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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre raproduit en un seul clichi. il est filmi 6 partir de I'angle supirieur gauche, de gauche A droits, et de haut en bas, en prenant la nombre d'images nicessaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrent la mAthode. rata > elure. J 32X 1 2 3 I 4 5 Lhis is thi 00 a-Tear. mis ia the Original Edition printed in Mdinburgh and issued in Atnertca . by authority of the Publishers. gj^^j^ jj^ g^ ^^^^ I- I IE CHINA, JAPAN AND EUROPE. Tft#! Brttl^ll BfCOtd tllt)lilli«: By ALi^rrkft*U8sr. Forlmshtly Rivii^^ \ "'September.../ -^^^ '■'■':■' ' :■'.:' '..'■^' .■% . ! A immt li|pili«89 tw in Chin*. 3y C. A . Morxiho. Jtinetmi^ ^tli« Ti^iiWT|)ii«»y » I^ittlip. C^^w^ri^' '/■■j>«t^'^^'^'^^ ":-'.'''■":■■;■ ■ °'^\ 'dar Pfdtiirii K^^ tlie Par East^ By the Author of " 1920." Cw- :Newl0aBMli 9^ CottstUi|ti0«a^^^^ By toiciwo Yokoi. Cm- ifemporary Meeiew, September. ITtae^anfers of ttlUalUnr. ByGibvAHNi Dv^lla Veccbia. WestminsHr Review, Sejptcmbtr. ^h R 1898.] PHcie, 0md% po»t paid «0 Centi. * biltitale bffMMlftUoB: the Piaft and Scope bithe Brooklyn IoBtkute*«dH« appM- catioii to other cities. _BV— BAfm FEilRfE, Fr*»ii«ni 0/ tkt i)«i*rimtta of ArtkUtctur* ^ tht Br0»ktp» tmtttiMtm/ Art* mm4 ^mtnt Stertiarz tif th* tfatinimt Semij^itrt SteMf, ttc. priotod ffom EilmttHon, Hj the same author. Ii««iiu« iteott FidltleilliiiE €0., i itr«etj ir«w Yoik. Of »• . -■-■■'ft' ^ »>tiBisr^mS^i«i aix^^ to - 'fti„" ^I'i.i'y i H- " i' li j i i i -i ii ii i ij|in^ GOLI the A were Europe termint the qu conquis torrid hunt ai found the Mis covered Raleigh turers \ same b( of the great, a at the c ings unf pillaged freighte treasure to the n)ining-( of the I have al\ different of those the grea least as broader in it. C for civi for it wa Canadiai ity ^SN00Wi^^^ ; '■ ;<. -^ ' ." ' t mi^^g^AiM^^ ^I ' .ill*;;' shotOd #iu?ip|i^^^^^ l i ii li ll nM > il i l I " 1 'b » '..;', C.. il ' ^ii" Bippi to l^d of the i Trom tl >ave pui berately ice of u perils, luanced |ope3 of ley coul rol, BO e Etainers ;::\-? ' ^m.t: . wmm 'i ii. n i ir» vi;'>: 'A J 1- jRivim ^inetfenth o." Con- Kol. Cw- /estminstir « YOAli ' » " f "i if GO. -t~-' t- 9 4e^ the ■ ^ ..II tin "' ■«' "f-^nr -eett»WULIp ftwiwwit w 1898.] Romaticp. of the Fur Trndf : The Cnnipanifis. 150MANCE OF 'HIE FIJI! TliADE : THE COMPANIES. lOf) Gold and furs have colonised the Americas. Wherever they were to bo found or sought, Europeans have subjugated or ex- terminated the native races. In the quest of gold the Spanish conquistadores led the way in the torrid south, and De Soto in his hunt after the fabled El Dorado found a grave in the waters of the Mississippi which he had dis- covered. He was followed by Raleigh and the English adven- turers who went to Guiana on the same bootless errand. The gains of the later gold -seekers were great, and they enriched the world at the cost of cruelties and suffer- ings unspeakable. Since Pizarro pillaged the Incas and Cortez freighted the galleons with the treasures of the Montezumas, down to the shooting at sight in the mining-camps ar>d gambling 8ai>";ons of the Far West, the gold-hunters have always held lives cheap, in- different to their own and careless of those of others. But perhaps the great fur trade has been at least as lucrative, and there is a broader variety of wild romance in it. Certainly it has done more for civilisation and exploration, for it was the making of the great Canadian Dominion, as it opened op America west of the Missis- sippi to settlement by the States of the south and the seaboard. From the first, the fur -hunters have pursued a gainful but des- perately speculative traffic, in the face of unparalleled hardships and perils. As the capitalists who financed the trade staked their hopes of fortune on contingencies ley could neither foresee nor con- rol, so each separate career of the Etainers in their service was one of suffering, cheered and enlivened only by adventure. Familiarity with death became second nature. For the fur-bearing animals were to be found only in regions of lonely desolation, stretching north- ward towards the Arctic circle, where the musk-ox barely got a living in the winter by scraping for lichens beneath the snow ; or, farther to the south, in a wilder- ness of mountains and waters, swarming with hostile savages, who fiercely resented their intrusion, where they scaled stupendous ranges, threaded gloomy gorges almost impracticable, or in frail canoes followed the course of rivers raging over an alternation of shoals and cataracts. We say nothing now of the rigours of the northern climate, though some- times, so far south as the Saskat- chewan, the temperature falls to - 62°, or 94° of frost — and the blast of u, blizzard is sudden death. It v/as the French in Canada who originated the fur trade. We must own that France has had ill luck in colonisation : she did much in days when her population was more redundant, and she has some reason to be jealous of British suc- cesses. We shouldered her out of India, when, with the genius of a Dupleix, the result of the struggle seemed a toss-up; and after Mont- calm had fallen gloriously on the Heights of Abraham, we entered into the fruits of her spirited en- terprise in the Oanadas. Colbert and other French Ministers at home, with such statesmen as Talon and the Marquis de Fron- tenac, when sent abroad to ad- minister the great transatlantic colony, saw that the Indian traffic must be the foundation of its .1 f uri i n ii m¥$^^ ti ifpflpppi 496 Eomance of the Fur Trade . [Oct. 1898. ^' ». prosperity. Agriculture was to come in due course, hut for long it could be barely self-supporting. Meantime the sole exports from the unexplored Indian country were its peltries. There are no more exciting or pathetic stories of adventure than those of the exploring missionaries of the French occupation. La Salle, after a hundred years, re - dis- covered the Mississippi. Joliet and Marquette had traced the chain of the Great Lakes, and Father Hennepin had been the first European to hear the roar of Niagara. La Salle confidently believed thai, the Mississippi would lead him to the Californian Gulf, whence he could sail to China, which shows how little these daring pioneers knew of the adventures they courted. There were two conflicting influences ever at work, and it is hard to say which of the tv/o inspired the more indomitable resolution. The Church had asserted its supre- macy over the State both at Quebec and Montreal. The priests had Louis XIV., Madame de Maintenon, and the zealous rivalry of contending orders behind them. Like modern French missionaries in China, they went to America — or at least the rank and file — with a single-minded longing for the conversion of the heathen. It is true they were content with faint signs of Chrisuanity; but for them- selves they were vowed to self- sacrifice, and rather ambitious than otherwise of the crown of martyrdom. Not a few expired in cruel tortures, chanting with their last breath the litanies of their Church, and praying like their Saviour for the forgiveness of their tormentors. Yet it