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Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul clichA. ii ast filmA A partir da I'angia supAriaur gaucha, da gaucha A droits, at da haut 9n bas. tn pranant la nombra d'imagas nAcassaira. Las diagrammas suivants lllustrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 T History of the American Fur Trade. 305 blcs and sheds, in which cattle are kept, are built of rock, and cleaned regularly every morning and evening, and the cattle well littered with straw, or something else provided for the purpose ; so that one could .scarcely tell, only for seeing the cattle, but that he was in a well kept livery stable. They are fed as regularly as the farmer himself; not much at a time, but often, four or five times a day. The first thing in the morning is to feed the cattle, and frequently the last thing at night. On what is called a well stocked farm, one-fourth, or a fraction over, are cows ; one-fourth one year old ; one-fourth two years old : and one-fourth three years; omitting to count calvgs till a year old. A farmer therefore who can keep ten cows, has ten head of cattle to dispose of every year. And if he is able to feed them the third win- ter, they will bring the highest price. Suppose he feeds ten, each weighing forty stone, a fair average weight for cattle three years old ; and dispose of the same at five shillings per stone, which is about the average price, the amount of cash he would receive for the whole would be .£100 sterling, which, to say nothing of what is made from the cows, would pay the rent of a snug little farm. We have little room to speak of Sheep. Those who go extensively into this branch of business, keep them on the hills during summer, wliere their principal food is the bloom of the heath, and bring them to the plains during winter. The business is profitable were it not that in winter, great numbers are lost in the snow. ART. V.—UISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FUR TRADE. Br J. LOCOHBOROUOII, ESQ,., Or MISSOURI. CHAPTER I. Origin of tlie Fur Trade— Dlicovery of Canada— Cartier—DeMortf—Chsmplsin— Traffic with tiie Indians commenced — Origin and character of the Courier de Bois— Facility of forming savage habits — Immorality of the Courier's de Bois — The license system — Discovery of Hud- son's Bay— Grosseliez — Charter of Bay Company— Ueficiency of organization — Their slow progress — Voyages of Knight, Barlow, Middleton, and Moore and Smith — Wars with French traders — Treaty of 1*63 — Cession of Canada to the English — Journey of Carver — The Yazoo Indian's trip — Journeys of Uearne — Incidents illustrating Indian life and character — Return of Heame. It is a singular and striking manifestation of the wisdom of Prov- idence, in educing good out of evil, and rendering the worst passions of humai nature subservient to the ends of virtue, that the fur trade, wiiich had its origin in vanity and avarice, has, nevertheless, essen- tially contributed in many ways, to the lasting welfare of mankind. T 306 History of the American Fur Trade. From the earliest period, the passion for the finer iurs, as ornaments, has existed among nations of northern origin, as that for jewels and precious stones has characterized those of southern regions. Time, conquest, and emigration, have changed the relative positions of peo- ple, but not their tastes; and now we see a thousand characteristics singularly out of harmony with the localities in which they are found. It is thus that we see the taste for furs, as articles of dress and orna- ment, tran'^planted by the Turks and Tartars into southern Asia and China. The simple fact that certain animals wear a skin covered with soft and ricl^ fur, with which princes and nobles love to be deco- rated, and that there have been men so devoted to the love of lucre as to undertake the most hazardous voyages and journeys, and en- counter the most imminent dangers to profit by this passion of the great, has contributed in an inconceivable degree to the advancement of science, the spread of true religion, the improvement of commerce, and the progress of civilization. The founders of the fur trade, (with- out certainly being impelled by such motives,) have brought to the knowledge of the world boundless deserts, and almost impenetrable forests; and an accurate account of the manners, custems and habits of millions of human beings previously unknown to the civilized world. By introducing a knowledge of the capabilities and resources of these wild regions, a boundless field for an incalculable amount of commerce has been opened up. By informing the philanthropic and the pious of the true situation of vast masses of benighted and suffering fellow creatures, they have induced thousands of zealous and pure minded missionaries to carry the true religion of the cross into regions destitute alike of earthly comfort, and of future well founded hope. By giving the assurance that the cultivators of science might follow their footsteps in safety and security, they have contributed to introduce an inestimable amount of useful knowledge in every de- partment of natural science. Astronomy has been greatly advanced ; geography extended, until at this time scarce a spot upon the globe remains unexplored ; geology, that infallible guide to the physical liis- tory of the past, and the agricultural success of the present, has found in these wild regions, some of her most valuable treasures; botany, zoology and ornithology, have been enriched with vast discoveries; and above all, and more than all, the world now fully understands to what ends, and by what means, its efforts must be directed in further- ance of the great mission o( civilization. It may be true that popu- lation would, in the course of time, have spread over all these regions ; but its progress is naturally slow — men reluctantly leave the confines of civilization, without some assurance of the character of new lands, and centuries might have elapsed before the surge of population would have swelled to the shores of the Pacific. In that period, how much would have been lost of inestimable value to the comfort, the happi- ness and the intellectual advancement of mankind ! And how deeply is it to be deplored, that so many signal benefits, should have been purchased by the sacrifice of the lives, the morals, and the health of thousands of harmless beings, for whose protection all the safe-guards of law, and all the military force of several governments proved wholly unavailing. But the best grand results, and the most benefi* fittt then Cliai foiini the p'^d obj( orief dent Tl nuc sma for tl them •Ci diamc mica, I I History of the American Fur Trade. 307 tent designs of Providence, are always more or less polluted by the evil passions of mankind, and we have reason to be fervently thank* ful, that in spite of these evil passions, the benefits resulting Irora the fur trade, have far overbalanced its injuries. Francis the First of France, a high-minded, chivalrous and ambi* tious monarch, eager to cope upon equal terms with his illustrious rival, Charles the Fifth, fitted out several expeditions for maratime discovery. The second of these great voyages was entrusted to the command of Jacques Cartier, who was selected by the Sieurde Mille- rays, Vice Admiral of France. The event justified ihc choice ; for Cartier proved himself one of the most intelligent, courageoiis and prudent commanders of an ago fruitful in heroic spirits. He sailed from St. Malo in 1534, with two ships. He peneirated for the first time into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The advanced season, however, compelled him to return to France. Meeting there with a flattering reception, he resolved again to embark and prosecute his discoveries up the river St. Lawrence into the interior of the contineni. His squadron consisted of three ships. They weighed anchor in May, 3535, and steered for New Foundland. On his former voyage he had induced two of the natives to return with iiim to France. As soon as ho entered the mouth of the river, these natives informed him that it ran through a great Continent with large lakes. He proceeded up the river as higli as the point where the city of Montreal now stands, where he found a large Indian town, built of logs and bark, and sur- rounded by breast works. After remaining some time, he again sailed for France.