1892-93.] EARLY TRADERS AND TRADE ROUTES. 303 



December 14th, 1777. — "This place is quite lumbered with merchants' 

 goods, which the badness of the season prevented Mr. Stedman from 

 taking over the landing place." 



April 7th, 1778. — "Mr. Pollard, on account of his bad state of health, 

 intends quitting business as a merchant." 



May loth, 1778. — " I have always endeavoured to forward the mer- 

 chants' goods by rotation, but they are frequently sent here without a 

 single person to take care of them, and you cannot conceive what a 

 plague and trouble I met with last year, every place in this fort was 

 lumbered with their effects and the vessels obliged to navigate the lakes 

 until the 30th of November." 



May I2th, 1778. — " I have drawn a bill for ^^14,769 9s. 5d. in favour of 

 Mr. Pollard for sundries furnished the savages, which Major Butler 

 thought absolutely necessary, notwithstanding all the presents sent to 

 this post last year." 



Sept. 8th, 1778. — " Last winter this place was quite lumbered with 

 merchandise ; even the officers' barracks was filled with goods, as I would 

 not allow any to remain at the landing during the winter, but ordered the 

 soldiers of the garrison to bring down twenty-six batteau loads. Your 

 Excellency very justly observes that the eagerness of the merchants in 

 forwarding such immense quantities of merchandise may tempt the rebels 

 to draw near this post, and I am astonished that last year, when there 

 were goods to the amount of ;^5o,ooo on Deer Island, no attempt was 

 made to destroy them ; where they intend to lodge their goods this 

 winter I know not, for it will be absolutely impossible to get half of them 

 over this year on account of the provisions ordered for the upper posts.'' 



Nov. nth, 1778. — "Major Butler is building barracks on the opposite 

 side of the river, and Captain Matthews is erecting a strong log-house to 

 contain forty or fifty men at the upper landing." 



R. Hamilton to F. Goring, 29th June, 1779. — "The general will allow 

 no passes to any of the upper posts. He tells Mr. Matthews that when 

 the commanding officer at Niagara writes for goods he will allow them 

 to go forward." 



Bolton to Haldimand, 6th July, 1779. — " The works are going on with 

 all the expedition possible, considering the number of men here and the 

 difficulties we have to encounter bringing home fire-wood, cutting logs, 

 and batteauing provisions up to the landing, etc., at which place, as well 

 as Fort Schlosser and Fort Erie, we have a great quantity of merchants' 

 goods, owing to the large vessels being employed at Detroit this sunnner." 

 6 