must be remembered that all those Catholic missions were supported by the profits of the fur trade. andli to a more the s( were of th€ was di arbitn niattei causes TheCi been si and in is a cui the rul and Mc The convents and their generals, with the governors of th« State, were active promoters of fur com- panies. On the other hand were the secular adventurers, pure and simple, of whom La Salle was the least selfish and the most ambi- tious. Perhaps wo may compare him to Cecil Rhodes, for he chiefly valued wealth aa the stepping- stone to power or fame. But the missionaries and statesmanlike heroes alike paved the way for the trafficking explorers, as bold as themselves, who trode emulous- ly in their footsteps. The gover- nors, who looked to the furs to *^ that fill their coffers, and who were in ^^'^ P- a manner responsible for the lives ^^^ wit of those adventurous men, began Church to establish fortified posts on the drinkin lakes for their protection and for versal a the due regulation of the trafiick- *"y fr< ing. The commandants had a I'icence difficult and dangerous task. For voluntai when the whites and the half ** ^^^ g breeds met the savage Indians, ~' ^^^ bringing canoe - loads of pcltnes savage g from distant regions, among tat *** gettii first articles of barter were spirits '"'^orial. powder, and knives. The carouse; ^^i^n th beginning in good-fellowship wen *"6ir ga apt to end in bloodshed, and s( *"® loaf' there were endless vendettas be "'•^y wi yond the frontier, which were f o JlJ'ner th ever renewing the eternal strife. "oJisequ The trade was virtually a clos *^^ P^n monopoly. The licences were t **amped be obtained from the governoi *** ^'^^ and they were granted on his o\v ^® ^^^ i terms, either for hard cash or f roi *"® "^^^ political considerations. At fir; ***'^t^Grs, they were given only to tradei*^^® ofj who personally conducted the e!"^y ^^^ peditions, afterwards they camr^ servij to be sold to the middlemen, wlif*^''' ^h® retailed them at an enhanced pric'^^'^ t' But the result was that all tl^»J^l^ss manhood and spirit of the coloi~'y ""s either hired themselves to tl*"""*^ *be capitalists or went adventuring ('W^der p, their own account. Agricultu™*^*- . ■;•".. [Oct. ^ysf^-i Thp. Companies. 497 nr generals, i th« State, I of fur com- r hand were ?rs, pure and 5aUe was tho most ambi- nay compare for he chiefly he stepping- ne. But the itateamanlike and lumbering were almost brought they infested the precincts of the frontier posts, uniting the worst to a standstill. It was even a more serious consideration that the settlements around the cities were left exposed to the attacks of the Indians. The Government was driven to severe measures, yet arbitrary legislation only made matters worse. Moreover, other causes were simultaneously at work. The Catholic Church has generally been supposed to encourage gaiety the^wav for ^^^ innocent dissipation. But it bole' *^ *•■ curious fact that at that time rode'emulous- ^^^ ^"^6 of the p.icsts in CJuebec The eover- ^^^ Montreal was almost as austere the furs to *^ ^^*** °^ *^'® Puritans in Boston I who were in a»d Philadelphia. Chiefly, and for the lives ^°*' without very good reason, the ^s men began Church set its face against the i posts' on the drinking habits, which were uni- ection and for ^ersal among men sufl'ering habitu- )f the traffick. »% ^rom cold and hardships. , . jjg^jj g Licence was only tolerated, and in vices of civilisation to the savagery of their Indian allies. So it was that French Canada had been rather embarrassed than helped by her best manhood when Montcalm succumbed to Wolfe, and England eflected the conquest. Then began the embittered rivalry of two great fur companies, when free-tighting went on far beyond reach of the law, and crimes could be per- petrated with practical impunity. When the settlers of La France Nouvelle were developing their fur trade under oflicial encouragement, the Hudson Bay Company had been established. Charles II. had granted a charter to his cousin Prince Rupert, giving away a vast territory which was not his to bestow. In 1G70, when the Com- pany was founded, Charles had no task For voluntarily tolerated, in Montreal legal rights in America. By the 1 the half ** *'^® great annual fur ♦air, when treaty of St Gerraain-en-Laye in Indians, all ^^^ townsfolk -• - ■ kvage 1632 the English had conceded to the French all their claims on New France. So late as 1697, by the treaty of Ryswick, the cession of these claims was confirmed. It is with their 1 "of Dcltries savage guests had been in the habit h among ta( ®^ g^^^ing drunk from time imme- ^ ' ««« c^ii-Ua morial. But neither the trappers er were spirits , , , u . *^ j The carouses '"^"^n they came home to squander 11 ahiD weri ^^^l"" g^l'^^ in holiday-making, nor true that "spheres of influence" *% , 1 and s( ^^^ loafers of the cities to whom beyond the Atlantic were little re- ^ dettas be ^^^^ willingly stood treat, could spected in those days, for France h' h were fo "nflfer these intolerable restrictions, herself had encroached on the ftl strife Consequently, and in spite of edicts rights of Spain, though solemnly ■ f llv a clos a*"^ penalties, there was a general sanctioned ly papal bull. Virtu- were t ■*fi'™pede of the male population ally, nevertheless, the Hudson ad- '^ th ffovernoi*** *^® woods. It was then, aa venturers were trespassers. Yet , his ow^® *'*® inclined to believe, that for Lrd calh or froi**»« ^^s* ^^^'"e the French trappers. At fir; "inters, and canoe -men got the 1 to tradei"**"^® ^^ coureurs de bois, which of their own to exploiter, with a '^ «• d the e)*^®y retained ever after when in European population of scarcely ■^ ,^° ., cam*'''® ^^rvice of the companies. In 60,000 souls, it could hardly have / .^ ,, men wl^**'*' ^^^ woods and the back-waters seemed worth while. The cold of h ced oric'"*^*'^ *° swarm with bands of the Canadian winter is intense, but ^'^ , . M ^ilftWless vagabonds who were liter- it is little to that on the inhospitable vf f tbfi color*^y bushrangers, and who dare not shores of Hudson Bay, enveloped in °l to tl"^^ their faces in the settlements fogs and darkness for three-fourths ^^A ^ t irinsr ('"'^der pain of arrest and punish- of the year. The very name was f A icultu"**'^*'' Outlawed and desperate, of sinister omen, for Hudson had 163478 for a time the Government of the Canadas did not move in the matter. With limitless territories m M'lJI I T^TT •^W-j' 498 *^^•: . Romancn of the Fur l^rcuh : [Oct J898.1 come to unknown j^rief in the gulf he had discoverecl. Wonderful were the courage and self-denial of the handful of hardy pioneers who firdt stockaded a fortalice on that forbidding coast, where they had to fetch th(! timber by ships from afar and bore into the frozen ground with gigantic gimlets. The illimit- able wastes around, still known as the Barren Grounds, were intensely depressing. The silence was sel- dom broken, save by the screams of the seafowl flying landward be- fore a storm. The musk-ox — more of a sheep by the way — was the only animal of any size that made its home there. The wolf, the moose, or the reindeer would some- times stray thither in the short summer, but they were always prompt to quit with the first sprinkling of the snows. The set- tlers had cut themselves loose from society and civilisation. Still the communications with the depots at Fort York, Fort Albany, and Fort jNIoose are only kept up by a single annual vessel, and if the arrival is unduly delayed, the lonely garrisons in fear of starvation are in a fever ' xiety. Even as fur-preserves heaven - forsaken territories > o.