* Like his illustrious predecessor, Columbus, he received ingratitude instead of reward ; but the authors of it were punished by a provi- dential failure of several successive expeditions towards the rich land ho said ho had discovered. Cartier himself, was subsequently lost in a voyage undertaken upon his own account. At length, after a number of abortive attempts at discovery, and colonization, Z)cMow/a', a gentleman of Santoigne, about the end of the sixteenth century, fitted out an expedition for Ncio France, as all northern America was tlieu called. DeMonts himself, was finally tempted into piracy, but Champlain, his second in command, ])roved true to his trust. He fi^imded and fortified a town on the present site of Quebec, reduced the neiuhboriug country to cultivation, and headed a number of ex- peditions into various portions of the interior. It is no part of our object to enter upon the details of tliese French geographi(;al discov- eries — deeply interesting as they are — save in so far as they are inci- dentally connected with the rise and ))rogrcss of the fur trade. This first permanent settlement of the French in Canada, was the nucleus around which, in the course of time, a multitude of other small colonies were collected. Finding a large demand in Europe for the finer furs, and that the country abounded in animals bearing them, they immediately opened a traffic with the natives, giving to "e-guards •Cartier made a third voyage, in which he fancifid he had discovered gold and diamonds. His collections, however, were only limpid quartz and golden yellow mica, mistaken in that ignorant age for gold and diamonds. 308 History of the American Fxir Trade. them trinkets, and coarse and cheap articles of clothing and cutlery, in t'xchaniif. At first, when the wild animals were abundant, and the In- dians numerous and pov;erful, the white traders contented themselves with remaining in their towns, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and purchasing the skins brought to them by the red men. As the .•supply diminished, and as the Indian tribes became thinned, corrupted and weakened by the destructive proximity of civilization, the traders found it their interest to penetrate the recesses of the wilderness and barter with the hunter within his own territories. The individuals who undertook this task, were a class of hardy adventurers, who join- ed the savages in their villages, married wives among them, adopted with wonderful facility their habits and customs ; and engaged with them in their hunting excursions, sharing the proceeds. Their distant inland expeditions (or voyages, as they called them,) frequently oc- cupied as much as twelve or eighteen months. It is astonishing how much easier it is for the most civilized being to descend into barbar- ism, than for the most intellectual savage to rise into the civilized .state. In the first case, twelve months uninterrupted association with .savages, almost uniformly effects the result ; whilst we believe there is no example in history of a grown savage having been converted into a civilized being. Generations of contact alone can accomplish it. On this point we have read much of conjecture and speculation. To our mind the reason is clear and satisfactory. Civilization is the creation of the reason, and implies a conquest over the passions and the appetites ; barbarism consists in the almost undisturbed reign of the latter. The one state requires a constant and steady effort of mind, the other requires none. The one is a rational condition — the other an impulsive one. Tbe one is a condition of necessary res- traint; the other of entire freedom. We confess it is easier to con- ceive than to express the distinction, but the two conditions of the mind and feelings we have experienced. These daring men had to encounter every form of toil, hardship, and danger. They had to associate with savages, selfish, brutal and treacherous, Intellectually; and depraved as they were morally, even their inferiors— beings with whom they could feel no sympathy, to- wards whom their only relation was a mutual struggle to murder, to cheat, and to plunder. Under these circumstances, free from all the restraints of law and of public opinion, the Courier des Bois, as they were called, rapidly degenerated into intelligent and cunning beasts of prey ; combining the foresight, steady perseverance, and the powers of combination of the white, with the rapacious, unscrupulous and unprincipled ferocity of the Indian. So fatal was their example to ti»e morality of the natives, and so serious an impediment did their course of conduct become to the pious and zealous efforts of the mis- sionaries to infuse into the Indians the pure principles of the gospel, that at their urgent solicitation an ordonance was published prohibit- ing all persons whatsoever from entering the Indian territories without a license, and making the continuance of the license depend upon their conduct.* In the state of society then existing this remedy was •Sir Alex. Mackzenzie, page 1 to 3. I History of the American Fur Trade. no9 itlery, in d the In- imselves iwrence, As the orrupted e traders ness and lividuals vho join- adopted iged with ir distant ently oc- hing how barbar- civilized ition with levs there converted :complish Bculation. lization is ; passions rbed reign y effort of ition — the ^ssary res- er to con- ons of the hardship, )rutal and ally, even athy, to- nurder, to )m all the \s, as they iig beasts \G powers ulous and xample to did their f the mis- ae gospel, prohibit- s without Dend upon medv was % of course nearly nugatory. Even at the present time, a similar sys- tem more strictly guarded, is found almost impracticable to enforce. In the year 1708, Henry Hudson rediscovered the Strait connect- ing the great Bay, which bears hid name, to the Atlantic. Through this Strait he entered the Bay, where his crew mutinied, hound him, and put him with his adherents, the sick and the wounded, into .') shallop and then made sail. He was never heard of more. This voyage of Hudson was followed by a number of others, the leading objects of which were to penetrate into the Pacific through some of the inlets of this Bay, or to discover a north-west pa.'if-agt! into that ocean. The last of these voyages, previous to 16G8, were those of Fox and James; and their crews disseminated on their return such glowing accounts of the abundance of rich furs, that they excited, tlie interest of (a'rosseliers, an enterprising individual, who undertook a voyage to survey the country, c.nd laid before the PVench govern- ment a scheme for a settlement. The Minister rejected the scheme as visionary ; but Grosselie/ having obtained an introduction to Princo Rupert, (hen in Paris, obtained through his interest with the P^ngliili King, a vessel which sailed in 16G8, and penetrated to the top of James' Bay. Here they erected Fort Charles on Rupert river. In the succeeding year. Prince Rupert, with seventeen others, were in- corporated into a company. To this company Charles the Secon>l gave and granted in fee, as lords of the soil, all the territories on th«j coasts and confines of all the seas, lakes, and rivers, within Hudson's iStraits, not actually in (he occupancy of any other prince or state, toge(her with the sole and exclusive right of trading with all the in- habitants theioof. The leading motive of the King, was (o further the etl'orts for the discovery of the nor(hwest passage, and the duty of aidin,!]; and assisting in these efforts, was expressed as a condition in this ( harter.