the snid petition uito consideration, were pleased to refer the same to us, to consider thereof, and report our opinion tlicreupon to your Lordships. Vhich petition sets forth, that the petitioners, in the year 1746, did, at tlicir own costs and charges, fit out two ships upon an expedition in search of the north-west passage to the Western and Southern Ocean of America, in order to extend the trade, and increase the wealth and power of Great Britain, by finding out now countries and nations to trade with, as well in the great north-western continent of America, beyond Hudson's Bay, as in countries still farther distant, and hitherto unknown to the Europeans ; and also to many large and populous iskmds in that great Western Ocean. That the .petitioners, by means of the said expedition, have made severd discoveries of bays, inlets, and coasts, before unknown, and have a reasonable prospect of finding a passage to the Southern Ocean, by sea, although the discovery may not be perfected without repeated trials, upon account of the diffteulties and danger of searcl/mg different unknown inlets and straits, and failing througli new seas, and of prjouring men of resolution, capacity, and integrity, to pursue it et&ctually. That the petitioners find that the reward of 20,000 /., given by Parliament, is not adequate to the expense the adventurers must be at to perfect the discovery, they having already expended dbove half that sum in'their late expedition. That the :petltioners find that, upon a former attempt, his Majesty's predecessor King Charles the Second, as a suitable encouragement, granted a Roysil Charter to the Governor and Company df Adventurers in England trading to Hudson's Bay, making them a body corporate for ever, upon their petition, setting forth that they had, at their own proper costs and charges, made an expedition to discover a new passage into the South Sea, and for finding some trade of furs, mines, and other commodities ; and gave them the sole projicrty of all the lands they should discover, together with an exclusive trade to all the countries within Hudson's Straits, not in possession of any of his subjects or of any other Christian power, with the royalties of mines, minerals, gems, and royal fish, to enable them to find out the passage, extend the trade, and to plant the countries they should discover, paying two elks und two black beavers, wlienever and as often as his Majesty and his successors siiould enter tlieir territories ; grantiqg to thom the gre»itest privileges as lords proprietors, saving only their faith and allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain. The petitioners beg leave to observe, that the said Company lutve not since effectually, or in earnest, searched for the said passage, but have rather endoavoured to conceal the same, and to obstruct the discovery thereof by others; nor have tliey made any new discovery either upon the coast, or in the inland countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay, since the grant Of tiieir dliartcr ; nor have the^ taken possession of or occupied any of tlie lands granted to them, or extended their trade mto the inland parts of the adjoining continent ; nor made any jdantations or ucttlemente, except four factories, and one small trading-house, in all which they hnvcmairitJii'i^d, in time df 'peace, about 120 persons, servants to the Company ; nor liave thev allowed any other of llis Majesty's subjects to plant, settle, or trade in any of 0.25— '(i). " ' A ' tiic APPENDIX TO REPORT FROM THE Appendix, No. the countriea adjoin'ng to the Bay granted to them bv their charter; yet have ooDnived -"^ tit or allowed the Frcr.ch to cncroaGn, settle, and trade, within their liinita, on the south hIJo of the Bay, to the great detriment and loss of Great Britain. That the petitioners, being desirous to pursue the discovery of the passage to the Southern Ocean of America by land or by water, will engage not only to prosecute the name until it bo thoroughly discovered as far as practicable, but also to settle and improve the land in all the countries on that northern continent, by making alliances with, and civilising the natives, and incorporating with them, and by that means lay a foundation for their becoming Christians, and industrious subjects of his Maicsty ; and also extend the British trade into the heart of that northern continent around the Bay, and into such countries as they may discover beyond it in the Western Ocean, and to use their utmost endeavours to prevent the French encroachments upon the British rights and trade in that continent. In order therefore to enable the petitioners to prosecute and bring to perfection so valu- able a discovery, and to civilise the natives and settle the lands witncvt, loss of time ; and that the trade and settlement of such extensive countries may not be longer delayed, or perhaps for ever lost to his Majesty uud his successors, by the oncrop.otiroents of the French, — The petitloncre