- i not compare "ith the wealth of the vast sub- Arctic forests lying farther to the south, which stretch northward from the Saskatchewan, down the valleys of the Mackenzie and Fraser rivers, with their swamps and muskegs, where all fur - bearing animals, from the beavers and grey foxes down to the musk-rats, had from time im- memorial multiplied in security. Yet from these small beginnings the Company expanded till it had annexed a territory as large as Europe. That is, of course, but an approximate guess, for those wastes will never be surveyed. But when compelled to transfer its domains to the Canadian Dom- importa inion, it owned everything froii V.i the Arctic circle to the Red River .. *^ including Labrador, Prince Ru ^^^^ pcirt's Land, what are known nov ' the North -West TerritoriesP**^"*'.*" as British Columbia, and Vancouver^^Sa?'!" Island. The expansion and tli^.'''^^ '" display of British spirit were i; , .^^ some respects more marvellous ii their way than that by whic, ^f. ^' another great commercial con' . ^ pany gave England the empir * ^ of India. Olive and those wli ..^ ^" followed in his footsteps, stillVr. ' ^^'^ ing their native levies with mer. . , */ handfuls of disciplined troop' .7 ^ scattered countless hosts of wu ^^ like Orientals. The fur-hunteij'J^"^."' had to contend with the forces ( . .^ nature, with immense distance,. °' with utter desolation, and tli . ^^^^^ cruel severity of the climate. Y( . ^ ^j the wilderness was not absolutef j^/i unpeopled — when the OompaiiT™.. . f sold their territory the other da . !"" they were believed to have 100,01?"'*^"*^^ native subiects in that vast o , ,* j .1 .• v'herehai panse— and the natives were na,, urally inclined to resent their inv sion. As they advanced their unci, "*"°" fined frontiers, they had to intrem . ""^^^ their positions. The Hudson ]ji**>"emit3 post was not only an outlyir " ^^ 1 1 Si ascet trading station, but the symbol . ,. the strong Company's contiauit' . ■' It was backed up by an unknot • 1 • DOn a u and mysterious power ; and it wrj-xi .j by prestige that the two or thr „ , Y \ K i-u I. ic J naugh 11 whites, with some hair-dozen , °, half-breeds by way of bodyguat , ®. held their own among the scatter-^ " * tribes. To begin with, two . » these posts were established . . the shores of James and Huds ^^ Bays. These were to be the pi manent bases of operations. il ,' 1869 there were upwards of l.„i occupied and garrisoned by nt ^^ . chief factors and chief trade^J^ 150 clerks, and 1300 inferL^„ , , servants. The posts were i^ii-||g(j u or less formidable according to t "?!.:??{ ■"fH^Cfc! .1898.] [Oct *'''y*^)""j^' ,/.'""»nd the value of the contents, but the K«d l^'v<"i'^ji ^g,.^ jjf jjjyyh the same chav- The Companies. 499 , ioaportanco of the district trade migration, when moose and deer Prince llu , wter. The foreign luxuries — the ^^« Hp°'^';or°gJ)Owder and spirits-stored in the A ^I^^''^ mftgazinos were inestimable trea- nd V ancouve J^J.^^g j^^ ^jj^ p^^.g ^f ^.j^g Indiana, hole in their belts, till tliey were were scarce and shy, or when tho savages spoiled the white man's chase. These men of enormous appetites and incredible powers of digestion took up hole after in 81 on . . .who were freely admitted under wasted to walking skeletons, and spirit were v.^^^^^.^ conditions. "'^ '' ' -' ^'- e marvellous if hat by whic mmercial con nd the empi ^^ and those wh These posts liad barely strength to shoulder wrere safe against surprise, and their guns. As for what we call JOuld stand a prolonged siege the essentials of civilisation, they 'igainst enemies only armed with loved them passionately, but 1 i^ 1 1 » p^j._ learned often to dispense with and tomahawk. A .,,. illelogram was surrounded by jotsteps stia.r^^^l^^jpg of tree -stems about ^vies with merj^j^^y ^^^^ .^^ j^^.^,^^ ,j^,,^^^^^ ^^^^ ip ined troop.jj^^jQjjg pierced for guns at the s hosts ot wu.^^^^^g^ ,j^^ ^,^^ turrets of the old Che fur.hunteij^^^jg,^ embattled castle. Gal- Lth the torces i^^^^ loopholed for musketry ran „ense distance jj ^^^^^^ ^^^ fortification. The ^tion, ana tii^^^ entrance was by a gateway he climate. ^Jtrongly secured, raked and com- 8 not al'solutci^^^jgj, J. . .^^^g^j^^j^^^^^^ ' l^ t3dl'^*.*'^"" '^^'■'' ^^^ magazines, the ry the o e ■ ggj^pncgg Qf ^Jjq n^gn, and some- l to have 100,Ul.^gg a piece of garden-ground n that vast f'yhere hardy vegetables were raised, mtiveswere na^j^^ victualling was necessarily ^esenttheir uiN ^^j^^^g at best, and sometimes anced their uncljj^ inmates were reduced to dire them. ColTee, sugar, and salt came once ayear with the letters and papers from the annual ship, and there was no reckoning with possible accidents to tiie canoes or the dog -sledges. For tobacco, which was even more indispen- sable, they found an uns-^tisfactory substitute in birch- bark or the insipid leaves of a shrub, which tantalised them by provoking painful comparisons. Latterly all the employ(^s were caught young : only lads born in the solitudes of the Highlands could habituate themselves to the life of loneliness ; only constitu- ,„ tions of iron, hardened under hered- y hadtoin reny^j,gj^.^y In the far north, where itary conditions, could endure so rhe Hudson >\jg^,^ ^y^g ggarce, it was always tremendous a strain. ^'^ - ly an outlyif^ ^^^^^.^ j.^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ lut the synibo. . ^j, constrained to fast, the |any s contiQUit^^j^^j^ j^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^jj ^^^^ by an unknot ^ ^^^ ^j^^ Farther to the and it w bhe two or thr' le half-dozen )wer J auu iu «Q^j.jj the living was luxurious nough in a fair hunting season, ad the lonely men revelled in It was es- sential that the brain-power of the factors should be unimpaired, and that their energies should rise superior to the depressing sur- roundings, — in fact, that the man must be all there when a sudden call was made on his mental re- ly or bodyguaijj^gj^ plenty. The rude tables sources. It may be assumed that ong the scatter£ j-ough . hewn planks groaned the lirst adventurers consisted In with, two ^^^.f g^ superabundance of good chiefly of Englishmen, although k established .^j. _ Jj^^.^Jq humps, ribs, and the Scottish invasion of England lues and -n^^*^ ^lan-ow - bones, saddles of the had set in with the accession of l-e to be the p lO^BC, and haunches of venison, operations. ^^ j^gg ^5^^^^^^ portions of the King James up rrisoned by iil. leilt were sun-dried and stored But it is certain that afterwards, both with the Hudson Bay Company and its great Canadian rival, the names . .