* This company accordingly commenced operations, but their organ- ization was so deficient, that it made but slow progress in ils attcnipi^ to rival the French in Canada. Its commandants and clerks hail all fixed salaries, were without a pros])ect of future promotion, and wert' consequently without any motive to stimulate them, beyond the per- formatue of their specified duties. The hands or voyageurs, were u.sunlly Orkney men, or men from some other of the Scottish Isles, whose inflexible tlispositions and fixed habits, illy adapted them t(» an inlercnuri^e with a new and savage race of people. 7\rcor(liiigly we find that in 1740, nearly eighty years alter, the trantiriu cf (lieir charier — allhou'h at that period (he animals were abundaDt — nn at- tempt was made to deprive them of their charter, on the ground o\' 7tou user : and (lie consequent investigation demonstrnied that they had accomplished very little. They possessed at that period only four small and badly constructed forts, manned by one hundred and twenty men. They only realized a nett profit of altuul $25,000 per annum. At the same period the furs imported into Rocht lie, frem Canada, yielded to the French traders a nett profit of abou( fJdOO.OOO.f •Mrtrpl ersdiis Ai ti:ils ol Comnieice, v. '2, p. '):'^>. Sec al^o ;l.c ( linrnr. ■j-Rcpori of rnir.tnittet'ot the Commons, leprintcd in ibt'li. and Aruleu-ons His- :cry ot Ccmnieicc, v. 3, p. -37. 010 History of the American Fur Trade, Previous to the peace of 1 V03, the only oflbrt.s made by the company to fulfil the condition of their charter, respecting the northwest pas- .sage, were the voyages of Knight and Harlow, in 17U) ; of Middleton in 1742, and of Alooro and Smith in 1740. The vu.'isel.s of the first were never heard of; those of the second returned without accom- plishing anything of note, and the last expedition was, if possible, of less consequence still. liy the treaty of Uyswiok, in 1097, it was provided that the Hud- son's Hay territories should belong to France ; but if the exact lino was drawn as provided for in the treaty, it was never fairly under- stood or recognized by the Canadian French. Consequently, firoin this period up to the treaty of Utrecht, in 1714, a state of quasi war existed between the French traders and the Hay Company ; and the latter were several times dislodged by the former; and as the latter treaty provided for commissioners, whose action was not heeded, this war continued until 170o. Fort Churchill was erected in 173;J, in defiance of treaty — strongly fortified and mounted with 40 pieces of cannon ; but it was, nevertheless, taken by Lal'ayrouse.* IJy the terms of the treaty of 1703, Canada, together with all tho other dominions of the King of France on the continent, east of tho Mississippi river, except only the narrow strip between that river and the lbberville,and Lakes Maurapas and Poritchartrain, were ceded to Great Britain. This treaty was signed at Paris. The region extend- ing southwest from Hudson's Hay to the great Lakes, and the heads of the Mississippi, had long been frequented by the traders from Canada, and had been partially surveyed by French o/Iiccrs and missionaries. This region was also visited, in 1700, by Jonathan Carver, a native of Connecticut. The object of Carver was to ascertain the breadth of the continent, about tiic 40tli parallel, induce the gorernmcnt to establish a post somewhere west of the Mississippi, and thus facilitate the discovery of a northwest passage. In his journal is to be found the Jirst mention of the Oregon river, by any English trader or traveler. He derived his account of it from the Indians. Pecuniary embarrassments prevented the prosecution of his scheme. One of the strangest adventures which has been preserved to us of that period, is recorded by the French traveler, Lepage Pupratz. A native of the Yazoo country, named Monchactabe, having taken a roving fit into his heail, deliberately set out, followed the Missouri river to its head, crossed the mountain barrier, and pursue and 1772, tliru'j ioiinieys from Prince of Wales Fort, on Hudson's M;iy, near the t>i>lli parallel. In his second jnunitjy he went as far as White Snow Lake, in (il dei;. Here the accidental destruction ol' liis (piadrant coitipellcil him to return. Some idea maybe formed of the privations endured in thif: journey, from the following extract: '• To record," says Heanie, "in detail, each day's fare since tho commonccnu'iit of this journey, would be little mure than a dull rep- etition of the same ociMirreiices. A suHicierit iilea of it may be given ill a few words, by observing that it may justly be said to have been cither all feasting or all fastinu'. Sometimes we had too much, seldom just enough, fieipienlly too little, and often none at all. It will bo only necessary to say that we fasted many limes two whole days and nights, twice upwards of thrive days, and once, while at Shonanee, near seven days, during which we tasted not a nioiitliful of anything except a fow cranberries, water, scraps of old luathei, and burnt bones." On these occasions, Hearne often saw the Indians examine their wardrobe, which consisted chiefly of skin clothing, considering what |)art could best bo sj)arcd, when sometimes a piece of half rotten deer skin, and at others a pairof old shoos, would bo sacrificeil to alleviate; extreme hunger. On his return he met Matonabbee, an intelligent chief, who had advised the iourney. The Indian's notion as to the real cause of llearne's failure, is amusingaud characteristic eiioin:h. "In an ex- ledition of this kind," said ho, "where all the men are so heavily idiMi that tiiny can neither hunt nor travel to any considerable dis- tance, in case they meet with success in huntinsi, who is to carry the meat? V/"omeu Were made for labor; one of them can carry or haul as much as two men can do. They also pitch our tents, iiiiiao and mend our cloll.in',', kee|» us warm at niudit, and, in fact, there is no su. h thinn as traveli.g any considerable distance, or for any length of time, in this country, without them ; and yet, though they do every thing, they are maintained at a trillin'i expenst? ; for, as they alwavs act the cook, the very licking of their fingers in scarce times, is sulli- cient for their subsistence."* On his third journey, Matonabbee accompanied him with seven of his wives. On the '2d of March, they arriveil at the Uoobaunt Whole •Hearue's Jouiney. page 55. 312 History of the American Fur Trade, river, where ihey found a largo encampment of northern Indians. They found a plentiful hubsisicncu by ralching deer in a pound. Their method oi accomplishing this, is to find a frequented deer path, and enclose with interwoven trees and brushwood, a space near a mile in circumference. The entrance of this circle is the size of a comnioq farm gate, and the inside is crowded with thickets of brush, between which arc set snares of well twisted thongs. On each side of the entrance, a fence of limbs and brush is started and run out, spreading apart as they proceed, to the distance of one, two or three miles, like the wings of a partridge net." Between these rows run iho paths commonly used by the depr. When every thing is prepared the Indians take their station on an eminence, commanding a view of this path, and the instant any deer are descried in the right position, the whole village, men, women and children, steal under cover of the woorl, until they attain a position in the rear. They then draw up in the form of a crescent, and advance with shouts. The deer are thus flriven forward until they get into the pound. The entrance is imme- diately closed by the Indians, the women and children run round the outside to prevent them from leaping the barrier, an^.e to Maionabbee, for two of the handsomest of his wives here elopi?d to rejoin their former husbands. Hut this was not the worst. There exists an extraordinary custom among these northern Indians by which the men are permitted to wres- tle for any woman to whom they may take a fancy, and if victorious-, they carry off the belle, whether she be married or single. An Indian here entered the camp from whom Maionabbee had purchased one of the stoutest and therefore most valuable of his wives, and demanded to wrestle for her according to custom. As Matonabbee knew he had no chance of success with an adversary so athletic, he was fain to avoid the difliculty by re-purchasing his wife. This he did with evi- dent mortification and ill humor. It may be easily conceived how inconvenient this queer custom must be. A weak man has no chance to retain a wife at ail — and even a strong one has no security against being overpowered at any time.t At length the party arrived at Copper Mine River, and here Hearnc beheld one of those terrible butcheries so characteristic of .'