1891-92. | EARLY TRADERS, 263 
Indians destitute and almost naked, and was obliged to advance them at 
once goods to the value of 3000 beaver-skins. The result of the winter’s 
trade was 150 packs of beaver weighing a hundred pounds each and 
twenty-five packs of otter and marten. 
In his second venture, he advanced to each male Indian, goods valued 
at one hundred pounds of beaver and to each woman, thirty pounds 
worth. As a proof of the remarkable honesty of these people, he relates 
that although he had advanced to them at this time goods to the value 
of two thousand beaver-skins, not more than thirty skins were unpaid in 
the spring, and that this loss was due to the death of an Indian whose 
family brought in all the furs he possessed and offered to pay for the 
remainder. 
Upon again returning to Mackinac, he made the acquaintance of Mr. 
Alexander Baxter who had come from England to examine the deposits 
of copper ore on Lake Superior and he threw himself with his accustomed 
energy into this mining project. A company was soon formed, composed 
of the Duke of Gloucester, Hon. Charles Townshend, Sir Samuel 
Tutchet, Mr. Baxter, the Russian consul in London, and Mr. Cruikshank 
in England and Sir Wm. Johnson and Mr. Alex. Baxter in America. In 
1770, Mr. Baxter returned from England with the necessary authority to 
begin operations. Bostwick and Henry were next taken into partnership, 
probably to make use of their local knowledge and influence. During 
the winter they built a barge and a sloop of forty tons at Point aux 
Pins near Sault Ste. Marie, and in May, 1771, they sailed with a party 
of miners for Ontonagan where they built a house and opened a mine. 
The miners were left there during the winter and in the following spring 
a boat was sent to them with a supply of provisions. On the 20th of 
June, it returned with the entire party. The mine had suddenly caved 
in and they had failed to find silver ore in paying quantities. In August 
of that year they began working a vein of copper on the north shore and 
during the season of 1773 penetrated about thirty feet into the rock. 
The vein then rapidly diminished in size and was abandoned. This fail- 
ure combined with the high price of labor and provisions and the 
difficulty of obtaining mining supplies thoroughly disheartened the 
English shareholders and they declined to proceed.* 
During these years Henry had continued to trade with the Indians of 
Lake Superior but he soon determined to seek the new and promising 
field of trade in Canadian Northwest. 
*General Gage remarked that ‘‘ their want of success was not so much owing to the mismanage- 
ment of their agents as to want of foresight in providing the necessities requisite for such an 
undertaking the want of which at that immense distance must have overturned their scheme at 
once. ””—Letter to Captain Vattas, 26th December, 1773. 