— ^ .. - - whe'i the roving of factors, traders, and prominent 1300 inierigj^g ^j buffalo stopped short and partisans, with scarcely an excep- |)ost8 were Daiimed back in the periodical tion, were Scottish, The story of according to t lonea "> '"p ggainst the winter. But there chief trade.--^ ooaanna whA., thA rr>i7ir,« .ese seasons II Jd "^ 1 ' " 1 . Hi ■PI . .III'. I'J'ifff --^mm . • I noo Hoinancfi of the Far Trade : 10. trade ami discovory in tho North- West reads like a muster-roll of the clans, and mainly of the northern clans of the second order. There are IVIacTavishes, Mac- Gillivrays, M'Kays, M'Lellans, M'Dougallf, with Frnsers and Stuarts and the French Frobishers. A Mack(!nzip, a Frasor, and a Thompson gave their names to as many mighty rivers. That came in the natural course of things. The Company found its best re- cruiting-grounds in the Highlands, and enlisted the martial spirit of the mountaineers for a country where local feuds were forgotten. It was dilTerent altogether when civil war broke out between the companies, and then the clansmen fought like fighting- cocks. But for the youth from Assynt or Applecross solitude had few ter- rors, as hardships had always been familiar. He had been born in some isolated glen and cradled in the mountain mists. He changed the soil but scarcely the climate, and as for the new circumstances, they opened a career to his ambi- tion. He looked forward to pro- motion and inci'easing pay : in the North-west Company he drew profits on the co-operative system, and so he cast in his lot for life with the land of his adoption. He had little inducement to ask leave of absence for home, and such a request would probably have been answered by summary dismissal. Naturally a young man will turn to thoughts of love, but in that country there were few maidens of his own blood. And if he desired to be well considered by his superiors, he could do no better than get hand-fasted with a native. The Company, though chiefly Scottish by race and Presby- terian by religion, winked at these illicit connections, for settlements removed several thousand miles 898.] from headcjuarters were not wh Mr S(iueers would have called tl»vago8 w shops for morals. IJut the matihe Imrrc gers encouraged mixed marriages(iftke suri commercial and political ground' the C for thoy deemed that an agci'Ould ni( could do better business as gainst h family connection of some Dogr^arter In or Loucheaux chief. on is as The territory was autocratical"ne cond administered, and the subon For mc nates, within well - understo/^adson I limits, had alnnost absolute d^d expi cretion. Removed beyond t^ace, alt reach of the law, they were a Ij^bany an unto themselves. The agents wtlj three not partners, as in the North- Wianadian Company J but they were assur^*® trans of aclvancement and a competetiWish in if enterprising and resourcefully to And it is admitted that thrthertroi government, tho^.igh arbitrary, ^ their i admirable, so f.<3r as the Indipr a few i were concerned. It contras*«e was i very favourably with that to i** transfe south of the international Iftio knew where parties were organised a** ^t dege sent out on the war-path, ^napetition premiums offered for the Ind *ke Indii scalps, irrespective of sex or a *he Fr In the north the innocent Avouched never made to suffer for the gui**®'"* and i but any criminal was relentles^gains wh sought out and hunted down. CT« and oul sequently outrages came to ^urrence, almost unknown, and latterly ^ily av posts might almost have been -©^ some unstockaded. But being comrf" oiercha cial, the Company's policy ^glMh,orr( based on commercial selfishn** partner No intrusion was permitted owsts to their boundless preserves, f'niction. a portion had been guarantee(P**^on charter or trading licences, '"P*"yi i- the monopoly was everywi wie lea secured by distances and de^/'wllivraj tion. To the west of the g**«^- ^or lakes, down the Mississippi anl"**^^ autl the Missouri, the solitary voyaf' paters or coureur de hois might live^***^^* T. his gun and by barter, if he cho W eleme risk having his hair raised by *S *he r«urs de Oh, CLXIV. WH wif>a'>'i5:'jiHi '■*.*«;<' va f-' 898.] The Companien wero not whi . , , , , , t lavo called tl^vaSf^s with whom he traded. In l)Ut the niatih* Imrrcu north \w could only ed marriagesc^ftke sur" of supplies at the posts itical ground' the Company, wlu^ro the gate that an agci'ould moat probably bo closed fjusiness as fliftinst liini. Evon now that the »f some DogrfiWtor has been resigned, exclu- on is as stringent as ever, for the 8 autocraticalimf' conditions exist. the subon ^or more than a century the ell - understoMson Bay Company flourished b absolute d^d expanded in comparative d beyond t'^ce, although their forts at thev were a l^bany and Moose were occasion- TheagentT w(ly threatened by parties of the North-W(*oadian hunters from Montreal, ev were assur^^* transfer of Canada to the id a competeiiritish in 17G2 might have seemed nd re80urcef*®^y ^^ secure them from all ted that tli'fti'*^''*'''''"^^^- In reality it raised 'h arbitrary ^ their most formidable rival. ' the IndiP' ^ '^^ years the Canadian fur 501 trapping for their own hands sinco the contiuest. These men l)ecamo devoted to their new masters, and served their intere.sts w'th the same unreasoning and unrwerving fidelity aa the clansmen of a High- land chieftain or the spearmen of a Border chi<'f. But for half a genei.. ion they had been used to bushranging, nor was it easy to break them in to the loosest dis- cipline. Moreover, the tribes in the districts where they trapped were numerous and warlike. So the Company established a chain of forts through the lake district, otherwise armed and defended from those of the Hudson Bayers. Here it was no casj of a few sturdy Scots trafficking with a handful of pacific barbarians. The head-,.]| quarters of the Odnpui.; were [^ established at Fort Williti;' ontTj 4 o H H O It""contras*de was utterly demoralised. It ^ vith that to i** transferred to British subjects Lake Superior, and it wa.^ i '•eally-. ^ ternational li'*® knew nothing of the ropes, formidable sylvan fortress, withp* ^^ •e orcanised &^ ^^ degenerated into a ruinous regular works and a heavy arma-cj war-path ■wmpetition. The sale of spirits ment. There every year was hold CO t^ for the Ind^**' Indians had bt ei forbidden " "-i^--" ^«_4.;.,~ „.u„^ +u-.„^„uu„ ^ of sex or a *^^ French ; now they were e innocent ^bauched by adulterated fire- • - tr^y. +Vio crni*ter, and swindled into shameful er lor one gu' .' . , • , i ■•«■ was relentles^gains when intoxicated Mur- a solemn meeting, when the wealthy^ ^ lords of the flourishing corporation q h^| made a demonstration to terrorise ^ '^ their savage allies and dependents. .