^avage life. The inducement for the Indians to accoi.ipany him was the hope of waylaying and cutting off parties of the Esquimaux, with whom they had a feud. Soon the spies reported that tliey had seen five tents about twelve miles below. Instant preparation wasmade, and it wa-i determiiicd to steal upon their victims. It is surprising how much of unanimity, order and discipline these retl devils preserve, whenever a deed of blood is to be lo.ie, although at other times they are continu- ally wrangling. Each man first painted his target, some with a rep- resentation of the sun, others of the moon, and several with pictures of beasts and birds of prey, or of imaginary beings, which they alfirmed I m •llearne, p. 78 80. fHeanie, p. 93. •He;i f » i t Indians. a pound. deer path, CO near a size of a of brush, each side I run out, or three rows run s prepared ^ a view of it position, over of the draw up in it are thus :c is imnie- round the men enter t( h the vie- red Indians. two of the !r husbands, lury custom tied to wres- f victorious^, An Indian riased one of 1 demanded mew he had was fain to lid with evi- (iccived how as no chance urity against here Hearnc f t^avagelife. the hope of 1 whom they en five tents e, and it wa^ low much of , whenever a are continu- e with a rep- with pictures Uishry of iiu. Jliacricun Fur Trnilc. 'i\li \ci be (lenizeiu of lh«« cleincnts, n])on whose assislaufi^ Ihey relied. They then nu)vcil with the utmost stealth towards \\\v tents, 'akin/ rare not to crosn any of the hills which cojicoaled their approach. When they arrived within Iwd hundri'd yards they inude their last |)re- paration. They tied up thei; lon;^ hlaitk hair in a knot behind; pain- ted their faces blaek and red lo jjuc them a hideous appearance; rolled up their sleeves; and some to reiulcr ihemveUcs li«rlit for run- ning, tlirv'w utV their jackets and stood armed naked lo the breech cloth. At about one o'clock in tlie moruin;^ they rushed from llicir concealment with yells of fury. The unfortunate Kscjuimaux, men, women and children, jiastened out ol' their tents nnd attempted to es- cape, l)nt they were surrounded and all were murdered in cold blood. " The shrieks and ffroans,'" says Ilearne, " of the poor cxpirinj; wretches, were truly distressing; and my horror w.'is much increased at seeing; a young prl about eighteen years of age killed so near me that when the first spear was slrueh into her side, sjie fell down at my feet and twisted round my legs so that it was with liillieulty that 1 could disengage myself from her dying grasp. As two Indian men pursued this unfortunate victim, I solicited very hard for her life, but the uuirderers made no reply till they had struck both their spears through her body, and transfixed her to the ground. They then looked me sternly in the face and began to ridicule me by asking " If I wanted an Es(|uimanx wife," while they paid not tlie smallest regard to the uhrieks and agony of the poor wretch who was turning round their «pears like an eel.*'" In this jotu'ney Hearnc followed the Copper Mine river to its mouth, where he observed the tides, and the relies of Ivhales. From thence he returned by way of the Athabasca Lake. In this neighborhood they discovered by accident, a young Indian Woman who had lived entirely alone in a small hut, for eight months. She had been taken prisoner by the Athabasca Indians, and attempted to esca])e to her own people, the Dog-ribs, but had gotten lost. She had six inches of hoop iron made into a knife, and an arrow'-head for an awl. For subsistence she snared partridges and rabbits. She seemed cjuite contented. Ilearne reached the fort in June, 1772, after an absence of near eighteen montiis. CHAPTER IT. Rivalry of Fnglish and French frAdfrs-Rise of the Nortliwcst CompRnj— Its edicient organi- 7!\lion— Reniotrit northwpi? Fort— Inactivity of llin Bay Comfttny— Enerpj' f*' thn North" tfrest Company— Their ill candnct to the Indiani— First visit to the Rocky Rlountains— Wnckenzif's first voyape — Singular Indian guperstition— His discovery of the Arctio Sea, •nd return — His second voyage— Mountain scenery, &c.— Indians— Frazer's river— Land journey— Indians— Indian village on northwest coast— Their houscf — Extraordinary religi- ous temple— Chiefs citnor— The I'acilic Ocean— Fidlcr's trip— Frnzei's voyage— Trading post west of mountains — Selkirk's Settlement— War of the rival Companies- Destruction Of Selkirk's Colony — Act of I'drliament — 'treaty between the Companys — New charter — Ke-ettahlishmcnt of Red River Colony— Ross Cox— Scrimmage at the Portage dft la Mon- Ugno. The charter to the Hudson's Bay Company docs not define with ihey alfirmed much precision, the boundaries of the territory granted in fee to them. •Hearnc, p. 151. 22 :il'\ llisiory of l/u .flmcrkmi I'w ircnk. Honee. Fnhxeqiioiit to tlio Iroaly of 17()3, (lie same rivalry continual to exist betwoon the Canadian traders ami tlio IJay t'om])any, which had originated prior to that treaty; and whilst on the one hand Iho Company laid chiin^ to an ahnost boundh'ss territory, their opponents were ibr conlininu^ them strictly within the letter of their charter ; and this was vague and indefinite. For more than thirty yeiivs the regions north and west of Lake Su- perior, had been frer[neiited by French adventurers, when some enter- prising merchants of ]Moii1real, in 177."), penetrated as far as the sources of the Saskatchawan and Athabasca rivers. These individ- uals, however, experienced ranch atnioyance from the employees of the Bay Company, with whom they soon found themselves unable to con- tend separately. Consequently, in the year 1774, they united their interests, and assumed for their association the title of the '• North- west Company of Montreal." Olher small associations were formed about the same time, but they were all finally absorbed by this one. Its most prominent founders were Ib'ilish and Canadian merchants, among whom Messrs. Rocheblave, Frobisher, I'ra'zer, McTavish Mac- kenzie, and Mc(iillivray were the most prominent. These .nen had all been engaged in this trade individually, or as members of lesser companies — were intimately ac(|nainted with tl:e character of the Indian tribes. — the topography oi'thc country, and all the best methods and means of carrying on a thriving and profitable trade. The organization of this new company was altogether in contrast with that of their rivals^ The number of the shares was at iiist six- teen; it was then increased to twenty, and ilnally to forty. A cer- tain proportion of them were held by the r/gc)i/,s', residing at ^Montreal. who furnished the capital ; the remainder were divided among tlu' proprictoi's, each of whom took charge of an interior trading post. The clerks were chiefly younger branchs of respectable Scottish fam- ilies. They entered the service as cadets or apprentices for sever. yaars ; after which they were placed upon salaries, which, with ])ni- dence, would yield a certain prolit; and finally, if their conduct wa^ good, they were received into the company as partners. Thus thcii ambition and their hopes were stimulated. In addition to this im- provement of oaganization, they universally employed the descendant'^ of the old Courier de Bois as voyngcurs, or canoe men, in preference tc all others ; and incouraged them by hopes of advancement in station or pay, and of pensions in their old age. These voyageurs were ad- mirably calculated by habit, education and natural disposition, for the stations in which they were employed. Passively obedient ti their superiors, patient and persevering in their temper, gay, reckless and thoughtless in their habits, capable of enduring an inconceivabli amount of fatigue, and endowed with a wonderful aptitude for slidiii;j into and adopting the characteristics of the Indians, they were of al men, the best fitted to ensure success to such an enterprise.