most humbly pray, that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to in- corporate the petitioners and the other subscribers ibt finding out the said passage, or such of them and such other persons as they shall engage in the said undertaking, and their suc- cessors for ever, and grant to tliem the property of all the lands they shall discover, settle, find plant, in a limited time, in tho northern continent of America adjoining to Hudson's Bay and Straits, not already occupied and settled by the present Company of Adventurers trading to Hudson's Bay, with the like privileges and royalties as were granted to the siud Company : and that His Majesty would oe pleased to grant unto the petitioners (during tho infancy of their settlements) an exclusive trade, for such a term of years as may be granted to discoverers of new <Mrt8 and trade, to all such countries into which they shall extend their trade by land or by water, not already granted by Act of Parliament to other companies, reserv- ing to the present Company of Adventurera trading to Hudson's Bay all the forts, factories, and settlements they at present occupy and poaseits, with a reasonable district round each of their possessions and factories ; or that his Majesty would be pleased to grant the peti- tioners such other relief and encouragement as to his Majesty in his great wisdom should becni meet. We have taken the same into consideration, and have been attended by Counsel botli in behalf of the petitioners, and the Hudson's Bay Company, who oppose the petition as it interferes with their charter. The petitioners insisted on two general things : that the Company's charter was cither void in its ori^nal creation, or became forfeited by the Company's conduct imdcr it. That the petitioners have, by their late attempts to discover the north-west passage and navigation in those parts, merited the favour petitioned for. As to the first, the petitioners endeavoured to shoW, that the grant of the country and territories included in the Company's charter was void for the uncertainty of its extent, being bounded by no limits of mountains, rivers, seas, latitude or longitude, and that the grant of the exclusive trade within such limits as there were, was a monopoly, and void on that account. With respect to both these, considering how long the Company have enjoyed and acted under this charter, without interruption or encroadiment, we cannot think it advisable for His Majesty to make any express or implied declaration against the validity of it, till there has been some jud^ent of a court of justice to warrant it; and the rather, because, if the charter is void in either respect, there is nothing to hinder the petitioners from exercising the same trade which the Company now carries on ; and the petitioners own grant, if obtained, will itself be liable, in a great degree, to the same objection. As to the supposed forfeiture of the Company's charter by nonuser or abuser, the charge upon that head is of several sorts, viz. : That they have not discovered, nor sufficiently at- tempted to discover, the north-west passage into the South Seas or Western Ocean : That they have not extended their settlements through the limits of their charter : That they have designedly confined their trade to a very narrow compass ; and have for that purpose abused the Indians, neglected their own forts, ill-treated their own servants, and encouraged the French. But on consideration of all the evidence laid before us, by many ai&davits on both sides (herewith enclosed), we think these charges are either not sufficiently supported in point of fact, or in a great measure accounted for from the nature or circumstances of the case. As to the petitioners' merit, it consists in the kte attempts made to discover the same pas- sage ; which, however as yet unsuccessful in the main point, may probably be of use here- after in that discovery, if it should ever be made, or in opening some trade or other, if any should hereafter be foimd practicable ; and have certainly lost the petitioners considerable sums of monfiv. An.1 SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY. 3 ^L^rf "\ .*'*? grant proposed ia not nccefwary in order to proeecutc any future attempt of Appendix, No. the like kind, and tbo charter of the Hudson's Bay Company docs not prohibit the petitionent Irom the use of any of the porta, rivers, or soas included in their charter, or deprive them of the protection of the present settlements there ; we humbly submit to your Lord«<hipH con- Bideration, whether it will bo proper at present to grant a charter to the petitioners, which I upon that of tlie Hudson s Bay Company, and may occasion great confusion b^ the interfering interest of two companies netting up the same trade agninst each other in the same parts, and under like exclusive charters : All which is humbly sub- mitted to your Lordships' consideration. D- Ryder. 10 August 1748. ^r.Murra,. (True copy.) fF. Hharpt.