> Washington Irving has described ; [es nted down. C" ^^^ outrages were of constant it graphically. The pomp and came to ''*"'^"°®» ^^^ bloodshed was ' ' " " '' ' ' ' and latterly ^"7 avenged by bloodshed. t have been ■^'^ some of the principal Mon- t beinw comn'*^ merchants combined, and the v'a Dolicy 'glifihj or rather the Scots, entered rcial seldshnO partnership with old French permitted ooiets to save the trade from serves (*tniction. The result was the eTguarantee(P»^tion of the North-West ng licences, "Pany' in ^l^i'^h the names everyw! w*® leading partners were inces and de^o<*il^iv*'»y«^acTavish,and Fro- ,he|. For long it exercised un- uxury of the city met the feudal- ism of the wilds. Wealthy partners from Montreal ascended the rivers in state barges, freighted with wines and delicacies, and carrying cooks and confectioners. Descend- ing the rivers from remote stations came weather-beaten Highlanders dressed in deerskins, with mocca- sins that were masterpieces of bead-work. These hardy veterans had mustered their Celtic tails, and came in equal but more bar- ■ "HsiDDi an(P'*^^*^ authority over the woods baric state with their pipers. They I rtarv voi/fli ^^^t^rs to the west of the met for business, like shareholders r iwht live**^^' Thanks chiefly to the in the Cannon Street Hotel, but \\ -cL -VjQt»nflh element, it soon rallied to the chief business seems to have 1 • ' \„pA by flag the scattered hordes of been revelry. In a lofty baronial '' r«irs de hoia who had been hall, with rough wooden walls and 'OL. CLXIV. — NO. DCCCCXCVI. 2 K 1 vfj o l^ 502 Romance, of ihp. Fur Trnde : 1 I):. l'4l rafters, the ponderous tables wore laden with sylvan and civic dain- ties, and with wines mingling with Scottish whiskey and old Jamaica : they kept it up till most of them slipped down. Irving, who assisted at some of those carouses, speaks of tKo old Scottish songs, chanted in voices cracked and sharpened by the northern blasts. Outside the merriment was at least as boisterous, where bushrangers and boatmen, Indians and half-breeds, were regaling without stint, though upon coarser fare. It was inevitable that the com- peting companies should clash sooner or later. They were di- vided by blood and religion as well as by trade Jealousy, The employh of the Northern com- pany were Scottish almost to a man ; those of the Southern asso- ciation were chiefly French Cana- dians or half-breeds, and supersti- tiously Catholic. When they did come together at last, they 'vere always ready to fight, employing all the arts of Indian warfare. That most of the partners of the North-West were also Scottish did not tend to ameliorate matters, as they showed when Lord Selkirk's unfortunate Highland settlers on the Saskatchewan were ground to pieces between the upper and the nether millstone. It was on the Saskatchewan that the companies first came to blows. The case was something like our present troubles with pushing foreign neighbours in Africa. The North - Westers were in actual possession of the Saskatchewan valley, and claimed, besides, the legitimate succession to the old French explorers. The Hudson Bay Company held to a sort of hyperborean Munroe doc- trine, which gave them all the unsettled territory they could grasp. If forgotten graves could give up their secrets, they could f'98.] tell many a tale of violenco^j, g^ treachery between Fort Garry ventu Jasper House, on the eastern sK j^jj p of the Rockies. Naturally ntnij^gj^j^ Company cared to keep reci,(.jj,y , of that ignominious and discrtg pj.Q^ able warfare, when a»ihusvgg^pjj surprises, and slaughter swoj.^ g^^ the balances and paid the fg^mag dends. Forts were tired and.Qj.jj^g stores destroyed or emptied. | jjqj.| we can surmise something o trade from the historical accountsbitJQuj the unprovoked assaults of .g J^^^^ North - Westers on the Scl^ . g^, colonists. Then men were knew sacred, and women were h^q ^jj^j spared, by ruffians, subsidised, -^^g ^j^j mended, and rewarded by Jefore chants of position and uikj^, ^^^g tioned "respectability." Thes(|;n,j j^„ ment was broken up for a t, g gjjj solely to preserve the fur mono Horn and its founder died at Pau jg f^y^ broken heart. p count In the beginning of the ceiiugy .^ except for the Russians in Al^y^ygj the American fur trade was; nud | a British monopoly. The JSjin g\„l West Company, in possessicmgny all the borderland, had been igpgrem ing their enterprise far into ig^t ^c tory belonging to the United Stiej^Jous Only nominally belonging, fo)led it yond the Mississippi the >int»ins had done nothing to explor(> Ions lu dominions or assert their rj fgbulo When commercial treatiesigK ^g been signed with Canada.d in ] Americans turned their attp Missou seriously to furs. The Maclioeg, the Company was formed, and ianded o a brisk import business. 1 now th was the German emigrant, eered i\ Astor, who had the idea of iiiie Unkt himself a millionaire, and (nunicat veloping to the profit of his a(l>nly a qi country the vast Internal tr,i[t> '^ first grounds of the unknown sc . him He had started as a shopl-prige h( in a small way of businrtneant t chance meeting on a sea-vjepacifi i-.,,! ,^b'.''p"'*'^^*¥iT^I*^5'#^||||^.^fi^ n.jUL^Ct^'^ i^-m^^^i^^'^im^^^^m ^W 7TTTB!l^iJiJi-ii^S^^ 1 .3 ['98.] The Companies. 503 aU) of violpuc('tt, a retail furrier suggested sen Fort Garry venture in Canadian peltries, )n the eastern sIcJqIj p^ij \^\n^ well ; and then Naturally noi'^j^gan to cherish dreams of his d to keep rec(,|.jjjy ^g ^ prince of coniinerce. lious and discrig profits of liis fur trading were when ambus^eated in building lots in New slaughter swep^^ ainj go he gradually built and paid the (» gigantic fortune. But Astor, were tired and ,^g]^ a keen man of business, id or emptied. [ nothing of the pettiness of se something o trader. He was a patriot and torical accountsjjijious ; his audacious schemes ed assaults of .q matured with cool calcula- rs on the Sil^. and, like Louis Napoleon, len men were knew how to wait, for he had women were iipe than his share of diaappoint- ians, subsidised, itg and reverses. rewarded by Jefore 1801 the Californian )sition and untjt was separated from IVlan- jtability." Thes-qjim and Boston by something oken up for a t, ^ s\k months' voyage round irve the fur mono Horn, supposing the weather er died at Pau je favourable. The land route t" country marked "unexplored" inning of the ceiVnev.!r been attempted, and was e Russians in Al^dered impracticable. Trap- a fur trade was; mnj hunters had penetrated (nopoly. The J^iin sight of the Rockies, visible ny, in possessicmany hundred miles in that land, had been [gparent atmosphere, and had lerprise far into ight back evil reports of the ^ to the United S;endous barrier. Imagination ^ly belonging, fo)led it, like the mythical ississippi the ^ntoins of the ISFoon, with hing to explore Ions horrors. If the liorrors assert their r^ fabulous, the perils were real ercial treatiesigh^ as Lewis and Clarke with Canada.d in 1804, when, ascending rned their atte Missouri to its mountain urs. The Mackoe*, they forced the passes and s formed, and ijnded on the Californian Gulf. rt business. 