* Before the formation of the North-west Company, the remotest tni- ding establishments of the British was on the Athabasca or Elk river ^ 1' VVc tract great rivei of w name ■ohe ill fiv iertc tltid I Whoc Vihc ^on hair, his w uttei-i •Irving's Astoria, and Rosa Cox's Narrative. i Ilintory of Iht jhaHikcm Fur TraJe. 315 ry conlinuwl |)iiny, which >iie luinil tho r opponents charter ; unci of Lako Su- 1 some ontor- s fiir as tho hose individ- )loyces of the aable to con- united their the '• North- wore formed I by this one. m merchants, cTavish Mae- lese inen had berrt of lesser racter of tlie I best methods ler in contrast as at first si\- ,rty. A ocr- ^ at ]\t()ntrcii!. ed aniontr tlu> tradino; post. I Scotlisli fam- tices for sever. ich, with prii- f con(Uict wa-i Thus thciv :m to this im- he descendant" n prefevenoe to ment in station reurs were ad- disposition, for -ely obedient U r, gay, reckless inoonceivabli tilde for slidiii;^ hey were of al prise.* he remotest tra- ca or Elk river about twidve hundred miles north-west of L;ike Superior, vvhioh had been fnuuded by Messrs. Frubisher and Pond, in ]77b. Wlu'U this new cou-.paiiY first went into operation, the Hudson's Lay (!niiipiiny, witii llie cbaracteristic inaitivily of an ancieiit corpo- ration f.;uar(led Ijy charter, rciiiaimni (jtiiclly at "their posts, as tht( ear- lier frencili traders liad done, and purchased such skins as the red man chose to brinjjf tliem. Tlie Nurlli-weslcrs, ou the contrary, ])on- . etratod the ionst, pas^e(l llie mountain Ijaniers. saih'd ovir tlie hikes, ahu'ined the Indians by their vinaraiid force, (to their (iternal shame be it said,) (h'stroyed thi'iii by their <^up])iies of spirits and fire arms ; and for a considi'rabk": j)eritid niij;ht be abuosl considered as masters of the cmitiueiil between the Kocky Aloimlaiiia and the groat lakes of Canada. Tiie fur trade, conducted as these m mi conducted it, was iicces.'.arily a der;i\iiii; trade. The traders and In liaus were solicuous only for iiinnediatc gain, and careless of tlie future. Tlu-y slaughter- ed indiscriminately, the male and the female, the full grown and the whelp, witiioiU e\cn nuuli regard for the season ; and of course, tho trade iKM-ame nnich nu)re destructive and mucli less ])roductive every year. As fast as their original hunting grounds becamo exhausted, ttiis eon)pany pushed their posts and trading parties to the westward. It was ;i. consc(|uenco of this course of policy, that the two great e.v- jK'diiioiis oi' Sir :\l.cxandcr ^Mackenzie were natde. Jk'fore entering upon these expeditions, wo ought to remark, that about tho year 17>'f).a trading party had passed westward to the S/iin- ivir .Monnfdius, as they were called by the Indians. Here they were driven back by a force of hostile Indians.* The Athabasca Lake is a basin thirteen miles in width, and two hundred miles in length, connected to the great Slave Lake by the Slave river, and supplied by tlu! Peace river from the Rocky Moun- tains, and the Athabasca from the south. It is in latitude 69 dog. On its south-west end, Fort C'hypewyau is situated. » From this lort, Meckenzic started upoiu his lirst expedition in 1789. Wo regret that our space will not admit of our making liberal ex- tracts from his journal. He was a man of line intelligence, and of great vigor, courage and perseverance. He passed down the Slave river into tho great Lake of that nanu?, from the north-west extremity of which he found that a grcnit river llowed, to whi<"h he gave his own name, which it bears to tliis day. To the month of this river he re- •olxed to go. He accordingly entered the stream with his canoes, and 1)1 live days (;ame to a oani]) ol' Slave and Hog-rib Indians. They as- m'rted " that inonsttirs of horrid shapes and malignant dispo^ itions, mui their abodes in tin; rocky eaves on the banks, ready to devour whoever approached." liesidcs, they aliirinod that, it woidd take "several snows"" to make the journey. One of tlioni, however, was ifibed to accompany liini. Previous to his departure, a singular oer- ^ony took place; " \\ilh great solemnity, he tut olf a l{»ck of his hair, and dividing it into three parts, fastened one to tiu> upper part of his wife's head, blowing on it thrice with the utmost v iolenee, ami uttering certain words as u charm. 'Ihe «)lhir two locks he attaeiied, •Cireonliow. 5 ii 316 History of the Aimrican Fur Trade. with the same eercmony to the heads of his children." These Indians are described as a " meagre, ugly, and ill favored race j particularly ill made in the legs." A lew old men had beards, a circumstance not common with Indians. Their cheeks were tattooed with two double lines, and their noses pierced I'or a quill or bone. Their clothing in winter was gorgeous, consisting of skins and furs, dressed with the hair on, and richly embroidered with quills. These Indians had never seen any whites, and were destitute of metalic implements. On the 11th of July, they landed at a deserted encampment of the Esquimaux. They found three houses, " the ground plat of which were oval, about fifteen feet long, ten wide in the centre, and eight at each end ; the whole was dug about twelve inches below the surface, one half being covered with willow branches, and probably forming the bed of the whole family." The whole structure was formed of drift-wood, willow and gras«. Soon after he reached the mouth of the river, and beheld for the first time, the great Arctic Ocean, filled with mountains of ire, between which the whales were engaged in their sports. The next day he commenced his return, by the same route, and arrived at the fort after an absence of 102 days. On the 2d day of October, 1792, Mackenzie set out upon his se- cond journey. He launched his canoe upon Peace river. Her dimen- sions were twenty-iive feet long within, exclusive of the curves of stem and stern, twenty. six inches hold, and four feet nine inches beam. She was so light that two men could crrry her with ease. In this batteaux he stowed 3,000 pounds of provisions, arms, &c., and found room also for himself, seven Europeans, and two Indians. " Under a serene sky, with a keen but healthy air, the barque glided through some beautiful scenery. On the west side of the river, the ground rose in a gently ascending lawn, broken at intervals by abrupt preci- pices, and extending in a rich woodland perspective, as far as the eye could reach. This magnificent amphitheatre presented groves of pop- lar in every direction, whose openings were enlivened with herds of elks and buffalos ; the former clioosing the steeps and uplands, the latter preferring the plains.'* This river is broken by rapids and coscades, and they were compcUod to make many laborious portages, pleii The course of their journey led them through many populous beaver pursi settlements. " In some places these animals had cut down several tiful acres of large poplars ; and they saw multitudes busy from sunrise couhl to sunset, erecting houses, procuring food, superintending their dikes, the n; and going diligently through all the labors of their little common- in th wealth." On the 10th June they met with some Indians. " These scenci people were of low stature and meagre frame, round faces, high cheek W*^h bones, black hair, hanging in elf locks, and a swarthy yellow complex- ^ ion ; while their garments of beaver, reindeer, and ground-hog skins, dressed with the hair outside, having the tail of the hog hanging down the back, might occasion some doubt whether they belonged to the hu- bar wo lint clo! C wc.