1 now that the way had been Iman emigrant, eered, and the vague terrors d the idea of wie Unknown dissipated, future Uionaire, and inunications became possible, e profit of his acl>nly a question of tini -•. Astor ast laternal tnvftVi first to realise that, and it the unknown sc . him to enlarge a daring tfd as a shopli'prige he was meditating. He way of businftneant to organise a I'ur trade ng on a sea vie Pacific, establishing regular connections with the lucrative mar- kets in Canton. Captain Cook, among his many discoveries, niay be said to have discovered the sea- otter. It is only to be found on the shores of the Northern Pacific, and its fur is the most valuable of all, not excepting the silver fox. The Californian gold deposits were as yet unsuspected, and the wealth of the sea furs had only bren pre- cariously exploit)^ by the Ilussians and by some enterprising mariners from New England. Astor founded a company, with a capital of a million dollars — said to have been mainly provided by himself — and he obtained a charter from the State of New York. He was to establish his Pacific headquarters in some safe anchorage. An an- nual ship was to bring supplies from New York, and transport the furs to Canton. The freight was to be collected by a flotilla of ten- ders, touching everywhere along the coast and landing agents to trafhc with the Indians. A great company would have the advantage of its petty rivals, and he proposed to get rid of Russian competition by offering what was virtually a sleeping partnership. He under- took to supply their Alaskan posts, for the difhculty of victualling was their great drawback ; they, on the other hand, were to carry his furs direct to the northern Chinese ports, where they were chiefly in demand. Thus he would be spared the cost of land-carriage from Can- ton, which w-is the sole distribut- ing centre for other European traders. His plans promised to work out sati'jfactorily ; he had almost come to an understanding with the Russians ; he had already floated the Mackinaw Company, and was making overtures to the great corporation of the "North- West," when these, after long hesitation, were rejected. The 1 i% . -i" .rm mm t -^1 ■:l H :'^| H ■y]'^ « ;i ^'^ 1^' ' .>*ir,4»il'i-r-l3C'' 504 Ji nnance of the Fur Trade. 8.] 5t^> '■*'^* North-West Company had already been throwing out feelers towards the Columbia river, and now they decided on attempting to anticipate Astor and secure the Pacific trade for themselves. Probably it was that unexpected refusal which pro- voked him into extending his schemes. He would no longer be content with trading along the coast, and picking up what furs were consigned at the mouths of the rivers. He would embrace in his operations the unknown ex- panse which had been penetrated at the centre by Lewis and Clarke ; his posts should extend from the Oregon estuary to St Louis, and be scattered about the upper waters of the Columbia on the one side, along the Missouri and its innumerable tributaries on the other. And to a great extent he realised his dream, although ob- stacles unforeseen delayed its ful- filment. The opposition of the North - West Company he must have anticipated. When they re- jected his overtures it was a declaration of hostilities, and he knew what such warfare meant among fur-hunters. But he was not prepared for the quarrel be- tween America and Great Britain, which broke out at a most unlucky moment for him, nor could he reasonably have counted on the exceptional catastrophes which must have da anted a less deter- mined man, and drained less ample resources. He had the spirit of enterprise in excess ; he had provided the capital, but he had to hunt up agents with practical knowledge. There the hostile Association came to his aid. The North - West Company was a close corporation, and necessarily a limited one. Some of the best men they had trained were disappointed and resentful. These officials had either thrown up their enr b ments or been dismissed. Se in of them had come to the .\)W( can States in quest of occup as Impecunious or in debt, andsele out from the Canadian mondl Astor found it easy to consta terms with them — the rather Oo he behaved with great generost They signed on as partners i gt new undertaking, but they cond uted little but their experieiael Had there been confidencopa cordiality between the proiry and his partners, his entea would still have seemed sps. tive almost to folly. His so to( as we have said, was twte, He looked forward to openi;g America west of the Missoe his trade ; but at first his n a ments on the Pacific were t'he on a sea-basis. The region tern he intended to establish his;he quarters was still in dispm Toi tween England and the !■), ye When at length his plansden matured, war appeared inevs, ari He was bound to come i. I understanding with his Ewale rivals, who ruled in Alaska its « military despotism. The sigger of his settlement and the a.ea 1 which were the currency ied \ commerce depended on the aean of the single ship, which thei weather the storms and iceljJSian the Horn and run the gfsans of the perils of the coast fr An Straits of Magellan to the See bars of the Columbia. Faiibles arrive after prolonged st'aten might lead to disorders, desroM. or mutiny. s-pui But assuming that all wera bl and the season's trading waquin perous, the whole profits (the ' year must be staked on anise hazard. We have always te. 1 that Monte Christo was ing c venturesome when he stowe Shel all the treasures of his grots rag nn »i U"'iil'i. ' H,wy "i| i I twiUDu^ I'he Cowj^aiiies. 505 own up their mr bark and steered out upon a )een dismissed. S( infested by pirates ; but the ad come to the .\)wd Astor proposed to do much 1 in quest of occup same year after year. The >as or in debt, andieleBs furs can be packed in :he Canadian mondl bulk ; and the ship that was nd it easy to coratand across once a-year from 1 them — the rather, Oolumbia to Canton would l)e d with great generoBt as well worth plundering ud on as partners v gold-laden galleon homeward rtaking, but they cond from Carthagena. Yet the I but their experierael carrying the fortunes of the ere been confidencopany only incurred extraor- between the proiry sea-riske, and might have partners, his entea insured at proportionate II have seemed spg. As for the adventurers 3t to folly. His so took the untrodden overland ave said, was tv(te, we doubt whether a first- i forward to openiis insurance company would west of the Missoe granted them life policies ; but at first his n any terms. the Pacific were t'he enterprise was floated in )asi8. The region tember 1810 with the sailing ed to establish his^he Tonquin from New York, was still in dispm Tonquin is described as a line Ingland and the \ yet she was only of 290 tons ; length his plansden : she mounted ten tiny war appeared inevs, and was manned by twenty bound to come i. Laden almost down to the iding with his Ewale, she carried all the ele- 10 ruled in Alaska its of trouble. There were espotism. The stgffering Canadians, soon pros- ement and the aed by sea - sickness, and re- re the currency led with supreme contempt by depended on the seamen. When the voyageurs gle ship, which ' their sea-legs, squabbles were le storms and icebtsiant. There were American and run the £;;aanB who sided with the sailors, lis of the coast fr American captain detested Magellan to the Scottish partners, and the le Columbia. Faiibles came to a head when he ter prolonged syatened to put his employers to disorders, desroM. In short, a comedy of s-purposes had nearly turned uming that all werft bloody tragedy when the ason's trading waquin cast anchor ofi' the shores whole profits cthe Columbia. The land of be staked on anise gave no hospitable wel- We have always te. There was a rush of con- te Christo was ing currents, like the roosts of me when he stowf Shetlands, and the breakers asures of his grots raging furiously on the bar. n le NevertheleBs the passage must be attempted, and two boats were sent in to take soundings. One was never heard of again ; the other was swamped, and most of the crew perished. But at last a landing was effected, after more than the usual quarrelling, and a site was selected for the fort. It was stockaded, armed, and slen- derly garrisoned, and the natives, though pilferers, were not un- friendly. The future of the little settlement v.as to be a checkered one, and the fort was more than once to change proprietors ; but the fate of the Tonquin was soon decided. Soon after she sailed for the noith sinister rumours alarmed Astoria, to be confirmed on the return of a native inter- preter, the sole survivor of a lamentable catastrophe. The Ton- quin had come to grief in a harbour of Vancouver's Island. Though the natives in these seas were notoriously treacherous, they had been permitted to board the vessel in considerable numbers. More foolishly still, though their bearing was insolent, the knives which were in special demand were freely bartered for furs. Too late the captain took alarm, and ordered the ship to be cleared. He wap answered by a war-whoop, followed by a massacre. The sea- men though surprised fought des- perately, and four escaped to barricade themselves in the deck- cabin. They opened a musketry fire that cleared the decks, and then, manning the deck-swivels, they scattered the canoe fleet. Had they stuck to their ship they niight have saved themselves, but, seeking to escape, were overtaken in the darkness and put to death with horrible tortures. One man, mortally wounded, had remained on board : he had foretold the fate of those who abandoned hi 'J i mi 506 Romance of the Fur Trtide: 8.] '*')*' him, assuring them at the same time that they should be amply avenged. With daybreak the savages were seen again putting off from the shore. Then Lewis managed to drag himself to the bulwarks, and with friendly sig- nals invited them on board. Greedy for pillage, they accepted, and once more the decks were crowded. Then the train that had been laid to the powaer- magazine was fired, and the air was filled with shattered timber and corpses. The calculated ven- geance was complete, but it did not facilitate Astor's trading oper- ations. The garrison at Astoria de- tached parties up the river to establish connections with the In- dian tribes. These parties were so many forlorn-hopes, who cour- ageously faced the dangers they vaguely realised. A single ex- ample may give an idea of the hardihood of the ventures. One of the partners with eight followers had established himself in the far interior. In the autumn a canoe arrived at Astoria, bringing back four of the adventurers. The news were good ; the trade was promising, but food was scarce and hard to come by. With famine staring him in the face, the leader calculated that five men might struggle through where nine must starve. So rather than abandon the enterprise he decided with only four companions to brave the rigours of the winter, and risk the probabilities of massacre. That post was 700 miles from the fort. Remote enough, the dis- stance was relatively nothing to that which had to be traversed by the iaad expedition through re- gions for the most part unex- plored. We can «. ily rapidly trace its fortunes. The chosen leader was a certain Mr Hunt, who seems to have shown on a small scul'^dly qualities of a great captain '*^o was not the least of his diffici ^'^^ that he had to deal with u^^O^e c!/ined men, who had bet^' themselves to the wildernf',^™^ sheer recklessness, and whose'****' independence resented coi ""'^ The recruiting - ground and point of departure was Mont® ®*^ Reckless as they were, the^PP***" ageurs and free trappers were"^* to enlist for an enterprise ^^^^^ was hazardous beyond their e*8® The older companier® *"* their power to disco'P' lence. all in them. By incredible exer: had by flattering their vanity am' ™'" charging their debts, Hunt a^. ''*' got the necessary number tog' ^^^^ and a motley and turbulent^^ .^' they were. He stiffened ' "*^^ afterwards by some good nit^ ^® picked up, returning from so''®'.''' trapping expeditions on the i ^"v" tains. From Montreal they°^f*° their way by water to St L' '■^?*® ° the Mississippi, then the cap, ^![**]^ western pioneering and the^^° basis of operations. Thence, . with hard drinking and excito'*^ '^ the adventurers started in ""^ ^^I*^' erant spirits. So they bega ?'' ascent of the Missouri, whicl''^^'^ of 3000 miles fro:^*"*^-, the mountain ,6rpose( shed. As the stream was s *** the progress was slow, an( ? boatmen, coiling with oars .. , , • t i. the poles, were in constant pe:. , shipwreck from shoals, snag. ,* * drifting timber. Often the .^ J able channel swept round be' , . . overhanging bluffs, where , were at the mercy of warn ' )P6 wa* bands of savages, armed will; , , as well as bows and arrows, q. ■, , ., ., lalo-du than once they were in iniii, ., danger, and only escaped '')' _u -a- tiation and paying the fi^'' „!,:-- For even when they wer _ tertained in villages noir' a course sources in itiitMgamam iZr^-.j^i»i-- |> ■ tf iw i 77te Companies, 507 ni on a small 8cul'i%» tl^^ chiefs laid the trad- o great captain «nder contribution, like the _-».i^ ' ' the Rhine. a race with whites for the hunting- least of his diffici «>^ber barons of to deal with ui^over, it became n, who had b( t^' to the wildernfv^^^^ °^ ^^^ Pacific slopes. An isness, and whoseQ*©^ tl^e Missouri Fur Company e resented cot followed close on their heels, ;ing-tf round and although amicable relations aarture was Mon-'e ostensibly kept up, he missed they were, the >PPO*'fc""ity of intriging against ree trappers were^» • an enterprise ^^**en compelled to winter m a us beyond their e»8« o* *^e Aricaras, they had I older companies® ^^^^^^ ™ore than make a fair power to disco'*'- Hitherto though the boat- incredible exei ***^ ^^^^ toilsome, the travel- f their vanity am? ^^ ^^^^ relatively safe, and eir debts, Hunt a^. ^^^ "^^ded neitl ^r guides ssary number tog' interpreters. Now they were ey and turbulentf"^^nge their boats for horses, He stiffened ^ «*"k« ^°<^o *b« unknown. It by some good m^' ^« venturing without com- •eturning from so^ or rudder on an ocean swarm- peditions on the L ^»th pirates. Immediately m Montreal theyO'fe them lay the country of the y water to St L' ^^^^e Sioux ; beyond these were ppi, then the capi, ^^7^ ^^^ tb« Blackfeet, who meerinc^ and tlie^®" ^" ^^^ S°^S^^ ^""^ ravines rations" Thence,^*'^ ^.^^'^'^ Hills and the Rocky ■inking and excit.''»'^*»»°«; ^" f"^^^ f^^^S^j irers started in ^e equally eager for scalps and So they be-'a'^"®'"' *^^ fiercely resented the Missouri, wh&'^O" °^ *he whites on their 3000 miles i^o^^^^g - fonnds The obstacles ., , • erposed by nature were to the the mountain ', r -j x.^ t-.- ^ ■ . „ „,l W formidable. 