> pro! wei men a ni ban! entc cour (as rivei reprc iinisl carrii pemm •trun and : the C ammif can, b aisted amoui Theti we de The wliere fflctur( West, tion at in a s) isii • Tytle tThis man race. Their women were extremely ugly, lustier and taller than the pu,oba" 1 men, but much inferior in cleanliness. Their weapons were cedar bows. Indian d six feet long, with a short iron spike at one end. The arrows were TheFrcn ______„ ,. gioM ma •Tytler's Historical View of Tiscoverics, iic., page 133. J Black Hidory of the aimer ican Fur Trndc. ;n7 icse Indians particularly instance not iouble lines, ig in winter the hair on, never seen On the 11th Esquimaux, were oval, at each end ; 'ace, one hall' ig the bed of f drift-wood, of the river, , filled with raged in their e same route, upon his sc- . Her dimen- Lhe curves of e inches beam, ease. In this ic., and found s, " Under a rlided through er, the ground abrupt preci- tar as the eye rroves of pop- with herds of uplands, the jy rapids and ious portages, pulous beaver down several y from sunrise ig their dikes, ittle common- ,ans. " These es, high cheek low complex- md-hog skins, hanging down Iged to the hu- taller than the re cedar bowS; e arrows were barbed with iron, flint-stone, or bone. Tlicir knives were of iron, worked by themselves. They used snares of green skin, nets and lines of willow bark, hooks of small bones, and kettles of watake, so closely woven as not to leak."* On the 16th June tlicy reached the banks of the great river flowing westward, which was the object of so mucli anxious expectation and protracted liope. Embarking anew, it was not long ere the piirty were alarmed by a loud whoop from the Avoods, and at llie same mo- ment a single canoe shot out from tlic mouth of a snudl Irilmlary, and a number of natives, armed with bows and arrows, appeared upon tiic bank. After a short time, he succeeded in assuaging their fears, and entered into communication with them. Tlieir inlbrfnalion was dis- couraging. They represented the distance to tlie " Slinking Lake," (as all Indians call tlie sea,) as immense, and tlie nations along the river as lerocious, malignant and treacherous. Unappailcd by tlicso representations, he again end)arked. Sho-tly after, Ihey concluded to finish their journey overland. For this labor they ])reparcd. " Wc carried on our bucks," says Mackenzie, " four bags and a half of jpemmican^\ weighing from 85 to 95 pounds each, a case with the in- •truments, a parcel of goods for presents, weighing ninety })ounds, and a parcel containing amnnmition, of the same weight ; each of the Canadians had a burthen of about ninety pounds, with a gun and ammunition, wliilc the Indians had about forty-iive pounds of pcinmi- can, besides their guns. My own load, and that of Mr. McKay, con- sisted of twenty-two pounds of pcinmican, some rice, sugar, &.C., amounting to about seventy pounds, besides arms and ammunition. The tube of my telescope was also thrown across my shoulders, and we determined to limit ourselves to two meals a day, "J Their tirst day's journey brought tl'.em to an Indian encampment, where they saw, to their great encouragement, a spear of wJiite manu- frcture, which the Indian stated thcj' had purchased of a trihe farther west, near the "• Stinking Lake." At niglit these Indians took a sta- tion at a short distance from their place of rest, and "began a song In a sweet plaintive tone, with a modulation exceedingly sweet and pleasing, and solemn, not unlike that oi" church iiuisii;." They again pursued their journey, soiuetinu's coasting along the borders of beau- tiful lakes — sometimes ascending iiigh i'lninenccs, from which they could discern, in the distance, a. long range of high mountains, which the nativ(B by wliom they were traveling, .('presented as lermijiating in the sea. In this part of tlieir jouincv they ])cheld the richest scenery. Beautiful valleys watered by gentle rivulets, and adorned with umbrageous trees, were succeeded by ranges of lulls capped •TyUer's History. t This H l)iiff;ilo meat dried and pounded, to which is somrlinr'n adlcd m<)rro\v-;;reaao and fruit. It has tiren usod time out of iniril by the. voyatjeurs, and it has nhvaya l)cen purchased by travelers and men of science, for tlieir support in their journeys. It is an Indian dish, no doubt, and this is the naT.e given to it by tlio Chippenyans and Creeg. The French call it taureaux, and the Siouxs pantigion. All the Indians in the buffalo re- gions mnke it always, adding cherries or other fruits, together wilh maiiow-grcase. J Mackenzie's Travels, pagt 2S5. ^i 318 Ilistunj oj th« .lincncdii Fui Trade. with snow, whilst lur hack in llie piTSjit'clivc rose ;i stnjjcndous lint: of pfiilis, whose suiiiinits wire crowueil with the simie sj)alless coro- net, and partly lost in t!ie masses of iieuvy iind rolling clouds. The ellV'tt ol' sunrise or sunset nuist have been strikingly beantilul. llovv rich the contrast ol' brilliant I'ght and dark shailows, of leaping cas- cades and ([uiet lakes, of cold icy peaks and deep green valleys ! After souic days they at last came upon an Indian village. This- was a village situated only about lovty-live miles from the coast, and the inhabitants essentially dillered from those east of the mountain.'- in manners, habits, buildings, &,c. The houses were constructed of wood. At a little distance, JMackenzie noticed some singular wooden buildings, which he imagini;d to be temples. Tliey were oblong scjuares, about twenty feet high, and eight broad, formed of thick cedar ))lanks, beautifully joined. Upon these were painted hieroglyphics and animals, execiUed with extraordinary accuracy. In the midst oi' the village was another strange building. The ground plot of it was iifly feet by forty-live. At each end were four posts lixed ])cri)en,li- cularly in the earth. These j)osts were unornaiiiented, but they suji- portcd a beam of the wliole length, with three intermediate props. Two centre j)osts at each end were carved into colossal human figures, supporting on tlicir heads ridge jiolcs. The hands were placed on the knees. Opposite to them were I'igures with their hands resting u])i)ii tlieir hips. All these figures were painted red and black, and the sculpture maiufested no little skill and accuracy in the execution. Ill the mechanical arts, also, they had progressed considerably. Tin canoe of the chief was of cedar, forty-live ieet long, four wide, ami three and a half deej). It was j)ainted l'^;ick, and decorated vvilli white figures of lish. The gunwale, fore and alt, was iidaid with tlit teeth of the sea otter. On tile '2()th of July, they beheld, lor the lirst time, the broad ex- panse of the Pacilic Ocean. The object of their journey was nou accomplished. On the white surface of a rock which, from a heigh; of several hundred feet, looked over the great orciin, Mackcn/ii painted with vermillion the following inscription : " Alexander AI;i<- kenzie, from Canada, by land, the 22d of July, ojic thousand sevc; huTidred and ninety-three." Time has ])robal)!y obliterated tliis in- scription; but its assaults arc made in vain u])on the fame accjuirc by this indefatigable and daring discoverer. This great western river is the one which has received the name i Frazer. On the 24tli of August following, Mackenzie reached (1) diyVfi,'!^! fort at the Athabasca Lake. metho t)U np 5ii; J.e iJic •toi In we tab Iiov on 1 Was WVil off ly 1 Jirsi Rod kenz varif «outl tion ( pany pre- i ritorii attorn ped ii posts been They such { with UniteJ dei'enj proprj ries. on the one oil meneel Whilst Mackenzie was ])ursuing his journey to the Pacilic, IVh pefpetl Fidler, a clerk of the Northwest Company, stationed at Fort Uuckiiii' ^_- ^ii ham, on the Saskatchawan river, made a trip soulliwestvvard, to tl: moLjpf foot of the Rocky Mountains. lie seems to have traveled over tl; AthabJ region watered by the head of the Missouri. He was ,so incompeic! (J^iyg to the task contided to him, that the accounts he gave do not cori' This \i sj)ond with the descriptions of Lewis and Clark, and the world li. lands learned nothing from his journey, save the fact oi" its having hoi mm-Je The expeditions of Pike, and of Lewis and Clark, excited the jo; a ^jijl V \ jcuiIoUs liiuT )otless coio- loiuls. The titul. Ho^v leaping; cas- lallcYS '. iUase. ThU lie coasi , and lie mounlaiiK jiistructed uf giilar wooden wero. obloni^ of thick cedar hieroglyphics , the undst oi' plot of it was xed ])erpeu li- but they ^>»p- netliale props, human lignres, >, pUu;cd on llu' is resting upon hlaek, and Uu' the execution, iderablv. Tin llisiury ofl/tc ^Imerican Fur TrutJe. 319 t)U?ty of Ihc I'rilisli fur traders. J'ike had restrained their incurnions upon the territory watt-red by the liead of the Mississip))i, and had shaken their inthienee ever the Indians there. The movements of J^ewis and d.ok were vii;ilanlly watched by these traders, and wlicn llicy discovered their deslinali -n, imniediale preparations we're made to anlicipali' the .\mericar.s in the settlement ol the Oregon territory. In flirt!. erniu;e of this ))rojeet. a party was ile>patehed by the Nortlj- west C'cmpany. in iMif). iimh-r t!ie '-ommand of Mr. Larocjne, to es- tablish posts ami ()(:( ui)y territoiies npon the Columbia. This ])arty, however, did not suceeed in penetrating beyond the Mandan V illage, on the Missouri. In the following year, ( 1806,) anotiicr expedition •was entrusted to Mr. Simi)n Frazer. He .started from Fort Chippe- wyan on the Athabasca J.ake. crossed the mountains near the source of Peace river, and founded a trading post on a small lake, now called by Ids name, situated iti the .^Ith degree of latitude. Thin was tlm first seftlevwnf, of mu/ A/?k/, hiade by British subjects, west of the Rocky .Mouitlains-. It is from him that the river discovered by Mac- kenzie derives its name. Other posts were subsequently founded in various parts of the country extending south to Fort Hall, svnd louthwest to the mouth of the Columbia river, which, on the extinc- tion of this company, became the property of the Hudson's Bay Com- pjiny. The latter never fffendiiig victims. This crowning outrage of the Northwest Company rendered it per- t r 1 i\ m di re ha liti of wi; cor gcs of tot tak( or e J 2s. rive; vegc cJuisi their carry dan. to St the J wher^ Red sligh fierce oompj check Deliev Mr hi J. Ills crowning outrage oi uie i^oruiwcsi \^om])auy reimeieu it per- - i fectly obviovts that this contest between the two companies must result ^|g_i ^ in the entire ruin of one or both of them. Their differences were _:xf , which •it— a brought before the British Parliament in June, 1819, and a debate ensued, in the course of which the conduct of the parties was minute- ^m. ly investigated. The Ministry then interposed its mediation and ii ' compromise was at length effected, by which the Northwest Company was merged in that of the Hudson's Bay. At the same time, and ii; connection with this arrangement, an act " for regulating the fur tradf and establishing a criminal and civil jurisdiction in certain parts ol North America," was passed, containing every thing requisite to givf stability and efficiency to the Bay Company. The contract betwecr the two companies was signed in London in March, 1821. Under the provisions of the above mentioned act, the King grantci were to the " Governor, and company of Adventurers, trading to Hudson"' ^^^ Bay, and to a number of persons representing the Northwest Com ^ pany, the exclusive privilege of trading for twenty-one years, in al *'"'' ifrous this 5lli£ ticei Hm nc clffiBf ti(»)s most ed wit :i( I History of the Amcricnn Fvr Trade. 321 two com- ity -Vvhich ces, even . a venpe- company. cir inhab- icrain they ncl finally, Lgainst the iractevizeil rivalled or was tcrmi- of the col- li of all the ,30 bloody, el how the ent as to in- lan}2;uage ap- ends. It i« of outlaws, t, and whose ,aer the sun- i over — cele- ed to the sub- -they were at ^lest to which ^if proof were Lt imaginatioTi Mid that it is the guilty ac- > whelly over- nd urtoffendi?ng ■ndered it per- lies mvtst result ifferences were I, and a debate es was minute- lediatwn and i' iwest Compam me time, and n ng the fur trade certain parts ot requisite to givf ontract betwecv 821. he king grantc;' ling to Hudson' Northwest Co»^ one years, in al the territories of Croat Britain in North America, except such as arc now formod into Ikitisli Provinces." Tliis grant was renewed in 1842, with some new provisions, ehiclly respecting the treatment of the Indian tribes. It is In be observed, that this charter has nothing to do with the im- mense re;;ion comprised in the original eliarter of 1U70. Witliin that district they arc lords of tlie soil. The lieirs of Lord Selkirk hiivlng retroeeded to them the title to the lands upon Ked river, in 183G, ihey have replanted tiie colony originally i'ounded l)y him. In that remote little colony, so many huntlreds oi' miles beyond the remotest bounds nC civilization, withoul good walr.-r coramMuication to connect them with it, and conse(iuently, as we siiould deem, destitulc oi' the ordip.r.ry comforts of life, there are at this time about ,'3,0()0 persons,* the lar- gest portion of whom are Bois Bride, (or hall' brecils) the remainder of them Seolrh or from the ScoMii^h Isles. ]]ut in our conjecture as to their destitution, we should be found upon examination, greatly mis- taken. They have a Roman Catholic liisiiop, a cathedral, a"d seven or eight other religious ministers. The company sell their land at 12s. 6d. per acre, and the plantations extend for lli'ty miles along the river. They cultivate wheat, barley, maize, and a variety of garden vegetables. Their farms arc well supplied with slock, and they pur- chase their dry goods and groceries [)y exchanging the produce of their faruis with the company's posts, or, (as we have seen them do,) carrying their products a cart journey of fourteen days to Fort Man- dan. And recently, they have united their means, and sent an agent to St. Louis, who there purchases supplies for them— sends them up the Mississippi, by steam, as high as the head of steam navigation, where they are transferred to pirogues, and finally taken across to Red river in carts. We are afraid that the worthy bishop inilicts ■light penance upon them, for the half breeds arc said to be the fiercest warriors of the plains ; and so late as the summer of 1845, a company of dragoons, commanded by Capt. Sumner, were scut to check their inroads upon the hunting grounds of the Sioux, and we believe they are still troublesome near the border. Mr. Irving has dilated upon the femlal state of Fort William — its ■plendid hospitality — the lordly grandeur of its defences — the gorgeous display of its wealth and magnificence — its bountiful banquets, at which the wines of southern Europe gave zest to the game of the for- est — and many " an auld world ditty" was sung to stimulate the bois- terous mirth of its guests and inmates. But he has forgotten to add tjithis poetical enumeration of its faded glories, that at this same Fort William, situated near the head of Lake Superior, such a congrega- ticto of ruiRans, bandits, and scoundrels was assembled as the world hm not seen since the days when rape, robbery, and murder were the dbibf occupations of the inhabitants of feudal castles, and their bas- ti;s — subjeots of the same king — for no oll'ence under Heaven but that of defending rights legally acquired and honestly exercised ; that every drop of wine swallowed in these festivities was purchased at the cost of as much Christian blood shed by them in defiance of all law, lnnna-i and di- vine ; and that every dish upon the bounteous board cost the life of an Indian, deluded, debauched, stimulated, and linally sncriiiced by them for the i'urtheranee of objects the most mean and