1 irst came he stream was s .. . , l ^ l x. , I (Treat American desert, stretch- was slow, aiii ^ ' iling with oars in constant pe:. .i . i • x v • i , , ^^Vag the streams begin to shrink er^^Of*tenX°^'y "P' ^^^ *^ *^® herbage J , ihew the game shifts its quarters, swept round be , .. p • ..u i. i. i , , ^^ , el there is none in that treeless bluffs, where . i • i, ' c ate: an . .ny cooking, when mercy ot wam ' ./. . i j •' J . .ire was anything to cook, de- lages, armed witl. ^^ ^^ ,j^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^ ws and arrows. ^^^^ B ^^^ ^he desert !iey were in iim^ ^^^ outlying range of the |only escaped by^^^ jjj^j^ ^^^ J^^ ^^^^.^^ ^^ ^^^ ^K^'^^.i, "'''Ckies. By dint of indomitable hen tbey ^^^^Qy^rg^^QQ and resolution that villages noil from the Missouri to the foot the Rockies. Even in the barrier was at last surmounted. After quelling mutiny and coun- terplotting treachery by a judici- ous mixture of tact and determin- ation, Hunt struck a stream flow- ing towards the Pacific, and looked down upon a chaos of bleak deso- lation. A dreary outlook it was j nevertheless their exhi' iration was great, and they had little fore- boding of the troubles in store for them. It was now the end of September ; they had been travel- ling for fourteen months, and another winter was approaching. Time was precious, and yet haste was impossible. Their horses were wellnigh worn out with hard work an' low feeding, and when they re iclied a river that seemed fairly navigable they were inclined again to betake themselves to canoe^. So it was decided, and it was t^ unhappy mistake. Invaluable tiaafe was lost in getting the timber and building. Then they neglectiiia the warnings of friendly Indiaijg, and launched their frail craft upgji the Mad river, which well served the name. It brawli between precipitous banks, plu ing down here and there in im- practicable cataracts. The canoep had to be abandoned, and the party, reverting to land travel, regretted the horses left behind. Fortunately, perhaps, the numbers had been considerably reduced. It was characteristic of the hard conditions of the fur trade that when the adventurers, as they hoped, were within reach of their goal, the arrival of some of them should be indefinitely delayed. Sundry couples were detached with traps and guns to hunt in the hill tributaries of the Colum- bia in valleys hitherto untrodden by Europeans. If they saved their lives and the trapping was successful, they were to find their way as they could to the fort of 2; O -J 6 cc m -I > [^ 1 X I ^ i .rt ui^ % \ V^ w' "'*« H« 1 i , r)08 Hdinniicn, of the I'nr Trwln: The Companus. Astoria. What tlie difficulties were may be surmised from the experiences of tlieir coiiiradea, under capable leaders and com- paratively well equipped. The main party started again with provisions for only live days. They must have been at least lliOO miles from their destination, and autumn was drawing on to- wards winter. They cached their goods to lighten the loads, keep- a little for occasional ing two hundred iving only barter. But for miles they did not meet a soul. They separated in search of bare sustenance, only to come together again when Ijotli parties were reduced to extremity of emaciation. When they did happen upon scattered bands of Indians, they found them in little better case than tin mselves. AH were half-starving; they had buried their dried salmon, and their iirst proceeding was to drive away the horses which they could not be tempted to part with. At a critical moment the expedition was only saved by taking a camp by surprise and forcibly seizing half-adozen of horses. Some days they supported nature on diluted portable soup ; other days they went altogether without food ; now and again they had such a stroke of luck as to trap a beaver, which thoy stewed down with hips and blackberries. It shows won- derful vitality and powers of en- durance that they were still strug- gling forward when the snowstorms set in with December. At length they struck the Columbia river, where Indian settlements were more freijuent. Even then their sufferings were not at an end, as they had fondly fancied. For days as they followed its sinuous course, as it Hows between cipitous banks, they were on point of perishing of thirst wi sound and sight of the wai Finally they succeeded in liii a couple of canoes, and pad downstream to the mouth of river, where they were wel;oi as men who had been given for dead. The journey from St Lawrence to the PaciGc lasted for nearly two years. A few sentences must brinjl story of the companies to a c; The North -Westers reached Columbia soon after Hunt's! pedition, and they had sutl] similarly, though somewhat thanks to greater experience better organisation. The wa tween Britain and America broken out. To anticipate cap| by a British squadron, the pa in command at Astoria sold st| and furs to the North- West pany for less than a third of value. To the disappointme our officers, who had been liol for pi'/ ;-money, they found rl img but the dismantled fortalii take over, when it changed! name from Fort Astor to George. In Columbia and Orj the North-W^est Company rel what they could of the harvesl which Astor and liis agents] been sowing the seed, till lo treaty of Ghent in 1818 George again became Amerl and was once more known as| Astor. Then most of the dian traders returned to the I katchewan and the Lakes, I three years later, on the deatj Lord Selkirk, the rival norti companies buried the war-hatJ They amalgamated in 1821, the North- West merged its J in that of the older associatiod i#,)f .«qp>- ^^iifi#^t- T . V j ^ .' ; ,. Tr , -ir , i . a , | W 7*#» TOPICS OF THE DAY. ipanies, \ tlowB between :s, they were on] hing of thirst wi| light of the \vj succeeded in hii canoes, and padi to the mouth ofl they were weljoj had been given rhe journey froiiil ! to the Pacific r 'arly two years, ences must brinj companies to a cj Westers reached [ on after Hunt's! i they had sull ough somewhat eater experience! sation. The wan in and America j To anticipate capl squadron, the parf at Astoria sold si the North- West than a third of lie disappointmerl fho had been lio| ley, they found ismantled fortalij ^'hen it changed! Fort Astor to Dolumbia and Orl est Company rel Id of the harvcil and liis ngentsl the seed, till I lent in 1818 became Amerl more known asl most of the (I returned to the| id the Lakes, , ter, on the deatj the rival norti led the war-hatj ated in 1821, St merged its lI older associatioq C(Httmp»rary Hgvieur, Economics, »phj and tbe Newer Sociology. By Professor Caldwell. Iptember. liEdUeatlOB. By Georob Jacob Holyoake. mMtttenthCkntutj, September. ire of the Bof •. By B. Paul Nbuman. Fortuightfy Review. September. ira of the Jewe to Palegttne. Nineteenth Century, September. i romoB ud ArrlcaltHre. By Virginia M. Crawford. Contemporary Jievaw.Stp- Bfel >an8langbt«r. By Miss Gertrude Tuckweu- Ninetefntk Century;, August. ley-LOBdlBg iBaalry. By T. W. Russell, M P. Ninetetnth Century, August^ KAtiOB of GrOBBd YalBes. By sir Edward Sassoon, Bart. Nineteenth Century, |gU8t. ''' le BBd ForeltB T*ofl«7. By J. A. Hobson,, Contemporary /Itfnew, Augvist. Soelml ETOlBtiOb i By Herbert Spencer. 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