selfish, and the gratification of a malignity wliich could have had its birth-place no where but in the councils of a band of liends and outlaws. Mr. Ross Cox, who was a clerk employed by the Northwest Com- pany, has given some accounts of these transactions, but as his narra- tive bears upon its face the marks of falsehood, as well as those deno- ting a total want of all proper feeling and all sound principle, we shall here add one or two anecdotes derived IVom, not a party concerned, but an innocent settler in Selkirk's Settlement, whom we met with at Fort Mandan, touching these atrocities. Soon after the purchase by Lord Selkirk of the tract of land upon Red river, he discovered that his objects, laudable and legal as they were, were likely to be frustrated by the Northwest Company ; and for this reason he purchased two hundred shares and became one of the proprietors in the Hudson's Bay Company, tliat by thus uniting their interests, his infant colony might have the protection of this an- cient and powerful corporation. It was ])rincipally because of thi;- connection that the direct war upon it was marked by auch unprinci- pled and atrocious conduct. It is not true, as Cox states, that wlien the final struggle occurred at Red river, it was brought about by Iburtcen of < lliilnnj of II if, ,'hncnatn Fur Trude. 323 :■[% of tlie ling rigbta 1 of wine )f as much Ki'i unci di- tlie life of cril'iciHl by ,sh, and iho :lh-placc no Invest Com- is his narva- those deno- ple, we shall y concerned. ; met with at of land upon legal as they ompany ; and became one ol y thus uniting ion of this un- ecnnse of lhi> auch unprinci- •rrle occ\irred at ?Brnle (or hall with provision- d at Q'Appell' s given by Mr .rccisely the re- the partners c lalf-breeds, wh' for the exprcs itly outnumbered settlement in vio •utal fury know y— murdering £ hildren ; burmr r by way of blai b the Northwcj all of them mis;. tpon his gratituc! e he was rcguUir 10 upon peimiK- * of which he li' a sraftU tributary ot tc slrcama neartUc^ carried a iiiiall quantity with him. At last, his rice gave out, and he was reduced to iripc dr rocker.* Finally, (jven this resource failed, and after inhumiinly siiHering many of liis men to die of absolute star- vation, he was compelled to surrenthn' ihc post with all its furs and other property. Suih proceedings as these forced their opponents to like cDnduct in sell'-dercnco, and for several years the dilVerent bands (>f Iiuliiuis were Iiired to perpetrate indiscriminate slaughter. Tliirly or fi>ily miles northwest of Fort William, is situated the great fall o\' \\\e Purtaise de In ,Mont'\\^nc. This tremendous cataract surpasses every other in the world, save only that at Ni;igara. The river for a few miles ab(»ve moves with a slow and (-aim current. AVhen its waters arrive at this immense terrace of rock, which is fully two htnidred feet in widtli, they are precipitated in one hroad, unbro- ken sheot a di'stanco ol" one hundred and sixty ^i.'v\. h'or many miles the lioarst! roaring of the falling waters mny I.'; heard like the heavy roll of distant tiumder ; and u hen an unclouded sun pours its beams upon the scene, prismatic rainbows ilash in innumerable curves over and around tJKMn. In llie ymir ISl"), a party consisting of some twenty men, with six canoes, in the employment of. the Jiay Company, were descending throi'gh thai jnrig chain of small lakes and straits which so nearly unite the wafrrs of the Atjantit; to those of the Arctic Seas. When they had arrived at the usual place of landing, for the purpose of inaking the portujjfc around this great fall, they turned the bows of tlu'ir boats landward, singing the while one ol' those beautiful and Itifecting songs with which these hardy anil adventurous vojjagnirs were wont to hegiiile the time, and relieve the fatigue of their labo- rious way. IJut tlicy lounrl themselves suddenly set upon by a band of half breeds, under the (•ommand of white men, who had lain in ambush on both sides of tlie river, immediately above tlie fall.?. The ■truggle was tierce, bloody, and unsparing, for the eiinoe men were ighting for a foothold, to save tliein from being precipitated over the f|llls, and their o])ponents were rutldessly determined that no living Ji|Eing should plant his foot upon the soil. Two of the canoes suc- <^eded in reaching the shore, and their inmates sprung to the land, with knife and pistol in hand ; but one nunute suHiced for their de- a^uction. The other four canoes were kept out by the tiring and the )les of the lialf breeds, until the cur'ing iiirren; struck lliem ; and ^en all parties were well aware ihtit further sliuirgle was vain. The "ilf breeds ran yelling with delight to the very edge of the cataract, ^witness the result. Tlie canoe men sullenly folded their arms and jited themselves in silence to await their fate. Ah! who shall say W|>at millions of thoughts rushed through their minds in those few ff||riul moments ? The history of tlicir whole lives was, no doubt, ■wead out in one broad picture, and they commended themselves to W$ protecting care of their patron saints, and of the Virgin. The ■ H fl " ■ — • Tripe tie Rochcr is a speciee of lichen (or moss) much usod by the Indians and voyagvnr*. It if prepared by boiling, is not very palalablo, but a good ri'soiirce u hen threatened with ■tMfVation. Of the lichens used as food there are four varieties, viz : Gyrophora Proboscidea, Qyr, Hi/perborea, and Gyr. yJechlcnbergie. All of them are used ai food, but tbti Indians ro- J««t all but the last. .•i24 Educ'ition. vMioei leaped forward, whirled over and around in their descent, •cattering the voyageura in every direction ; and in another instant the majestic waters resumed their aspect of stern and solemn gran- deur. ART VI.-EDUCATION-NO. V. DY JOS. URMRUD) ESQ. I I INTELLECTUAL DISCIPLINE OF SCHOOLS — Continued. Miss Edgeworth, a lady who has done more for the cause of edu- cation, by her various publications, in disseminating correct views on the subject, than perhaps any other writer, concludes some observa- tions on intellectual trainini^, as follows : " We do not mean to promise, that a boy judiciously educated, shall I appear, at ten years old, a prodigy of learning; far from it : we should not even estimate his capacity, or the chain of his future progress, b} I the quantity of knowledge stored in his memory, by the number oil Latin linos lie has got by rote, by his expertness in repeating therulesi of his grammar, by his pointing out a number of places readily in al map, or even by his knowing the latitude and longitude of all the capi-i tal cities in Europe ; these are all useful articles of knowledge ; but| they are not the test of a good education. " We should rather, if we were to examine a boy of ten years old,! for the credit of his parents, produce proofs of his being able to reaH <^on accurately, of his quickncfs in invention, of his habits of indusJ try and application, of his having learned to generalize his ideas, and to apply his observations and his principles: if we found (hat he had learned all or any of these things, we should be in little pain abouj grammar or geography, or even Latin ; we should be tolerably certaiif that he would not long remain deficient in any of these ; we shoulii know that he would overtake and surpass a competitor who had ohH been technically taught, as certainly as the giant would overtake till panting dwarf, who might have many miles the start of him in tli| race. " We do not mean to say that a boy should not be taught the priij ciples of grammar, and some knowledge of geography, at the sanil time that his understanding is cultivated in the most enlarged mannerj these objects are not incompat'ble ; and we particularly recommeni it to parents who intend to send their children to school, early give them confidence in themselves by securing the rudiments of | literary education; otherwise their pupils, with a real superiority understanding, may feel depressed, and may, perhaps, be despiseJ